BamaJam – A Modern Day ‘Southern Woodstock’

By Nicole Holland

BamaJam is a fast-growing 3-day/night multi-genre music festival set in a 1600-acre field (BamaJam Farms) in Enterprise, AL.  Complete with more than 60 musical acts, 4 stages, swimming hole, rain, muddy roads and fields and thousands of dedicated fans and campers, BamaJam can accurately be described as a modern day ‘Southern Woodstock’.  This year, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band, Uncle Kracker and Alan Jackson headlined the event.

On Opening Night, a severe thunderstorm with winds up to 60 mph ripped through BamaJam Farms and damaged vendors’ booths and stage equipment, thus creating a delay. However, BamaJam Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady remained positive and said the show must go on.  Waiting out the storm, thousands of fans and campers came together and braved the rain, winds, hail, lightening, 2-hour traffic jam and muddy fields. Despite the odds and with the help of Tim McGraw and Eric Church, BamaJam’s opening night was a success.

On Closing night, Eminem protégé and Alabama born rapper Yelawolf kicked off BamaJam, followed by rock/country singer Uncle Kracker, southern rock-funk-blues band Gov’t Mule and Grammy nominated Country artist Jamey Johnson. The luminous and never-aging Sheryl Crow warmed up the crowd and performed some of her biggest hits such as All I Wanna Do, My Favorite Mistake, Can’t Cry Anymore, Strong Enough, Soak Up the Sun, If It Makes You Happy, Every Day is a Winding Road and Cat Steven’s cover The First Cut is the Deepest.

The most anticipated act of BamaJam was Saturday night’s main headliner, Kid Rock.  When Kid Rock emerged, the crowd roared with excitement. BamaJam practically turned into “Kid Rock Land,” which Sheryl Crow referenced earlier when addressing the crowd.

Kid Rock, paying an homage to the home state of the BCS National Championship team, wore an Alabama Crimson Tide #3 ‘Bob’ jersey. In a high-energy set, he performed his ‘classics’ such as Cowboy, All Summer Long, Bawitdaba, What I Learned Out on the Road, and Picture (surprisingly, minus Sheryl Crow on vocals) among others.  Kid Rock said, “I’m proud to be a land owner in Alabama now and I’m so glad they brought this festival back. One thing I always look forward to is BamaJam. It’s good people; it’s a good part of the country. People like it all down here—rock & roll, country, hip hop…”  Hopefully, Kid Rock will endorse and remain a staple headlining act for future BamaJams after having played BamaJam 2010 and 2012.

Despite opening night’s obstacles, BamaJam 2012 turned out to be a success.  “We had a great time and overall a great experience,” said Amy Kirkland. “The line-up was awesome and they really put on a show. We will definitely be back for 2013!”

“BamaJam was my first music festival experience and overall I had a fun time! The highlights being the new waterpark and Zac Brown Band and the low point being carded every time I went to buy a drink (even with a “21 and Over” wristband). If the line-up is as good (or better) next year, I will probably be a camper instead of a commuter,” said Kelley Gibson.

A past BamaJam participant Callie Merrill-Counts noted, “This is our second time going as a girls’ trip. Traveling to BamaJam was definitely the highlight of my summer. Excellent music and great fellowship with friends definitely make the trip worthwhile. I will be traveling back to BamaJam next year!”

“The success of BamaJam 2012 is both overwhelming and humbling,” said Lovelady. “We want to thank our patrons, sponsors, vendors, the media and everyone else who came out to support us.”

“The crowd of people at BamaJam 2012 far succeeded our expectations,” said Lovelady. “To see that level of support come from our patrons made the months of work and planning more than worth it.”

Brandy Bass-Rase summed up everyone’s feelings, “BamaJam was a great experience! There was great music, lots of interesting people watching, and very friendly people. I will definitely go back!”

BamaJam may easily join the ranks of Coachella Music Valley and Arts Festival and SXSW by becoming one of the top music festivals in the US.  This Kid Rock-loving patriotic ‘Southern Woodstock’ is here to stay.

BamaJam 2013 Dates: June 13-15. Artists and ticket information will be posted soon on www.bamajam2012.com