Bethel Woods

[sistergoldenhair]

Jones Beach and Bethel announced on the same day. My mind is boggled. Even more than usual. And Jack Johnson at Jones beach in June, and Peter Frampton in Holmdel in June, and JamesTaylor in Holmdel in July ... this is going to be quite the summer. And we don't even know if Bubba's going to show up in Atlantic City yet ...

[Saltx3]

WOODSTOCK?!!!!

For a hot second I thought that was Pa Parrot on the neck of that guitar

[lime rickie]

I love the idea of this, Jimmy playing Woodstock, but on a Thursday night just before GW weekend I have to pass.

[MonumentBeach]

We've been to Bethel Woods many times. We try to make it up there once a year. Great vibe there...especially if you are a music/history fan.

The positives...one of the most beautiful venues in the country. It also has a really cool 60s museum on the grounds which I highly recommend. They also tend to be pretty laid back about tailgating and have a very crowd-friendly staff.

The downsides...they tend to have later opening times for their parking lots. There is also a lack of hotel options available in the area. My wife and I have actually camped every year we've gone at a site that is about 20 minutes from the venue.

If anybody has questions about Bethel, I might be able to advise.

-Eric

[SchoolGirlHeart]

We've been to Bethel Woods many times. We try to make it up there once a year. Great vibe there...especially if you are a music/history fan.

The positives...one of the most beautiful venues in the country. It also has a really cool 60s museum on the grounds which I highly recommend. They also tend to be pretty laid back about tailgating and have a very crowd-friendly staff.

The downsides...they tend to have later opening times for their parking lots. There is also a lack of hotel options available in the area. My wife and I have actually camped every year we've gone at a site that is about 20 minutes from the venue.

If anybody has questions about Bethel, I might be able to advise.

-Eric

Which campground, Eric?

[MonumentBeach]

We've been to Bethel Woods many times. We try to make it up there once a year. Great vibe there...especially if you are a music/history fan.

The positives...one of the most beautiful venues in the country. It also has a really cool 60s museum on the grounds which I highly recommend. They also tend to be pretty laid back about tailgating and have a very crowd-friendly staff.

The downsides...they tend to have later opening times for their parking lots. There is also a lack of hotel options available in the area. My wife and I have actually camped every year we've gone at a site that is about 20 minutes from the venue.

If anybody has questions about Bethel, I might be able to advise.

-Eric

Which campground, Eric?

We've stayed at a couple of different ones. There are quite a few in the area. There are actually a lot more campgrounds than hotels in the area. It is still very much unchanged from the 1969 Woodstock days. Not much in the area. Little to no development. Some of the only businesses are Mom and Pop shops on Route 17B on the way in.

We stayed at one called Berentsen's campground. That is about 20 minutes or so from Bethel. I forget the cost, but I know it was very inexpensive. It was very basic...just an electrical hook-up, firepit, and picnic table at each site.

I'm trying to remember the other one we stayed at a few years back.

Bethel has a section on their site which recommends a few campgrounds...

http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/about/ ... AMPGROUNDS

-Eric

[lime rickie]

We stayed at one called Berentsen's campground. That is about 20 minutes or so from Bethel. I forget the cost, but I know it was very inexpensive. It was very basic...just an electrical hook-up, firepit, and picnic table at each site.

-Eric

Related to the Berentsen Bears author's family?

[DisisDave]

Wow..very cool..My GF is from somewhat near there... been there a few times..we saw Ringo and his All Stars a couple of years ago..

No doubt: Gorgeous Facility..perhaps the best "shed" venue I've been at...smaller than most.

No doubt: Traffic HORRIBLE... the only difference in the backed up road you see in the
Woodstock movie is.. that it's paved..accept that you will NOT leave.. impossible...
and get there early...

We were allowed to tailgait right by our car...not sure about what they will let in size wise..

Also, don't know if they change the doors opening time... it was always waaaay to close to showtime... always felt like it was a rush to find your seat....I kinda wanted too look around these hallowed grounds....

[Nighthawk]

No electronic cigarettes allowed in the seating area? Sure way for me to say a no go on the venue.

[CreolaInMySoul-a]

We've been to Bethel Woods many times. We try to make it up there once a year. Great vibe there...especially if you are a music/history fan.

The positives...one of the most beautiful venues in the country. It also has a really cool 60s museum on the grounds which I highly recommend. They also tend to be pretty laid back about tailgating and have a very crowd-friendly staff.

The downsides...they tend to have later opening times for their parking lots. There is also a lack of hotel options available in the area. My wife and I have actually camped every year we've gone at a site that is about 20 minutes from the venue.

If anybody has questions about Bethel, I might be able to advise.

