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There should definitely be a Orlando Calling 2012. And the Avett Brothers should come back. Headlining as a matter of fact with a full set. They put on the best live show I have ever seen before. This was my 3rd time seeing them and they get better everytime
Loved the show-went the 1st day only; Had seats in stands-wish we could have gone onto the field, but was able to view all acts; We were told to sit anywhere-so didn't really get to sit in our assigned seats; Need to supply maps or better directions to find stages-but once we oriented ourselves to the layout-we were fine! PIXIES WERE AWESOME! RACONTEURS WERE GREAT! THE ROOTS ROCKED!-hard time seeing both Raconteurs and Roots! Parking was an issue-had trouble locating our car in a very bad neighborhood after the show. PLEASE PLEASE HAVE SHOW NEXT YEAR!
This was an excellent event!!! Can't wait for next year!!
fantastic event..organized... clean with a great line up... will definitly go again
On behalf of my teenamge son: "Excellent choice of performers and organization. Must come back to Orlando year after year. Can't wait until next one!"
The festival was amazing. There were only a few kinks that I am sure will get worked out by next year. CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!!
The festival was amazing, but I fly from DC to Orlando just to see The Raconteurs and The killers, which is my fav. band! it was unbelievable! I'm amazed! such an amazing presentation
Great lineup, but the single-day tickets were overpriced. I have a feeling that's why the crowd for The Killers was so small. Too bad. Hate to think that may have affected the quality of the show and the likelihood of people (and bands) returning next year.
Lineup was amazing, venue was awesome and it was well organized. The crowd was great and getting to and from the venue was easy. I will definitely go next year!
On Saturday and Sunday I attended my first ever music festival in Orlando, Florida. I worked at home on Friday and finished up around 3:30 PM so I could make the drive over. The Killers were headlining the Saturday night show at the main stage, but they decided to do a private show at The Beacham in downtown Orlando on Friday evening. Earlier in the week the promoters sent an e-mail to folks who had already purchased Orlando Calling tickets asking that if they wanted to see the private show. To enter the drawing for the free tickets, you had to e-mail the promoters back with the names of the people who would be going. On a whim I entered my name and my friend Julie’s name. On Wednesday I received an e-mail back stating that I had won and that we could pick up our tickets Friday evening at the venue box office. The Beacham is a smaller venue holding around a thousand people. The show wasn’t going to start until around 9:00 PM, but Julie and I were there at 7:00 PM to ensure that we would get our tickets as entry was first come first serve. When we got there, we only saw around 200 people waiting, but by the time the show started, it was a full house. The concert was great, and The Killers put on a hell of a show. They played a full set and we didn’t leave The Beacham until around 11:00 PM. Afterwards, Julie dropped me off at my hotel and I went straight to bed. Saturday morning I woke up, showered, and went down stairs for some breakfast. The gates for Orlando Calling didn’t open until around 11:00 AM so I wasn’t in any rush to get there. The bands that I wanted to see didn’t start until later in the day anyway, so after breakfast I went back to sleep for a few hours. Waking the second time, I headed to the venue and easily made my way to the Citrus Bowl where the festival was being held. I got lost a few times trying to find my seat, but once I did I saw that I had an excellent view of the main stage. Kid Cudi was playing when I arrived, and I listed to the tail end of his set. After Kid Cudi, The Avett Brothers performed and had an amazing set that I would sit through over and over again. They were followed by The Pixies who were just too loud for me. I left midway through their set and scavenged for some food. When I returned, The Pixies were finishing their set. Up next was The Raconteurs who I was excited to see because of Jack White’s involvement, but they weren’t as good as I was hoping they would be. After a few songs, everything just blended together and I really couldn’t tell where one song stopped and another began. I left in the middle of their set as well just so I could walk around and find something to drink. When I came back, they had already finished their set and the stage was being prepped for The Killers. It was starting to get pretty cold, so I told myself that I would leave around 10:30 PM so I could beat the rush back to the buses that would take me to the Amyway Center, and my parked car. However, midway through their set, fireworks started to go off and that made me want to stick around to see what they would have as a finale. Near the end of their