Great Show keep up the good work bring back the mofo party band and Tom Rigney in 05


Thoroughly enjoyed the space and the music! However, you might pick up a tip from Strawberry, Kate Wolf, World Music, and some of the other larger festivals: allow people to "share the chair" when the owner is not using it. This would go a long way to filling up the front seats so that the afternoon performers don't feel there is so little audience. This is a wonderful
tradition in the larger festivals, and people are extremely courteous about moving to another space as soon as the owner of the chair returns to it.



There should be dancing in front of stage not on the side. Until then I will not attend nor my friends



Loved the MOFO Party band and Lil' Eddie and the Imperials. Sweet Home Chicago brought a tear to my eye. The workshops were incredible. What a lovely way to spend a Saturday and Sunday!  Best weekend  I've had in awhile. Thanks   Put be down as a voluteer for next year's blues fest. I am also interested in working security at any of your festivals.   Thanks again



Thanks for sending info on Tommy Castro's gig next month. Gotta go see him!

We went to Fire on the Mountain this year -- first time and enjoyed it so much! The venue was great and not too many people. I've been to many festivals where you couldn't stretch your feet out and you rubbed elbows with the person next to you, so this was fantastic. Perfect! The food was great, vendors polite and almost entertainers in their own right, and the workshops were fascinating and unique opportunities to demystify the artists and the blues. I have a great picture of Lydia Pense that you are welcome to use on your website if you'd like. I've been a fan of hers for years and she is not exactly easy to photograph. But I got lucky. I also have on of Flambeau that is pro quality. I am a photographer for print media so I know good stuff.
Let me know and see ya next year!



Great Festival !
Bring back the hotel shuttle. It's a long walk.
Wife says, Better WINE. Quality wine would be great.
Thank's for your intrest.



Bands were great and we had a wonderful day! This is my third year attending the festival and I look forward to next year. Great Job!!!!



Thank you so much for yet another smokin' blues festival! Just keep doing what you are doing, it is always a blast!



How about Chris Cain or Coco Montoya next year? Shane Dwight was awesome, bring him back too!



We all had a Wonderful Time, Great music!! except for the last set, that wasn't blues... It seemed the sets were a little short, they just get jaming good, then they are playing the last song...



Thanks For a Wonderful Day, You all did a Great Job!!



I enjoyed myself, the music was great. I would have liked the literature I got off the website to have made a note that alcohol and glass containers would be disallowed. Nowhere in the paperwork I received did it say that, and we (4 people) showed up w/a cooler of beer and food and got turned away. It was quite cumbersome carrying chairs, blankets and coolers back and forth through the fairgrounds to the car to remove the beer. Thank god the music calmed the men down some, cause it was a definite rough start. There is one other tidbit that was annoying. We had to pick our tickets up at will call, being the purchaser I got in line to get the 4 tickets while the others got in line to go in the fairgrounds. Will Call would not give me 4 wrist
bands, which I purchased, they wanted 4 wrists as if we could not put them on ourselves. Once the band is on it is on, I am surely not going to give it to anyone but who it was meant for and since it is a requirement for entrance I had every intention of treating it like gold. There was lots of chaos at the will call table due to wrists needing to be presented.

All in all the good overpowered the frustrations and we will be there next year.



THANK YOU

THE FESTIVAL WAS GREAT..ONLY THINGS I SAW WERE PEOPLE PUTTING BLANKETS DOWN BUT NO ONE SAT ON THEM WHOLE TIME OF FESTIVAL...TAKING UP NICE SPACE...OTHER PROBLEM I ENCOUNTERED IS SOMEONE WITH A CHAIR IN BAG WHICH ALSO HAD A LARGE SUNVISOR ON BACK THAT BLOCKED OUR VIEW...TOLD SECURITY BUT THEY DID NOTHING..A LITTLE FRUSTRATING BUT ALL IN ALL WE ENJOYED OURSELVES AND HOPEFULLY WILL MAKE IT NEXT YEAR...SHANE DWIGHT WAS GREAT!




How about Jonny Lang and Etta James?



HI!
This was our first trip to see you all.
We came because of the Shane Dwight Band. They are awesome!Please have him back again next year. I would also recommend Mofro out of Florida http://www.mofro.net/--we saw them open a year ago for BB King. (This is NOT the mofo party band, by the way). I would suggest more food booths, more diet soda varieties, or ice tea. Also, it really backed up to have to pay for parking and then wait for the person to run over and get the wrist bands to put on us----could we not just pay to park, park, and then walk to the front gate where they check tickets
and give out wristbands? And, even in this day and age, it would be nice to know the location of the drinking fountain (i.e. FREE water!) on such a hot day. I would have put the information booth closest to the gate instead of farthest away.
Thanks again, a great event we will be back. You put together an awesome day.