-Eric

Which campground, Eric?

Jen, Chris and I are going to do this and we are going to camp. We can get a site together or next to each other if you want.

[frozen bird]

I'm in. After doing the math and considering the other shows I was planning on going to there, I just bit the bullet and bought two season lawn tickets. Now, in addition to seeing Jimmy, I also get to see Lady Antebellum, James Taylor, Willie with Allison Krauss and Kacey Musgraves (my teenage son is pretty happy about that one,) Toby Keith, Keith Urban, Peter Frampton, Journey, Lionel Richie and The Temptations. I'm also told that other shows are soon to be announced. Looks like it's going to be a busy summer.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

I'm in. After doing the math and considering the other shows I was planning on going to there, I just bit the bullet and bought two season lawn tickets. Now, in addition to seeing Jimmy, I also get to see Lady Antebellum, James Taylor, Willie with Allison Krauss and Kacey Musgraves (my teenage son is pretty happy about that one,) Toby Keith, Keith Urban, Peter Frampton, Journey, Lionel Richie and The Temptations. I'm also told that other shows are soon to be announced. Looks like it's going to be a busy summer.

Wow! Nice!! If I lived closer I'd be VERY tempted to buy a season ticket for that kind of lineup.

[Finsupinfla]

I got excited about this when I first heard it. The problem for me is that that there is nothing else to do in the area. It looks to me like every thing is two hours away!

[frozen bird]

You're right, everything is about two hours away. Once you get into upstate NY things start spreading out more than they do in the city. The Baseball HOF in Cooperstown is about two hours to the north, the city is an hour and a half to the south, and the Finger Lakes are about three hours to the west. In between is nothing but beautiful countryside and mostly tiny little towns. If you've never been in this area before, it's a great place to get lost for a while.

[MonumentBeach]

I got excited about this when I first heard it. The problem for me is that that there is nothing else to do in the area. It looks to me like every thing is two hours away!

Unfortunately, you are correct. There really is nothing else in the area. Nothing against the area...it is quite scenic, but other than some camping, antiques, and a horse racing track, the area has very little to offer.

This has been one of the problems for this venue. They have had problems in past seasons bringing in acts as it really is in the middle of nowhere. I'm still surprised that JB is playing there!

I think the hope was that when they built the venue, the area around it and the businesses would start to develop and revitalize, but it hasn't really happened yet.

That being said, I still argue that it is probably the most scenic/beautiful venue on the east coast. It really does feel like you are going back in time. The museum is also fantastic. Not only does it give you a great history of Woodstock, but also of the 1960s as a whole.

-Eric

[frozen bird]

Eric, I agree with everything you said, except for the part about BW having trouble bringing in acts the past few years. I think they have done exactly what they have wanted to do...they opened with a bang by bringing CSNY back to Woodstock (great show, by the way,) they've packed the place with country's biggest acts and last year filled the place beyond capacity with the Eagles. They have been easing into the concert business and this year, it seems that they are looking to make their big splash. Money talks, and Alan Gerry, the guy who owns the place and also owns Cablevision, has plenty of it. If he wants an act to play BW, they will come.

[MonumentBeach]

Eric, I agree with everything you said, except for the part about BW having trouble bringing in acts the past few years. I think they have done exactly what they have wanted to do...they opened with a bang by bringing CSNY back to Woodstock (great show, by the way,) they've packed the place with country's biggest acts and last year filled the place beyond capacity with the Eagles. They have been easing into the concert business and this year, it seems that they are looking to make their big splash. Money talks, and Alan Gerry, the guy who owns the place and also owns Cablevision, has plenty of it. If he wants an act to play BW, they will come.

True...I didn't mean to say that they haven't had any big shows. I guess when I look at their schedule in recent years, it doesn't really compare to other big Live Nation owned venues in the Northeast. Lots of fans of Bethel Woods constantly complain about the lack of big-name artists coming on a consistent basis. Many fans on their Facebook page complain that so many big tours go to places like Jones Beach, SPAC, etc. They have lots of competition in the NY/PA area.

Bethel certainly has had a bunch of big name acts swing through in past years, but compared to other venues, their schedule usually isn't as strong. They have been making a stronger effort in recent years to bring in country acts as they sell well. And this year's schedule looks like it could be their strongest ever.

I have a friend who lives in the area who bought season passes in 2012 and he was greatly disappointed with the line-up. Only 15 summer concerts were scheduled that year which is dramatically fewer than most sheds in the area.

It certainly doesn't change the fact that it is an awesome venue. The wife and I have gone up every year since it opened. Our favorite was the Woodstock 40th anniversary show in 2009. What a great weekend it was!