KROQ will turn the phrase “rocking around the Christmas tree” literal when the radio station holds their 21st annual Almost Acoustic Christmas on Friday, December 11th and Saturday, December 12th from the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles, CA. The roll call of performers who have played at the annual Christmas concert over the years serves as a who’s who of the music business. Everyone from Seal, Matchbox 20, and Sheryl Crow to Rage Against the Machine, Weezer, and Stone Temple Pilots have graced the stage at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas. This year will be no different as KROQ gives rock fans big names including The Smashing Pumpkins, Social Distortion, My Chemical Romance, and Jimmy Eat World.

Many of the bands who will play the 2010 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas are no strangers to the event. Social Distortion, The Smashing Pumpkins, Bad Religion, My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World, Vampire Weekend, and Phoenix have all played the annual event previously. In fact, this will be Bad Religion’s fourth Almost Acoustic Christmas and Social Distortion, My Chemical Romance, and Vampire Weekend’s third Almost Acoustic Christmas. Perhaps what draws these artists back to the annual event is the traditional “It’s better to give than receive” Christmas attitude which the concert captures. Every year ticket sales from KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas goes to help charities. This year the event will help benefit Para Los Ninos, an organization which looks to help impoverish families through education.

KROQ announced the lineups for both nights of this year’s Almost Acoustic Christmas on November 15th and 16th. The bill for night one could arguably be considered the most stacked lineup in the 21 year history of the annual Christmas concert. In addition to The Smashing Pumpkins, Social Distortion, My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World, and Bad Religion, Cake, A Day to Remember, The Dirty Heads, Anberlin, and Switchfoot will perform on night one. The Smashing Pumpkins is always a fun band to watch live because they have such a large library of hit songs. From “Disarm” and “1979” to “Today” and “Tonight, Tonight,” the group always has a song which will drive fans nuts. Looking down the bill for night one, every band is accomplished, all the way down to Switchfoot. Switchfoot, probably best known for their hit single “Meant to Live,” has had many of their songs featured on television shows, including Dawson’s Creek and Regis & Kelly.

For hardcore rock fans, the ones dedicated to music beyond the mainstream level, night two of the 2010 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas will cause just as much eager anticipation as Christmas morning does for a child waiting to unwrap his nicely packaged gifts. Of course, this isn’t to say none of the artists booked for night two haven’t garnered any mainstream attention. For instance, Vampire Weekend, who will perform for the third straight year at the Almost Acoustic Christmas concert, had their most recent studio album, Contra, place number one on the Billboard 200. Additionally, the group Phoenix recently won a Grammy for “Best Alternative Rock Album.” Besides Phoenix and Vampire Weekend, KROQ will deliver Brandon Flowers, The Black Keys, The Temper Trap, Neon Trees, Florence & the Machine, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and Broken Bells on night two.

The talent caliber and popularity of this year’s artists showed when both nights of the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas sold out in less than a half an hour. A little surprisingly, night two sold out first in just 13 minutes while the last ticket for night one sold 24 minutes into the sale. The quick sellouts prove especially impressive considering the sale was restricted to California residents, and had a purchase limit of two tickets per night. Not to mention the tickets cost $96.30 each (once additional fees and services were tacked on), a somewhat hefty price tag considering the current economy.  

While the fact the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas sold out so quickly is kind of surreal, there’s no denying the sellouts will help create electric atmospheres Friday, December 11th and Saturday, December 12th at the Gibson Amphitheater. The clapping as Jimmy Eat World plays the opening chords of “The Middle” will only be louder. The mosh pits during My Chemical Romance’s set will only be bigger. The echoes as the crowd sings along with Billy Corgan to all The Smashing Pumpkins’ hits will only be multiplied. Yes, the sold out crowd will only make the 2010 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas more of a “can’t miss” event. If you don’t have tickets, look for ways to win them or try to find someone selling his tickets because the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas is in store to give you some Christmas memories you likely won’t forget.