In
the end, Moondance Jam is all about the music
By George Fairbanks Pioneer Staff Writer
Sunday, July 13, 2003
WALKER -- Moondance Jam 12, like every other Jam, featured camping and
games and rides.
For all of that, however, people still came for the music. They came
from all over the state and the Midwest. Some even updated their passports
and traveled across foreign borders to get to the Jam.
So it was Friday night, as thousands of Jammers left the campgrounds
to pile into the concert area to take in Joan Jett and the Blackhearts,
Foreigner and Boston. Standing straight back from the main stage, taking
in the entire scene, Ed Vanvleet, of St. Michael, Minn., was listening
to Foreigner while also getting ready to play a gig with his band, the
Mark Anthony Storm Project in the regional bands tent, near the rear
of the fairgrounds.
“I played here last year with Cold Front,” Vanvleet said. “It’s
a lot of fun.”
Vanvleet added he’s been impressed with the Moondance’s
crowd and the level of respect they show to the acts.
“The crowds are very good,” he said. “Very responsive.”
Bemidji resident Alan Steffen has made it to every Jam save the first
two. When asked why he keeps coming to the Jam each summer, Steffen was
quick to reply: “The mixture of bands and the quality crowds.”
He’s also seen the Jam improve each year as far amenities and
roads and campgrounds. Traffic in and out of the Jam site has also gotten
better Steffen said.
“It’s not as congested as like a We Fest,” Steffen
added of the event, which began Wednesday and ended Saturday night.
He also noted the sound quality coming out of the main stage has also
been good through the years.
“I think honestly, for an outdoor venue, I’d rate the sound
really good,” he said.
Steffen said he was in a touring rock band in the 60s and 70s and outdoor
sound quality is one of the most difficult things for a crew to master.
John Evenson, of Pelican Rapids Minn., decided to opt out of camping
this year for a room at the new Northern Lights Casino Hotel, just a
couple of miles down the road from the Jam. In fact, Jammers staying
at the casino didn’t even need to worry about making the short
drive. Shuttle buses were running at frequent intervals between the casino
and Jam site.
Evenson is also a Moondance veteran.
“This is about my fifth one,” Evenson said. He keeps coming
back to mingle with the rock crowd, which he described as good music
fans.
Evenson noted he was particularly excited to see the band War at this
year’s Jam. Although he added he’s been impressed with the
entire lineup.
“Without a doubt,” he said. Like Steffen he’s been
impressed with the sound from the main stage. “The quality is great,” Evenson
said.
He added down front, close to the stage, where sound is often distorted,
Moondance’s sound quality remains high. Moondance Jam 12 also marked
the fifth visit for Paul and Cheryl Lasalle, of Cohasset, Minn. They’re
camping this year, and when asked if he prefers the music or the camping,
Paul Lasalle responded with a smile: “Sometimes it’s a toss
up.”
Lasalle added the lineups the Jam provides is one of the biggest factors
that keeps drawing him back to the event. Cheryl Lasalle said the Jam’s
amenities have always been good, but she likes the increased number of
bars.
“The bar thing has improved,” she said. While the Lasalles
weren’t as impressed with this year’s lineup as they have
been with past acts, there was still one band in particular they wanted
to see.
“Boston,” Cheryl Lasalle said. “We’re big Boston
fans.”
MOONDANCE NEWS
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