6 replies to this topic

[Steve Heard]

Save $15 and a lot of time!

Folsom Live is just around the corner, coming to the Folsom Historic District on September 24.  With 12 bands on 4 stages, this is bound to be the party of the year.

In order to ensure the best time and the best price, take heed of my top 10 tips!

1 . Buy your tickets in advance! That will save you time and money right off the bat. Ticket prices are $10 higher at the gate, and there's always a long line of late-comers. Last year, hundreds showed up to buy at the gate and were pretty mad when they had to wait in a long line. 

2. Use the MyFolsom.com secret code to a $5 discount on Folsom Live! tickets. That's right, as a proud sponsor of Folsom Live!, I can offer you a $5 discount off of general admission tickets if you enter myfolsom16 in the promo code box. You're welcome. Get tickets here: www.folsomlive.com/tickets

 

3.  DO NOT DRIVE TO THE HISTORIC DISTRICT! It will be packed and there ain't no parking. The parking garage is reserved for bands, staff and security. With street closures, there will be traffic jams and confusion. Instead, drive to Palladio and use the lot near Whole Foods, go to Walmart or the park and ride lot at Glenn and Folsom Blvd for a free shuttle. Another alternative is to take a free ride on RT (light rail). That's right, you can ride for free with your ticket. Either way, you arrive in comfort, without hassle, and both the shuttles and RT run until midnight.

4.  Where to buy your drinks/drink tickets. Once inside, don't buy your drink tickets or beverages from the first booth you see. Avoid the lines and the bottleneck by heading toward the Trader Lane (main) stage. I watch every year as people pile up at the booths just inside the gate, while closer to the main stage, the area is wide open, with more drink choices and no lines. As an added bonus, your date or friends will think you're a cool insider when you say, 'Let's not buy our drinks or tickets here, I know a better spot.'

5.  Bring enough cash. Cash may not always be king, but it's always quick. Although there will be a couple of ATMs, save yourself some time and money by bringing cash for drink tickets and food purchases. Speaking of drink tickets, if you have some from last year, bring 'em! They're still good. Additionally, you can save time again buy buying enough to last you through the night. If  you don't use them this year, we'll see you next.

6.  Plan your music experience. Check out the band videos and their schedules ahead of time. Know who you want to see and when they are playing. See the videos and bios here www.folsomlive.com/bands

7.  Eat something! There will be great food trucks at the event, and if you want to grab a bite later, hit up one of Sutter Street's great restaurants. Two of newbies will be experiencing their first Folsom Live; Sutter Street Taqueria and Marley and Moo. You can't go wrong with either one. .

8.  Volunteer. Want to get in for free while giving back to your community? Volunteer! It's a fun way to enjoy the festivities from a different point of view. The 7pm to 11pm shift really needs you.

9.  Dance! Don't be afraid to get your boogie on. This is your last chance before the weather changes.

10. Be nice! The police, fire, volunteers, and Chamber of Commerce staff are there to make sure you have a good, safe time. Do your part. Be nice and encourage niceness.

 

If you follow my advice, you will find Folsom Live! to be one of the best nights of the year, and you'll understand why it's become 'Folsolm's Favorite Night Out'. 

 

For more info, go to www.folsomlive.com

 

Have a great time, and see me emceeing the main (Trader Lane) stage

by Steve Heard

[Steve Heard]

Are you going?

[4thgenFolsomite]

How was it? The music sounded great!

[giacomo]

Heard the event was sold out.  I missed this year, curious how the bands were and overall experience this year vs. years past. 

[Steve Heard]

I managed the main (Trader Lane) stage, so I didn't get to see much of the rest of it. I did see a bit of Superlicious on the Amphitheater stage, and it was definitely a party there. I hear the Nickel Slots were great. 

 

I had 3 great bands on my stage. The Midnight Players kicked if off, doing R&B covers. They've been around since the late 70's and are quite polished and professional. 

 

Next up was Jelly Bread, from Reno NV, who I would describe as funk meets Americana soul rock. They were fantastic, doing mostly originals. They also covered the Beatles 'Come Together' which was fantastic. They really tore it up. Just fantastic. I highly recommend them. 

 

Last but not least was the Pimps of Joytime, out of Brooklyn NY. I might call their music them pop funk Southern dance latin. Yes, they were all of those things. Very entertaining.

 

For both Jelly Bread and the Pimps, people kept coming up to me asking 'who ARE these guys? They are great!'

 

I only saw a couple of sloppy drunks. Didn't see any fights. Sold out in advance for the first time ever. Plenty of volunteers as the Chamber paid stipends to community groups and non-profits who sent 5 or more to volunteer. 

 

Overall, probably my favorite Folsom Live. 

[4thgenFolsomite]

fantastic news, Steve!  its a great event and really highlights old town!  

[tony]

Steve:

 

Glad it was a good event. While the overall traffic and parking issues seemed fairly well addressed, I have a couple of complaints from a resident's perspective:

1. Other than barricades with "No Parking, 3pm-10pm; Tow-away zone" signs on them, there was no information for residents of the HD on how the traffic control was going to work. The implication from the signs was that residents needed to get their cars out of the street by 3pm (or be towed). It's pretty clear that was not the intent, but there clearly was not much thought put into the message sent. A very little communication would go a long way to making events like this more palatable to residents (when the Amgen came through, we received several mailing about road closures; a flyer, or even info on the city or chamber web site would be very helpful, and a number to call, other than the police). The only way to know was to drive into one of the closures, at which time the volunteer would say OK if you said you were a resident. What's to stop everyone else from doing so? How can you have a tow-away zone, but only for some people, without providing a way to differentiate between cars there "legally" and those not?
2. The street closures were staffed for only a short time, after which, concert-goers started filtering past the closure signs and parking in the residential district anyway. This was not a huge problem, but an unstaffed closure is not really a closure when half the road is left open.
3. For all HD special events, when barricades are put up to restrict parking, they should not be placed on sidewalks blocking pedestrians. The purpose of the barricades is to restrict parking in the street. It has nothing to do with the sidewalks, and should not interfere with their use (and, yes, this is an ADA lawsuit waiting to happen).

That's all.  The crowds seemed better behaved than in previous years. Although, interestingly, the street closures resulted in corners on Natoma Street (such as ours) becoming defacto Uber stands. 

 

Finally, the large number of concert-goers crossing Natoma Street at the various cross streets really highlighted how poorly lit those crossings are.