MerleFest 2018 Day Three: Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Rhiannon Giddens; Tom Petty Honored

MerleFest continued its 31st annual homecoming of musicians and music fans with an all-star lineup today (Saturday, April 28th). The festival takes place among the rolling hills of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Festival-goers enjoyed exceptional sets from Americana king Jim Lauderdale along with special guests Buddy Miller and North Mississippi Allstars; the Father of Newgrass Sam Bush; renowned dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas; guitar-genius Tommy Emmanuel; and powerhouse multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens. Other highlights included The Reunion Jam which brought Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, John Cowan and more to the same stage, as well as additional performances by Town Mountain, Elephant Revival and Dead Horses. The highly anticipated and respected MerleFest Album Hour tradition, honored Tom Petty with a full cover of Full Moon Fever performed by The Waybacks, Mike Farris and John Cowan.

During the press conference at 7 p.m., Jerry Douglas announced that he and Tommy Emmanuel, “will be touring together more,” while speaking on the success of their first collaboration at this year’s MerleFest. The conference also featured John Cowan, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, and Dominic Davis, longtime bassist for Jack White. Davis, who also tours with Lauderdale, Miller and the North Mississippi Allstars, commented that in addition to playing MerleFest for the first time this year, this is also the first time he will playing with the aforementioned artists in the same place.

Late night events included the First Annual Barn Dance hosted by Town Mountain and the beloved BGS Midnight Jam, co-hosted by Jim Lauderdale and Town Mountain. The Jam included performances by We Banjo 3, Buddy Miller, Unspoken Tradition, North Mississippi Allstars, Mandolin Orange, Peter Rowan, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, John Cowan, Frank Sullivan & Dirty Kitchen, Rosie & the Riveters, Tommy Emmanuel, Bryan Sutton, Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Town Mountain and more. Highlights from the jam include Town Mountain and Jim Lauderdale’s take on “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down”; North Mississippi Allstars joined by Dominic Davis on upright bass covering “Pallet on Your Floor”; and Mandolin Orange with Bobby Britt (Town Mountain) and Tommy Emmanuel performing “Stone Wall Around Your Heart.”

Visit https://www.facebook.com/MerleFest/ to watch the footage from BGS Midnight Jam.

For a full list of Saturday’s performances, visit http://merlefest.org/lineup/?urlparams=day:3