by Dave Kemp

Created on: April 28, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I have been to several concerts, but there is one outdoor event every year that I absolutely will not miss. It is the Ely Blues Festival. I have never been to any concert that is as much fun as this one. A friend and I have been going to this event for three years. We camp out, cook over an open fire, and just have a wonderful time combining our love for nature with a love for the blues.

What makes this concert unique is the setting and the size. It is a three day event that starts around 2 pm each day and goes until midnight. The acts are incredibly good, there are many vendors around giving it an almost carnival-like atmosphere, and I have never seen so many people so relaxed.

We usually go over for the first act and park our lawn chairs near the front - about 20 feet from the stage. We leave a little room for people to get up and dance if they want to. It is so incredible to see extremely gifted, world-reknown musicians right up close and personal. After the act, they come out into the audience and say hello. No backstage passes are necessary.

Around the middle of the second act, we go back to our fire and make supper for ourselves and anyone else that happens to stop by our fire. Then, we go back for the evening session. In the three years I have been there, I have never seen a fight, a bouncer, or a problem of any kind. Everyone is there because of a combined love of music and sharing that love with others.

If you are the type of person that enjoys the outdoors, loves blues rock, and cannot resist good food, this is the event for you. There is even a lake right next to the park for canoeing and swimming. The first year, we did go canoeing, but then decided that it was more work than we really wanted for a relaxing weekend.

There are always some bands that we have heard of and a few new ones that introduce us to a new sound. I love to have choices, so hearing 6-7 bands for the price of 1 or 2 is invaluable to me. In closing, I have decided that if I never go to another concert in my life and only go to this event, I will be well satisfied. The friends we have made are life-long and the experiences are memories that will live in my mind for the rest of my life.

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