The festival featured 12 stages spread out over the Wilkes Community College campus. Between these stages you could find anything you would desire including, arts and crafts, food, drinks, CDs, clothing, Internet access, sand sculptures, instrument tents, a lost and found, medical services, and even a huge kids area that included a bounce castle, painting and crafts area, a full size teepee, a flea circus, and even an area where children could see birds of prey up close. We did not bring our children this time, but we certainly won’t have any qualms about it as they get older. The patrons were well behaved and courteous, and we never heard any yelling or saw any obnoxious behavior. We did see a diverse cross section of people from all age groups.
The only negative about the weekend was deciding which bands to see, and getting everyone to agree! It was hard, but for us it broke down like this.
Friday
1. Doc Watson with Richard Watson, Charles Welch, T Michael Coleman and Maggie Peterson - There is simply no better way to start the weekend than with Mr. Doc Watson, who I was lucky enough to meet backstage.
2. The Avett Brothers - This band's recordings haven’t really grabbed me, but their live show was superb, I’ll be giving them some more spins and will be looking for future releases.
3. The David Bromberg Angel Band - So-so, There were only glimpses of the talent that Bromberg displays in his quartet. It was not bad, but I found myself doing more people watching than listening, a good show keeps my attention and doesn’t let go.
4. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Flawless performance, they were a highlight for sure, and they are both super nice people. Not only did they make us feel welcome with their good nature, but when we asked for a photo they suggested a second pose. After meeting Gillian And David I could have went home a happy man.
5. We opted out of the Waybacks with Bob Weir to see both the Duhks and the Mammals performing together on the same stage. It was billed as the “Platypus Jam.” Get it? Anyway, this show was easily the most electrifying of the weekend. The energy was amazing and the crowd was whipped into a screaming, dancing frenzy. Highlights included the super-human voice of Duhks singer Jessee Havey and a cameo by the grandfather of Mammal Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, who happens to be the 87 year-old folk legend Pete Seeger.
Article comments
1 - Dan Henderson
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!
2 - Robert Burke
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!
3 - Chris Nelson
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."
4 - zingzing
the avett brothers put on an amazing show, aren't they? i miss seeing them live.
5 - Robert
Yea, the campground was buzzing about that Waybacks show. Especially the version of "Kashmir". Oh well, we were bound to miss something.
6 - Scott Butki
Caitlin Cary has such a great voice. I haven't heard any of her recent stuff since her first or second solo album,
7 - Robert Burke
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.
8 - Joey
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.
9 - Mat Brewster
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.
10 - Scott Butki
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
11 - Art Menius
10% of the MerleFest Mall sales go to Wilkes Community College; 10% to the Rotary Club that operates it; and 80% to the artists.
12 - Robert
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!
13 - Noel
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.