I had a blast with my good friend Sue from Twain Hart Rentals. The venue was great. I especailly appreciated the misters so that now one had a heat stroke. I will come back everyyear for sure and bring all of my blues appreciating friends.



I had a wonderful time! Suggestion: though I love the number and variety of acts you put on, having the last act come on at 9:30pm is just too much. I'm a festival ANIMAL and even I couldn't stay for Joe Bonamassa. Can you tell me the date for next year's festival? I'll have to stay overnight next time.



This was my first time and it was great. Talk about a great way to release stress and have fun with friends that I haven't seen in a while.



Thanks for the communication. I had a fantastic time, it was the highlight of my summer and I hope it will be every summer from now on! You asked for suggestions so here it goes. I would love to see Robert Cray and Taj Mahal and of course, I realize the constraints on booking, but it would be great.



I would like to come next year...do you have a date yet?

We had a great time. I liked that you didn't have to wait in long lines to get drinks.

I think there should be some more restriction to umbrellas, etc. We did have an umbrella and we did go the the fence line so as not to inconvenience other people there. While we were getting some food, a couple put an umbrella directly in front of us. I asked them politely to put it down. They refused. I then asked one of the staff if they would intervene. He said no because they were within the white line. There should be a restriction that allows only at the perimeters/fence lines.

I like to buy my CDs later in the day at once. I didn't get any because only the last artist's CDs were available. I think it would be nice if CDs for all bands were available throughout the entire day.

Overall, we were happy campers!



Greetings!

In my opinion the festival was well organized. The layout of the entire festivities were very accomodating, The bathrooms - at least the women's located near the VNA stand was kept pretty darn clean and well stocked - and the toilet flushed each time I used it!

The food stand vendors could have been a little more "healthful" - but I know it's hard to get fresh food vending on a HOT day...............besides, when is there a better time to each those GIANT greasy onion rings! YUM YUM! (too bad my inhibreated friend sat in them before I could finish them off!) - OH BROTHER!

Anyway, I look forward to NEXT YEAR.................keep me posted on the lineup, aye?

See you @ SFBF - > Peter Green!!!!!! whoa!



Our Group really enjoyed the Sonora Blues Festival.
We all really enjoy blues, came up to hear Lost in the Shuffle they were awsome would love to hear more groups singing the old blues style. Sonora was a great place for the festival. Inside was very stuffy crowds inside were very large at times. Overall it was a fabulous event. Look forward to attending again.



I would like to tell how much I as well as everyone else with me enjoyed Lil Ed. He is phenominal and puts on a great show. The main attraction which was Joe B. shouldnt have been the main attraction. His music isn't that bluesy. He may be popular but the majority of his music isn't blues.

Other than that, I had a great time and would recommend it to anyone.


Thanks again



I just want to tell you how much fun it was!!
Lots of food and refreshments, shade trees, misting tents and two indoor venues made this a very enjoyable day in the sun.
Whose idea was it to have the musicians give clinics?
this was my favorite part!! asking questions and observing the musician's techniques up close was both enlightening and fun.

See You Next Year,



Keep doing what you're doing! We loved it! We come every year and it's the one festival I look forward to the most. We had a blast!

As for tunes: Mofo is one of our all time favorites. If they're name is on the list, I'm happy. We'd love to see Lil Charlie & the Night Cats again, and the Derek Trucks Band too! Elvin Bishop would be super fun if you could get him.

Can't wait till next year!



Howdy Fire Folks,

Really enjoyed my first Sonora Blues Fest. Great line up. Misting tent was literally a real life-saver. Songwriting workshop was way special...and thumbs up for the indoor venue to beat the heat. Dream scenario would have been to have more reasonably priced beer, tank top tees (not spaghetti strap) in one of the lovely colors offered in sleaved tees, and a centrally located sign (or an announcement) as to the locations of all the restroom areas. My car was, for some bizarre reason, covered in ants  when I returned to it in the fairgrounds parking lot, so you guys only get a B plus grade. See you next year.




weren't able to make it after all - I got sick. But, we would like to request seeing Smokin' Joe Kubek for next year, if possible.

Thanks for all you do in keepin the blues alive!



Good Day Good People !!

