Rockfest Observations 2017

Just catching up on blogging after a busy month of July. I attended Rockfest in Cadott, WI my birthday weekend last month, and thought I'd share a few observations:

1. VIP is worth the money. I splurged on the bronze package this year for the first time, and it was worth being able to go in for food whenever I wanted to or just needed a rest from the hot summer sun. I could have parked in the VIP lot each day, but I only chose to on the last day, which was my birthday and the hottest of all four days.

2. The pre-show bash is worth checking out. I had a great time Wednesday night with my friends in Seasons After and got to meet singer Rachel Lorin after her band's set and enjoy listening to Jack Russell's Great White and my buddies in the GoodBars.

3. People in the VIP area don't really pay attention to seat assignments. I saw this most days, people just kind of milled around and seating isn't enforced. My seat and row assignments were written on my wristband, but on the last day I plunged my right hand into an icy water bucket to grab a cold bottle of water, and when I removed my hand, I saw that the writing had worn off.

4. Pit passes are OK. I bought pit passes for Failure Anthem, Sevendust (who had to cancel, but Adam Gontier of Saint Asonia pinch-hit with an intimate acoustic performance) and Stone Sour and enjoyed each set.

5. Learn where and when meet and greet are. I learned to sit by the meet and greet on top of the hill the last day, and waited patiently while listening to Vimic's set to meet Lou Brutus, host of the syndicated radio show Harddrive and Hellyeah. I got to shake Vinny Paul's hand on my birthday, so that was another item to check off of my bucket list!

6. Mosh pits are the same wherever you go. I stood in the mosh pit on the What's On Top stage for Sin7, Gemini Syndrome and Mushroomhead. The Mushroomhead pit was intense, and I felt bad for the people who were getting crushed by people pushing from behind. I was firmly entrenched in my spot, and I didn't leave until after Mushroomhead's set had ended, because I needed a breather.

7. There are a lot of great regional bands out there! From my buddies in Seasons After to Chicago rockers Veilside, the Rachel Lorin band, Denver metalers Scarlet Canary and my friends in Twin Cities acts VIA, Sin7, Emergent and others. Happy I got to see their sets and/or buy merch/music from them for the trip home.

Next post coming up soon about Friday's Seether show at the Myth- stay tuned!