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Music Festivals Love em or hate em


Litig8r

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Festivals are my happy place, the problem is I keep aging out of the lineups (I’m 46). I did Bonnaroo 2006-2009 and then Hangout for three or four years. Hangout was great because of the whole beach and beach house aspect, but these days I barely recognize the headliners. Now the most appealing festivals for me are the local Atlanta ones just due to proximity, and the rock festivals because I’m a rock guy and the lineups match my generation. I went to Welcome to Rockville in Jacksonville last year and it was great.


I just decided I’m going to Welcome to Rockville in May. I’m staying on the beach about 30 minutes away so I won’t be camping at the site. Any advice about the festival or town is welcome...
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We spent all our time in the festival or at the RV we brought, so I can’t say much about the town. I’ve been to a few Gator Bowls there over the years and were always at the Jacksonville Landing the night before and after. Honestly I don’t think much of Jacksonville, it’s pretty typical north Florida redneck to me. Maybe it’s changed I don’t know.

But the festival was great and had everything you could want in terms of music, people watching, food and drink. The headliners draw big crowds so get to the stage really early if you want to be close. I don’t bother getting close any more. We had fantastic weather last year so I hope you get the same. We frequented the Caduceus wine bar inside the the fest a good bit.

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Just getting in and out was a shit show. I think it took us 8 hours to get from Irving to the speedway that day. I remember getting out of the car, taking a leak in the median, walking to some convenience store to buy beer, coming back to the car and it had moved 10 yards. The way out wasn’t quite as bad, but we just waited in the lot for hours for traffic to die down.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Have gone to Bonnaroo the past 2 years with my daughter, heading back this year. They handle the logistics pretty well and have great food options and real restroom facilities on site. Not interested in camping there, they provide hourly shuttle service to Murfreesboro or Nashville. 

Music has run the entire spectrum, there is something for everyone. U2 did their first US festival there 2 years ago. Phish headlines this year. Tons of unknown and up and coming talent. Great bonding for an old and his 17 yr old daughter. 

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Have gone to Bonnaroo the past 2 years with my daughter, heading back this year. They handle the logistics pretty well and have great food options and real restroom facilities on site. Not interested in camping there, they provide hourly shuttle service to Murfreesboro or Nashville. 
Music has run the entire spectrum, there is something for everyone. U2 did their first US festival there 2 years ago. Phish headlines this year. Tons of unknown and up and coming talent. Great bonding for an old and his 17 yr old daughter. 


That’s pretty cool. I did Bonnaroo for a few years in the mid 2000s and loved it, it definitely holds a special place in my heart. We did the RV thing so we didn’t have to camp but we had a/c and a built in shitter and shower.
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3 hours ago, Greg Davis Apologist said:

I'll be there but am not thrilled about the lineup. I'll still have a good time.

 

3 hours ago, Greg Davis Apologist said:

I'll be there but am not thrilled about the lineup. I'll still have a good time.

Are you the guy that asked about San Diego before last year's show?

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The OP and I must live down the street from each other.  I have never done 30A Songwriters Fest for the reasons he mentions, it is expensive and crowded, so I stay away.  But I have always wanted to go and will at some point.

My daughter went to her first Hangout Fest last year.  I have taught her well, and she was all in to see the Lumineers first and foremost.  She wants to go because of The Head and the Heart this year, but scalpers bought the damn thing out already and doubled the cost to attend.  I have absolutely zero interest in being on a beach in the sun all day surrounded by 20 year olds, so I know I have hit the "get off my lawn age."

I am going with a group of friends to Mile 0 this year, they all went last year and loved it.  I'm pretty pumped, since the set up seems great for me.  We are staying in a group of cottages a block from Duval that was purchased as part of our passes for the concert, so there is a shuttle route and other perks (like a boat trip with performers) and the venues range from local bars to beach front concerts.  Key West in January means highs in the low 80s and lows at night in the 60s or so.  Plus the line up kicks ass.

A group of friends went to Steamboat for the concert the red dirt festival there, and the Winter Wondergrass seems like a cool deal too.  I would go to either one of those with the right group.  Bonnarroo has a fantastic lineup this year, but I'm too old for that scene.  Bottlerock looks awesome, but that is the other side of the country for me, so it is unlikely any time soon.

Back in the day, the best I went to was the Sunshine Daydream Festival in Live Oak, Florida.  It is a camp ground in the middle of nowhere, and there must not have been any cops for miles because it was like what I think Woodstock must have been like.  Absolutely zero rules and drum circles throughout the night.  Old and In the Way was the headliner, and it was mainly hippies dancing to awesome bluegrass.

Everyone knows Jazzfest in NOLA, but the one that is WAY underated is French Quarter Fest.  It is all local bands, so it is a lot of Zydeco and brass bands, but the variety is awesome and it is in April so the weather is fantastic for just wandering the FQ and seeing a few songs at each stop.  I haven't gone specifically for it, but have been there for other things while it was going on and loved it every time.

Edited by jinx
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  • 3 years later...

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Just announced. I did this one last year and it was a good time, stayed in Louisville for the week to hit another festival and hit several distilleries and tasting rooms. Louisville is a dump and the venue is nothing special but the music and bourbon were good.

Also on the docket for this year:

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