Just wanted to give you a quick note that the Sonora Blues Fest was fantastic from Shane Dwights opening licks to Joe Bonamassa's encore. Our group of 10 from Fresno/Clovis had a very wonderful time and i am sure we will be back again. We really enjoyed Paul Thorn. To me, he absolutely stole the show !!! One suggestion for future festivals is that perhaps you can have the motorcyle parking a little further back than this years. Too many motorcycles were leaving during some performances. And to leave was to drive right past the entire crowd. Maybe you can station one of your gracious volunteers by the "new parking lot" for the motorcyles. This way all the riders would know that there bikes were being gaurded by one of the volunteers.

Thanks for a wonderful day !!



The blues festival this year kicked butt!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good work and do the same next year, because WE'RE THERE (along with as many people as we can gather up!).

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BE SURE TO GET JOE BONAMASSA again next year. He is incredible and we could have listened to him all day. He's what would draw us back every time!!!!!

THANKS!!



Congratulations on a great show. There was a good mix of acts and the evening lineup of Jackie Green, Little Ed, and the smoking performance by Joe Bonamassa was especially solid.

Kudos:

The addition of the walkways was in the seating area was great. People know what they are and they use them.

The realignment of the vendors seemed to work out pretty good. It is my understanding that show sold out again but there was no where near the congestion in the vending area there was at the 2003 show.

When we dance, we get out of our low back chairs and go to the side of the stage. We appreciate both the low back chair area and the dancing areas.

Suggestions:

The Ticket both at the south entrance had a sign that said TICKETS but nothing about getting wristbands. The person at the gate keep having to direct ticket holders back to the TICKET booth to get a wristband; maybe better signage there.

There was a bit of traffic congestion at the south entrance that created a bit of a safety issue on the highway. Not sure what can be done here, more staff during the peak times? 

Thanks for a great show!




I am more than happy to give you some feedback.
I was extremely disappointed. You had great talent, unfortunately their talents were missed by the audience. Your sound people destroyed the music. I hope word does not get out and limit any future musicians from attending.
We have attended this festival in the past and the sound people were good. WHAT HAPPENED?
We came to see Lydia Pense, the Flambeaus, and Joe Bonamassa. All three acts were diminished (we have seen all three acts at other venues) due to the sound people. They were incompetent to say the least. I witnessed the musicians waving frantically at the sound people to get an increase (lead guitar and voice) in volume. To no avail. All we could hear was the drums, bass and the horns. For those musicians who played on the Sierra Stage the voice was not working.
The price ($35.00 per person) of this event obligates you to provide music that can be enjoyed. Please respond to your plans to fix this for future shows.

a very disappointed blues fan,


Comments on the Festival. Too much country music Paul Thorn and Jackie Green. Otherwise good. Ralph Woodson deserved main stage time. Country music caused a lull in the middle. Many people left at that time, including 4 in my group. Requests on future shows; Jimmy Thackery, Chris Duarte, Joe Kubek, Tab Benoit, Deborah Coleman, Joanna Conner, Sue Foley, Eric Sardinas, Bernard Allison..........



This was the third year in a row for my wife and me. I noticed a better job of avoiding things like dancers up front and the food area being clogged up. Good job. Our feeling was that the music itself wasn't up to the last two years. We were, frankly, disappointed. There were highlights: Kenny Sultan in workshop, Joe Bonamasa in workshop, and Danny Castro, who we thought was probably the best band of the day. Several of the other bands didn't work for us: the cajun band, the kid with the shades (he had his moments though), lil Ed, etc. Unfortunately, we couldn't get behind Joe B. even though we enjoyed him alot in the workshop, what a great guy and a killer player. But his stage show was "over the top" for us old-timers--you know, it was twenty-something head-banger stuff... way too fast and too intense. One or two songs like that, ok, but song after song, it was closer to metal or hard rock than to blues. If you want to draw twnety-somethings, cool, but it didn't work as a headline act, at least not for us. I know, I know, he wasn't intended to be the headliner.

You need at least 2 quality acts, maybe 3, to make it go. The rest can be regional. Last year with Robben Ford, Little Charlie and Tommy C., that was a lineup! Not a single band this year touched any of those 3. You need a Coco Montoya, Robert Cray, Robben Ford, Buddy Guy. I would also like to see Kevin Russell, a killer player. How about Joe Louis Walker? Michael Burks? How about Robben Ford's Jing Chi? Wow!! I saw them at Yoshi's, what an act. Bring back Little Charlie and Robben, along with Danny Castro and Kevin Russell. That would bring back the fire!

See you next year. Thanks for your hard work and dedication to the blues. The workshops rock!



