I also thought Caitlin and Thad were great, it is not the first time I had see them. I thought the CDs were over priced also. I think the extra $3.00 went to the cause. MERLEFEST ROCKS!

I like to think that the extra money spent on CDs went to the college, the artists, or to improve the festival, which would make it much more acceptable, if so, they should have some big signs explaining the high CD prices. They would probably sell more as well!

Missing Bob Weir and the Waybacks Friday night was a mistake. Missing them again Saturday was just plain wrong; everyone was talking about Friday's show on Saturday. The Friday show was easily the highlight of the festival, with every player a virtuoso playing Waybacks songs, Dead songs and covering the Stones and The Beatles. Then for the Waybacks set Saturday night at the Hillside stage, they were joined by Weir, then Sam Bush and then Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - all of them on stage together. They did "The Weight," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "All Along the Watchtower" in addition to Waybacks tunes and bluegrass standards. When Bush came out, Weir announed, "We're going to go out on a limb and say this song has never been done before at Merlefest," then they launched into an acoustic version of Zeppelin's "Kashmir."

the avett brothers put on an amazing show, aren't they? i miss seeing them live.

Yea, the campground was buzzing about that Waybacks show. Especially the version of "Kashmir". Oh well, we were bound to miss something.

Caitlin Cary has such a great voice. I haven't heard any of her recent stuff since her first or second solo album,

Scott,

Do yourself a favor. Go listen to her album Begonias with Thad Cockrell right now. You can listen to it in full on rhapsody.com
Gorgeous all the way through.

The Tony Rice Unit is always a great treat.

I saw them back around 92 or so at "Ramblin' Conran's" a little music store on Military Highway in Norfolk Virginia. Wow... what a great show they put on, in front of an impressive 50 to maybe 75 people.... the venue was packed and it was an experience that one could hardly expect to see at this juncture.

I even purchased a cassette at the trinket table afterwards.

Color me jealous. For years I've been saying I'm going to Merlefest, and for years something has always stopped me from actually going.

Next year, man, next year.

I I first saw her with Whiskeytown in a Fayetteville, Ark. club with about 50 people and I think I liked her more than Ryan Adams.

I'll check out that link. Thanks

10% of the MerleFest Mall sales go to Wilkes Community College; 10% to the Rotary Club that operates it; and 80% to the artists.

Thanks Art, that information eliminates the one nit-picky gripe I had on the festival! A absolutely stellar event. I haven;t had a better festival experience, ever.

You better get me a backstage pass for next year!

Sewerfest is by far the best campsite at merlefest. Always camp there. I've been to many others and they usually have no showers, the port-o-johns overflow and they are muddy messes. If you see a sign for "Lance-a-lot Lane" that's named after my father, who was one of the first campers at the site, and camped in the same spot for years and years. Because of the enormous amount of people that now attend merlefest and the crowds, we haven't gone in a few years. My family is used to the merlefest that no one had heard of, where a few thousand people was a huge turnout and there was always someone willing to sit in the grass and jam with you. Hopefully some year we'll make it back, but until then happy jamming and if you see Doc tell him hi.