2008
 |
| John Cowan at Album Hour 2008 |
MerleFest 2008 kicked off the new era of a greener MerleFest as the organizers and volunteers began to work toward reducing the environmental impact of the festival and setting a positive example of responsible environmental stewardship by adding more recycling bins. Musical “moments” included: The Welcome Home Super Jam featuring The Duhks; Jim Lauderdale performing with Peter Rowan; Donna the Buffalo with Jim Lauderdale; The New Generation Super Jam featuring The Steel Drivers, The Belleville Outfit, The Dixie Bee-Liners, The Farewell Drifters and Cadillac Sky; “The Greatest Acoustic Blues Show on Earth” featuring Roy Book Binder, Mitch Greenhill, Happy Traum and Pat Donohue; and the Spirit of Sunday set with Doc and the Nashville Bluegrass Band. The inaugural Hillside Album Hour took place on Saturday afternoon as The Waybacks and John Cowan performed all the songs on “Led Zeppelin II.” It was great to hear the familiar riffs being played on banjo by none other than “Dr. Banjo” himself, Pete Wernick.
 |
| The Avett Brothers |
The Avett Brothers drove the crowds wild during their Friday night performance at the Watson Stage. It was literally standing room only when suddenly the fans creatively cleared a space for dancing. They started passing chair after chair from reserved seating backwards from row to row. In the dark, only the shadows of chairs dancing above the crowds were visible until the impromptu dance floor was created.
 |
| Marty Stuart with Doc Watson |
The morning after The Avett Brothers’ performance, a band of volunteers swept onto campus to put things back in order before fans arrived to celebrate more music, moments and memories.
Other 2008 performers included Sierra Hull & Highway 111, The Dan Tyminski Band, Marty Stuart, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Hot Buttered Rum, The Infamous Stringdusters, Old Crow Medicine Show, Levon Helm and the Ramble on the Road, Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby with the Kentucky Thunder, and Scythian, making their debut appearance at MerleFest.
 |
| Old Crow Medicine Show |
Speaking of The Stringdusters, band member Andy Hall created quite a memorable MerleFest moment in 2008 when he proposed to Janice Young, his future wife, during a performance on the Watson Stage.
 |
| Levon Helm |
“I remember he was just a little ways into the set, and he seemed to be a little nervous about something,” says Allison Phillips, executive director of the WCC Endowment Corporation. “Finally he stopped and asked Janice to come onto stage with him. I think everyone knew what was about to happen. He got down on one knee and popped the question. And the crowd went crazy.”
 |
| Andy & Janice after proposal |
MerleFest added the Welcome Stage in 2008. This stage is located at the main festival entrance. Fans are able to enjoy great entertainment while waiting for the gates to open or to get through the festival lines. On late Saturday afternoon of the festival, a major storm came through the area. The band Scythian, making its debut at MerleFest on the Welcome Stage, soon had to move under the box office tent to weather the storm. As the band continued to play, the audience continued to grow and soon the tent was packed shoulder to shoulder with folks enthralled with the sounds of Scythian. “That year made them a MerleFest favorite, and they haven’t missed a festival since. This is just one example of the kind of excitement a special MerleFest moment can bring,” says Kathy Gray, Director of Events and Hospitality.
 |
| Scythian |