Thanks for a pleasureable day with the blues in Sonora once again. Staying overnight in a local motel made it possible to catch the last act and not worry about the four hour drive home. Thanks again for limiting dancing to the sides only, so that those who are seated can enjoy the show as well, without someones backside in their face.
At other concerts that I have attended, the crowd in front of the stage continues to grow until it becomes absolutely impossible for those who came early to secure a good seat, to see the performers without standing up as well. Not everyone is able to and/or wants to stand for hours, as some want to and are able to do.
Thank you for addressing the highback chairs and umbrellas, although the 30 inch height limit did allow a few too many high back chairs in the low chair section. How someone can come in and plant their large chairs in the line of vision of a number of people behind them, has always amazed me because it is such a selfish gesture towards those around them.
The comment about having one of the festival volunteers watch over the Harleys is an excellent idea as they were parked too close to the venue and were an unnecessary distraction due to the excessive noise during the various departures. I parked in the general parking area, which is where everyone should be parking. To have a couple of volunteers patrol the area would be great for the safety of the automobiles and motorcycles as well.
Tommy Castro, Lloyd Jones Struggle, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Pinetop Perkins, CoCo Montoya, Derek Trucks Band and Elvin Bishop are just a few of the bands that I would enjoy seeing at Sonora in the future.



Great line up this year! Any chance of luring Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson out west next year or perhaps Omar (Dykes) and the Howlers from Austin? I've never seen either of them come this way and I have at least eight or nine albums by each of them. Would love to see them.

Thanks for bringing our Lil' Ed!!!!!!!!



Great show, especially Joe Bonamassa. Well organized, more or less on schedule, no rowdies, reasonably priced concessions, not too crowded, easy parking, nice weather, activities for my kids.

Roy Rogers was great last year. Maybe get him back, but instead with his Delta Rythym Kings backing band (bass/drums). Better than Norton Buffalo, in my opinion. Much livlier show.

Joe Bonamassa was FAR better than I expected. Wow....great show. New talent. Fantastic guitar player. Nice to have a mix of traditional and newer style/fusion/crossover blues acts at the show. A lot of the bikers and fat ass old-timers left when Joe Bonamassa came on. It's their loss, what a shame. I wouldn't of come this year with my wife and kids had he not been on the bill. Well worth the ticket price and drive from San Jose. The other acts were also good, except for that young solo punk with the acoustic guitar...I can't remember his name...i think he's from Sacramento...kind of sucked. Lyd9ia Pense was good, MOFO party band...excellent...Little Ed...very good. Anyway, mix it up...I hope you will continue to mix a variety of acts/styles at your future shows.

I would also suggest extending the kids activity thing an hour or two. I really appreciate that you do that, but it closes a tad early. I think it closed at about 4 pm. The show lasted until past 10, so it's hard to keep them occupied all that time. They share dad's taste in music...to a point.

IDEA! How about organizing a Progressive Art Rock/Jazz-Rock/Fusion themed show at Sonora. Your central location could draw people from all over the state...a good sized market. Tons of fans out there...frustrated like me with the standard concert fare around SF/LA/Sac. The organize these on the E. Coast (see http://www.rosfest.com, for example) and in Europe, Brazil, Baja Calif, etc. See also:

http://www.bayprog.org
http://www.camelproductions.com
http://www.progressiveworld.net/concerts.html

That would be a great show. Email back if interested and I can suggest some contemporary acts to call/book.

OK...that's it. put me on your mailing list. Thanks.

Great lineup - best yet! Love the workshops. Would also like to see Jackie Greene at next year's festival - great young performer. One special request - any thought to having designated smoking areas? Kinda hard to sit with the smokers all day, particularly when the wind picks up.
Thanks for listening.

It was a great time for us. One suggestion I would offer is more misting tents and more wine and beer tables to speed up the lines. Other than that, it was great!!

Fire on the Mountain Staff
Thank you for your thoughtful "thank you".
Everyone worked so diligently and performed wonderful services.
We could have really enjoyed it much more if the performers had not turned The amplifiers
up so loudly. We are not hearing challenged or at least we weren't before Aug.9.
We will come again next year if you can promise to have a power outage.
Thanks again.

Hi there -- Thank you for your message. We had a wonderful day. We had our two-1/2-month old granddaughter with us and she went home with a MOFO party sticker on her back under her ruffles! Lots of fun. Thank you for a great day.

Everything was GREAT....We had a Wonderful time and look forward to coming
again next year...

