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Lot of really short sets early in the day. Headliners are unopposed. No major conflicts for me.
The app map shows a smaller VIP section than the old one. Looks like they've been listening to feedback. GA now extends into the parking lot and isn't all the way back to 8th street like before. And the main stage isn't all the way at the other end of the block, it's closer to the middle. It looks like GA will be about 2-3 parking lot rows from the stage, which isn't terrible. If you look at satellite view, it's a very small block so I don't think the VIP thing is gonna be a major issue, though it will suck for the bands playing earlier in the day who won't have a good crowd close to the stage.
They removed VIP sections from the second stage - totally GA now.
Another cool thing is that they partnered with CATS to sell a 3-day unlimited CATS pass for $9 (if bought before 4/30). You'll see it at the bottom of the CATS app home page.
And they changed "reusable cups" to "reusable tumblers and bottles".
Honestly was not expecting them to change the size of the VIP area, so kudos to them for listening there.
Happy with the schedule. Will be interesting to see if there are crowd control issues with one show ending and another starting at the same time on the other side of the venue. Doubt the local artist stage will be providing a strong counter programming presence.
Still a little worried about the overall logistics. Hoping they reverse course on hydration packs as well, but overall though I am excited for this!
Couple lineup changes I noticed looking at the app this morning:
They added a new act, The Bygones, on Sunday afternoon. Just gave them a listen and I like them a lot. 70s folky vibes. There are still a few TBA spots on the Northwood stage so we should expect more announcements.
They changed the Avett Bros to a 90 minute set starting at 6:30 Sunday. Now it makes sense the way they were specifically billed on the poster as “featuring a full set from…”
All I need now is the food vendor lineup and I’ll be a happy camper
Ok so, now that the app is out with the map that lets you pinpoint your location relative to features on the festival map, I was in the area tonight and decided to do some boots on the ground research.
The two secondary stages have killer locations. The QC local stage is perfectly situated in the grassy part of the park where all the food vendors will be. The park also has a splash pad which, if it's turned on, could be a cool feature to have at the festival. And the Northwood stage is in the corner of a parking lot that has a perfect gentle grade downwards toward the stage which will provide great sight lines for everyone. The parking lot will get hot but hey, nothing an 8 oz cup of water can't fix.
The main stage, however, looks like it's going to be a sh*tshow. I was optimistic when they reduced the size of VIP but it's still absolutely massive. No chance they have any respectable level of crowd density for anyone but the headliners. The front of GA appears to be about 150 feet from the stage. Not the worst thing in the world, I've certainly watched concerts from a lot farther. The thing that concerns me though, is that there is so very little real estate with sight lines to the stage. If 20-30k people are there to see Stevie Nicks, there's just nowhere to fit everyone so that they all can see. Sight lines are good in the parking lot, up the little hill, and on the sidewalk and grass before the curb on 8th and Brevard Streets. Once you step down from the curb though, you won't be able to see the stage over the people standing in front of you. On the other side of the street, you have the grassy lot. The majority of it is in a depression where you'll be so low that you can't see the stage over the people standing on the street and sidewalks. On 3 sides, it has steep hills with a narrow flat area on top where people will have good sight lines but be very far away. But with the hills being too steep to actually be comfortable to stand on, the narrow strips at the top of the inclines are about the only real estate in the grassy lot that'll be viable for watching the stage.
So, I just don't know how this is supposed to work and I really hope that my assessment is wrong. There's still a lot to enjoy and I'm going to go and have a good time but from what I've seen at this point I have a hard time being optimistic about the main stage setup.
Edit: and another thing. The grass lot is fenced in on the back side, so foot traffic can’t actually move through the field from one stage to the other. This means that, because of the shape of the festival, all of the traffic moving towards Northwood will be funneled through 2 narrow choke points on either side of that block. And it’s made worse by the fact that they made the schedule with no overlap between the 2 main stages so the entire population is moving the same way at once each time a set ends. I’ve been a defender of this fest since day one but the closer we get the less optimistic I feel about the decisions they’ve made.
Lots of great points. If you look at the map there are also bars directly to the left and right of the sound-booth which may take away from GA sight lines as well.
One of the reasons we haven’t had a major fest yet is that there is not an ideal venue for an event this size. Hoping the event logistics aren’t a train wreck that will make it harder for future events to get traction.
In a vacuum I’m still excited for this. Partly due to the novelty of having a fest down the street, but I’m also looking forward to many of the acts themselves.
I visited the site yesterday while they were setting up. Main stage is massive and elevated a good deal off the ground. I think the sight line issue won’t be as bad as I thought. About half the field on the Brevard st side and around the edges will have good sight lines. They removed a couple of sections of that fence at the back of the field so there won’t be the issue with the choke points. Food options look great too. Chance of rain Sat and Sun but hey that’s showbiz. I’m excited and looking forward to this fest.