set they played “All These Things That I Have Done” and there was a massive fireworks show behind the stage that went along with the crescendo of the song. Additionally, there were huge canisters near the front of the stage that covered the crowd in confetti, smoke, and colored light. It was an amazing moment that I’ll never forget. After The Killers finished, I left with the crowd only to discover that the way that I had entered the venue earlier in the day was now closed off, and I had to go a different route. This change caused me to get lost in a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night. The event staff at the exits acted confused when I asked them about the busses and one of them told me to go into a direction that I knew to be incorrect (because I had already walked in that direction). After getting a little testy with the event staff, one of them finally got on his portable radio and started asking for help. He got an answer, told me the correct way to go, and I finally found the buses. I made it to my car and went back to the hotel to catch some much needed sleep. Sunday morning started like Saturday morning had. I got up early and went downstairs for breakfast, coming back up to get some more sleep. When I woke the second time, I made it to the venue with much more confidence than I had the previous day. I purchased a little lanyard at the gate that looked like a back stage pass. It had laminated cards with the festival schedule, bios of the bands playing, and a map of the venue. The Monster Energy booth nearby was giving away free energy drinks so I grabbed a Lo-Carb and headed up to my seat. I got there to see The Doobie Brothers take the stage, and I sat through their entire set. After that I walked over to The Authentic Stage to see Buddy Guy perform. I’ve got to tell you, out of all the performers I’ve ever seen, that man had the best stage presence. He really knows how to connect with his audience. Plus, for someone who is 75 years old, he absolutely kills on the guitar. After listening to most of Buddy Guy’s set, i scavenged for food and walked around some more taking in the whole experience. I made it back to my seat as Blake Shelton was finishing his set and got ready to see Kid Rock perform. Right on schedule, Kid Rock opens with Devil Without a Cause completely rocking the joint. It was cool to see a couple of 70 something grandmothers a few rows down from me dancing to it. That’s probably my favorite part of a concert; seeing other folks having a good time. Kid Rock performed an amazing set and left me completely satisfied with his performance. However, the next performance was one I’d been waiting on my entire life. There are three musical artists that I’ve been listening to ever since I can remember; Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., and Bob Seger. Well tonight, I was finally going to get to see one of them. My folks have seen Bob Seger several times throughout their lives, but I had yet to see him even once. He started his set with “Roll Me Away”, one of my favorite songs of his. For the next hour he pumped out hit after hit and had the audience rocking. Two encores that man did… TWO, and he’s 67 years old. I’m so happy to have been able to see him. So, so happy. Once it was over, I just stood in the asile taking it all in. After a few minutes, the section I was in had emptied and so I headed to the busses so I could go back to my hotel room.
Pros: Setup wit h the location of stages was good. I thought the sets were on time (close) Wasn't crowded (both plus and minus) Sound on the three outer stages was good. Food was at least fair. Cons: Unorganized- could not get same answer from two people Had issues with VIP passes, could not get rectified. Sound in main stage was not good.
The good. The event couldn't have taken place on a better Day/night (I only went on one of the two days, Sunday) The weather was great and so much to take in! There was something like five stages, four of which had no seating. The musical acts were diverse and totally awesome (Bob Seger…you freaking Rock dude) and the sound system was VERY good. Not overpowering. We were there for the main acts so our attention was on the main stage which was located inside the Citrus Bowl. The Bad: This was our first event at this venue and now see WHY most other concerts and main events are held elsewhere. This place had the absolute worst seating I have ever had the displeasure of occupying. If it weren’t for the lackluster attendance (had plenty of room to spread out) I don’t think I could have taken the seats that had no padding or, worse yet, no backs? Stadium/Bleacher seats backs were not allowed. (huh?) I was upstairs on the mezzanine level and, believe it or not, could not even buy a beer for me or a coke for my wife upstairs. I had to go downstairs!! LOL. Bottom line. If they have another event here, despite the acts that may appeal to us, we won’t go. I don’t think the price justifies the total lack of comfort needed for a long day.
