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IBMA moves indoors for second time in 10 years in anticipation of Hurricane Ian

In 2015, bands of rain from Hurricane Joachin came down on Raleigh, soaking artists, vendors and attendees of bluegrass music’s biggest week and leaving organizers scrambling to move the International Bluegrass Music Association’s IBMA Bluegrass Live! festivities indoors to the relative comfort of the city’s convention center.

Fast forward seven years and IBMA’s organizers announced today all of the outdoor festivities associated with this week’s IBMA Bluegrass Live! will move indoors, due to expected rain and wind from Hurricane Ian as it approaches the western shores of Florida.

“The music will go on,” said IBMA Executive Director Pat Morris at this afternoon’s IBMA welcome reception celebrating the festival’s 10th year in North Carolina’s capital city. “We have a fantastic week lined up.”

This year, however, will be different than 2015, when the ticketed festival and the free street events were all suddenly forced into the confines of the convention center. What won’t change is several days of bluegrass tunes ringing throughout the facility — some planned in ballrooms and convention rooms, others spontaneously erupting into  jam sessions filling up the facility’s not-so-hidden corners and even in hallways and on staircases.

One major difference will be the ticketed Main Stage performances, originally planned for the outdoor Red Hat Amphitheater adjacent to the convention center, will take the stage in the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Reserved seating bought in advance will be honored. Unfortunately, fans hoping for a free general admission ticket to see headliners such as the Infamous Stringdusters, Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway may be out of luck. Organizers are still working out details to try to make some free seating available.

On a positive note, there is still a lot of free entertainment to take in. All previously scheduled performances at the five free Street Stages are moving into the Raleigh Convention Center  along with all 115 vendors including the Art Market, Shop Local and Black Friday Market. Also on tap indoors will be the beer garden, PNC Porch, jam “tents” and other activities planned for this weekend.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said the resiliency of the organizers and the City of Raleigh is similar to that often sung about in bluegrass music as well as the genre itself, which celebrated its 75th anniversary during the height of the pandemic.

“Whether you have been here before or it’s your first time, you are in for great entertainment,” she told the crowd in the RCC ballroom. “We did this in 2015 and it turned out great, and it’s going to be great again.”

Baldwin added she hopes IBMA will return to Raleigh for another 10 years. “The best part of IBMA is you get to be part of this unique experience and community,” she said. “It’s about bringing people together.”For tickets and more information, visit https://worldofbluegrass.org.


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Full lineup, schedule announced for 2021 IBMA Bluegrass Live in downtown Raleigh

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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Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes to kick off NCMA 2020 Concert Series

From the good folks at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) :

RALEIGH — Summer concerts and movies have been a North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) tradition for two decades, and we’re excited to launch another season of great music and entertainment. Our venue—the Joseph M. Bryan, Jr., Theater in the Museum Park—is situated in the heart of the Museum campus amid gardens, meadows, woodlands, and sculpture.

Presented with Cat’s Cradle, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes will perform at 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Nü Mangos will open the show. Continue reading →


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MerleFest, IBMA favorites Scythian return to Lincoln Theatre on Feb. 27

Raleigh, put on your dancing shoes because the boys of Scythian are coming back to town on Thursday, Feb. 27.
They have rocked the dance tent at the annual International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) for years, kept First Night Raleigh attendees warm and festival goers on their feet as perennial favorites at MerleFest and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, among many others.
Named after Ukrainian nomads, Scythian (pronounced sith-ee-yin) plays immigrant rock with thunderous energy, blending Irish-Gypsy-American string-rock, clever storytelling, catchy songwriting and humor, beckoning crowds into a barn-dance rock concert experience.
These Celtic rockers will bring their all-ages, high-energy show back to Raleigh’s Lincoln Theatre, 126 E. Cabarrus St. Tickets can be purchased at this link. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Chapel Hill singer-songerwriter Jonathan Byrd will take the stage before Scythian. Byrd has been called “a folk singer with the heart of a rock ‘n’ roll band.” Byrd is a preacher’s son, a Gulf War veteran and an award-winning songwriter from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, known for literary, outsider songs that have become campfire favorites. The Chicago Tribune called Byrd “one of the top 50 songwriters of the past 50 years.”

Scythian features tunes with gypsy, Celtic, bluegrass and Americana influences just in time to provide an appropriate warm up for St. Patrick’s Day. The band’s entertaining stage presence, band camaraderie and audience interaction captivates from the first note. Powerful vocals, fiddle, guitar, accordion, upright bass, drums are just a taste of the myriad instruments the quartet brings to its raucous stage causing iHeart Radio to state, “Scythian has reinvented folk rock in America.” And The Washington Post has called Scythian, “Washington D.C.’s most energetic and eclectic band.”


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Bluegrass music’s biggest night is 2019 International Bluegrass Music Awards

Tonight’s the night: the biggest night of the year for bluegrass musicians around the globe. All eyes and ears will be focused on the red carpet at the Duke Energy Performing Arts Center in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, as the industry’s biggest and brightest stars head to the 30th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards.

