Well there is a big difference between Rothbury and Grateful Fest... and it's not the acts. It's the venue... and it's the people Grateful fest is a giant forest... with a clearing for a stage and some merch... with a giant quarry to swim in 50 feet from the stage. As well we are talking numbers. Last years rothbury brought 35k people (estimate), whereas grateful fest is most likely closer to 4 - 5 k. I did both last summer... and I can tell you Rothbury was something else. Extremely well organized, some amazing acts, and great vibes. There are a few problems I could see happening though. Last summer the location (Tripple JJ Ranch) went out of business right after the event, going to power of sale. The event managed to get some court clearance to throw the event again. So this summers event might just be a last ditch effort to secure the property for future festivals... this could mean super pumped up prices on vending... maybe not. The other problem is that 35k kids went last year and had a rip roaring good time. Word of mouth is an infectious disease, and due to this swarms on people too lazy to drive to Bonnaroo might be showing up. For myself I was on the fence until reading the line up. I know it may sound strange, as a large number of individuals were going banana's over said line up. I will admit the line up to be fairly kick ass, but not too many people I haven't seen before. Perhaps if the line up had come out before the dead robbed me blind it would be a different story, but alas the fates did not have that in the card. Finally, price. Grateful fest is in and around 90 bucks... I'll be able to get to grateful fest pay for gas, and buy some food, for the price of the rothbury ticket alone. So if you want a weekend to see some great acts, and be wowed by some amazing art... go Rothbury. If you want a weekend of some great music (notice the difference), and feel like you are camping... go Grateful Fest. As a last note... Kimock and Boom Box are both playing Grateful Fest... that's some good act! If anyone has questions about last summers rothbury give me a shout and I'll totally answer anything.
