Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2023 is one for the books. While the events that took place were completely unexpected and in many instances, disappointing, what came out of the weekend—what some would consider the real festival—was something the music community will never forget.
Day 1
After a 9-hour flight from Oregon, with layovers, a 5-hour drive to the festival grounds, and a 6-hour line of cars to get to the campsite, it’s safe to say we were ready to pitch our tent and get some sleep before gates opened. At 11:30 on Thursday, fans flooded the Virginia International Raceway for Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2023.
My goal from the start was to capture the essence and experience of the festival—little did we know what was in store for the weekend. My friend and I got the lay of the land and checked out Deadlands and a couple other opening bands. Historically, BRRF has fought the sun and the dreaded hills that fans have to scale to get to the stages, and while the layout was improved this year, the lack of shade proved quickly to be a problem. Thursday was of the hottest of the 4-day event, with plenty of attendees gathering in the open meadow area or seeking help from the medical tent from dehydration.
I caught the end of Vince Neil’s set and stuck around as The Ghost Inside took the stage around 5:15. Excited about the images I’d been able to capture so far, I made my way back to the tent area to start editing. Call it fate or a divine intervention, but I’m glad my friend and went back when we did…
At about 6:30, an advisory notified us that a storm was headed our way. We were thrust into the storm before we knew what hit us. I found myself holding up the awning, keeping it from getting blown away as the winds started to pick up. We were being blasted by rain, thunder, and lightning, and as we finally found a calm moment to get everything situated, the hail started. Music halted, fans were evacuated, and we made our way to the car and waited it out.
Once the festival team sent out an alert to find shelter and safety from the storm, it lasted a good 45 minutes to an hour. Around 7 or 8 o’clock, the message fans were dreading lit up our phones. Day 1 was wrapped.
Campsites were in pieces, tents had water damage, some even flew over a few feet, and you could see the devastation the storm had over the community. As a BRRF veteran, I can honestly say this was the first time I’d seen a storm tear apart the festival grounds like that.
The culture at festivals like BRRF is a driving factor for myself and thousands of other fans. The grit is palpable as everyone comes together and pulls through the thick of the chaos, and the camaraderie is unmistakable—if you need something, your neighbor will help you out. Despite the unforeseen circumstances that made us all want to call it in, we still pushed through.
Day 2
The next day, gates were pushed out—I assume to give the festival crew time to pull the grounds back together. There was no indication of a storm interfering, and we even felt grateful for the cooler temperatures and clear skies.
Despite shuffling some set times around, the bands on Day 2 all seemed in good spirits and the crowd was hopeful we’d get a full day of music, which, for the most part, was a success. Angel Maker, Knocked Loose, Job For A Cowboy, Of Mice & Men, Sleep Token, & Lorna Shore were all checked off my list. Even Motionless In White, Danzig, VV, & Slipknot played as planned. Satisfied with how the day went, I ended the night with a killer performance from 2chainz.
During Slipknot’s set, I found the media tent to charge batteries and network with other media reps. This was the first time interacting with the media team for the festival as well. Before leaving for the night, we were asked to attend a meeting in the morning before we started our day shooting. With our orders, we made our way back to camp.
Day 3
On Day 3, we were advised to standby for an announcement due to weather concerns—they were pushing back the doors again. I used this time to get a head start on the day and see who was all at the media tent. It wasn’t long until we heard an announcement over the radio to seek shelter and brace ourselves for a storm headed back to the festival grounds.
Some heavy rain passed through and about an hour later, it was safe enough to go back to the media tent. At this point, Saturday had been canceled and Sunday was still up in the air. By 5 o’clock, Sunday’s events had been canceled as well.
To lighten the blow of canceling the rest of the festival, the organizers used pop-up shows as a distraction. Heartsick had been camping close to the main entrance and brought all their gear and were doing shows after the festival ended every night. The show was pretty stacked with Scars Remain, Fight From Within, and I Set My Friends On Fire as well. As word broke out, the crowd grew bigger and bigger. By the time Heartsick made it to the stage, well over 6,000-7,000 people were gathered outside the tent. On their own merit, Shinedown, Papa Roach, & Oliver Anthony also decided to do an acoustic set by the gazebo, and I Prevail made a campsite appearance as well.
While the devastation of the unexpected events left many fans disappointed, I couldn’t help but think we were making history. In just a couple hours’ time, bands and media managed to coordinate and pull off something truly special. It’s pretty amazing that we could do this to give back to all the festival goers.
If there’s one thing to say about what happened this year at Virginia International Raceway, it’s that BRRF 2023 really showcased the resilience of the music scene. The media team stepped into leadership with professionalism, bands showed up for their fans, and fans stuck it out to show their support. I took away knowledge and new friendships, and despite the unexpected events of the weekend, I felt proud to be a part in some small way.
