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+--- Thread: Reggae on the River Cancelled (/showthread.php?tid=102537)
Reggae on the River Cancelled - Aquavit - 06-19-2019
After 35 years as the largest and at one time the only Reggae Music Festival in the US, High Times has pulled the plug on Reggae on the River.
The event was put together by the Mateel Center out of Garberville CA in Humboldt County - a community group established to provide to the charitable needs of the community. It was a not-for-profit event and over the years raised millions of dollars for the community.
Unfortunately in the past 10 years the festival ran into trouble - in-fighting, financial and last year they partnered with High Times to try to breathe some life and money into it so that the beloved event can continue. Sadly, it seems whenever High Times is involved in an event it becomes the death knell for that event as in the case here.
The truth is the festival has been dying a slow death for years as many other long running and established music festivals have. Ten Thousand Lakes in Minnesota, Gathering of the Vibes in Connecticut are two others off the top of my head. Oh, and the Sierra Nevada World Music festival, short lived as it was shut its doors this season as well.
The only time I ever went to ROTR was in 2004, for their 20th Anniversary show. We worked the gig - my husband and his friend made omelets in the early morning for the Mateel hoi-poloi and then we were "free to go". We made the mistake of not camping in VIP where we were assigned, the kids in our group really wanted to be closer to the river. The show itself was phenomenal. Couldn't say that for the camping or the overall "vibe". It was in a magnificently beautiful setting on the Eel River but SO MANY people were descending on the place at one time, the porte-potties were simply gross (VERY grateful to have backstage access for that alone!) all the time and I was actually uncomfortable swimming in the river - it was teeming with the unwashed, there was a film of schmootz on the water....it was a shame really. Don't get me wrong - I had a great time but it was never something that drew me back.
Still, its demise is sad but was inevitable. A lot of people are bemoaning the loss of access to Reggae music in our area but they need not. Historically the artists that played ROTR built their US tours around those dates and this year is no different. Toots is playing multiple dates all over the San Francisco Bay Area for example and the newer, shinier and younger Cali Roots Festival is the exciting new event that is drawing tons of Reggae Artists in the short 5 years it has been going.
End of an era? Yes. The entire area where ROTR was held has changed quite dramatically in the past several years and not always for the best. But as
"they" say: "Life is change... how it differs from a rock".
RE: Reggae on the River Cancelled - oldtimer - 06-20-2019
Well get this ...the girlfriend of one of the crew members on my son's boat won an online contest for 2 to a Toots concert in New York . Being very careful she personaliy checked out with the airline YES !!! their were 2 tickets with her name , YES the hotel had their reservations for 2 with airport transfer and YES she received the $1000US voucher in the mail that she checked at the bank. Not only that but my son has given each of the men a trip for 2 and accomatations at Rooms for their bonus . Nice guy eh !!!!!