33rd Bumstock draws big crowd despite wind, rain

ORONO – Despite the less than auspicious conditions – cold weather, gusty winds and occasional rain – a few thousand people turned out for the University of Maine’s Bumstock, the annual music festival and rite of spring on campus.

Attendance was light early Saturday afternoon – about 200 to 300 people – but swelled later in the night to what organizer and University of Maine student Erin Smith said was more than 4,000 people, who were drawn to the fenced-in field in a corner of the UMaine campus largely by headline band Eve 6.

Smith said attendance at Bumstock, now in its 33rd year, would have been higher had the weather cooperated, but it was not a bad turnout despite snow earlier Saturday and cool weather throughout the day.

Contingency plans had been made to remove the makeshift roof covering one of the stages had wind gusts been higher, Smith said. In neighboring Bangor, winds gusted to 49 mph Saturday night, but were apparently tamer in Orono, not strong enough to blow the roof off.

“Warmer weather and less wind would have been perfect,” said Smith.

Over the years Bumstock has flip-flopped between being a two-day event, which Smith said it had been for several years until this year, and a one-day affair, as it was this year. Smith was the music director for last year’s Bumstock, which was a two-day affair.

Eve 6’s appearance was also a departure from last year, when East Coast rapper Fat Joe stood up the Bumstock crowd.

This year all 15 acts played, representing what Smith said was an eclectic mix of music. Organizers cast a wide net to try to attract as large an audience as possible from the punk, pop sounds of Junction 18 to the funk and soul sound of the Portland-based Sly Chi. Saturday night also included DJ dance music under a big white tent.

Although most in attendance came from on campus – the day was free to UMaine students and $10 for nonstudents – Bumstock drew music fans from across the state and from out of state, Smith said. Amy Christiansen of Auburn and friend Kristine Peura of Portland drove up earlier in the morning to watch Jeremiah Freed and other bands and liked the overall mixture of sounds.

“They’ve got a good range of bands,” Christiansen said.

Greg Lavimodiere, an avid fan of live music from Rockport, drove to Orono on Saturday hoping to find a repeat of what he discovered at Bumstock in 1992. Apprehensive entering the fenced-in concert area Saturday afternoon, he left disappointed.

“Whoa, this is it?” Lavimodiere said he asked himself as he approached the concert area. “I was surprised how few people were there and how cold it looked.”

The 39-year-old remembered a Bumstock where fires burned in trash barrels, color was everywhere and tables were filled with information brochures on a variety of topics as well as items for sale. This year’s version of Bumstock lacked the camaraderie and spirit past versions had, he said, and more families attended during the day.

Lavimodiere said he was further disconcerted by what he said was an excessive number of police officers patrolling the area and checking cars. It added what Lavimodiere said was a more surreal quality to the event.

Restrictions prevented attendees, who were frisked before entering the concert area, from bringing anything onto the grounds that they couldn’t bring onto an airliner. Smith said the limitations were to ensure maximum safety and fun, and that food and other necessities were available on site.