Lockn' Festival Sept. 4-7

[Magnetized]

I know this thread is now officially ancient, but can any of you 2014 attendees give me an idea of what prices were like for this? It looks like there was a price option (no longer available) for "Lock'n 'Lumni" of $199 for the 2015 fest.

 

I might do this next year instead of Solid Sound, depending on cost, lineup, etc. Virginia is certainly a lot closer to Florida than Mass., and I could visit my old alma mater while I'm there.

The two festivals aren't remotely comparable. Lockn' is huge, many more big name acts, much more of a jamband vibe, and 4 full days long. As I recall there were a couple of price points for the fest, aside from the Lockn' 'Lumni prices which, as you discovered, are now closed. I think they had super early tickets available at around $250, then they went up to just under $300. They didn't offer single day passes until much closer to the fest dates. I think they also offered 2-day and 3-day passes at some point. It was a lot of fun but it had much more of a big festival feel, in both good and bad ways. I personally had a hard time getting past the whole VIP stratification thing, which kept the hoi polloi (me!) far away from the front of the stages. If you want VIP, you'll pay more. If you want Super VIP--even more entitlements--you'll pay even more than that.

 

My personal opinion is that Solid Sound is in a class by itself. Mass MoCA, the Berkshires, the lineup all selected by Wilco, the sense of community--you can't get better than that as far as I'm concerned. And I think it's only going to be every other year going forward, while Lockn' is an annual event, so you could always do that one on Solid Sound's off years.

 

Both festivals had great food, by the way!

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Good points, all. I have always wanted to go to Solid Sound, and it's a good excuse to visit me mum in lovely old CT. However, if there is a Dead reunion at Lockn', I will put off Solid Sound until another year, Wilco or no Wilco. I can't afford to do both, and Jeff & Co. are a lot younger than Phil, Bobby, et al.

 

I figured Solid Sound was slightly less expensive and much more of a "homey" feel than a gargantuan fest like Lockn'. But if Wilco played both, I would still likely go for Lockn', as I believe the rest of the lineup would be more in my wheelhouse (e.g., groups like Chris Robinson Brotherhood). Although SS might introduce me to some cool new music, I don't think I am all that thrilled about hearing a bunch of unfamiliar material prior to nightly Wilco and/or TWEEDY sets.

 

On the other hand, if there is neither a Dead reunion nor Wilco appearances at Lockn', then it's SS all the way. Decisions, decisions. It all comes down the the lineup announcements... Anyone on the list to get updates when the Lockn' lineups are announced? 

[Lammycat]

My buddy (big GD guy) went to Lockin last year and said hand's down best fest he's ever been to and that he didn't think it was that big, crowd-wise, actually. Hmmm.

 

If Phish and GD reunion band do play, as rumored, it's going to be a massive influx to what the first two years saw in terms of crowds.

[worldrecordplayer]

It's comparing apples to oranges.  Love them both.  Solid Sound always ends up being my favorite weekend of the summer, and that includes my vacation weeks.  But Lockn' was awesome.  I had a different experience from Wilco Me (yes, I was in the hated VIP section, but at my age I couldn't do it any other way).  I didn't find it too large or overcrowded, the vending was great (never waited on line for anything more than a minute or 2), the sound system was fantastic and the side by side stages were brilliant.  The VIP areas did not occupy the entire front of the stages, it went from halfway of one stage to half of the other, we were basically between the stages.  There were raised platforms in the back of the VIP area, and I can see why those were a problem. 

 

The thing is you won't know the full Lockn' lineup for a while, and it's tough to find places to stay at SS, so you may need to make your decision without knowing the lineups.  FYI, I got an early bird VIP (without camping) for $699, plus parking.  It was a great 4 days.  And SS is always a great 3 days.  Tough call.

[Magnetized]

I agree with Worldrecordplayer on pretty much everything, including the fact that you should go ahead and book a room for Solid Sound now if you're even halfway thinking about it. You can always cancel that room if you decide to go to Lockn' instead.

 

I didn't mean to sound like such a grump about the VIP thing. It's just that I'm not a big festival goer and the ones I've gone to (Newport and Solid Sound primarily) don't do that. I'm enough of an egalitarian to bristle at things like VIP sections, although I gather that the economics of putting on a big festival mean that they're a given. But for the record, I had a ball at Lockn'. And hey, Worldrecordplayer, I'm a lot older than you!!

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Wow, seven hundred bucks for a Lockn' ticket? I know that's VIP, but holy cow. What's the typical price for Solid Sound been?

 

I would probably stay in either a hotel or rental about 30-40 minutes away from either festival rather than camping, etc., so I'm not really worried about booking really early. There's always the Airbnb option in surrounding cities. I know a lot of people want to go straight to bed after a full day of shows, but I'm fine with a little drive to clear my head and decompress.

[Magnetized]

A group of us took over a bed and breakfast about 20 minutes away from Lockn', and it was perfect. A nice room to come back to at the end of a long day, a little partying late into the wee hours, sleep in late and drive on into the fest each day. One of the big advantages of VIP, I would guess, is closer parking lots, since it seemed like it was a half mile of lugging crap from the parking lot to the festival each day. It also took me forever to get the lay of the land--I was totally confused the first couple of days, but then again I have a lousy sense of direction and I was also a bit chemically altered most of the weekend.

 

I checked on the Airbnb option before we all decided to do the B&B together, and there weren't very many options. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere, with the closest cities being Lynchburg and Charlottesville.

[Lammycat]

Early bird tix were $199 (ended Oct. 21, I think).

[worldrecordplayer]

Wow, seven hundred bucks for a Lockn' ticket? I know that's VIP, but holy cow. What's the typical price for Solid Sound been?

 

I would probably stay in either a hotel or rental about 30-40 minutes away from either festival rather than camping, etc., so I'm not really worried about booking really early. There's always the Airbnb option in surrounding cities. I know a lot of people want to go straight to bed after a full day of shows, but I'm fine with a little drive to clear my head and decompress.

My memory is the $699 early bird VIP was only $100 more than a regular 4 day pass without camping.  Believe me, best $699 I've spent.  Can't compare the cost to SS, did you look at the number of bands and number of hours of music at Lockn'?  It was unreal.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

I checked on the Airbnb option before we all decided to do the B&B together, and there weren't very many options. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere, with the closest cities being Lynchburg and Charlottesville.

 

If we do go (to Lockn'), my wife and I would stay in Lynchburg. I went to college there, and would like to show her the old alma mater.

My memory is the $699 early bird VIP was only $100 more than a regular 4 day pass without camping.  Believe me, best $699 I've spent.  Can't compare the cost to SS, did you look at the number of bands and number of hours of music at Lockn'?  It was unreal.

 

Sure, there is a big difference because of the lineup and also length of the fests. I doubt I will choose Lockn' for that reason, although a Dead reunion might change my mind. Leaning toward the less expensive SS.

 

Edit: BTW, it looks like the Ticketing FAQ for SS 2013 was listed on Nov. 27th, 2012. If that is any indicator, we should start hearing something soon about SS 2015. I am on the email list and have received exactly zero info so far. But then, you all probably know that.