Music Festivals

KenKaniff said:
Also, this Blue Note Jazz festival in Napa Valley on the same weekend is a kick in the balls. That lineup is so much better in my opinion.
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Evidently the festival isn't selling well and there are discounted tickets to be had. A huge bummer as I agree it's a great lineup.
 
KenKaniff said:
Going to my first Newport Jazz this weekend. Anybody been before - any tips?
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So it looks like Newport Jazz and Newport Folk have the same rules, scheduling set-up, etc. Off of my whole two days of experience, here's some of my thoughts

Stages

  • The Fort is your big stage, this is where a lot of people will set up their camp for the day (blankets and chairs mostly with full on shade tents in the back) - likely by getting there at or before doors and rushing to their spot. You don't have to be there early to find a spot to sit on the fringes or to get close up in the standing area (except for the final acts) but it's generally the popular "home base" area. You'll likely see a lot of abandoned chairs and blankets for most of the day. The right side has a bit of a slope with a slightly better view, the left side puts you closer to the other two stages for less walking and more stuff to be seen, and the back gives you easiest access to the shared shade tent, food tents, alcohol pavilion, etc.
  • The Quad is your second stage - a smaller stage but a lot of green areas with some limited shaded areas (that people will set-up and stay in all day) I thought it was the nicest area but it also has the fewest refuges from the heat and probably most limited set of good angles to size (and the worst sound). The upside is that it's easily the most spacious area, unless you want to be super close it should never feel crowded.
  • The Harbor is your third stage, it is the smallest stage and area but is likely your best chance to get up close and personal. The Harbor and Quad also both have shaded seating right in front of the performances - getting in there can be tough and you probably need to plan it out by being there when the last artist ends and sniping a seat.
  • For this, the two primary strategies seem to either be staying at a stage for multiple sets prioritizing a good spot or being a nomad and floating between sets all day. I admit I was much more the former in the heat, but if it were like 70 degrees I'd recommend the latter - too much high quality talent to settle for full sets of a third of them.

Experience
  • I strongly recommend at least bringing blankets. I personally hate the blanket/chair space hoarding culture I saw, but you may want it to hold your space if you get there early and even if you're nomadic, having a blanket to put on the grass/dirt can be really nice, you might want it over you like Linus Van Pelt to block out the sun, etc.
  • Bring at least one large reusable water bottle. On the second day we had several sealed water bottles and reusables and my Camelbak. There are several water stations but it'll go quick when it's warm and you'll want it on your body. Likewise, bring and apply sunscreen liberally - I applied religiously and still ended up toasty.
  • Bring cash - they don't say it but the internet is spotty on the Fort and point of sale goes down and some stands are cash only at times or all day. If they get similar food vendors to Folk you'll be full and happy but if you go card only you'll be limited. The general store near the entrance is a sneaky good option for cold bottled water, ice cream novelties, and a way to get out of the sun for five minutes - also near the only permanent bathrooms on site
  • Speaking of food and drink, great food lineup is back. I didn't have a bad meal all weekend, but things will run out at times as the day goes on. Ben and Jerry's, Clyde's Cupcakes, and especially Del's Lemonade are your saviors when overheating. Matunuck Oyster Bar's seafood was really good, the Pierogis were solid enough, and both Greek food stands were hits for patrons.
  • The beer and wine gardens have long lines and are very removed from the action - I think it makes for a better overall atmosphere but you're not gonna be able to have a nice glass of wine and be close to the jazz.
  • Get shade. I feel like I've said this a lot and I am very heat sensitive but I swear, it's gonna be hot and it's so easy to get lost in it all. I saw people carted out and the fest, while among the best run I've seen, does not provide ample shaded spots unless you hoard it. Due to, ya know, science, the sun moves. So your shaded areas will change a ton through the day. The fort doesn't get natural shade outside of some against the back wall the stage is on. On the quad, your far back walls will have shade until about 3 PM. The Harbor gets it on the edges at different points of the date.
Transportation
  • There are three primary ways to the Fort
    • Driving: This is popular and is kind of a pain - it is what we did. Generally, if you get there early you'll be parked in one of the closer lots - this is easier to get out (after the bikes are all let out) and is a shorter walk to the venue. The later you get there, the more likely you're in one of the farther lots, which is longer to get out. Other than that, it's like Gilford - getting 10k people out of an area not meant to hold it. We waited probably an hour or so each night to get out, the second night we just stayed park and enjoyed the view of the sun setting over the ocean instead of sitting in the line. There are shuttles (school buses) going around picking up people from the entrance/lots and rotating - the walk from Lot 1 is long but okay, I wouldn't recommend walking from Lot 4 or the nearby school.
    • Biking: A lot of people will rent or bring their bikes, stay in a local area of Newport or a nearby town, and bike in. It's likely your shortest wait of any of the three, and if you're an experienced biker is what regulars recommend - you can even drive in, park off site, and then bike in and out to the fest. With that said, if you're not comfortable on a bike I struggle to recommend this with the amount of car traffic in the area.
    • Water Taxi: If you're saying in Newport or Jamestown (I think), you can take a water taxi in from the town to the Fort and have a short walk to the entrance - a good option if you're staying in the town or want to get dinner after the fest and have your car there.
  • There is no re-entry and even if there was, you're a while out from anything else of note in Newport.
  • When leaving, the general choice is either skip out on some or all of the main set or sit in some sort of line if you don't bike in. I stayed the whole time both days, though I think you can make that choice based on feeling.
 