Nominees for “Entertainer of the Year” are Balsam Range, Sam Bush Band, The Earls of Leicester, Del McCoury Band and first-time nominee Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers. The five nominees have a whopping 24 nominations among them this year. Multiple nominations for Sister Sadie, Carolina Blue, Mile Twelve, Molly Tuttle, Missy Raines and Rhonda Vincent are also notable on this year’s list of nominees.

Can’t make it the awards show in person? The show will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction) at 7:30 p.m. EDT, streamed via Facebook Live and will be made available for rebroadcast by radio stations worldwide, thanks to the sponsorship of Chiesi USA, Virginia Tourism, Deering Banjos, Compass Records, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, BMI, and Boston Bluegrass Union. A special red carpet live stream will be available on IBMA’s Instagram page as well. Continue reading →


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Zoe and Cloyd release newest album, ‘I Am Your Neighbor’ during IBMA’s 2019 World of Bluegrass annual festival

If you are attending this week’s International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass conference and festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, you hopefully have a chance to catch one of Zoe & Cloyd‘s many sets as one the event’s Official Showcase Artists.

The duo — Western North Carolina natives Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller — have been on my radar since I discovered them at MerleFest. Fans of the former Americana trio Red June will recognize the Appalachian roots husband and wife duo that made up two-thirds of that group.

I continue to be particularly impressed by the fiddle stylings of Weinstein and the guitar and banjo talents of Miller as well as their gorgeous harmonies. Their traditional approach to their music take you back to an earlier era. If you like Mandolin Orange, you’ll like Zoe & Cloyd.

Based in Asheville, the couple have been making music together in various arrangements since first meeting in 2005.

I had a chance to chat briefly with Weinstein after the band’s set at Social Architect on Wednesday night and she said they were really excited to be featured again as IBMA Official Showcase Artists, an honor they haven’t enjoyed since 2016. In addition to performing during the week at the business conference you can find them playing at the free WOB StreetFest on Friday and Saturday in downtown Raleigh.

“This week is always a highlight of our year, and we are really looking forward to catching up with folks and hearing lots of great music,” Weinstein said.

At the end of their toe-tapping inducing performance, they rolled out a new tune, “Only Game In Town,” which lead  Weinsteint to joke with the audience that during IBMA at least, this was NOT the case.

Zoe and Cloyd are using the IBMA’s annual event to release their third album, “I Am Your Neighbor,” on Friday, Sept. 27, on Organic Records. 

Continue reading →


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Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, I’m With Her, Balsam Range, Molly Tuttle, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Del McCoury among headliners at Wide Open Bluegrass 2019

From the good folks over at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA):

NASHVILLE — ​Organizers ​of this year’s ​PNC presents Wide Open Bluegrass on ​Sept. 27-28 i​n downtown ​Raleigh, North Carolina, ​have announced the full list of performers, and performance schedules, for the annual festival.

The free Wide Open Bluegrass festival – part of the I​nternational Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s ​five-day ​World of Bluegrass ​event,​​ sponsored by ​Chiesi USA​ – brings bluegrass into the community, and introduces the music to thousands of new fans every year, with more than 100 performers on seven stages along Fayetteville Street.

Performers include a broad mix of local, national, and international talent. Stages include the Youth Music Stage – situated on the outdoor plaza at the Convention Center – and the Dance Tent, which features clogging performances, participatory square dances, and late-night open dancing Friday and Saturday nights.

In addition to the seven stages of Wide Open Bluegrass, performances at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater will be open to the public for free, as well, subject to venue capacity. A limited number of reserved seats in prime sections of the venue are still available for purchase, to ensure admittance for every performance. More details about the festival can be found online at worldofbluegrass.org/wide-open-bluegrass, or on the festival app, available for free download via your app store.

PNC returns, for the seventh year, as the presenting sponsor for the two-day Wide Open Bluegrass festival: “PNC’s support of Wide Open Bluegrass allows festival goers free access to all stages and makes this festival even more special,” said Jim Hansen, PNC regional president of Eastern Carolinas. “As the presenting sponsor for the seven years that Raleigh has hosted Wide Open Bluegrass, we are pleased that this event has become a flagship music festival and adds to our vibrant cultural scene. We at PNC look forward to celebrating a great weekend of bluegrass in downtown Raleigh.” Continue reading →


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Hopscotch 10 celebrates a decade in downtown Raleigh on Sept. 5-7, 2019

Featuring an eclectic collection of more than 120 acts, Hopscotch Music Festival will return for its 10th year on Sept. 5-7, 2019 to downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.

Hopscotch has been described as “America’s (secret) best festival” and “the premiere experimental and underground festival in America.”

Wristbands go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 23, at bit.ly/Hopscotch10

Check out the impressive lineup below:

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IBMA’s Wide Open Bluegrass becomes even more open with free tickets to Red Hat Amphitheatre shows in 2019

From the good folks at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass, some good news for festival goers:

NASHVILLE — Organizers of this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass, brought to you by Chiesi USA and taking place September 24-28 in Raleigh, North Carolina, announced a change to the annual event’s weekend festival, PNC presents Wide Open Bluegrass. Beginning this year, in addition to the 7 stages of music that are available for free in downtown Raleigh during Wide Open Bluegrass, the performances at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater will also be open to the public for free. Continue reading →