
The Scene
Colorado has been yearning for a major festival for years now. Granted, 3 night runs of Cheese, Panic, and Phish are summer festivals within themselves, but we haven’t seen diversity like this in some time. Snowball was a hit until it moved down to Denver and was never seen from again. Snowball, Chad, we’re patiently waiting for the return! ARISE put on a fantastic experience last year, but the lack of compelling headliners and the misfortune to fall on the same weekend as Vertex’s inaugural jump off presents a challenge to remain competitive this year. Apparently the folks at AEG and MHP had it out for ARISE. I can think of no other reason that the two biggest summer festivals in Colorado fall on the same weekend. Five incredible diverse and talented headlining acts at Vertex certainly solidifies their grip on this weekend, but we hope ARISE returns with a better lineup and dates occurring on any other weekend than Vertex weekend in the years to come. Because, make no mistake, this is Vertex weekend for the foreseeable future.
Buena Vista
This summer gem is known for it’s rafting on the Arkansas River and easy access to some of Colorado’s greatest treasures including Cottonwood Pass (12,126 feet / 3,696 meters), Mt. Massive (14,428-foot 4,398 m), and Mt. Elbert (14,440-foot 4401.2 m). I highly doubt we will see any Vertex attendees summit one of those 14ers and see a show in the same day, but they can still enjoy the view from the valley floor. The boost that the town will see economically this weekend will be significant.
Hopefully, the festival attendees will remain respectful to ensure that Vertex is invited back year after year. The town has a fantastic summer climate that is sure to keep us grooving through the warm days and cool nights.
Activities/Field Trips
Whether you’re into breakfast and a short hike, disc golf, or rafting on the Arkansas River with a group of your friends; Vertex will provide transportation to and from these activities to keep you active all day. These “field trips” appeal to the most active attendees in a state renowned for its recreation. They encourage a festival scene that is interested in more than just partying, and I’m behind that idea now and always. Crawl out of your tent, grab an iced coffee, and enjoy the great outdoors.
Dubera’s Intuition
It’s no secret that Dubera has been attending the biggest and best festivals in the U.S. for years now. We have a knack for attending festivals that become staples of the circuit during their first year (see: Hulaween, Lockn, Fool’s Paradise, etc). We know a great lineup and a great setting are essential to the overall experience, and Vertex has locked down both. As ambassadors of the music scene in Florida, New York, and Colorado, we take pride in bringing you coverage of the most intriguing events across the nation, but specifically where we have outposts. Vertex x Dubera = Optimal Music Enjoyment.
Scheduling
Interested in keeping your fans happy? Minimize conflicts and maximize sound quality at each stage. Lockn and Hulaween have championed this idea, and the results need no explanation. Vertex choosing to manage 3 stages throughout the weekend is the right choice. It conveniently splits the main stages without conflict, and it gives fans smaller bluegrass stage options that will certainly have us foot stomping all weekend long. The headliners have 0 conflicts with one another meaning Alabama Shakes, Trey Band, Odesza, Gramatik, and Lettuce—Quite a badass collection of musicians—can all be attended, crashed, and/or crushed in 3 consecutive nights.
The undercard is stacked with talent from Head for the Hills to Rufus du Sol to Fruition to Duke Dumont. Each of these acts is capable of and has headlined festivals in the past. Did I mention the beach parties? Each day Vertex will start the party at 11AM by throwing beach bashes on the riverbanks at the Bee Vee Beach Club. Let me emphasize 2 sets you will not want to miss: Goldroom (1-3PM Sunday) and the B2Beach set from Zoidis and Jesus of Lettuce (12:30-2:30PM Saturday). I imagine this specific scene might blow our expectations out of the water.
Coloradans, prepare for one of the most memorable weekends of the summer. Vertex has cemented itself as a major player in CO and furthermore the national circuit, and they have yet to let us onto the grounds. Once again, our intuition has us incredibly pumped for this weekend, and we can’t wait to see all of your smiling faces shaking your asses all over BV.

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