waruv said:
You know, Festival Jadedness is wild. And I say this with my BC posts above, but this is my first year going to Newport Folk and Brandi Carlile & Friends was just announced. The people on Inforoo seem...sad? About it. Like, I get she's a frequent flier but if I'm ever sad about Brandi Carlile appearing to sing music live at a place I'm at, they should probably just lay me down to rest for good. She's a top tier live performer, outdoors on a summer night in a really chill crowd. I can't imagine much better.

I dunno, I feel like we see this a lot where people get really into something and become impossible to please. It's a bummer. I'm looking so forward to this.
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so yeah, this turned out pretty well for you! so jealous, just based on the various videos that have been posted/shared. seems like the weekend was pretty steallar all around.
 
waruv said:
So it looks like Newport Jazz and Newport Folk have the same rules, scheduling set-up, etc. Off of my whole two days of experience, here's some of my thoughts

Stages

  • The Fort is your big stage, this is where a lot of people will set up their camp for the day (blankets and chairs mostly with full on shade tents in the back) - likely by getting there at or before doors and rushing to their spot. You don't have to be there early to find a spot to sit on the fringes or to get close up in the standing area (except for the final acts) but it's generally the popular "home base" area. You'll likely see a lot of abandoned chairs and blankets for most of the day. The right side has a bit of a slope with a slightly better view, the left side puts you closer to the other two stages for less walking and more stuff to be seen, and the back gives you easiest access to the shared shade tent, food tents, alcohol pavilion, etc.
  • The Quad is your second stage - a smaller stage but a lot of green areas with some limited shaded areas (that people will set-up and stay in all day) I thought it was the nicest area but it also has the fewest refuges from the heat and probably most limited set of good angles to size (and the worst sound). The upside is that it's easily the most spacious area, unless you want to be super close it should never feel crowded.
  • The Harbor is your third stage, it is the smallest stage and area but is likely your best chance to get up close and personal. The Harbor and Quad also both have shaded seating right in front of the performances - getting in there can be tough and you probably need to plan it out by being there when the last artist ends and sniping a seat.
  • For this, the two primary strategies seem to either be staying at a stage for multiple sets prioritizing a good spot or being a nomad and floating between sets all day. I admit I was much more the former in the heat, but if it were like 70 degrees I'd recommend the latter - too much high quality talent to settle for full sets of a third of them.

Experience
  • I strongly recommend at least bringing blankets. I personally hate the blanket/chair space hoarding culture I saw, but you may want it to hold your space if you get there early and even if you're nomadic, having a blanket to put on the grass/dirt can be really nice, you might want it over you like Linus Van Pelt to block out the sun, etc.
  • Bring at least one large reusable water bottle. On the second day we had several sealed water bottles and reusables and my Camelbak. There are several water stations but it'll go quick when it's warm and you'll want it on your body. Likewise, bring and apply sunscreen liberally - I applied religiously and still ended up toasty.
  • Bring cash - they don't say it but the internet is spotty on the Fort and point of sale goes down and some stands are cash only at times or all day. If they get similar food vendors to Folk you'll be full and happy but if you go card only you'll be limited. The general store near the entrance is a sneaky good option for cold bottled water, ice cream novelties, and a way to get out of the sun for five minutes - also near the only permanent bathrooms on site
  • Speaking of food and drink, great food lineup is back. I didn't have a bad meal all weekend, but things will run out at times as the day goes on. Ben and Jerry's, Clyde's Cupcakes, and especially Del's Lemonade are your saviors when overheating. Matunuck Oyster Bar's seafood was really good, the Pierogis were solid enough, and both Greek food stands were hits for patrons.
  • The beer and wine gardens have long lines and are very removed from the action - I think it makes for a better overall atmosphere but you're not gonna be able to have a nice glass of wine and be close to the jazz.
  • Get shade. I feel like I've said this a lot and I am very heat sensitive but I swear, it's gonna be hot and it's so easy to get lost in it all. I saw people carted out and the fest, while among the best run I've seen, does not provide ample shaded spots unless you hoard it. Due to, ya know, science, the sun moves. So your shaded areas will change a ton through the day. The fort doesn't get natural shade outside of some against the back wall the stage is on. On the quad, your far back walls will have shade until about 3 PM. The Harbor gets it on the edges at different points of the date.
Transportation
  • There are three primary ways to the Fort
    • Driving: This is popular and is kind of a pain - it is what we did. Generally, if you get there early you'll be parked in one of the closer lots - this is easier to get out (after the bikes are all let out) and is a shorter walk to the venue. The later you get there, the more likely you're in one of the farther lots, which is longer to get out. Other than that, it's like Gilford - getting 10k people out of an area not meant to hold it. We waited probably an hour or so each night to get out, the second night we just stayed park and enjoyed the view of the sun setting over the ocean instead of sitting in the line. There are shuttles (school buses) going around picking up people from the entrance/lots and rotating - the walk from Lot 1 is long but okay, I wouldn't recommend walking from Lot 4 or the nearby school.
    • Biking: A lot of people will rent or bring their bikes, stay in a local area of Newport or a nearby town, and bike in. It's likely your shortest wait of any of the three, and if you're an experienced biker is what regulars recommend - you can even drive in, park off site, and then bike in and out to the fest. With that said, if you're not comfortable on a bike I struggle to recommend this with the amount of car traffic in the area.
    • Water Taxi: If you're saying in Newport or Jamestown (I think), you can take a water taxi in from the town to the Fort and have a short walk to the entrance - a good option if you're staying in the town or want to get dinner after the fest and have your car there.
  • There is no re-entry and even if there was, you're a while out from anything else of note in Newport.
  • When leaving, the general choice is either skip out on some or all of the main set or sit in some sort of line if you don't bike in. I stayed the whole time both days, though I think you can make that choice based on feeling.
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Thank you so much, this is extremely helpful! I was confused about how to really tackle this festival and this is great insight.
 
