'LUMNI Tickets On Sale FRI, SEP 28 at 12PM EDT

Yup!

Blue Ridge Bowl, which is the stage labeled "Relix" at Lockn but used stand alone for other events, like Festy

Except a lot of the complaints were the same as last year, and the year before, and the year before that. So I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Dave to fix anything. 

Come on, at first I thought you were going to do the whole thing in Dr Seuss...

It will be in an RV,
It will be in VIP
I can sleep at night or read my books,
I will not camp out with the wooks.

Damn, that's brilliant. 

I will be purchasing GA Tent-Only tickets for the 6th yr. To date, tent-only has suited us perfectly. Mr. B doesn't sleep well on the ground, so the cot tent keeps his back (i.e. old bones ) happy. As far as the lines & other crowd issues go, even though they are not ideal at times, I have come to accept that's how it is and will be pleasantly surprised if it changes for the better. Granted, we go the cheap route and do not have mobility issues which I understand are truly a concern. Since we only take in a few concerts during the year and no other festivals to date (hope that changes), Lockn' is our happy place. See you on the farm.

We could not agree more!

The fact that a number of local friends who want to attend is declining, is not a good sign for the health of Lockn'. I have seen the same thing among mine. Part of the business model of fests is that the "positive festival experience"--more than just a good line-up--will bring the same people back year after year. Then you build on the repeat crowd, not replace them.

And it's that experience (which especially includes all y'all around here) that brings me back, not the band list.

I think the age factor is the biggest challenge, too. And the market generally split between people before having school-aged children and people after the children are out of high school. Lockn specifically seems to have an older crowd. They have more money and less energy, so being in a rural setting with few hotel options in range is a harder sell than the same older bands in a city (how many seats did Dead Co sell in Chicago? New York?)

It's funny you mention the fragile artists; on the "why you should buy tickets" ad they say the same thing, with a picture of Tom Petty. That rubbed me the wrong way. But we've seen our share of cancellations--and a couple who should have.

My family and I have been to all the Lockns, and are very pleased with the vast improvements made in the facility since Lockn 1.  We’ve enjoyed them all, and I have no complaints.

But I have to say, probably the biggest factor influencing our annual return to Lockn is the convenience: it’s a 45 minute drive, more or less in the proverbial back yard.  Were it 6, 8, 12 hours away, I seriously doubt we would have a perfect attendance record.

And as much as I have enjoyed the great bands that have played, I don’t consider the line up all that unique; we’ve seen many of the headliners at other festivals, including D&C.  And many, many of the undercard bands.

Although in the end we are likely to continue our Lockn streak in 2019, I think I’m gonna pass on the alumni sale and wait until I see what Bonnaroo has to offer next year.  If it’s stellar, we may go to Manchester instead of Arrington.  Or both, of course, if Mr Frey lines up something amazing in 2019, which is always possible.