By Robyn Collins
Organizers of the fifth annual LOCKN’ festival and scheduled performers hope the event will help heal Charlottesville, which has been scarred by the violence of the August 12 alt-right protest march that left one dead and many injured. LOCKN’ will take place from August 24 to 27 in Arrington, Virginia, 40 miles from the location of the riot.
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“The times lend itself for LOCKN’ to be coming this weekend,” said event founder Peter Shapiro. “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh man, you’re the next big event in Charlottesville, aren’t you nervous, scared?’ No, this is why we do what we do.”
He added that the concert will bring positivity “to a place that needs to lift the energy.”
Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, John Fogerty, the Avett Brothers, Jim James, Gov’t Mule and Margo Price are scheduled to perform at the LOCKN’ festival.
“The times really demand that we embrace each other, Weir, said. “The feeling I think we will have is that we will regard everyone with equal love, even the people who caused all that trouble. In that particular instance, our regard for them will be tinged with a bit of pity for their unfortunate views and the circumstances that they bring on themselves.”
Brandi Carlile, the Revivalists, JJ Grey & Mofro, the Record Company, Blackberry Smoke and Umprey’s McGee will also play the event.
“I think you are going to find that the folks who attend the festival and the folks who play the festival are all of one solid opinion in regard to what happened in Charlottesville,” Weir said. “I would expect there would be some attention given to that issue, but it will probably … come with the song selection.”
“We’re going to show that there’s many more people on the side of positive energy and get things back on the right road, and there’s many more who want to be on that road,” Shapiro said. “There are small ways you can … try to do your own effort to flip the energy. This is our effort.”
