Once more Jambo is behind me for another year. It's been a
good forty year run but unless there is an outstanding line-up or a
unexpected discovery of a fountain of youth in my back yard I truly
think this may have been the last hurrah !
Many things factor in on this decision. For one a few years ago
this venue was bought out by a large entertainment conglomerate .
For the past couple of years the line-up has grown pretty weak on the
country music side. They discovered that the money is in the youth
so in turn have gravitated to more of the country rock stars which
brings in the younger and larger crowds. Understandable. But they also
figured that the party atmosphere and fan dedication built over the years
would be enough to woo the crowds. And they were right. This four day
concert has become a tradition in this area and people travel for miles to
meet up with friends and enjoy the week. This is why the once star studded
line-up has become a list of unknowns and so called 'up and comers' Throw in
one or two headliners and sit back and watch the profits roll in.
Well this year I think people are catching on. Haven't seen the numbers but
I'm pretty sure they're down a good bit. Only really big crowd for Lady A on
Saturday night. rest of the week was so-so.
Second reason , and i'm sure it will change next year, was the lack of
people in our group. Uncertainty over proposed changes earlier in the year
scared off a few and they made other plans. The changes never materialized
but it was too late to cancel out. The most missed was the younger people in
the group that usually 'run' for us. For those not familiar with the operation
there is a 'Redneck Run' every morning to get your spot for the day. This is
very important because in a venue that large keeping the same spot is how
your friends find you year after year. This year, with no youth around and
everyone else busy working mornings and such, that chore was left to yours
truly. If you've never seen a sixty five year old man with three stents and a
bad knee run three hundred yards with four 8x10 tarps among hundreds of
younger people then you haven't seen anything yet. I managed to secure
our same spot all four days but was pretty much done till showtime. lol
I just had to keep repeating over and over in my head the Redneck Run motto..
Crush the weak.. hurdle the dead !
Despite the weak line-up, two days of torrential rain, and mud up to a
giraffe's belly button, we had a great time. Friends from Pa and Arizona all
made it in and many many local friends stopped down to visit. Plus we made
the owners of Anheuser Bush a little richer in the process. I have to admit
I did luck out on one of my usual duties. My good buddy pulled the wagon
with the cooler filled with four to six cases of beer over daily. I did help pull
it back empty each night though. Wouldn't want to wear him out..lol
I love and look forward to this show every year but it's time to admit that
it is becoming a concert for the younger crowd. Youth today have no respect
for anything or anybody and this is the second year in a row we got into a small
confrontation with rowdy groups in the crowd. So I think it may be time to
let go. We are already planing a possible separate get together next year for that
week. It won't be as much fun but it won't be a third of the hassle either. Time
will tell depending on the line-up and such..may just go daily but not camp all
week. But then there's the back and forth shuttling and the multiple DUI's lol
A lot to be considered...
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