With one of the highest ticket sales so far behind them, Jonathan Slye took some time to talk about all things Blue Ridge Rock Festival (BRRF). Since attending the first festival, one things I know is that Jonathan is mission drive to be fan driven and his gratitude isn’t just for the ticket sales but those who share statement after statement and everything related to the festival.
Of course fans, musicians and promoter’s alike are unsure how everything will unfold with some of the big festivals already canceling.
In his recent Facebook Live, he shared his own personal mission for getting involved!
The reason that I entered into the music business 10 years ago is because I believed in the power that music had to pierce through everything with politics, with religion, with all the different walls that people put up and are the different things that are that segregate so much of of the world. And so I identify that music had this incredible initiative ability to be able to to resonate with people and draw unity in a way that I’ve never seen before. And I that that is on the heels of what started the company and what I now look to grow more than ever before is Blue Ridge.
Jonathan Slye
The big message perhaps is that he wants to community to know that no on is alone and that Blue Ridge Rock Festival stands behind their fans. I mean let’s be honest without people wanting to go to festivals – there’s be no business! Jonathan Slye carries the weight off what so many people are experiencing but also that as a fan drive rock experience his mission is to knock down the walls of barriers that in normal situations keeps everyone separated. In other words, as a festival and concert promoter, he can be seen at different events )when the pandemic didn’t exist just yet) and you could have a minute or ten to have a conversation.
As someone who loves going to shows, concerts or festivals and being able to interview artists on the fly – building that bridge is something I recognize and honestly we want to know we aren’t spending money on things that don’t really care about those that are supporting business, venues, artists, vendors and the list goes on.
Jonathan Slye wants to be transparent because as we approach the 4th year of this festival the fans are what drive it. Certainly not all the bands are requested and not all the bands receive a welcome and yet there’s no doubt that the staff of the BRRF and the moderators of the fan zone do everything they can to answer any and all questions that fans have.
And I mentioned the pandemic known as COVID-19 and there is a plan to continue forward with with the festival and to continue to build and grow the community that has become the BRRF and the fan zone.
As of right now the Festival is a 100% ago – but he’s not doing this blindly staying up-to-date and informed. No one truly knows what’s going to happen from day to day but something I can agree on is that when the world is in chaos no matter how big or how small, we have to have something to look forward to and be excited about.
Jonathan Slye is very clear that the festival is at the mercy of all of our municipalities and a lot of people that specialize in this but that they are going to all be working together to do the best in this moment and that there is hope and there’s increasing hope.
During his chat with the Facebook Community, he also addressed giving back through donation not only for masks to different medical service medical facilities in the local area, but they are also donating tickets that are medical and first responders but they are also going to be working with some companies that are creating different products that ensures the safety of the fans coming to this event. So you can rock out and you’re still safe and protected the same time and that we have this great experience that we all been looking forward to.
Jonathan Slye shared that when they decided to proceed they also made the decision that the beginning of July will be the absolute drop dead for us making a decision if the festival happens. If you cut it shorter than two and a half months, the big surge of everything coming back to life in the business is just going to be a little bit too much for us to be able to make sure that we deliver festival experience across the board that will truly be able to be an impactful event that artists and fans of all over the country truly deserve.
This year Blue Ridge Rock Festival will have multiple stages for people to pick and choose who they want to see. I saw this working at Exit 111 quite well. Sure you may end up having to choose between two of your favorite bands but it does give opportunities to see the bands you want. But having multiple stages allowed us to stop at the bathroom or the food stand before lining up for the next show.
It’s been intentionally scheduled and booked with fans in mind but also that there’s no overlap with plenty of time to get to the next artists you want to see. Again putting the fan in complete control and access to what looks like an amazing experience but be prepared that there is non-stop action going down for three days!
Back again to the current situation with COVID-19, if the event is cancelled due to the pandemic, they will give 100% refunds and will extend the option for you to keep your ticket for next year. There is also talk about having additional bonus upgrades for those who hold on to their tickets.
There will be a pre-party if you have a three day pass of any type to the festival and you get to listen to Jelly Roll and Saliva. Just know that if you’re not camping there will be a small parking fee to cover some of the cost of this last minute bonus.
And I don’t know about you, but we all could use a bit of fun and totally look forward to something that speaks about having a good time. And it sounds promising that Blue Ridge Rock Festival will be just that.
PSA: Due to space limitations in the graphic, when we listed “No Open Containers”, we could not elaborate as much as many of you would like.
We will do that here though: Alcohol and all of your standard Festival beverages WILL be available to purchase as normal. As opposed to many events where bartenders pour the beverage of your choice into an open cup, we will only be serving sealed cans and bottles.
All bartenders will wear gloves, which will continually be sanitized. In regards to food: All food will be completely sealed. In the shortest terms possible, the precautions that you are seeing leading restaurants take for to-go or delivery orders during COVID, are the same measures we will be applying to food concessions at Blue Ridge.
Our goal is to continue to be as transparent with each of you all as possible during this time. Communication is always a key point of emphasis for us as a Festival curated by the Fans, and now it is more important than ever.