The Creekside Stage and The Sierra Nevada Tent
Of all the stages, I spend the least amount of time in the Creekside Stage. The acts are great, of course, but access requires too much advance preparation. The chairs in front of the stage extend 20 parallel feet from the stage, meaning I cannot easily sneak in from the sides. People surround all sides of the tent making it hard to find an opening without appearing rude and intrusive. Most of the acts that play this stage also play one of the other stages during the weekend, and I typically visit them elsewhere.
The only photos I took on this stage during the 2018 festival was for Ginny Mules. I was able to sit on the floor to get a few shots, but it never felt comfortable. Unlike the main stage, there’s not much room and I wasn’t sure if I was welcome, so I kept my visit short. Due to my forced proximity to the stage most of the shots are extremely close-up with mics an unavoidable permanent guest in these photos.
Yo! Catch our Emerging Artists Jammin’ at Sierra Nevada Booth in Sponsor Row
The little Sierra Nevada tent was a little tent that shined the brightest, both literally and figuratively. Because the main stage was under a massive tent, this little stage was the only one to receive any actual sunlight. The acts were not amplified which made them sound more like professional buskers than scheduled guns. The crowds were never more than a few dozen people which meant it was easy to sneak up front for some shots from the hay.
The band “Man About A Horse” played a few stages this year, but to me the highlight was their Sierra Nevada set. I’ve always said that unknown bands should add at least one cover to their sets to make sure they keep the crowd’s attention. At a bluegrass festival a traditional Bill Monroe tune can be too predicable. One can’t walk to go get a gyro without hearing at least one 10-year-old play an old Bill Monroe tune. “Man About A Horse” covered the disco hit “I Will Survive” and everyone sang along.
Click Here for Jamming Around the Farm
The Grey Fox (2018) Boxed Set (this is a multiple-page post) Introduction The High Meadow Day Stage (Main) The High Meadow Night Stage (Main) The Dance Stage The Creekside Stage and The Sierra Nevada Tent Jamming Around the Farm The Fans of Grey Fox A Pirate and a Parade Main Stage Changes -- Year 2
LET IT BE REVEALED 
I’ve enjoyed your post and your photo’s. Although your knowledge of the festival itself is a bit short because you miss a very large part by not staying on site. I understand your point of view as far as it goes. I do disagree with your opinion about the day stage and recognize that it is poorly informed and over simplified. You are obviously unaware that several big name performers have refused to play the outdoor stage in the afternoon hours because they are looking directly into the sun and it is blistering hot on that stage for them. Notably, in 2016 a large part of the schedule had to be re-arranged on the fly because of one performers refusal to play. I do understand your perspective given the information you have, but please know that there are other elements in play here.
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