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Post by MikeC on Apr 12, 2014 5:34:37 GMT -5
So, after purchasing Two Mountain Jam 3-Day Passes for my girlfriend and I (and a camping pass)...we dropped over $615.
After viewing the Peach Festival lineup a few days later, I noticed that they have the same exact bands (plus many others like George Clinton, Trey Anastasio, Victor Wooten, etc) and it's only $130 for an entire 4-Day Pass. (and just $35 for camping).
What exactly does Mountain Jam provide for all of this extra money spent? Better camping? Or do more bands still have to be announced? What is it, because we've never been to MJ before, and once we started comparing the 2 festivals we definitely see a difference.
I don't want to come off as a Negative Nancy here, but we spent almost double the money and I'm just wondering what separates the two festivals from each other...
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Post by misterbrow on Apr 12, 2014 8:20:57 GMT -5
I have not been to Peach and this is better answered by someone that has.
The biggest difference as far as I can tell is the stage / seating set-up. MJ has two side by side stages for continuous music to PF's one little stage. MJ VIP viewing is just a open space about 15' wide after the security barrier as opposed to the 100 level fixed seating area at PF. With GA you can be 30' from the stage at MJ if you wish or set up up the ski slope for clear views and great sound.
The famous MJ vibe I doubt is replicated at PF being so far from Woodstock. Starting with the Iroquois blessing bringing the spirits and the ghost of Levon.
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Post by jetro315 on Apr 13, 2014 14:34:45 GMT -5
I wouldn't say both lineups are pretty much the same at all. The only bands that are at both places are ABB, Ratdog, Mule & Tedeschi-Trucks. Peach doesn't have Umphrey's, Avetts, Robert Randolph, Franti, CRB, Tweedy, TBT, Blitzen Trapper, DSO, J.Greene, Pretty Lights, Marley, Reignwolf, etc......That's a lot of bands. Festivals are way more than just headliners. Besides ABB the I'm most excited about the non-headliners.
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Post by positivecreation on Apr 13, 2014 20:40:53 GMT -5
A great atmosphere, great vibes. And the Vast view of the Catskill rolling mountains.
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Post by icantdrv55 on Apr 14, 2014 9:10:44 GMT -5
Having done both Peach Fest's and last years MJ I can speak on this a little.
1. MJ does have the side by side stages and that's really cool. Peach does have two stages, however they are about a 5 minute walk from each other. Music is happening concurrently at these stages so you really have to pick and choose what you want to see.
2. Both events are held at ski resorts. The camping terrain is very similar.
3. I'd agree that the lineups are different beyond the headliners.
I really enjoyed going to both fests. Feel free to ask more questions.
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Post by Rocking Horse on Apr 15, 2014 9:23:22 GMT -5
I have been to every Mountain Jam and also went to Peachfest the first year. The venue, atmosphere and overall vibe at Mountain Jam is so much better than Peach. The venue at Peach is not very appealing and is very spread out, making it a lot of walking and also making you choose between bands that play at the same time on stages that are far apart. The water park at Peach is cool, bit compared to the beautiful Catskills and the layout of Hunter it doesn't even come close overall. The main stage at Peach is a large generic amphitheater like the Hartford Meadows, as opposed to Mountain Jam where two stages sit side by side at the bottom of a beautiful ski slope. Having two side by side stages allows people to set up camp on the mountain and see continuous music all day without having to move. Peachfest also only allowed VIP up close at the main stage certain times whereas Mountain Jam's VIP area only takes up part of the front of the stage area still allowing nonVIP to get right up front.
We also had a hard time with security hassling us at the peach. Walking from stage to stage you are constantly having to go through security check points. I have heard people complain about security at Mountain jam too, but as long as you are smart and respectful the won't give you any problems. Peachfest also had barley any food options the first year, forcing us to get food from their lodge which was really bad and insanely expensive. Mountain Jam has lots of reasonable and diverse options for food.
I do agree that Mountain Jam's prices have become a little high, but for four days of incredible music at a beautiful venue it's always been well worth it to me! Peach fest was fine the first year, but for me it wasn't enough to make me want to go back. You won't regret buying tickets for Mountain Jam X!