I went to Outlaw Music Festival on Friday.

Willie Nelson
ZZ Top
Zach Bryan
Charley Crockett
The War and Treaty
The Particle Kid

It started at 2/3 PM but I didn't get there until 5 PM. My wife needed to work and I had a bunch of stuff to do for work as well. I didn't want to see The War and Treaty or Particle Kid because 5 PM - 10:30 or so was long enough to be there, plus my wife is unfamiliar with any of the artists music that were performing.

Really excited about Zach and Charley because not only am I a big fan, but it's also there first time each performing in New Hampshire and I don't know if/when they will again.

1. Really impressed with Charley and his voice live was incredible. Nobody seated around me seemed familiar with him at all.



2. Zach probably did a 75 minute set. Pretty solid amount of time with two more acts hitting the stage after. There was a lot of 15-30 year olds around me and they were going nuts. Standing and belting every word. The people older than me (I'm mid 30's) were people in there 40s/50s/60s that came to see Willie/ZZ Top and had no clue who Zach was. They were flabbergasted that an opening act that they probably hadn't heard of was getting that kind of reaction. I heard a lot of older people ask "who is that and why are people going that crazy?" Real big disconnect. The older people seemed like they got into it though. by the end of Zach's set there was a large portion of the 9K or so in the venue screaming for an encore. Zach and his band were in great form, really tight.




3. ZZ Top. Not the biggest fan and I'm really only familiar with the hits. Some songs their vocals seemed poor but other songs their vocals seemed alright. It threw me off.

4. Willie Nelson. Great to check off the bucket list. I didn't know what it would be like with Willie performing at his age and health. It was fun. I saw maybe half his set and then had to call it a night.

 
Really sad that Oceans Calling was cancelled. We have been vacationing in OCMD for about 27 years (was pregnant with my youngest, doctor said not to travel more than 4 hours away) Fell in love with the beach / town and were ecstatic when this was announced. I've been watching the Hurricane Ian forecast closely, really thought we might be able to pull it off, so I went out this am, bought heavy duty ponchos and a new waterproof visor and on the drive home, the email came in. It's the right call. Safety must be the priority for artists, vendors and attendees. Disappointed, but hoping that they try again next year. (Happy to say that my hotel finally agreed to a full refund - they were hedging, but I emphasized that we've stayed there MANY MANY times in the past 25 years, so they finally relented after saying that it was less than 72 hours that we were arriving)
1664479821155.png
 
threesunrises said:
Really sad that Oceans Calling was cancelled. We have been vacationing in OCMD for about 27 years (was pregnant with my youngest, doctor said not to travel more than 4 hours away) Fell in love with the beach / town and were ecstatic when this was announced. I've been watching the Hurricane Ian forecast closely, really thought we might be able to pull it off, so I went out this am, bought heavy duty ponchos and a new waterproof visor and on the drive home, the email came in. It's the right call. Safety must be the priority for artists, vendors and attendees. Disappointed, but hoping that they try again next year. (Happy to say that my hotel finally agreed to a full refund - they were hedging, but I emphasized that we've stayed there MANY MANY times in the past 25 years, so they finally relented after saying that it was less than 72 hours that we were arriving)
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next year is already in the works!
 
Chris Stapleton, Zach Byan, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Jo Dee Messina, Travis Tritt, etc.[

Rock The South

Rock the South is an annual country music festival held each summer in Cullman, Alabama. From classic artists to today's biggest stars, the lineup is packed with heavy hitters in country music. Come on out to Cullman and experience The Biggest Party in the South!
www.rockthesouth.com www.rockthesouth.com
 
Twentytwo said:
Wow, that is a lineup. Weezer is very out of place though.
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If I didn't have Dead & Company in Pittsburgh the day after, I'd probably go.

I asked my brother and he's still so mad at Railbird for how much of a shit show the last festival was with water and shade shortages that he's refusing to go back.
 
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