There should be a dance area in front not seating. The constant comments about people needing to move were annoying. Other festivals do it this way. The beer lines were always long and crowded. The food lines were long and there should be more vendors. There should be more parking close in for motorcylces so you don't have to keep annoucing the need to move them. Put the cars farther back.
I may not return unless you run this better

Richard and everyone @ Fire on the Mtn.Thanks for one of the BEST shows ever!!! Gets better every year!!!!The line- up was awesome,great mix of blues styles...can't wait till next year!!!Good music ,affordable great food, and good micro brew...although the beer lines were a little long other than that NO COMPLAINTS HERE!!!!Thanks for a great event.See ya next year!!!

I had a wonderful time. I am happy you sold out. I will be back again and again. See if you guys can get JoeBonaMassa cool kid. Best of the Blues Guitarist.
Thanks Again


It was by far the greatest line up of musicians, my personal favorites were
Tommy Castro of course, Robben Ford and Corby Yates. Any chance of Chris
Cain playing there next year?
How about any other upcoming music/blues events in the Sonora area? Any
chance of you folks lining something up in the fall?
Can't wait for next year!!

The music was great. I personally would like to see better quality vendors and a better food selection. The beer lines were extremely long, how to remedy that situation would be a big chore...but I'm sure that something can be figured out. One other suggestions...perhaps rope off the area in front of the stage so that people don't stand or dance right in front of the band.

The music was exceptional...I especially enjoyed the harmonica players...excellent!!!!

Excellent music selection
Workshops were wonderful
Beer lines were terrible
Sell beer at 3 locations instead of one.
If not, let us bring our own.


Hi,
This was our second year attending. This year's show was better than last year's. Stellar performances all day! Corby, Little Charlie, Rogers-Buffalo, Ford, Castro--wow, what a lineup! I have a couple of suggestions about the venue and how to make it a more pleasant experience.
First, we sat on the far side under the trees for shade, but we couldn't see the right side of the stage at all. All those Volker Strifler solos were invisible (BTW, Strifler is a great bluesman in his own right). How about moving the speakers about 10 feet wider apart. That would open up the stage visually for those of us on both sides. Or bring the speakers back a bit or the stage up a bit.
Second, you could better manage and direct crowd flow, especially to and around the stage area. You should start roping off areas you don't want people to be in, such as the area directly in front of the stage. Face it, announcements and asking people nicely to move doesn't work. You've got to station staff there and move people away. If you rope off the front, leave a narrow isle through the front or, better, create an isle for far side people to exit around the back of the stage, or else to the rear. Keep the long green isle in the middle but try to create ways to minimize people having to walk sideways in front of those seated watching the show. 3 side isles should do it: one in the front, one in the middle and one in the back. You need more clearly identifiable staff people directing traffic.
Third, the food venders are crowded into the same narrow location about half way back, right next to the one beer vender! That creates a traffic nightmare. You should spread those out a bit and/or locate some of them more toward the rear where the clothes venders are now, or way in the front where there's some open space. That will elimiate the log jam of people in that small area of the middle. Also, how about a couple of additional food venders and two beer booths instead of one? There's room for more there if they're placed carefully. Many of the festivals I go to are loaded with booths. More choice and less lines!!
And finally, a musical suggestion. Coco Montoya. He'd be perfect for this venue. You've got a tough job trying to match or beat this year's line up. Good luck. I look forward to next year's festival. Thanks for your hard work and for a great evetnt.

Be sure to have Tom Rigney back...he was the BEST!!!

This was our first Sonora Blues festival. We had a great time. Have you set the date for next year? I'd like to make room reservations across the street at Sonora Gold Lodge as soon as possible. The only suggestion would be maybe next year you could have a misting tent on both side of the grassy area. It sure was hot. The food was great. Thank You.

Great Festival!!!!
FEED BACK--
-Enforce the low back chair rule. Don't allow them in the gate.
-More misters.
-Cordon off areas each side of the stage for dancing.
-Cordon off a few paths across the seating area for people to walk to the booths and rest rooms.
-More booths; beer, food, etc.
-More rest rooms for the ladies.

Hi Folks,,
Great show, gonna be there next time too. Suggestion however, the food and beer stands were in the worse place. The lines for the beer crossed the walkway and were three deep, that should be moved to a different location. The two food places that were across from each other also caused a bit of confusion. Just a thought, other than that it was a great show, oh the sound system in the "workshop" building was underpowered, at least when Tommy Castro was speaking, maybe some speakers to the rear....
Thanks for a good day.

