I wrote something the other day listing Jfest, Moon River, Riverbend and Bonnaroo as the four largest music festivals in our area, and I was suddenly struck with the idea that we have four good-sized music festivals in our area.
Duh, right? But think about that. Obviously we claim Bonnaroo - the country's largest music fest with its capacity of 80,000 tickets - because it is just an hour from here in Manchester. This summer's event sold out last month, the earliest in its 19-year history.
Riverbend was down in attendance last year at "only" around 20,000, but it should do better than that with this year's lineup, which is really good, and an improved main stage. Moon River sold all of its 11,000 tickets last year and will likely sell out again this year.
Jfest, a long-running contemporary Christian music festival, drew about 7,500 folks last year after moving to the Tennessee Riverpark because it outgrew Camp Jordan where it had been held for many years.
And the list of mega music opps in our backyard doesn't end there. The 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival, held at Ross's Landing, is a free event so actual numbers of attendees are not available. However, George Bright estimates they've seen as many as 7,500 there at one time for the weekend fest his family produces every October.
The Boxcar Pinion Memorial Bluegrass Festival in Chickamauga, Georgia, is smaller in scale but has been a very popular and successful event for 29 years. It's held in May down at Mountain Cove Farms.
We have dozens of other festivals that also have music, but the ones above are focused on music.
Music festivals have come a long way in recent years as organizers have worked to make them immersive experiences that offer more than just a lineup of bands. This will surely contribute to their future growth, but why do we find ourselves so fortunate to have all of this music in the first place?
Festivals are a great way to experience live music, which has become popular again in part because of the growth in festivals. At a festival, you can see a lot of groups, including some you've never heard before - the chance, for example, to see a legend like Mavis Staples and a relative newcomer such as Christone "Kingfish" Ingram at this year's Riverbend.
Discovering a new-to-you band has become the thing to do and, among other things, festivals allow for that. That's really quite a change from how things were 20 years ago when most of us found new music because our favorite radio station played it. Festivals helped foster a discovery mindset. And thanks to algorithms and services like Spotify and Pandora, people can hear something totally new and in turn see the band live at a festival.
LOCAL MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Boxcar Pinion Memorial Bluegrass Festival: April 30-May 2
Jfest: May 9
* Who I'm excited about: To get an idea of how far contemporary Christian has come, check out Nobigdyl, a Christian hip hop artist from Murfreesboro, and Unspoken from the Dominican Republic.
Riverbend: May 27-30
* Who I'm excited about: Mavis Staples, of course, but Blackberry Smoke, The Revivalists and The Record Company are going to be good as well. Actually, so will Samantha Fish, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Trombone Shorty ... Just go. It's a good lineup.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival: June 11-14
* Who I'm excited about: The Friday night lineup alone is worth the price of admission, with Miley Cyrus, The 1975, Glass Animals, Brittany Howard, Primus, and Turkuaz doing the Talking Heads' "Remain in Light" with Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew. Tool is that night as well. Other notables throughout the weekend are Lizzo, Oysterhead, Tenacious D, Lana Del Rey. It's a really strong lineup.
3 Sisters Festival of Bluegrass: Oct. 2-3
* Who I'm excited about: You'll have to check back on this one. The lineup hasn't been announced.
Reflects dates and changes as of press time. Double check events and dates with organizers.
APRIL CONCERTS
The Bones of J.R. Jones
April 1, Songbirds North
An Evening with Mo Pitney
April 2, Songbirds North
Lucero
April 3, The Signal
Whitey Morgan and the 78s
April 4, The Signal
An Evening with EG Kight
April 4, Songbirds North
Yung Gravy
April 7, The Signal
St. Paul & The Broken Bones
April 9, The Signal
Junior Brown
April 9, Songbirds North
Sadler Vaden
April 10, Songbirds North
Chance McCoy of Old Crow Medicine Show
April 11, Songbirds North
Black Jacket Symphony: Pink Floyd's "The Wall"
April 11, Tivoli Theatre
Mary Chapin Carpenter & Shawn Colvin
April 11, Walker Theatre
Shinedown
April 15, Tivoli Theatre
Brett Young
April 16, Memorial Auditorium
Justin Hayward: The Voice of the Moody Blues
April 17, Walker Theatre
Manchester Orchestra
April 24, The Signal
Red Molly
April 24, Songbirds North
Toby Mac
April 26, Tivoli Theatre
Steve Cropper Band
April 29, Songbirds North