FreeFall Bluegrass Festival returns to Vail this weekend
Over a dozen acts take to three stages in Vail Village for free
The FreeFall Bluegrass Festival is ramping up for its second year and is bringing some notable names in the genre to Vail Village for free live performances Oct. 11-13.
Headlining the event on Saturday will be Sam Bush Band, featuring the “King of Telluride.” Bush earned the name after playing in Telluride in the early 1970s and gaining popularity throughout the region in the decades since. Bush has been influenced by and learned from some of bluegrass music’s greats and has played with Emmylou Harris’ Nash Ramblers, Lyle Lovett and Béla Fleck and had his own band, New Grass Revival, for 18 years.
Before the Sam Bush Band takes the stage at 6 p.m., phoffman, (Paul Hoffman), singer, songwriter, guitarist and mandolinist for Greensky Bluegrass, will get the crowd going at 4 p.m. Other notable artists and bands throughout the weekend include the Terrapin Family Band featuring Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters and Nicki Bluhm, Andy Hall (The Infamous Stringdusters), Bill Nershi (The String Cheese Incident) and Eric Thorin (Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band) Trio, plus Armchair Boogie and Allison Brown.
Local favorites like Jake Wolf’s Always Dead Bluegrass Band, Hardscrabble, Danger Mountain, Skin the Rabbit and Blue Ox Boys round out the robust schedule. Oh, and remember, you get to see all these bands throughout the festival for free.
The FreeFall Bluegrass Festival had its inaugural multi-day music event last October and added another free festival last May called SpringFree Bluegrass Festival. Diane Moudy of Resort Entertainment Group, the organizer of the event along with the town of Vail, is happy with how these events are being received.
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“To have these free festivals taking place in normally slower times in the valley is exciting, they have been so well received and attended,” Moudy said. “We believe that with hope and determination and how we’ve branded this, these events will live on for a very long time.”
The event will have three stages throughout all three days of entertainment. The primary stage will be positioned in front of Solaris, a second stage will be along the Gore Creek Promenade and Gore Creek near Up the Creek restaurant. The third stage will be for the kids at Checkpoint Charlie. This is a very family-friendly event and part of the event will host the Rock and Roll Playhouse.
“The Rock and Roll Playhouse is a nationally established program that brings kids and adults together in a safe place to share the love of music,” Moudy said. On Saturday, the Rock and Roll Playhouse will share the music of the Grateful Dead and other bands. On Sunday, kids and parents can sing along to the music of The Beatles. “Music heals. Watching the Rock and Roll Playhouse happen is a beautiful thing,” Moudy said. In addition to the Rock and Roll Playhouse stage, there will be other attractions for the younger set in the Kids Zone next to the stage on Gore Creek Drive.
Drinks will be available for purchase with Kona Big Wave beer, Cutwater canned cocktails and Archer Roose canned wines on the menu. Proceeds from the booze will go toward nonprofit partner, Can Do MS, which helps provide programs for those living with multiple sclerosis. Moudy said they will have food delivery options inside the venue from local restaurants or you can pop into your favorite place and get a bite in between acts.
The party will continue with Pickin’ on the Promenade after the main stage act ends each night for folks to bring their instruments and jam out before the Post Grass After Parties at Cucina at the Lodge at Vail from 9 p.m. to midnight. Blue Ox Boys will play Friday and Danger Mountain will play Saturday. At press time, Sunday’s band was yet to be determined. For the late-night parties, there will be a $10 suggested donation at the door to go toward helping Salvage Station, a music venue in Asheville, North Carolina, get back on its feet after the destruction of Hurricane Helene. Many of the artists playing in Vail this weekend play at Salvage Station when they are in Asheville.
This three-day music event will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday when the venue opens to the public and the activities in the Kids Zones start. Dress for changing weather conditions as it is a rain or shine event and temperatures will drop once the sun goes down. For more information on the schedule, venue, artists and more, go to FreeFallBluegrassFest.com.