The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the full performance schedules for weekend events following World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC. The Business Conference, which normally draws industry professionals from all over the world, occurs September 28-30, followed by a massive outdoor event billed as IBMA Bluegrass Live! International attendance may be off this year as many travel restrictions still remain from COVID shutdowns.
Bluegrass Live! consists of two separate events – a big stage show at the Red Hat Ampitheater, adjacent to the Raleigh Convention Center, and StreetFest, held along Fayetteville Street, which runs from the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts down by the Convention Center, and the state capitol, a total of five blocks downtown. The city closes the streets and positions four stages where free bluegrass entertainment is offered all day Friday and Saturday (October 1-2). Food trucks and other vendors will also be set up along Fayetteville, which is the location of many prominent Raleigh eateries. This provides an excellent opportunity for residents of the Triangle region to sample the best of what bluegrass music has to offer, as it does for anyone interested in traveling to town for the weekend.
The Red Hat shows offer a mix of ticketed admission options, offered for sale in a range between $15-$70 per day, or $30-$140 for two days. Capacity limits have been revised with safety in mind, and all seeking admission must show proof of vaccination, though masks are not expected to be worn outdoors, though they are requested.
Proof of vaccination is not required to visit the StreetFest along Fayetteville Street.
Here is the music lineup for the weekend:
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, and Bryan Sutton
- 9:30 – The Del McCoury Band
Red Hat Amphitheater – Saturday, October 2
- 4:00 – The Gina Furtado Project
- 4:55 – The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
- 6:00 – Jerry Douglas, Odessa Settles, and Edgar Meyer
- 7:30 – Steep Canyon Rangers
- 9:30 – Yonder Mountain String Band
StreetFest Schedule – Friday, October 1
Come Hear NC Stage (Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts parking lot)
- 11:30 a.m. – Welcoming remarks from City of Raleigh, PNC, and IBMA
- 12:00 – Chatham Rabbits
- 1:15 – Sister Sadie
- 2:30 – Rick Faris
- 3:45 – Jake Blount
- 5:15 – Jim Lauderdale
- 6:45 – Fireside Collective
- 8:15 – Bowregard
- 9:45 – The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Davie Street Stage
- 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
- 12:00 noon – Bill and the Belles
- 1:15 – Songs From The Road Band
- 2:30 – Hubby Jenkins
- 3:45 – Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer
- 5:15 – Buffalo Commons
- 6:45 – Henhouse Prowlers
- 8:15 – Anya Hinkle
- 9:45 – Mile Twelve
Youth Stage (located by the Marriott)
- 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)
StreetFest Schedule – Saturday, October 2
Come Hear NC Stage
- 12:00 noon – 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
- 12:00 – 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
- 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
- 12:00 noon – 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)
Information on tickets for Bluegrass Live! can be found online, as can tickets for other World of Bluegrass functions.
