Springing the blues
Oct. 17th, 2023 13:48![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bill_schubertSpringing the Blues
Twenty years ago we went to this festival in Jacksonville Beach to see someone specific. I can't remember who it was but Dana wanted to see her and it was a free festival so we went. It was on the beach with a lovely pavilion band shell and it was, in fact, free and you could walk around and have junk food and listen to blues. Kind of my nirvana. Dana also.
The following year I happened to mention to a friend that we were going and were trying to figure out a way to take our RV and park somewhere nearby. Have our own bathrooms and some AC. He had a cousin who had a yard three blocks from the beach. We parked there on two successive years.
And one year, or maybe two, we just drove back and forth. It was a 40 minute drive from our hosuse. Jacksonville is a big place.
The festival was still free but you could bring a chair, pay $15 a day or $40 for the three day festival and sit down front without all the people crowded around. It was really nice.
We moved to Texas but flew back for a couple of years staying as close as we could to the festival. The VIP area kept getting better. They added a VIP exclusive bartender and provided seats. And a really nice bathroom, high end portable potty on a trailer. With AC. The prices kept going up. I don't remember what they were but they were worth it.
We're going in 2024. The VIP amenities are:
VIP admission to the VIP Areas fronting the Seawalk Main Stage and the Mo' Blues West Stage
comfy armchairs
front of stage seating
private air-conditioned bathroom trailer
beverage servers, specialty beverages not available outside our VIP area.
Covered VIP food and beverage area (where the musicians hangout!) and much more.
Covered backstage exclusive lounge area with big screen TV and live feed.
I didn't say but there are two stages. The big one and on the other side of the park, a smaller one. Same people play but the music is very different. The smaller one is intimate, sometimes acoustic, more interactive and personal. I'm assuming that the live feed will include that.
The price is now $249 per person for the weekend. No decision for me. We have already absorbed the cost of the plane trip and the VRBO house we got within walking distance of the festival. I got the tickets.
No idea who is playing yet but I suspect I will not know any of them. Every artist a surprise, a present to be opened. Every note a river that starts back before time and floods the pavilion.
I'm mostly packed.
Twenty years ago we went to this festival in Jacksonville Beach to see someone specific. I can't remember who it was but Dana wanted to see her and it was a free festival so we went. It was on the beach with a lovely pavilion band shell and it was, in fact, free and you could walk around and have junk food and listen to blues. Kind of my nirvana. Dana also.
The following year I happened to mention to a friend that we were going and were trying to figure out a way to take our RV and park somewhere nearby. Have our own bathrooms and some AC. He had a cousin who had a yard three blocks from the beach. We parked there on two successive years.
And one year, or maybe two, we just drove back and forth. It was a 40 minute drive from our hosuse. Jacksonville is a big place.
The festival was still free but you could bring a chair, pay $15 a day or $40 for the three day festival and sit down front without all the people crowded around. It was really nice.
We moved to Texas but flew back for a couple of years staying as close as we could to the festival. The VIP area kept getting better. They added a VIP exclusive bartender and provided seats. And a really nice bathroom, high end portable potty on a trailer. With AC. The prices kept going up. I don't remember what they were but they were worth it.
We're going in 2024. The VIP amenities are:
VIP admission to the VIP Areas fronting the Seawalk Main Stage and the Mo' Blues West Stage
comfy armchairs
front of stage seating
private air-conditioned bathroom trailer
beverage servers, specialty beverages not available outside our VIP area.
Covered VIP food and beverage area (where the musicians hangout!) and much more.
Covered backstage exclusive lounge area with big screen TV and live feed.
I didn't say but there are two stages. The big one and on the other side of the park, a smaller one. Same people play but the music is very different. The smaller one is intimate, sometimes acoustic, more interactive and personal. I'm assuming that the live feed will include that.
The price is now $249 per person for the weekend. No decision for me. We have already absorbed the cost of the plane trip and the VRBO house we got within walking distance of the festival. I got the tickets.
No idea who is playing yet but I suspect I will not know any of them. Every artist a surprise, a present to be opened. Every note a river that starts back before time and floods the pavilion.
I'm mostly packed.
no subject
Date: 2023-10-18 01:06 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-18 16:28 (UTC)