HUNTER – The 11th annual Mountain Jam Festival at Hunter Mountain got a weekend of sunshine and rain. The crowds were treated to 40 bands on three stages and heard the likes of The Black Keys, Robert Plant, Alabama Shakes, Gov’t Mule, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and more.
From Thursday evening with the opening act the Dharma Bums to Alabama Shakes, who closed the show Sunday night, there was music in the mountains.
Thousands enjoyed the music and perfect weather
Elizabeth Miller from Hudson has been coming to Mountain Jam for the past seven or eight years and has been on the mountain since Friday.
For Miller seeing the band Revolution was a stand-out performance of the weekend.
Her best friend Aisha Mingot of Catskill was celebrating her birthday on Sunday and said that seeing Michael Franti and Spearhead was a great way to celebrate.
“It’s my birthday,” Mingot said. About Michael Franti, “He was great, he was awesome.”
While Mountain Jam is a yearly tradition for many locals, the festival
also draws people from further afield.
Gayle and Bobby Brown are from North Carolina and live in an RV. They read about Alabama Shakes in a magazine; they did some research and decided to come to Mountain Jam just to see the closing act.
”I listened to a couple of their songs on YouTube and rushed out and bought their CD, and came here 15 minutes ago just for that band,” Gayle Brown said.
There were food vendors aplenty and a hemlock grove to relax in and get out of the sun, or Saturday’s rain.
One unique aspect of having a festival on a ski mountain is the chairlift, which was open for the whole weekend. Festival goers could ride up and down getting a view of the Catskill Mountains while enjoying the music.
Single day or weekend passes were available as well as camping.
