Vanstock

Vanstock was a three-day van show and heavy metal festival held over July 17-19, 2015 at Nowell Park in Joliet, Illinois. According to the crude showbill printed for the event, it was supposed to feature bands such as:

Foreigner
Bang Tango
Accept
Warrant
Ratchell
Autograph
LA Guns
Krokus (misspelled on the bill as "Crokus")
Lion
Rough Cutt
Slaughter

The showbill was circulated throughout local internet groups and distributed via print media, and generated a moderate amount of interest. However, the "van show" portion of the event consisted of a handful of van dwelling transients showing up under the pretense of free parking, and the music festival portion of the show resulted in only one band showing up, Rough Cutt, who ended up playing one set for each day of the festival.

Festival organizer Carl Bird disappeared when it was revealed that Vanstock had no permit or insurance, and it was later discovered that the entire event was orchestrated by Bird as a way to draw a substantial crowd for his fledgling food truck business Taco Jabronis. As a result of eating poorly stored and handled food sold by Taco Jabronis, a number of people fell ill from food poisoning, which was exacerbated by the fact that the only sanitation facilities for the entire gathering consisted of the two portable chemical toilets that were normally installed at the park.

Carl Bird was eventually arrested for unlicensed selling of liquor and criminal mischief, to both of which he plead guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence of 60 hours of community service, which he did not complete. The matter of Rough Cutt's contracted but unpaid $4,000 compensation remains unresolved as of October 2026.