Sitting high up in the hills, thousands of people pitched their tents, hung their hammocks, and poured a drink for a weekend filled with fun and rock ‘n’ roll.
Saturday’s events at the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival in Thornville started off with Sassafraz, who competed for their spot to perform before the festival began, and garnered a rather large crowd despite their 11 a.m. performance.
“We had like three people when we played as First Street Heat last year and this time we had like 100,” said Eric Turner, guitarist and vocalist for Sassafraz. “It was the best we could have asked for.”
A total of approximately 3,000 people were in attendance this weekend, according to Dave Weissman, the media director for the festival.
Thursday garnered a large turnout as well, with many Werk Out goers gathering on the grounds to see some of their favorite bands.
“Papadosio was great; they’re half the reason we came up early on Thursday,” said Nick Hajdin, a 2011 Ohio University alumnus. “I had a great time (on Saturday), but it’s a bummer about the weather.”
On Saturday, winds tore through the festival ripping off banners, knocking over grills and disrupting stage equipment.
Elemental Groove Theory was forced to cancel their set because stage lights and safety equipment were being tossed around by the wind and sporadic rain.
“At first I was like, ‘Why are they making us stop,’ but then I saw the stage and lights shaking,” said Mark Meredith, guitarist for Elemental Groove Theory.
Meredith added that to make up for the canceled show he and his band would be playing an acoustic show at their tents that night.
But not all of the hiccups and technical difficulties were bad.
Rusted Root had their electronics shut down in the middle of their performance and went into an impromptu acoustic drum jam with the drummer climbing scaffolding and using the stage to create fun sounds.
As soon as the mics and amplifiers were back online, the first thing the audience heard was the deep voice of bassist Patrick Norman singing “On my way” as he walked on stage.
The enthusiasm of the crowd gained momentum after the song’s opening. They began to dance and sing to the hit song “Send Me On My Way,” as well as Rusted Root’s hit closer, “Ecstasy.”
“When all the power went out, that drum beat was pretty sweet,” said Hajdin. “The venue has been great.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
