I'm normally not a fan of BSMF, but Friday was made for someone like me. Foster the People, Grouplove, Dropkick Murphys, Fitz and the Tantrums, Ms Mr, and 311. Dig that.

People ought to go see Jerry Lee if you haven't seen him too many times already. Can still put on a show. A living legend and pioneer rocker.

Among all those headliners the best in my opinion is Ms Reba Russell.

All those festival dates outlast is playing and they aren't coming to BSMF? Major swing and miss by the MiM folks. I was going for sure if Oukast was coming. Will skip out now just like every other year.

(03-04-2014 11:39 AM)memphis88 Wrote:  All those festival dates outlast is playing and they aren't coming to BSMF? Major swing and miss by the MiM folks. I was going for sure if Oukast was coming. Will skip out now just like every other year.

I was really surprised they aren't at Bonnaroo or BSMF. I figured they would at least do 1 or the other.

Anybody know if they release times for all the acts?

(02-28-2014 04:22 PM)tigergreen Wrote:  

(02-28-2014 02:37 AM)Trapper John Wrote:  Bands that I've seen at Musicfest that I would say are better than any of the headliners this year:

George Clinton and P-funk (a few times)
Bob Dylan (a few times)
Willie Nelson ( a couple of times)
The Black Crowes (a bunch of times)
Chuck Berry
Jack Johnson (twice)
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
Ben Harper and Relentless 7
Aretha Franklin
Foo Fighters (twice)
Beck
Dave Matthews Band (a couple of times at least)
The Wailers
G Love and Special Sauce (a couple of times)
Indigo Girls
Ziggy Marley (a couple of times)

Again, its not that this year has a bad lineup, it just seems that they forgot to book the headliners

Sounds like we went to many of the same ones over the years. I'll add Bonnie Raitt to that list. She put on a great show.

I would add Sheryl Crow. I think it's a really good line-up, but no big headliner.
Just go sit in the Blues tent for a few hours and you will hear amazing stuff. And give ole Dickey Betts a shot. He is a living legend when he's on his game. Go back and hear some stuff before the 1980's; it's really better than you think if you give it a try. It's the seminal music that everything else is based on.

I'm hoping for good weather and manageable crowds.

Clapton is playing the amphitheater that same week. I'll be there. From April until the last week in May, Memphis will be hopping with things to do. It's going to be great. Two beer fests, a beer week, a startup conference, a music fest, a barbecue fest, the sunset symphony. Not to mention several crawfish festivals, hot wing festival, at least a couple of ethnic festivals.

Specifically addressing the BSMF, I wonder if they raised expectations too high in 2012. Gary Clark, Jr, Cold War Kids, Black Lips, My Morning Jacket, Florence and the Machine, Civil Wars, Wiz Khalifa, Lupe Fiasco, Herbie Hancock, Megadeath, Jane's Addiction, Three 6, Buddy Guy, Valerie June. That's a stellar lineup, imo, with both current and classic acts and a decent variety. But if you don't (or maybe can't because of capacity limitations) receive a concomitant revenue increase, you can't keep bringing those kinds of acts.

It must be a tough position to be in, to develop a self-sustaining brand and maintain quality. The competition is fierce, and growing. You aren't just competing against festivals in that timeframe, but now festivals throughout the year. St. Louis wants to attract megafestivals for Memorial Day and Labor Day with a city-approved non-compete (similar to the FedExForum) for their riverfront to limit support for other festivals during those dates in other areas of the city (essentially trying to siphon, forcefeed attendance to riverfront events). While the scope and timeline of those festivals may not be obvious direct competition, it's something to always be aware of.

It's difficult for MIM, but not impossible. Hopefully they will find the right mix.

One thing I hope MIM does is to incorporate more tech. Tech is an inseparable part of national and global culture these days (and the future).