Wednesday, April 30, 2008 – The just concluded Merlefest 2008 shindig attracted more than 76,000 people over four days, according to organizers.
Preliminary estimates show that MerleFest 2008 overall participation reached 76,708, slightly below 2007's 79,412. "We are so proud that MerleFest fans remain committed to the event despite current economic conditions and threatening weather that included a storm delay on Saturday," says festival director Ted Hagaman. "Since we opened ticket sales in November, we have seen single day ticket sales outpace four-day ticket sales."
MerleFest honors the memory of Eddy Merle Watson and the musical contributions that he and father, Doc Watson, have made. "When Merle and I started out we called our music 'traditional-plus,' meaning the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play," said Watson. "Since the beginning, the people of the college and I have agreed that the music of MerleFest is 'traditional-plus' and this year's line-up shows what that is all about."
Performers included The Avett Brothers; Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck, Casey Driessen, & Ben Sollee; Sam Bush; The Carolina Chocolate Drops; Jerry Douglas; Levon Helm & The Midnight Ramble on the Road; Solas "Reunion,"with Karan Casey & John Doyle; Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder; Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys; Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives; Rhonda Vincent and The Rage; Dan Tyminski Band; Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven; Donna The Buffalo; Blue Highway; The Claire Lynch Band; Dirk Powell & Riley Baugus; Tony Rice; Peter Rowan; Ollabelle; Sally Van Meter; Rhonda Vincent & The Rage; Pete Wernick & Flexigrass; Tim O'Brien; The Waifs; The Waybacks and Old Crow Medicine Show.
