I still can't believe it was free.

My goodness: 11 hours of music, 20+ acts, all kinds of wacky stuff on the side (like karaoke, a fortune teller, etc.). It's almost pointless to criticize this year's Virgin Mobile FreeFest because, well, it was free. And free makes everything better.

First, some observations:

The crowd this year was much younger than any of the previous years. That's probably because there weren't any vintage mainstays such as Bob Dylan or The Who on the roster.

Merriweather was a much better home for the Virgin Fest than Pimlico. There's hardly any shade at Pimlico. Merriweather is nice and woodsy.

However, the lines to get into the pavilion were pretty long, and irritated some people (seats were first-come, first-serve, and the pavilion only holds so many people). To the folks who were angry about not getting into the pavilion: Chill. It's a free concert.

The video screens were about a second behind the sound. Was anybody else frustrated with that?

Oh, and before I forget -- here's a photo gallery from the festival, and here's a scene piece I did on it for today's paper.

And now, the music ...

Continue reading "Concert review: Virgin Mobile FreeFest" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Today's Virgin Mobile FreeFest might be smaller than previous years, but it's every bit as energetic.

Sure, Merriweather Post Pavilion is half the size of Pimlico Race Course, And the festival has been cut from a weekend-long spectacle to a one-day affair. Even the traditionally diverse lineup was focused to include mostly rock bands and DJs. But this year's festival was also free, and free goes a long way ...

Continue reading "Smaller doesn't mean less energetic" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

It's breezy and beautiful at Merriweather Post Pavilion -- perfect weather for the Virgin Mobile FreeFest.

I'm not going to be blogging as much in years past, but if you're at the festival (or want to keep up on the happenings), Sun scribe Julie Scharper will be tweeting all day. Just follow @juliemore ...

Continue reading "The Virgin Mobile FreeFest is under way" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Here's the schedule for the Virgin Mobile FreeFest, which comes to Merriweather Post Pavilion Sunday:

Pavilion Stage
Mates of State: 1:30-2:25 p.m.
Taking Back Sunday: 2:50-4 p.m.
Jet: 4:20-5:30 p.m.
The Bravery: 6-7:15 p.m.
Weezer: 7:45-8:45 p.m.
Blink-182 : 9:15-10:45 p.m.

West Stage
Sundays Roulette: 11:15-11:45 a.m.
The Birthday Massacre: noon-12:30 p.m.
St. Vincent: 12:45-1:35 p.m.
Wale: 2-3 p.m.
The Hold Steady: 3:35-4:45 p.m.
Public Enemy: 5:15-6:30
The National: 6:50-7:50 p.m.
Girl Talk: 8:10-9:20 p.m.
Franz Ferdinand: 9:50-11 p.m.

Dance Stage
Holy F*ck: 1-2:30 p.m.
Lee Burridge: 2:45-5:30 p.m.
Danny Howells: 5:30-8:15 p.m.
Pete Tong: 8:15-11 p.m. 

I'll be seeing Mates of State, St. Vincent, The Hold Steady, the second half of Jet's set, Public Enemy, Weezer and Blink.

What about you?

(Photo by Getty Images)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

With Virgin Mobile FreeFest just about a week away, it's time to start thinking about the bands you don't want to miss at the free one-day festival Aug. 30 at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Since it started in 2006, the festival has showcased a wide range of bands. Last year, Bob Dylan, the Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Jack Johnson were all headliners. Talk about diverse.

This year's headliners, Weezer and Blink-182, are both worth seeing. This is the first time Blink-182 has toured since the California pop punk trio split up almost five years ago. And Weezer has long been a staple on the alt-rock scene ...

Continue reading "Which bands to see at this year's Virgin Free Fest" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

In case you're just tuning in, there are close to 3,000 tickets left to this year's Virgin Mobile FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia. (Backstory here).

To get one of 2,400 general admission tickets, you have to volunteer for an act of community service -- giving blood, cleaning up parks, etc. -- through this Web site.

The initiative, called the Summer of Service, is being spearheaded by Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.

The sign-up for volunteering starts at noon Thursday. Volunteers must be 18 and older. In the coming weeks, the volunteering will be expanded to include other counties throughout the state.

But wait, there's more ...

Continue reading "The skinny on the remaining Virgin Mobile FreeFest tickets" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Still looking for a ticket to the Virgin Mobile FreeFest? It's going to cost you some community service.

This morning, festival organizers and Howard County officials are expected to unveil the Summer of Service, a program that trades volunteer work like giving blood and cleaning parks for a much-coveted ticket to this year's FreeFest. Nearly 2,500 tickets will be available as part of the initiative.

The festival, which features headliners Blink-182, Weezer and Public Enemy, is being held Aug. 30 at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Here's a link to a piece in today's paper with more details about the Summer of Service.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Ticketmaster's carelessness never ceases to amaze me. 

This morning, Virgin Mobile customers and previous Virgin Mobile Festival-goers were supposed to get first crack at presale tickets for the Aug. 30 Virgin Mobile FreeFest.

This morning, I've heard from more than a few festival-goers and Virgin Mobile customers who were never informed of how to get tickets.

The people who did hear from Virgin Mobile and Ticketmaster got a password they could use to earmark no more than two tickets each for the festival. Was each password different? Nope. Was each password only good for two tickets? Nope. It looks like they used one (maybe a handful) of passwords for everybody. 

When people realized this, they started sharing the password with their friends. And their friends' friends. I talked to a few people who hadn't been to previous festivals and weren't Virgin Mobile customers who got tickets ...

