3/13/2016 McDowell Mountain Music Festival, Avett Brothers, Gary Clark Jr., Hance Park, Phoenix, AZ


 5 years ago today...

March 13, 2016 - Phoenix, AZ 

 "Never miss a Sunday show" is a popular festival saying and it typically applies to the McDowell Mountain Music Festival, aka M3Fest. 
 
This wonderfully programmed and produced three-day music festival is a highlight of our entertainment year.  Since its creation in 2005, proceeds have gone to local charities.

On this date in 2016, Gary Clark Jr. and Avett Brothers were the final two acts on the main stage at Hance Park in downtown Phoenix, the festival's home since 2013.  

Westworld polo grounds in Scottsdale was the festival's first home and provided a camping option.  After five years, the festival moved to the faux-grass lined parking lot (!?) of The Compound Grill, a live music club and restaurant owned by principals behind the festival.  The setup and comfort was much cooler than that last sentence reads.  

After three years in the parking lot at Compound Grill, the restaurant closed the day after the festival and it moved to downtown Phoenix the next year.

M3F introduced me to Railroad Earth, Grace Potter, The Record Company, Turquaz, Trombone Shorty and JJ Grey & Mofro, all now favorites of mine.  Bob Weir, Marshall Tucker Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Hot Tuna, Los Lobos, Black Crowes, Widespread Panic and Dwight Yoakam are among the acts I have appreciated most.

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi played the debut festival, each fronting their own bands. 
 
M3F now targets a much younger audience, but the old hippies still get some bluegrass and blues on the main stage Sunday, and jam bands and funk on a side stage.   Looking forward to the return in 2022.

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