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Post by icantdrv55 on Apr 15, 2014 14:33:00 GMT -5
I do like the continuous music thing at Mountain Jam. It works well and is one of the best things about the fest. And heck is you don't like what is going on at those stages, you can always hit up the other stage inside the lodge. I do have to say that the amphitheater would have come in handy Friday night this past year.
Yeah the security checkpoints the first year at Peach were overkill. They heard several complaints about that after the fact and greatly improved on the process last year. They still have an entrance there, but are mostly looking for people trying to bring alcohol into the amphitheater portion. Unfortunately the liquor licenses for the two portions of their facilities are separate entities. They need to work on getting this resolved.
The first year at Peach they made a huge mistake with the food vendors they brought in. They put them up on the hill overlooking the water park stage. We actually didn't discover that they were there until Saturday night. This past year they moved them into a nice area on the way between the two stages. Some of the vendors and type of food are very similar to what you see at Mountain Jam. I do think that Mountain Jam has many more to choose from though.
Both fests are pretty awesome. I'm looking forward to Peach this year and hope that I can return to Mountain Jam at some point.
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Post by MikeC on Apr 16, 2014 11:37:34 GMT -5
Cool guys, I appreciate the positive vibes and the honest answers. I kinda freaked out when I saw Peach's lineup after purchasing my tickets...it's a hit to the wallet to go to any festival nowadays and I just wanted to make sure I made the right decision. I've never camped at a festival before and neither has my girlfriend...this is her birthday gift.
I also saw some posts in the past MountainJam forums of people freaking out about security and stuff so it made me worry. But after researching a bit, it does sound like there have been improvements over the last couple of years (not to mention, I'm sure most of the people who have problems with security are asking for it to begin with), It also seems there are some notable differences when compared to Peach when it comes to environment, vendors, and accessibility to the stages...thanks for getting us excited again.
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Post by Soulmate on Apr 16, 2014 17:12:47 GMT -5
Honestly you will love this festival!!
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Post by jetro315 on Apr 16, 2014 19:10:47 GMT -5
What about Vibes? What is the comparison there. We were thinking if Mtn Jam weather keeps up with the torrential downpour shit, maybe one day switching our yearly festival to Vibes since it's in late July and there's better chance of beautiful weather.
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Post by ferret on Apr 16, 2014 20:55:48 GMT -5
We were thinking about going to GOTV next year as it will be the 20th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of The Dead. But that doesnt mean we wont be doing Mountain Jam as we love the Mountain and the vibes in the area!
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Post by icantdrv55 on Apr 17, 2014 7:34:03 GMT -5
My brother and I are doing GOTV for the first time this year. I'll let you know what we think.
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Post by Rocking Horse on Apr 17, 2014 12:31:22 GMT -5
Vibes is nice and pretty by the ocean, buts it's usually very hot and humid. The camping at Vibes is also a crap shoot as you could end up by the ocean or on a chain link fence by the road with a smoke blowing factory next to you. When the Vibes was at Indian Lookout we always went all weekend and camped, but since it's moved to Bridgeport we have camped two of the years, but normally just go for Saturday as I live nearby. The Vibes is a lot of fun and always has a great lineup, but for me the venue isn't my favorite and doesn't compare to Mountain Jam. It does almost always rain at Mountain Jam, but when the rain clears it's always cool, sunny and breezy which I love. Personally I would rather deal with a little rain rather than be super hot for four straight days.
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Post by misterbrow on Apr 17, 2014 19:56:50 GMT -5
Did Vibes way back in 2003 in Mariaville. Derek Trucks played Franti and made a great little sun shower. The current GOTV venue has never tempted me.
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Post by Jayrod on Apr 18, 2014 7:37:52 GMT -5
I went to the Vibes in 09. the thing that I wasn't happy about is we arrived on Thursday morning and paid the extra 20 bucks to get in early thinking we would be closer to the concert field. it was the exact opposite, they started filling us in all the way in the back against a chain link fence. we seriously couldn't of been any further away. its was a good mile walk to get to the concert field. they packed us in so tight we didn't have room to set up our canopy. pretty much just enough room for a car and our tent. other than that we made the best out of it and haven't been back since. Mt. Jam is definitely my favorite fest to attend every year.
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