Continue reading "Looks like Ticketmaster botched the Virgin Mobile FreeFest presale" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Yesterday, a few people asked about the ticket situation for Virgin Mobile FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Here's how it's going to work ...

Continue reading "Here's how Virgin Mobile FreeFest tickets work" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Here's a question: How do you scale back one of the region's biggest music festivals and keep it from being a disappointment?

The answer? You make it free.

That's what Virgin Mobile did with this year's Virgin Festival, renamed the Virgin Mobile FreeFest.

The headliners, Blink-182, Weezer, Franz Ferdinand and Public Enemy don't have the star power of previous acts such as the Who, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West and the Police. It's only one day: Aug. 30. And the venue, Merriweather Post Pavilion, holds about half as many people as the infield at Pimlico Race Course.

But all 35,000 tickets for this year's festival will be given away for free. (You can find my piece about the fest, with more details and ticketing info, here) ...

Continue reading "Virgin Mobile FreeFest is a coup" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

What would you say if the 2009 Virgin Mobile Festival was at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Aug. 30 with Blink-182, Weezer and Taking Back Sunday?

Personally, I'd be pretty meh about it.

But what if the 2009 Virgin Mobile Festival was free?

That would be wild. And, according to David Malitz over at Post Rock, it's a possibility. Malitz is hearing rumblings (off the record ones, mind you) from people who know people who are putting the festival together.

Talk show host Elliot (of Elliot in the Morning) thinks the festival might be free, too.

If you're wondering where I'm getting that lineup from, I've heard it off the record for a while now that those groups might be the headliners. Of course, it's been a bad week for tips on Midnight Sun. So take that as you will.

But for the record, just yesterday a member of Taking Back Sunday told Sun reporter Chris Kaltenbach that the pop rock band would be back for Virgin Fest this year ...

Continue reading "What if this year's Virgin Mobile Festival were free?" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Despite the fact that it's June and we've heard no announcements about this year's Virgin Mobile Festival, organizers are assuring me that it's still on.

Here's proof, they say.

I'm still a little skeptical.

I wonder how good it could be, considering how late in the season it is to announce a summer festival. We shall see.

Yesterday, at a press conference about Merriweather Post Pavilion's recent renovations, promoter Seth Hurwitz declined to comment about the festival's potential move to Merriweather ...

Continue reading "Organizers: Yes, there will still be a Virgin Mobile Festival" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Bars & Clubs, Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Rumors have been flying for months about where the Virgin Mobile Festival will take place -- if it happens at all.

Organizers said they'd have announcements by April.

No news came.

Then they said they'd release the dates by mid-May.

Here we are almost into June and nothing has been announced yet.

I've gotten numerous e-mails from curious readers, and I keep having to tell them I've got no news for them.

If the festival moves to Merriweather, and it's looking more and more like it will, I predict a much more scaled-back version ...

Continue reading "Still no news about the Virgin Mobile Festival" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Bars & Clubs, Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Virgin Mobile Festival organizers are considering moving the annual festival to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia (pictured).

Festival promoter Seth Hurwitz is eying the pavilion, which he currently books, as a new home for the festival, according to Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.

"We'd be thrilled to host it in Howard County," Ulman said.

"Seth has done a wonderful job resurrecting Merriweather over the last few years. We're really pleased with the work he's done there."

A move to Merriweather could mean big changes for the festival ...

Continue reading "Virgin Mobile Festival could move to Merriweather Post Pavilion" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

This just in: The Virgin Mobile Festival will return for a fourth year.

Now the big question is, where?

"Nothing in life is definite," said Jayne Wallace, director of corporate communications for Virgin Mobile.

"But for all intents and purposes, we fully expect to hold another festival. We have some exciting ideas we're looking at." 

Here is a short piece I just wrote, with more details about the festival. 

Actually, the piece is more about what we don't know than what we do. We don't know who's on the roster or when or where it will be.

I wonder if they're taking suggestions? I mean, who would you want to see, and where would you want the festival to be?

If I had my way ...

Continue reading "Yes, the Virgin Mobile Festival will be back. But where?" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

It's a good question. And as of right now, I don't know the answer.

In fact, the future of Pimlico and the Preakness is up in the air.

Yesterday, I e-mailed Virgin Mobile Festival publicist Audrey Fix Schaefer, who said there is "no news to report."

That doesn't bode well for the festival ...

Continue reading "Will the Virgin Mobile Festival return this year? " »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Washington Post music writer David Malitz was hilariously on point when he slammed Virgin Mobile Festival organizers for the Book the Band idea.

If you remember, West Coast rock group Hollywood Undead won the online contest, and played their first show ever last weekend at Pimlico Race Course. ...

Continue reading "Post Rock vs. Virgin Fest's Book the Band" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival
        

Slightly more than 60,000 people attended the 2008 Virgin Mobile Festival, organizers announced today.

That's down from roughly 70,000 last year. But the Virgin Fest folks are happy, publicist Audrey Schaefer wrote in an e-mail.

"This number met our expectations and we're thrilled with the amazing response we've gotten to the festival, the memorable performances, and the entire experience," she wrote.

"To see tens of thousands of people enjoy the show made it a blast for all of us."

Held at Pimlico Race Course, this year's two-day festival featured an eclectic lineup of more than 40 performers, including Bob Dylan, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails and the Foo Fighters.

(Sun photo by Patrick Smith) 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Virgin Mobile Festival