From the good folks at IBMA:
Organizers of the 2021 IBMA World of Bluegrass have revealed the full lineup of artists and daily schedule of performances for IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC. This live festival will take place at Red Hat Amphitheater and four additional stages in downtown Raleigh, NC, Fri., Oct. 1, and Sat., Oct. 2. Additionally, Capitol Broadcasting Company, which includes WRAL-TV, an NBC affiliate serving the Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham region, will be the exclusive media partner for the ticketed Main Stage performances at Red Hat Amphitheater, as well as the free performances at StreetFest Stages downtown.
Main Stage performances at Red Hat Amphitheater will include sets from bluegrass luminaries such as Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart featuring Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton; The Del McCoury Band; Steep Canyon Rangers; Yonder Mountain String Band; and Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer & Odessa Settles. Main Stage performances at Red Hat Amphitheater for this year’s festival will begin at 4pm each day, and will feature premier bluegrass acts for seven hours.
Proof of vaccination will be required for entry to the Main Stage performances at Red Hat Amphitheater. Additionally, all sections of the Amphitheater will be ticketed, allowing organizers to control venue capacity.
In addition to access and capacity adjustments at Red Hat Amphitheater, changes are being instituted at other festival venues:
- StreetFest Stages are moving to give attendees more space and reduce street congestion. The popular City Plaza Stage is moving to the parking lot across from the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The stage area will be surrounded by food trucks, a beer garden and spots for families to gather.
- The Youth Stage, which provides a venue for youth and college bands to share their talent, is moving to City Plaza.
“We are overjoyed to be bringing the bluegrass festival back to Raleigh as an in-person event this year,” said David Brower, festival producer and executive director of PineCone, a Raleigh-based non-profit music organization. “There’s a magic that happens when our streets are filled with music that’s played from the heart. For folks who’ve never experienced this event, it’s a joyous sight to see when it all comes together. After this past year, we all could use a little bit of that festival magic.”
Schedules are subject to change and will be posted at each stage. QR codes will be posted throughout the festival, allowing festival-goers to access the full schedule and festival map on their phones. Participants who want a printed schedule and map are encouraged to print one ahead of time from the World of Bluegrass website.
For the ninth year, PNC Bank returns as the presenting sponsor of IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC. “This two-day festival brings so much spirit and enjoyment to the community, while supporting our local economy and tourism,” said Jim Hansen, PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas. “All of us at PNC look forward to participating in this festive time again.
“We are excited to announce the full performance schedule for this year’s IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC,” said Pat Morris, executive director of IBMA. “It will be great to gather again to celebrate live music! Music fans will be able to enjoy artists ranging from Hall of Famers to award-winning rising stars to special collaborations with amazing guests. We’ve taken specific measures to safeguard the health and safety of attendees, so it’s our hope that these protocols will allow everyone to join us in downtown Raleigh this year.
“Partnering with Capitol Broadcasting Company, a respected media company in the region, is a great way to elevate our outreach, and make sure the music fans in the Triangle are aware of the many ways they can experience bluegrass during this year’s festival,” added Morris.
“Capitol Broadcasting Company is once again thrilled to join IBMA, PineCone, and the City of Raleigh as the exclusive media partner for IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC,” said Joel Davis, WRAL-TV/FOX 50 vice president and general manager. “Bluegrass Live! is such an important event in our community and WRAL-TV, wral.com and That Station all want to support this beloved event in a safe and responsible way.”
A portion of the proceeds from IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC supports the IBMA Trust Fund, which provides direct financial assistance to bluegrass artists and other industry professionals in times of emergency need. To date, the Trust Fund has distributed more than $800,000 in direct aid.
