A ‘Pilgrimage’ To Tennessee

The newest festival on the block is a two-day extravaganza set in Franklin, Tenn., featuring Willie Nelson, The Decemberists, Sheryl Crow, Weezer, Jimmy Cliff and many, many others.  Read all about the after the jump.

Happening Sept. 26-27 at The Park At Harlinsdale Farm, Pilgrimage was founded by singer/songwriter Kevin Griffin and New Orleans residents W. Brandt Wood and Michael Whelan.  The idea behind Pilgrimage is to have a “highly curated” festival bringing the diversity and sense of community spirit of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to a new event, but tailored for Franklin.

As with all festivals, Pilgrimage starts with the lineup.  Acts helping to christen the event include Neko Case, Iron & Wine, Dr. John, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, The Lone Bellow, Lucius, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Will Hoge, Saint Motel, John & Jacob, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Punch Brothers, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires and Rainey Qualley.

But here’s where Pilgrimage’s path diverts from most other festival.  With plans to host acts on wood-clad stages, the festival plans to present many artists and bands performing acoustically.  Plus, the festival will feature “pilgrim-mashups” consisting of one-of-a-kind pairings.  Stage names include the Kitchen Stage, Sippin’ Stage and the kids stage dubbed Little Pilgrim’s Landing.

“We want to create a multi-genre music festival in a truly unique, spectacular setting like Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Tenn.,” said Griffin.  “Not only will you see some of the hottest touring acts from across the nation but hear some of your favorite artists perform a scaled-down acoustic set that you might have never seen them do before.”

Photo: Joey Foley
NCAA March Madness Music Festival, Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn At White River State Park, Indianapolis, Ind.

Two-day early bird passes and VIP packages are available now.  A portion of sales will benefit the City of Franklin and music industry charity MusiCares.  Click here for more information.