The Peach Music Festival, which ended last weekend, was a place of revisiting music’s all-time-greats while soaking in the summer spirit. The Sherp was there to give you a lowdown.Β
This summer has been a wild and fun experience for festival-goers all over the country. No matter what type of music you listen to, you are bound to find a festival this summer with the line up that you have always dreamt of and the experience you have always been looking for. For lovers of classic rock music and jam, TheΒ Peach Music Festival, a camping festival held at the beautiful Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania cut the deal. The festival, wearing its summer cape all out, was the festival to be at, not just for the lineup, but also for its spirit.
We were there for the 2015 edition and this is how it went down!
The Beautiful Camp grounds
After lugging our belongings up and down hills and steps, my friends and I quickly found ourselves a comfortable spot in the woods, not too far from the venue entrance. Although we had felt that we had the perfect camping spot, after exploring the rest of the camp grounds we had come to the conclusion that you really could not go wrong no matter where you decided to camp. The people who decided to camp lower on the mountain found themselves with an easier walk to the venue area, while people higher on the mountain found themselves with a fantastic view and a great spot for listening to music at your campsite.
The People
After we finished setting up our campsite, we went and introduced ourselves to our neighbors for the weekend, who turned out to be some of the coolest neighborsΒ weΒ have had inΒ ourΒ history of going to camping festivals. When we got around to introducing ourselves to even more Peach-goers, we came to the realization that not only were our neighbors really cool, but so was everyone else who attended the festival. Never have we met so many kind souls in such a short period of time. It really felt as if everyone was there to make sure there was not a single person at the festival having a bad time, even if it meant going out of their way to do it. If it were not the people that made you happy, it might have been all the adorable dogs walking around to enjoy the experience with their owners.
The Music
Friday, marked the first full day of music, and was the start of some of the hardest decision making we have ever had to make in my life. We found ourselves running back and forth between stages; splitting sets in hopes of getting a little taste of all the amazing talent Peach Festival had to offer. Our first hard decision was the confliction between the funk-fusion band Kung Fu at the Mushroom Stage, or a second set of Scranton-based band CabinetΒ playing all the way over at the Peach stage. So we decided to split it, starting out with a wildly entertaining half hour of Kung Fu leading into another enjoyable set delivered to us by Cabinet.
Our original intentions were that we were going to catch a half hour of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, then make our way over to the main stage for Warren Haynes w/ Railroad Earth, but we were so drawn into Pigeonβs set that we found it nearly impossible to leave. Their high energy set had everyone in the crowd groovinβ out to their music. We also encounteredΒ a small-time Bluegrass band jamming out in the middle of the vendor area. This band went by the name of The Blind Owl Band. It was not uncommon that youβd stumble upon a random group of musicians jamming out all over this festival. The second day also saw incredible performances by Bob Weir ft. Billy & The KidsΒ and country legend Willie Nelson.
Sunday not only marked the last day of the festival, but it marked the day the legendary Carlos Santana made his way on stage.Β As soon as he got on you could feel the love in the air, never have I seen so many smiling and crying faces. Santana made for a beautiful and very emotional way to close out the festival; making Peach Music Festival one for the books and proving to the world that the power of music is strong enough to bring together people of all color, shape, age, and size. As Bob Marley once said, βOne thing βbout music, when it hits you feel no painβ.
Overall
The Peach Music Festival was an all-and-all positively reaffirming experience. It intensifies your love for music as you know; it restores your faith in the quintessentially positive music fans; and it makes you want to come back for more! All of this and more makes The Peach one of the most compelling festival experiences.
(All images sourced: The Peach Music Festival Facebook)Β
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