The schedule for the Main Stage performances at Red Hat Amphitheater:
Friday, October 1
4:00 Tray Wellington Band
4:55 Mile Twelve
6:00 Sister Sadie
7:30 Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart featuring Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton
9:30 The Del McCoury Band
Saturday, October 2
4:00 The Gina Furtado Project
4:55 The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
6:00 Jerry Douglas, Odessa Settles & Edgar Meyer
7:30 Steep Canyon Rangers
9:30 Yonder Mountain String Band
Friday, October 1 StreetFest Schedule:
Come Hear NC Stage (located on the flat parking lot in front of the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts)
Sponsors: Come Hear NC; Bud Light; WRAL
11:30am Welcoming remarks from City of Raleigh, PNC, and IBMA
12:00 Chatham Rabbits
1:15 Sister Sadie
2:30 Rick Faris
3:45 Bluegrass Pride Presents: Jake Blount
5:15 Jim Lauderdale
6:45 Fireside Collective
8:15 Bowregard
9:45 Bluegrass Pride Presents: The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Davie Street Stage (located near the intersection of Davie and Fayetteville streets)
Sponsors: Booze It and Lose It; Central Carolina Chevrolet Dealers; Bud Light Seltzer; WRAL
12:00 Crying Uncle
1:15 Fair Black Rose
2:30 Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers
3:45 Jesse Brock & Streamliner
5:00 Missy Raines & Allegheny
6:30 The Wildmans
8:00 Special Consensus
9:30 Darin & Brooke Aldridge
Capitol Stage (located on Fayetteville Street between Martin & Hargett streets)
Sponsors: Ron and Nancy McFarlane; Stella Artois; That Station
12:00 Bill and the Belles
1:15 Songs From The Road Band
2:30 Hubby Jenkins
3:45 Bluegrass Pride Presents: Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer
5:15 Buffalo Commons
6:45 Henhouse Prowlers
8:15 Anya Hinkle
9:45 Mile Twelve
Youth Stage (located on Fayetteville Street across from the Marriott)
Sponsors: Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM); WRAL
12:30 Square Deal
1:45 Eliza Meyer
3:00 Crying Uncle
4:15 Mountain Highway
5:30 Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble (Berea, KY)
7:00 East Tennessee State University Bluegrass Pride Band (Johnson City, TN)
8:30 The Mountain Music Ambassadors from Morehead State University (Morehead, KY)
10:00 The Tigertown Roots – Clemson University Bluegrass Band (Clemson, SC)
Saturday, October 2 StreetFest Schedule:
Come Hear NC Stage (located on the flat parking lot in front of the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts)
Sponsors: Come Hear NC; Beverage: Bud Light; Media: WRAL
12:00 The Burnett Sisters
1:15 Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass
2:30 Nixon, Blevins & Gage
3:45 The Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers
5:00 Darin & Brooke Aldridge
6:30 Hank, Pattie & The Current
8:00 The Steel Wheels
9:45 Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen
Davie Street Stage (located near the intersection of Davie and Fayetteville streets)
Sponsors: Booze It and Lose It; Central Carolina Chevrolet Dealers; Bud Light Seltzer; WRAL
12:00 Bluegrass Pride Presents: Sinner Friends
1:15 Kristy Cox
2:30 Diamond Creek
3:45 Hubby Jenkins
5:00 The Ruta Beggars
6:30 Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road
8:00 Tray Wellington Band
9:30 Barbaro
Capitol Stage (located on Fayetteville Street between Martin & Hargett streets)
Sponsors: Ron and Nancy McFarlane; Stella Artois; That Station
12:00 Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive
1:15 Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves
2:30 The Price Sisters
3:45 Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen
5:00 Joe Newberry & April Verch
6:30 Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road
8:00 Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
9:45 The Gina Furtado Project
Youth Stage (located on Fayetteville Street across from the Marriott)
Sponsors: Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM); WRAL
12:00 Mountain Highway
1:10 Crying Uncle
2:20 Fair Black Rose
3:30 Square Deal
4:30 The Carolina Bluegrass Band from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)
5:30 The Denison University Bluegrass Ensemble (Granville, OH)
7:00 The Warren Wilson College Bluegrass Band (Swannanoa, NC)
8:30 The Colorado College Bluegrass Band (Colorado Springs, CO)
10:00 The Lawrence University Bluegrass Band (Appleton, WI)
Health and safety measures in effect for this year’s event include:
- Proof of vaccination (without exceptions) will be required for attendance at any IBMA World of Bluegrass activity requiring registration and ticketing: the IBMA Business Conference, the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble showcase series, the 32nd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards presented by Yamaha, and the main stage at the Red Hat Amphitheater for IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC. As in years past, IBMA World of Bluegrass indoor events will take place at the Raleigh Convention Center, the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, and at various venues downtown.
