Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
May 1, 2008 issue
21st Annual MerleFest Brings More Than 76,000 to Wilkesboro
Story by David Brewer
More than 76,000 music lovers flooded the campus of Wilkes Community College last weekend to witness musicians from across the world sing, play, dance and jam at the 21st annual MerleFest.
Preliminary estimates show that 76,708 festivalgoers enjoyed the festival’s mix of bluegrass, contemporary acoustic, Celtic, blues, folk, old-time, Cajun, jazz, and singer-songwriter styles, along with traditional dance and crafts. The overall total participation in 2007 was 79,412.
“We are so proud that MerleFest fans remain committed to the event despite current economic conditions and threatening weather that included a storm delay on Saturday,” said festival director Ted Hagaman in a press release. “Since we opened ticket sales in November, we have seen single-day ticket sales outpace four-day ticket sales.”
More than 500 volunteers helped make the festival a success, including 150 volunteer stagehands and more than 35 volunteer groups including college and community groups.
While Thursday and Friday were magnificent days for festivalgoers to be outside, Saturday afternoon saw the return of the rains to MerleFest. Fortunately, the wettest weather came and went relatively quickly, allowing performances to get back on schedule for the rest of the day and night.
Regardless of the weather or a slightly smaller crowd, there were no fewer musical moments this year that left mouths agape across the campus. A spine-tingling moment came on Thursday night when Old Crow Medicine Show fans bowled through the flimsy security fencing in the dance section and rushed the stage while security guards stood watching helplessly.
While the moment of abandon seemed out of place at the typically tame Watson Stage, it would repeat itself only 24 hours later as fans of The Avett Brothers lurched through the fence and onto the stage during the band’s Friday night performance.
While the music of Led Zeppelin might seem out of place at festival featuring primarily acoustic roots music acts, the band’s music reared its head for the third consecutive year as The Waybacks (who will be performing at Daniel Boone Days in Boone on September 6) covered Led Zeppelin II in its entirety at their famed Hillside Stage slot. Although rumors abounded, Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones did not make an appearance.
Throughout his set, Dr. Ralph Stanley continually remarked about his sore throat between songs. But judging from the crowd’s reaction to the bluegrass icon’s performance, the Virginia native was the only one who noticed. The 81-year-old Stanley and the current edition of the Clinch Mountain Boys plowed through a stellar set of mountain music that featured a touching, if somewhat awkward guest spot by former Clinch Mountain Boy and guitar pioneer George Shuffler.
Perhaps the highlight of the weekend came when the opening notes of The Band classic “Ophelia” rose up from the stage and informed the late-night Watson Stage crowd that Levon Helm and his band were ready to boogie. Looking every bit of his 67 years but playing and singing with the fire and funk that has been the hallmark of his style since his days with Dylan, the legendary timekeeper and vocalist injected a dose of horn-powered r&b and blues into the cool Wilkesboro night with the help of guitarist Larry Campbell, his daughter Amy Helm, and guests Sammy Davis, Bruce Hornsby and Sam Bush.
Several Watson and Cabin Stage performances from throughout the weekend were recorded and will be available for download through www.festivalink.net. Performances from the 2006 and 2007 festivals are also available through the site.
Wilkes Community College will present the 22nd annual MerleFest from Thursday to Sunday, April 23 to 26, 2009.