Asheville NC Moogfest
Moogfest in Asheville NC makes people Moog-merized (word made especially for this event) as one person tried to put it into words. This event usually held in New York City was moved to Asheville in 2010 in honor of the town in which Robert (Bob) Moog spent the last over 25 years of his life. Moog Music is already housed here in Asheville as well as plans for Moogseum to be opened in honor of him and his amazing contributions to the music world. AC Entertainment in collaboration with the Bob Moog Foundation , Moog Music and with the help of many national and local partners managed to transform downtown into an Electronic Musical Paradise for 3 days on Halloween Weekend. The Moogfest is typically in 5 different venues in downtown Asheville, all within walking distance of each other, which makes for some difficult decisions on where you wanted to be. The only difficulty was that you did not want to miss any of it, plus the various Asheville bars, breweries, and restaurants that makes the journey from one venue to another more challenging at times, wanting to stop in each and every place along the way. The venues for Moogfest include The Asheville Civic Center & Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, The Orange Peel, Diana Wortham Theatre, and Asheville Music Hall, plus Animoog Playground at the Renaissance Hotel. The event expects 7,000 – 7,500 people each day. This included many locals as well as those that travel from around the globe to be a part of this amazing weekend.
Asheville is transformed with music and costumes for Halloween mixing with the already bustling downtown scene (part of Moogfest also includes a costume contest, plus synth art show, and more...). Each venue is marked with signs and a cool alien like man either lurking in the trees or sitting atop buildings. People can be seen strolling about town and in and out of the venues smiling and obviously very happy to be a part of the Asheville Moogfest. With their armbands intact and schedule in hand, dancing in and out of music venues such as The Flaming Lips, Moby, Passion Pit, Tangerine Dream, Neon and Indian, Zomby, and Somni just to name a few. There were over 50 bands nationally and locally to choose from and many play simultaneously creating another wonderful but difficult decision. The list of bands and their background can be found on the Moogfest website as well as being provided to each attendee in a program of the weekend’s schedule of events. When not listening and dancing to music one could attend some of the many workshops that are offered and listen to speakers who demonstrate Bob Moog’s creations. If you wanted to try your hand at any of the instruments an area is set up inside the Moogplex to do just that. Here you could also visit Synth a group art show of posters inspired by Moog and purchase one to take home or enter the contest to create one of your own.
This eventful weekend that is hard to put into words was one to be experienced and it appears that many that attended want to see it held in Asheville again and plans to continue as an annual Asheville event. Their Facebook page that was just created this year already has over 11,000 likes and it seems more are added each minute since this weekend.
Asheville is honored to have been selected to host this event and looks forward to many more years of honoring Bob Moog and we are proud he chose to call Asheville home for a while. Compared to other events held here of such a large venue there were few, if any, problems with the crowds and there was a sense of peacefulness and gratitude in the air. Although he died here in 2005 from a brain tumor Moog’s spirit is alive and echoes about the streets of downtown Asheville in the music that soothes and delights many souls that are fortunate to be a part of Asheville’s Moogfest.
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