Music, food, shopping, more make 22nd edition of Tennessee/Virginia festival a destination event
(Editor’s note: Our team always has a wonderful time covering festivals like Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, especially with local high-school journalists joining the extended coverage team as intern reporters for the second year. The following is a review of Saturday’s festivities by Addison Perry, junior at D-B EXCEL STEM Academy in Kingsport, Tennessee. – Luke Brogden, BLANK music editor)
Story and photos by Addison Perry
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, one of our area’s favorite traditions, came back in full swing this year with the yearly festival celebrating its 22nd iteration. The whole weekend was packed with endless amounts of fun and entertainment for the whole family, with food trucks, vendors and even a Ferris wheel! Most importantly, however, it featured performances from many talented artists and bands that celebrated Bristol’s title as the “Birthplace of Country Music.” Just like every year, there were some notable artists and headliners that really pulled in the crowds, but every show had an engaged audience. Despite there being a lot of complications due to weather, the staff and performers managed to push through and make things work, leaving festivalgoers satisfied.
This festival wouldn’t be what it is without all the wonderful and unique vendors and the goods they have on offer. Not only were there vendors that had tents set up, but since the festival was along the streets of downtown Bristol, there were the typical day-to-day brick-and-mortar shops, as well, some of which had special deals for the festival. The vendors ranged from clothing boutiques to small businesses that created unique and crafty goods for festivalgoers to enjoy. A lot of the vendors’ goods had a common theme to them; there were many bohemian and Southern-style type goods, with some even featuring the names of some of the headliners of this year’s festival, serving as unofficial merch. One business, Audioasis, even held an event where they gave patrons the opportunity to record “street sessions,” which gave buyers who enjoy singing the opportunity to record a song on State Street.
And of course, what’s a festival without plenty of food trucks offering festivalgoers a variety of snacks and meals? The eats ranged from sweet treats to savory dinner foods, and most of the trucks were open for the duration of the festival, which really makes you appreciate the workers’ dedication to their jobs. Some of the food trucks sold classics like hotdogs and fries, while others had more unique foods, like gator meat. Although these are but a few of the trucks that were on site, Diggy Doughnuts, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Rocky Ice Cream and Carly’s Kettle Korn were set up all weekend.
Vendors, food trucks and performances weren’t the only unique and entertaining things this festival had to offer, though. The Ferris wheel made a return this year, providing a fun and colorful backdrop to the proceedings. Kids also were afforded a bit of fun, with a Kids Zone being set up across the street from the Country Mural Stage. This area offered a mix of fun activities, like bubbles, cornhole, minigolf and more. Some street performers wanted to be a part of the action, too, and not being included on the official lineup didn’t stop them from contributing their musical talents. One unique street performer in particular, wearing a holographic disco ball-like outfit, walked around and danced on stilts.
One of the most appealing performances that I experienced this weekend was by the Jared Stout Band at Machiavelli’s Outdoor Stage. This group had all of the audience singing along to its rock-country melodies, some fast and some slow. The band was so engaging, they even asked the crowd to take a picture with them and had everyone raise their hands in the air for the shot.
Holy Roller was a band that performed on the 6th Street Stage at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Out of Richmond, Virginia, this group has one album under its belt and had released a new single the day before this set. Throughout the show, the band members seemed to be having a great time, really getting into their performance. It was very interesting to watch people in the crowd checking out the show and taking interest in what they were hearing. Curious passersby were drawn to the band’s music, and the audience grew as the set progressed.
Another band with an engaging audience was Adam Bolt and the Coconut Cowboys on Lauderdale Stage. Bolt told the audience before they began playing that, in 2018 at BRRR, they were performing at Quaker Steak & Lube on State Street when they had french fries thrown at them. They joked that they wanted to redeem themselves before beginning this performance. After the first few songs, Bolt told the audience about the times he’d seen weird performance pictures posted online and wondered what warranted them. He said he always likened these moments to a “you had to have been there to understand it” type of thing, and he wanted one of those photographs for his band. So during a verse in his song about a vulture, he had the audience stick their arms out to mimic the wingspan of a bird and flap them around so that he could take a picture.
It was around this time that inclement weather began to roll in. An announcer came onto the Lauderdale Stage and spoke to the audience about possible delays, and she announced that festivalgoers could stay notified about weather alerts and schedule changes by using the festival’s mobile app. Eventually, around quarter past 5, the first roar of thunder could be heard, and dark clouds could be seen rolling in. The stormy weather pushed many later performances about 45 minutes past their original start times.
Darrell Scott’s Electrifying Band delivered an outstanding performance on the Country Mural Stage despite the still-rainy conditions. Scott and his group were welcomed by a sea of audience members wearing ponchos, rain jackets and/or holding umbrellas. In fact, a lightning strike could be seen right as they were warming up, prompting the crowd to groan. However, Scott and his band ended up playing anyway, pushing through the weather to perform original tunes and songs by legendary country singer Hank Williams. Before singing the latter, Scott shared the tale about Williams’ last meal and sighting at Burger Bar, located just across the street from the stage, before his passing. Scott stated that he and his band had eaten burgers in Williams’ honor at the restaurant before the show.
Allison Russell and her band were nothing short of fantastic when they performed on State Street. This artist has been performing Americana music all over the world, and she said that, although she hails from Canada, Tennessee has been her home for the last six years. She’s a three-time Grammy nominee, and she won a 2022 Americana Award for album of the year. Russell had the whole audience mesmerized with both her clarinet playing and her enthusiastic energy.
The final show I saw Saturday night was Margo Price, one of this year’s headliners, on Piedmont Avenue Stage. Price came to the festival to deliver her brand of vintage country with rock undertones to an adoring audience, and she and her band did just that. Her throwback stylings and charismatic energy had the crowd’s eyes glued to the stage, engaged the entire time. Price was really into her performance, which was very obvious to anybody watching. She even used special instruments like cowbells and a tambourine, which really added to the Americana vibe of the whole show.
Overall, Saturday at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion was absolutely fantastic. Whether patrons attended for the music, food, shopping or general atmosphere, the festival delivered a great time for all. The aromas mixing together from the different food vendors really was the icing on the cake, and it made the atmosphere feel like that of a classic music festival. I found myself having a great time despite not knowing any of the bands, as the event offered me the opportunity to discover this type of roots music and regional musicians, which made me really appreciate our local musical heritage. Despite the weather delays, the festival was able to overcome these issues and offered a memorable experience to attendees both young and old. With the success of this weekend, it’s clear that BRRR has become a staple in not only our local community, but also for roots music fans all around the area and world. This great event is sure to continue to attract attendees in years to come.
