Every year The Pier is fortunate to be able to get out the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park to start our music festival season at the Wanee Music Festival. This year will be no different, as we head down to the river with thousands of others from sets from Widespread Panic, Gregg Allman, Gov’t Mule, JJ Grey & Mofro, Galactic, Dumpstaphunk and so many more.
Featuring 3 full days of live music, the festival’s line-up includes some of the most talented acts jamming today! Fans will set up camps alongside the picturesque lake in the center of the Spirit of Suwanee Music Park as well as along the park’s namesake river, for a schedule that doesn’t stop from sun up to sun down.
While the festival’s past headliner of 10 years will not be playing the event, many other complimentary bands will be back. Widespread Panic will be headlining Friday and Saturday nights. Playing each night from 9:00pm-12:00am. Also on top of the bill, playing each night during the ‘prime-time’ slot on Friday and Saturday are Gov’t Mule and the festival’s star Gregg Allman, respectively.
Gov’t Mule, featuring Allman Brothers’ Guitarist Warren Haynes, is currently celebrating the band’s 20th anniversary this year with a string of special releases. On April 18th, the Saturday of this event, the band will release Stoned Side of the Mule, a Gov’t Mule set of Rolling Stones covers. Last month the band made their first addition to their 20th anniversary archival series with the release of the band’s only work with reggae, aptly titled Dub Side of the Mule.
[Related: Gov’t Mule’s ‘Dub Side of the Mule’]
At Wanee there are always several special sets an attendee must catch. While this year’s festival line-up does not contain any reggae acts, the weekend will be filled with over 30 other greats jam-rock bands. Of them all, do not miss these 7 groups.
Friday Afternoon on the Mushroom stage don’t miss the festival’s recent addition, rising talent known as Twiddle. Then head over to the Peach Stage and check out The Word. A band composed of Robert Randolph on pedal steel guitar, John Medeski on keyboards, and all three members of North Mississippi Allstars, this supergroup will be playing select festivals around the country this summer.
Closing it out Friday, as always will be one of the funkiest jam-rock groups around. Playing the Mushroom Stage 12:00am till 2:00am will be Dumpstaphunk. In years past the band has done some sort of tribute-cover set, Parliament one year, Led Zeppelin, last year. This year the band will play a very special set from the 1970s!
On Saturday afternoon the highly anticipated set listed as Butch Trucks & Very Special Friends will take place on the infamous amphitheater at 12:30pm. With this set fans are sure to see Allman Brothers’ Drummer Butch Trucks and Bassist Oteil Burbridge jam out with a few others. Also on Saturday afternoon don’t miss JJ Grey and Mofro on the Peach Stage and then a one of a kind performance that evening on the Mushroom Stage from the Nth Power . This new funk-rock group will be performing a Steely Dan cover set! Finally, don’t leave early as Galactic will once again be playing a festival closing set Saturday night with a whole lot of funk.
To purchase tickets to the Wanee Festival click HERE.
For more information about the Wanee Festival, to see the full list of artists performing or to read more about the bands playing this event, check out the details below.
Wanee Music Festival Links:
Wanee Website
Wanee Facebook
Article By: Aaron Solomon