Tattoo the Earth Festival's 2022 Return Expands With More Bands

UPDATE (June 9, 2022): In April, rock and metal fans first learned that the storied Tattoo the Earth tour, the heavy music and tattoo event founded by concert promoter Scott Alderman, was returning as a single-day festival after two decades dormant.

Anthrax and Black Label Society will headline Tattoo the Earth 2022 at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Aug. 27. This week, the fest added even more bands to the stacked lineup.

The second wave of performers includes Bleeding Through, Crowbar, Overcast, Spirit Adrift, Terror, The Red Chord — their first local appearance in seven years — and Within the Ruins. Bands that were already announced include Hatebreed, At the Gates, Municipal Waste and Enforced, in addition to the headliners.

Earlier this year, Alderman published the book 'Caravan of Pain: The True Story of the Tattoo the Earth Tour.' Read an exclusive excerpt here. Read Loudwire's initial April 4 report about the festival's return directly under the expanded band lineup.

Tattoo the Earth Festival, 2022 Lineup

Tattoo the Earth Festival / MassConcerts

The calendar says 2022 — not 2002 — but fans will get a sense of deja vu when Tattoo the Earth returns to the concert docket this summer.

The heavy-music-meets-body-art event originally ran for three years, from 2000–2002, with the 2000 traveling fest being mostly remembered as the main draw. That year featured many top names in rock and metal, including Slipknot and several others.

This year's Tattoo the Earth, on top of its rockin' musical performances, will feature a tattoo village hosted by the Massachusetts tattoo shop Zaza Ink, along with a nearby festival village to include body piercing, body painting, art events, contests and more. Food trucks and a "Bacon & Bourbon" tent will also be on site.

"When I wrote Caravan of Pain, I never imagined it would bring the show back to life," Alderman marveled in an April press release. Tattoo the Earth Festival tickets are on sale now.