Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Moogfest organizers began releasing more information about the 2012 edition of the Asheville music festival, and fans are asking for more details.
Moogfest has already announced that last year’s three-day event will be a two-day event this year. More from the Moogfest page on Facebook today:
Weekend passes will be available for the U.S. Cellular Center as well as single day tickets. This year’s pass will be more affordable, offer more flexibility as well as – here’s the best part – guaranteed admission to the U.S. Cellular Center.
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After the shows at the U.S. Cellular Center have ended, there will be separately ticketed late night performances at The Orange Peel and other venues throughout downtown Asheville. And again, when you buy a ticket for any late night event, you are guaranteed entry. Moogfest weekend pass holders will be given first crack at tickets for these shows in a special presale. You can build your own festival experience to fit your budget. You will have options. We like giving you options. Once again, the Moogfest line-up will be announced in mid-July.
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The core festival is taking place inside Asheville’s U.S. Cellular Center, formerly the Asheville Civic Center. As in previous years, attendees will be able to flow freely in and out of the ExploreAsheville.com Arena and the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. In addition, this year we will utilize the center’s Exhibition Hall, which we will turn into a full-blown nightclub that will feature world class DJ’s. And no, we won’t be doing an outdoor stage this year. Asheville is beautiful, but the weather is unpredictable in late October and we want you and the artists to have the best possible experience.
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Hey everyone! Would like to try to offer some clarity and ONE BIG CORRECTION. The correction first: as in previous years, there will be shows at other venues outside of US Cellular Center and those shows will be happening concurrently. Now for some clarity: We will be announcing the full schedule of events so that you can make your ticketing choices from the beginning. That’s why we are waiting to have the full schedule together before announcing the acts. The new pricing structure will make attending Moogfest more affordable for many, while also guaranteeing admission for those who have purchased tickets to the shows at the smaller venues. As always, we’re committed to creating an amazing festival experience…because we want all of you to come to Asheville and party with us!
Fans are reacting. A couple of examples:
James Brad Petrine: Sounds like there will be less options and a smaller lineup, don’t see how that’s avoidable with this setup. I’d rather pay the extra money and have the size, diversity, and depth and past years lineups, but perhaps I’m in the minority there. 🙁
John Walsh: Seriously. You had the best festival of the year, on the east coast at least, and you go and make a bunch of questionable changes? Will the late night shows at the Orange Peel and other venues be artists that can also be seen at the festival, or is it going to be some great act that everyone will want to see and not be able to because they can’t afford it or tickets sold out too fast? Hopefully the price of the weekend pass drops drastically to accommodate paying for extra tickets to see who you want to see.
Chris Coxen: The all inclusive weekend passes were what made moog a great, united festival experience. Obviously y’all are blocked from doing this again this year, otherwise I can’t imagine why you’d be changing the system up. Still early in the announcement stage, but I’m sure a lot of us are already disappointed.