My thanks go out to you guys for putting together a great line up. I am new to the Blues, but I already have seen many great acts...just from attending your show.
I would suggest relocating the food and beverage vendors. The lines for these concessions cut into the main walkway and there was a good deal of jostling and elbowing (but most people kept it civil). It also sure would be nice to have a nicer lawn area (maybe get the fairgrounds people reseed and irrigate more frequently) and more shade for the main viewing area (large sun screens?).
Finally, if you don't want to have people dancing in front of the stage, have people put their chairs right up to the stage. That open area is too attractive to keep the crowds away. However, I feel that if people want to sit that close, they should be aware that there will be people dancing in front.
Overall, I give you guys high marks for a fun day and a talented lineup.

1) A small map (with the tickets) that shows where everything is (bathrooms, stages, parking, ect.)
2) Some portable bathrooms.
3) For a fund raiser, try to sell something other than beer glasses. They break (as many did) and it is kind of contradictory when festival attendees are asked not to bring glass.
4) Staff to wear a shirt that is easy to identify. In case folks need assistance they will know who to ask.
5) More trash cans.

Had a great time! Only saw one chick fight when Tommy Castor was playing. Thought I saw Paul Teutul Sr. (Orange County Choppers).

Had a fantastic time! The lineup was truly excellent. Much better than last year!!! Great music, food & crowd!!! Keep up the good work! Let's get Rod Piazza back again.
Thanks for a great day!

Hi- I was at the concert from 10am to 11pm and had a wonderful time. Everyone loved the workshops and music being in more than one area. That was so cool. I love to walk around not just sit and with the booths and the music in different spots made it super cool to go see. The long line for drinks was continuous and if it had been hotter it would've been just too much. Tho I always had fun in line and partied in line with everybody else. The mister felt great too. All the misters did, great idea. The line up of music was amazing. Such talent, one right after the other, awesome. This was my first year and I will be going from now on. I'm middle age and so was almost everyone there, it was soooooo good. The motorcycle parking was awesome and a show in itself.
You did an outstanding job,congratulations.
Thanks and I'll be there next year,

Good food. Great bands. It was a wonderful event. Thank you.

Hello,
This was my first trip to the Sonora Blues Festival. Our group had a great time !
Good music, good people, and more good music !
Suggestions ? Well, I know the girls would like another bathroom or two.
Our 13 year old decided not to spend his time else where, and came to the festival instead. He enjoyed the bikes, and I'm sure he was checking out the young ladies !
However, it might be nice to have a few child friendly things to do ? maybe a small area where they could play videos, or some other sort of game ?
What do you think ?
Either way, the weather was great and we all enjoyed our motorcycle ride from the Mendocino Coast to the festival in Sonora.
See you next year !

THE FESTIVAL WAS GREAT...ESPECIALLY TOMMY CASTRO BAND...THEY ARE THE BEST. THE ONLY SUGGESTION IS TO DO THE FOOD AND DRINKS DIFERENTLY. THERE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE ENOUGH VENDORS TO HANDLE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE. THE BEER AND FOOD LINES WERE WAY TOO LONG. MAYBE MORE MERCHANDISE VENDORS ALSO. ALSO, IT IS NICE TO BE ABLE TO DANCE IN FRONT OF THE STAGE AREA.
THANKS, WE HAD A GREAT TIME.

Dear Promoters of Fire on the Mountain:
We had such a great time at the Blues Festival. My husband and I attended two years ago when Rod Piazza was there, and loved it. This year, we brought my husband's brother and his wife who also enjoy Tommy Castro, and his sister. Let me add, there are more fans for MoFo Party Band and the Ford Brothers.
I really enjoyed the Ford Brothers, and loved Robben Ford's vocals. I have been playing his tapes ever since (we have had them for awhile). THey would be excellent to have them return next year.(???) Bufffalo Norton is good, but he needs a band to back him up, it was a bit too sedate.
Thank you for a great show. We loved Mofo's Dance Party inside the Sierra Room. Our family were instant fans of theirs after that performance.

It was quite enjoyable although the Snowshoe Brewery that was advertised after the show had very little space for the after concert goers and the Ford Brothers played three more songs for the $7 cover charge and no seating that was available. That was a let down.
It would be nice to tag the tall lawn chairs when the public is passing through the gates and anyone that sets up the tall lawn chairs should be shown where to place them, to the sides and back where they are not blocking the view of the those sitting on the lawn or in low lawn chairs
that were requested to be brought in the festival information.
I truely appreciate managements vigilance in removing and reminding all of the self-centered folks that choose to stand up at the front in front of everyone else who arrived early for a good seat to either find seating or stand to the sides of the stage or in the back. I find this very annoying and at the larger concerts, there doesn't seem to be any crowd control anymore and many people push up front and stand up so that others behind them then stand up because they can no longer see. Thank you again for your vigilance.
Sincerely,
a pleased concert attendee,

Hey there,
i enjoyed the music, but I asked directions to the Best Western, and it was so unclear it took me two hours to find the motel. I had never been to Sonora before. I asked for directions at your T-shirt booth...I was on a motorcycle. By the time I found the motel it was 4P.M., so I feel I missed most of the music...Please be more patient and informative with tourists next year....