- Masks will also be required at all indoor activities during IBMAWOB. During the festival, masks will be required indoors (e.g., bathrooms, hallways, green rooms, etc.) and strongly recommended for outdoor shows.
- IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC: For both the main stage at Red Hat Amphitheater and the StreetFest, all artists, stage managers, crew and staff will be vaccinated.
- Frequent sanitation and enhanced cleaning protocols will be in place at all World of Bluegrass locations.
- Hand sanitizer and free mask stations will be provided at various World of Bluegrass locations.
- For those not able to attend in person, IBMA will be streaming select content throughout the week on Swapcard. Virtual attendees will have access to the virtual exhibit hall, conference sessions, music performances, and more. Details for virtual tickets will be announced in the coming weeks.
- Anyone experiencing a fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, or other symptoms related to COVID-19 will be asked to stay home or leave the venue.
- For more information on the IBMA World of Bluegrass and IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC safety protocols, please visit the Health and Safety page on the IBMA World of Bluegrass website.
Additional sponsors who helped make this year’s festival and World of Bluegrass week events possible include: PNC, Come Hear NC, WRAL, That Station, Stella Artois, Wicked Weed, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer, Babe, Devil’s Backbone, Ron and Nancy McFarlane, Martin Guitar, Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM), Yamaha Guitar Group, WakeMed, Parker Poe, Catapult, NC Lottery, NCDOT, Central Carolina Chevrolet Dealers, Virginia is for Music Lovers, D’Addario, Pepsi, Cheerwine, Nature’s Twist, Deep Eddy Vodka, Lunazul Tequila, Larceny Bourbon, Art Menius Radio, Evan Williams, Fishman, Deering Banjos, Compass Records, Calton Cases, The Recording Academy, ETSU, Lowes Foods, Yep Roc Music Group, The Pit, Campbell Law School, Peterson Strobe Tuners, Duke Energy, Rounder, Boston Bluegrass Union, BMI, Ear Trumpet Labs, and Pre-War Guitars.
More info about IBMA World of Bluegrass and the IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC Festival
IBMA’s World of Bluegrass is a five-day annual bluegrass music homecoming and convention. World of Bluegrass encompasses four events: the IBMA Business Conference, September 28-30; the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble, an innovative series of showcases, taking place September 28-29 in downtown Raleigh and at the Raleigh Convention Center; the 32nd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, scheduled for Thursday evening, September 30; and IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC, Oct. 1-2, a two-day festival that features the best of the best in bluegrass today, benefiting the IBMA Trust Fund—a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that assists bluegrass professionals during financial emergencies—and introducing the music to thousands of new fans every year.
As in years past, events during World of Bluegrass will take place at the Raleigh Convention Center, the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, the Red Hat Amphitheater and at various venues in town.
Volunteer for IBMA Bluegrass Live! and other World of Bluegrass events: https://worldofbluegrass.org/participate/volunteer/
Learn more about accessibility efforts that are part of the whole World of Bluegrass, including IBMA Bluegrass Live!: https://worldofbluegrass.org/accessibility/
IBMA – the International Bluegrass Music Association – is the non-profit music association that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide.
PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, is the largest, most active presenter of home-grown music in the state. Since 2013, PineCone has served as the official Local Host organization for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and its World of Bluegrass events, and as the producers of the two-day IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC. Founded in 1984 with a mission to preserve, present and promote all forms of traditional music, dance and other folk performing arts, PineCone programs highlight and celebrate the rich and diverse musical heritage of Raleigh and the greater Piedmont region by focusing on music traditions that have been passed down informally through generations within our various cultural communities. PineCone presents more than 200 programs annually, including concerts, youth programs, participatory jams and sessions, workshops, documentary projects, a weekly radio show and more. pinecone.org.
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