Rock The Smokies First Year

Dollywood's 2015 Music Festival Introduction

     I have been to a lot of music festivals in my life including other adventure parks like  Night Of Joy at Walt Disneyworld, and Spirit Song  at Kings Island. 

      One thing I have noticed about all of these set-ups is that each band does not get recognized on the same level nor do the fans get to experience all the talent that is distributed across the parks at different times throughout the day making it almost impossible to take part in each concert. 

     As a music lover I am always enlightened at concerts in general being introduced to less known artists besides the headliner who later become massively popular.  For instance two years ago at a Casting Crowns concert the opening band was For King&Country.  The following year (2015) they swooped into the Klove Fan Awards and cleaned house.

     My point in mentioning this is that when fans of well-known bands are eager to listen to the artists whose songs they know by heart are not given the opportunity to experience newer talent, that window of exposure to the other bands is stolen both from the fans and the artists.

     I do not know if all of these festival planners are aware the difficulty that can arise for a visitor trying to determine who they want to miss and who they want to see perform.  The most organized of the three I mentioned above is Spirit Fest because it's a three day event that gives you the opportunity to enjoy all the shows and the park. 

     The Night Of Joy is set up a little better than Rock The Smokies, because it is at least broken up into two nights giving guests two full days to enjoy the park, at least that's how it was when I experienced it.  

     In 2014 when I attended the Night of Joy I wanted to see Chris Tomlin perform because I have always been a fan of his music.  I had also recently written a review of The Neverclaim's new album and had become a quick fan of them as well.   Unfortunately they were both playing at the same time on different sides of the park.  I decided to go see Chris Tomlin who was playing in front of the castle.  The downside to that decision was everyone else that was there decided to do the same thing and not only could we not see him, but we couldn't hear him either.  So we decided to head back to the small stage where Matt Maher and The Neverclaim were performing.  We stood right in the front and it was honestly one of the the best concerts I've been to. 

     The most disheartening thing of that is that everyone out by the castle trying their hardest to see or hear the amazing Chris Tomlin missed two other great performances because of the timing and set up. 

    

     One of the things I will give Rock The Smokies credit for was that at least they had different time slots throughout the day where each band played at different times to give people a slight chance to catch at least three out of the five bands performing as long as you didn't want to ride any of the rides or eat any food. 



    

     I apologize if that came off sounding sarcastic but it is the truth of the matter.  The two headlining bands Third Day and For King & Country was the only show the tickets guaranteed you a seat for, and it was first come first serve at all three show times (above) so if you wanted to be close at all you had to get in a long line waiting for the doors to open each time.

      However, if you wanted to see the other non-headlining concerts including Love and the Outcome , Sidewalk Prophets or About A Mile you had to cross your fingers, jump through hoops and stand in line for about an hour just to get a seat.  Of course if you waited in line the whole time (not eating or riding rides) and you still couldn't get in you always have another chance to come back to one of the other time slots to try to make the cut. 

     Despite the fact I was unable to catch Love & The Outcome I heard from a friend that they put on a great concert.  Captured below by Dave Lobbestael Photography.

Photo By Dave Lobbestael Photography

     During one of the times we decided to try and catch the new roller coaster and grab a bite to eat we walked passed About A Mile post show signing autographs.  A little further we saw about two hundred people standing in line an hour early for one of the Sidewalk Prophets concerts hoping to get in.  I have no idea what About A Mile (below) was like in concert but I'm sure others would have liked to have seen them too that missed the opportunity due to time constraints.  

Photo By Dave Lobbestael Photography

      We arrived an hour early for the Sidewalk Prophets concert we had planned to attend. Right when we got to the entrance, (literally next in line) the lady holds her hand out at me and my crew and says, "One second we have to see if we have any more room."  I looked at my husband like "Really?  Seriously?" I knew we would not be able to make it to the other later show because we had to get in line for the 7 pm finale of the headliners. Thankfully, they let about fifteen more people in and Sidewalk Prophets delivered as always. 

Photo By Dave Lobbestael Photography 

     I do want to say that Dollywood is a lovely park and there are several different rides and places to eat if you get a chance to visit.  One of the things I would highly recommend to the promotions department to do differently next year would be entirely based on organization.  

     The line up they had of bands was fantastic and I would have loved to have been able to see all of them.  Along with many others I would have also liked to enjoy the park more.  I think it would have worked out a lot better if they had split the festival up into two days similar to the way Night Of Joy does. The first day have two separate shows one in the morning and one in the evening.  Have every band at both shows, that way the fans and the artists don't miss any opportunity to experience or share music.  

     The second day have one final show that evening with all the bands performing as well.  Sell the tickets as a two day package with entry to 1 of the 3 shows that way for those who want to enjoy the park they can, it would also give the bands some time to rest and enjoy the park.  Some promoters may be surprised that one of the most important things to some of the Christian artists is to be able to spend quality time meeting their fans, this set up didn't really allow for that. My two cents on that note.

     Despite being extremely tired from performing 3 shows throughout the day pretty much back to back, For King & Country didn't win best live performance at the K-love fan awards for no reason.  They entered that main stage at 7 PM and literally "Rocked The Smokies".  

     I have no idea how these guys have so much energy but they are just a treat to watch perform.  Not to mention the fact that they are some of the most passionate in the industry.  Joel was speaking about how they have a bracelet to remind girls how beautiful they are and never to forget how much they are worth to God.  He so happened to jump off stage and give a bracelet to my friend Pam's daughter, Reenie. He couldn't have picked a more deserving recipient! 

     To close the last and final show of the evening Third Day entered stage and performed to a very tired crowd. Everyone seemed to be pretty wiped out by that point walking around in the heat and rain all day trying to make it to all the shows.  However, bottom line they encouraged everyone and got everyone back up on their feet for one last celebration.  

     Being the first year of this festival things went fairly smooth. I'm sure the planners and promoters ran into many different aspects that they themselves seen areas for improvement on.  I would imagine they are already tweaking it for next year trying to figure out a better way to plan everything out.  

     After all was said and done, the bands probably all slept like little babies that night and all those who attended left filled up with all the love and joy that overflows from all of the artists that shared their gifts and talents musically with everyone who attended the festival.  

      I am personally looking forward to seeing what they plan out for next year and I hope to get to return.  Until then, check out the park, a lot is there for all to enjoy!

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 Rock The Smokies