We overall had a good time....I main problem was we got there at 11:05 and almost didnt get in...in years past (this is our 5th of 8 shows...we got there at 10 or earlier...never again will we be late. We were in the sun too long....finally squeezed near a tree. My luck I dont smoke and in fact get ill from it...I had 9 smokers in front and to the right of me. All 9 were the same age...mid 20s...all could care less about who was on stage and in facts smoke and drank thru the entire day. They even broke out the doobies...now those I can smell with pleasure. ANYWAY....I wish you had the mist tubes over the crown like you did one year...even if it leaked a little it cooled us down. We went inside several times and enjoyed the tunes. I wish you could stager the times...to coincide with your main stage breakdowns and set ups for the next act. I missed 2 bands...oh, well MOFO WAS GREAT...THE CAJAN BAND WAS GREAT....the rest were fine too..
NEXT YEAR....Try to bring some British Blues (I missed Savoy Brown)like JOHN MAYALL or THE YARDBIRDS...some old men of blues of any that still tour. HARVEY MANDEL would be great. CANNED HEAT has a touring band and they are great on a recent cd. BRING BACK SOME WOMEN....LYDIA PENSE....MARCIA BALL...LOU ANN BARTON...SUSAN TEDEHU???....maybe throw in a rockabilly blues...SOME ONE LIKE....BILLY LEE RILEY...THE PALADINS....RON THOMPSON LIVES AND WORKS IN FRESNO MADERA AREA...JUST 90 MILES AWAY....and how about LOS STRAITJACKETS to really blow their minds....INSTRUMENTAL ROCK....

Need to get your parking expanded....and a better layout...when it was every car for themselves we had more room than this time.

Keep the Blues alive...

The show was great. We had a good time. I noticed that you didn't enforce the low back chair rule. It would have been nice if you did. I go to the Santa Cruz festival every year and they will not let you through the gate with a high back chair. I plan on going to the show next year and would like to see Cold Blood there. Thanks for a great time.

My husband and I enjoyed the Blues Festival immensely..... Because of your great lineup, we attended for our first time this year and would like to attend again next year. We admit that Corby Yates, Tommy Castro are what drew us there, and they are truly awesome musicians. We also enjoy Norton Buffalo and have seen him perform many times in the past. My only suggestion is to have more water sprayers and overhead canvases or tents around the lawn, especially if it is hotter next summer. Keep up the great work and thanks for bringing the blues to Sonora!

I really enjoyed the day,the only 2 things I have suggestions about are that when we arrived, there should have been people explaining the layout of where to park,where the will call was,where the motorcycle parking was etc,, and most important more beer booths...otherwise it was great.. I really liked the fact that the area was somewhat small and easy for me to walk the entire area as I have a bad leg. The people were all laid b ack and assholes were few. I even noticed a lack of visible security even tho I'm sure they were there.

If food stands could have been spread out a little further from the entrance/exit isles it would make access easier for both to be utilized. This would also allow the folks who sat near them to be able to see a bit better by reducing the jams it caused of people standing in front of you waiting to get by. The work shops were terrific!!!!! It was awesome to hear the artists stories and obtain info to improve ones playing.

We had a great time at the festival! This was my third year and each one gets better than the last. I introduced blues music to a new friend by bringing her to the festival this year. We now have a new member in the blues family thanks to the great music and atmosphere experienced at the Sonora Blues Festival. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for a great festival
A suggestion--the parking people at the main entrance were not "with it". The sign that the parking area was full was only visible long after I made the (difficult) turn across traffic in to the entrance. Then I had to make another (difficult) turn across traffic to get tot eh hospital. If the sign was out by the street it would have eliminated the congestion of everyone pulling in and turning around and trying to get out again. Imade that simple suggestion to two staff people near the entrance and they seemed absolutely uninterested. Also if you could arrange for overflow parking it would be great. I felt really uncomfortable parking near the hospital but your entry guy said it was OK. Anyway all else was great. Try to get Shane Dwight and Mick Martin and Catfish and the Crawdaddies next year.
See you next year for sure
When do tickets go on sale?
Is it always the same weekend?

