The local live music community has been abuzz this week about Central Virginia’s newest (and what looks to be its largest ever) musical gathering— the yet to be announced Interlocken Music Festival.
Interlocken organizers expect to attract 30,000 concertgoers to Oak Ridge Estate in Nelson County over the weekend of September 5-8, according to local news reports. The 4,800 acre estate is privately owned and located in Arrington, approximately 35 miles outside of Charlottesville. This site previously hosted large turnouts for events like Camp Jeep, which attracted an estimated 8-10,000 Jeep owners for off-road expeditions and live concerts.
Facebook postings and various message boards have announced that permits are in place and are fueling speculation about who will headline the festival’s two stages. Possible performances by Neil Young, Widespread Panic, Phish, and his purple highness, Prince have all been bandied about, but remain rumors. One commenter made the snarky suggestion of “the Oak Ridge Boys, obviously.” Dave Frey, the event’s promoter (and the founder of the H.O.R.D.E. festival) would not confirm a line-up when reached by phone, only that the announcement would happen “very soon.”
Frey and his partner Peter Shapiro (publisher and co-owner of Relix magazine) chose Nelson County for its beauty and accessibility, but what sets Interlocken apart from a typical festival will literally be the sets. Frey says they are committed to longer, full sets by each act rotating between two stages, instead of the typical abbreviated show with a quick turnover. Banking on this “interlocking” formula to make his festival into a repeat destination for music lovers, Frey told the Nelson County Times that he hopes “this will become the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival of Central Virginia.”
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