IBMA, awesome.

[300win]

Raleigh, North Carolina, good news, the IBMA is going to be held there for AT LEAST ! the next three years !!!!!! And I'd like to say this, after hearing Doyle Lawson and Quiksilver, who I have seen and heard many times through the years, now I think Doyle has the best young lead singer he has ever had, Dustin Pyrtle from my home county of Stokes here in the Old North State. So proud of him, he is the grand nephew of Lou Reid { Louis Pyrtle} who was a original Quicksilver member, and who I used to pick music with when we were boys. Very few, only a couple of people that I have heard sing that has brought tears to my eyes, but when Dustin sang 'Precious Memories' , I cried as did many who were sitting around me and me wife. This young man has a bright future ahead of him, and I don't think that it will be in Bluegrass forever, I see a rising Country music star. WHAT A VOICE !!!!!!!!.

[Charles E.]

This has been a fantastic weekend for Raleigh and the IBMA. The weather was wonderful and the music outstanding. The city of Raleigh and the orginizers did an event that will be hard to top next year.

[300win]

This has been a fantastic weekend for Raleigh and the IBMA. The weather was wonderful and the music outstanding. The city of Raleigh and the orginizers did an event that will be hard to top next year.

....yep...very true.....my first time in our capitol city.....I was impressed.....only other member of my family that was ever there was one of my cousins....he visited the courthouse by invitation by the ATF.....for making moonshine.....that was many years ago, and he is still at it....

[AlanN]

Hey Jeff, sorry I missed you. Between volunteering and picking, hardly time to breathe. Did get chance to pose with a hero.

[KristinEliza]

I had a great time! Unfortunately I missed all day Friday due to a gig in Maryland, but I did get to enjoy Thursday night (too much) and all day Saturday. I met a bunch of really great people which made up for not getting to see some of my Cafe/SKAK buddies. I'm so glad it's moved close to me so I have NO EXCUSE but to enjoy it! Looking forward to next year already!

[Mike Arakelian]

My hat's off to Raleigh...they did a fantastic job for IBMA. Wide Open Bluegrass was sensational, and just a really, really good time with something for everyone. The Steel Wheels were unbelievable. This was my fourth time seeing them, and they just keep getting better and better. The exhibit hall was great with lots of beautiful instruments to play. Next year will include tickets to the paid venues for sure. Fantastic!!!

[Ivan Kelsall]

The old guy with Buck White looks familiar !. Seriously Alan,it seems as though the IBMA bash in Raleigh NC has been a total success.
That's so nice to hear after the maybe 'less than good' (according to some reports on here) festivals in Nashville. It's nice to read that the exhibition hall trade fare was good again as well,it was really fantastic at Owensboro in '92,
Ivan

[AlanN]

Yep, Buck and daughters were so cool to meet. We even did a 3-part hum of Fancy Dan!

Overall, the event was a rousing success, all the way around. Not without a few minor snafus - running out of programs, long line for ticket exchanges to wrist bands, some missing passes, etc., but those were definitely small compared to the overarching win. Hopefully, IBMA has now found a permanent home.

And the jamming was superlative. I mostly hung in the Marriott with a quartet of banjo (Richmond), guitar (California), bass (Delaware). Others floated in and out, one being a young man in a wheel chair who had placed on his lap a vintage D-28 on which he picked the fire out of. The crowd went nuts.

So much fun.

[300win]

Hey Jeff, sorry I missed you. Between volunteering and picking, hardly time to breathe. Did get chance to pose with a hero.

Howdy Alan. Yep hard to find one person out of 20,000. I and the missus did a lot of walking, and got to see who we went to see. I completely missed the vendors inside the convention center, one of the things I was wanting to do but had no time and did not know about it until reading other comments on here. Main thing I wanted to do that is hunting for a good Martin guitar. I stopped by their tent, did they also have more inside ? Anyway, we are already planning to go next year for the entire event, and are taking along some friends and family. It was great.

[f5loar]

The vendors expo was a mandolin pickers heaven. So much to see. I went 3 times and still did not see everything. 300win can't believe you didn't go to it however I will have to say IBMA did not do a good job with the program book. They had the list of vendors and diagram of the numbered booths but nowhere did it say where this huge room was. You had to hunt for it. IBMA if you are reading this, you seriously need a proof-reader for next year before the program goes to print. And never, ever change an artist schedule around. I missed Terry Bacum's band due to a conflict with another band. They should have kept Terry at his printed time slot and just brought in another band to fill the open spot. The streets were full of bands waiting to pick somewhere.

[300win]

The vendors expo was a mandolin pickers heaven. So much to see. I went 3 times and still did not see everything. 300win can't believe you didn't go to it however I will have to say IBMA did not do a good job with the program book. They had the list of vendors and diagram of the numbered booths but nowhere did it say where this huge room was. You had to hunt for it. IBMA if you are reading this, you seriously need a proof-reader for next year before the program goes to print. And never, ever change an artist schedule around. I missed Terry Bacum's band due to a conflict with another band. They should have kept Terry at his printed time slot and just brought in another band to fill the open spot. The streets were full of bands waiting to pick somewhere.

Too much to see Tom. My wife and I had everything planned out, and did not deviate from it. But we did venture into the center, just didn't stay long enough to find the vendors. Yep, they should have had a sign or info on the map.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I have to say that when i heard that the IBMA Festival was to be held in NC,i was so pleased that there was a move away from Nashville that almost stifled it for good (so it seemed) & a move closer to it's roots. Having just read the article by Craig Havighurst re.this years IBMA Festival,if the IBMA & it's allies continue to perform as well as this year,then this has to be the best thing to happen since the WOB began back in 1990.
I've read all the comments on here from the members re.the festival,but Craig's full article which contains much of the background to the move,is any eye opener in the very best sense. That the festival was so great in it's first year can only be a good thing,however,i wonder just how many more people will be tempted to attend next year !.This year's 6000 might just be a start. We've criticised some of the desicions made by the IBMA in the past,but that's what it is now - the past. This year,we've seen a revitalised IBMA come out well on top - AWESOME !!!!! (yes,that was a shout ),
Ivan