It was great we had a good time. Tommy Castro was awsome as usual. I thought overall the festival was very well organized. Whoever is in charge is doing a good job. I'm sure it's not an easy thing to make it all work like it did. Bravo and keep up the good work.

It is truly a great event! Great line up, good food and drink. The only suggestions I could offer would be to have the lawn area equipped with cover from the sun as well as misters and to have an elevated platform to the right and left of the stage for people who like to dance in such a way that others can still see the stage and enjoy the show. Also, it would be great if you could team up with a nice lodge for some sort of Blues package. My girlfriend and I ended up with a room across the street from the festival and had a room on the back side of the motel. What a dive, I could barely sleep and never took my shoes off in the room for fear of sticking to the carpet. That place was nasty! And they really stuck it to us with the price of the room. Just a thought for us blues travelers! Thanks and I am looking forward to next year!

TOMMY CASTRO was awesome! Bring him back! I'd love to see some really gutsy women blues singers like Janiva Magness again or Marcia Ball or Kelly Hunt.
Also, you need to deal with the out of control drunks near the stage during the last performance. They are rude, obnoxious and crude. The security did nothing to get them out of there. Plus, it would be helpful to have dance areas on both sides of the stage with misters.

We've been coming to this festival for the past 7 years, and we love it!
Keep up the great work.

We purchased our tickets early on and made big plans to attend. Unfortunately, "stuff" got in the way. We really missed a good time. We had friends who went and said the event was GREAT! Bigger and better than year's past, although all the years we've attended we found them to be great times!!!!
Word back home is that it was a great show, lots of food and drinks and plenty of fun!!!
Look forward to next year's event.

The festival was great! The only thing I would suggest is a non-smoking section. The smoke was terrible. I know it won't be easy but it bothered a lot of people.
Thanks for so graciously thanking the audience.

My husband is a FLAMBEAU member and works with Tom Rigney and Flambeau (bass player). We had a great time at the festival. It seemed very organized in getting the bands in and out and they even had a great sitting arrangement for the crew to eat at (provisions were awesome). Tom plays everywhere and I've gone to alot of the various venues and was very impressed with your event. Having Tom play in the other room was a treat too. The music was very well received.

Thanks for showing your appreciation. I'll spread the word next time to Family and Friends.

Two things ...I'm so happy you were able to keep the folks away from the front of the stage so the folks directly behind them could see the band. I don't mind seeing the dancing but the standing up part was rude. Thanks to the announcers, it was kept to a minimum.
I've got to mention one more thing that I find very important. When I think of BLUES I think of where its roots are from. I was disappointed that this venue did not have any BLACK artist on the bill. There are fantastic BLUES players out there, many of which Tom Rigney and Flambeau have shared the same billing with.

Congratulations............Another great show! We have been lucky enough to make 5 of the first 8. What to fix:

Go back to the roped-off dance area to the side of the stage. You did this before with great success.

You have got to do some thing about the tall chairs in the main seating area! Their was at least one confrontation that was very close to blows!!! Neither you or your guests need this kind of action. Some body needs to patrol the area. Make a big issue of it at ticket pick up and at the gate. With capacity crowds in your future, you need to resolve this issue. The "Chair in a bag" is the enemy. Maybe a zone to the side or a line behind which they would be OK. I don't know the answer, hopefully you do. How do other promoters handle it?
We will be back!

I have a suggestion. Please have more food vendors in the future! The lines were terrible, not to mention the fact that half the vendors were out of food long before the concert was over.

HI GUYS..GREAT EVENT--YOU NEED 2 MIST TENTS & WOULD SUGGEST SOME VENDORS WHO SELL WINE ETC OTHER THAN THAT HORRIBLE BEER LINE...IT LED TO A TRAFFIC JAM-PERHAPS HAVE 2 BEER AREAS TO GET SMALLER LINES..PERHAPS AT EACH END OF THE AREA...IT WAS CLEAN & EVERYONE AROUND US WAS GREAT..NO PROBLEMS... WE LOVE COCO MONTOYA COULD YOU GET HIM NEXT YEAR??

Looking forward to next year! We highly recommend the Shane Dwight Band for next year (out of San Jose --- he just played at Ironstone ahead of Charlie Musselwhite). Also, for a local band, check out the Patrick Dooley Band!!
VERRYYY good.

Having more food vendors would be nice, or better-staffed food booths. The lines were unbelievably long, with hungry people waiting forever...and the lines jamming foot traffic.
All in all, it was a great event! Thank you!