With Riverbend less than two months away, it becomes more clear just how different the event will be, and some things are worth noting and perhaps even repeating.
Many of the changes are in keeping with how most of the other large music festivals around the country do things. For example, Riverbend went to a tiered ticketing system, meaning early buyers get a discount. This is to encourage early ticket buying, and the different tiers have nothing to do with added benefits for paying more.
Barry CourterTo that end, wristbands go from $75 to $95 on April 15. They will be available for purchase at area Harry's and Food City stores. They will be $115 during the event.
The wristbands are the same as those used at Moon River and Bonnaroo and are, in theory, nontransferable. Once they are attached to your arm, they are supposed to stay on during the entire four-day festival.
Also, all vending will need to be purchased using the RFID chip on the wristband. According to marketing director Amy Morrow, you can either go online and attach the chip to your bank account, load it with a set amount or load it up at the festival at one of its top-off stations as you would have bought tokens in the past.
If you have any of those old tokens tucked in away in drawers, hunt them down. This is the last year you can redeem them by trading them for credit on your wristband. If you are not planning to go to Riverbend, Morrow suggests finding someone who is and selling or gifting them.
This year's festival features headliners Weezer, which continues to put out cover songs since their remake of Toto's "Africa" became such a hit, Lionel Richie, Keith Urban and Macklemore. Among the don't-miss smaller stage acts are Old Crow Medicine Show, Larkin Poe, Brandon "Taz" Niederauer and The War & Treaty.
» When Tim Crowe, Donnie Nicol, Dan Gilligan and Jeff Goldstein got the band back together last year for a fundraiser for Notre Dame High School, it had been 28 years since the Mattress Police last played together. It went well. So well, in fact, they are doing it again April 27.
All but Goldstein, who went to Baylor, are Notre Dame alums. They used to play at a place called 2 Jacks, which was co-owned by another ND grad, Jack Berry, on Patten Parkway. It's now called The Honest Pint and that is where the reunion will take place.
Also performing will be Tall Paul, who hasn't played in town in almost as many years. Rumor has it that John Sorrow and Harvey Brown might sit in for a song or two.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.