The festival that almost did not happen — and broke every record
Two cancelled headliners, one rainstorm and the biggest crowd the grounds have ever held.
Forty-eight hours before gates opened, the organisers were staring at a spreadsheet of disasters. Two headline acts had pulled out, the forecast was ugly and ticket refunds were climbing by the hour.
What happened next has already become industry folklore. A replacement lineup was assembled overnight, largely from acts who happened to be within driving distance and answered their phones.
The set nobody saw coming
The Saturday closer, booked with eleven hours' notice, played to the largest audience of their career and trended nationally before the encore finished.
Vendors reported sell-outs by early evening. Security logged fewer incidents than last year despite a bigger crowd, which organisers attribute to a genuinely good mood.
Next year's dates went on sale before the site was cleaned. They lasted under an hour.
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