Motorcycle Concert Trips
Seemingly one the best road trips that can be made by motorcycle is to see a concert, if for no other reason than to take advantage of "motorcycle parking". Few concerts these days draw a crowd of Harley Davidson enthusiast like the Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam. When I learned that the cast for the 2007 Jam included the Outlaws and the Marshall Tucker Band, this was a road trip that had to be made. The closest venue to me for this event was the Meadowbrook Pavilion in Gilford New Hampshire, about 150 miles away. Time to strap the camping gear to the motorcycle luggage rack and hit the road.
Staying Off The Interstates
Part of the fun of a trip like this is staying off the Interstate and taking the local highways. Mapping the way to the Meadowbrook Pavilion was pretty straight forward. If you enjoy following winding roads through quaint New England towns, passing a fair share of farms, woodlands and college campuses along the way, then you'll enjoy this route.
Route 27 at 40 mph
From my home in Massachusetts (view map) I picked up Route 115 in Norfolk, Massachusetts and headed northeast. Route 115 ends at Route 27 in Sherborn Massachusetts. Switching to Route 27 north, I followed this road until it came to an end in Chelmsford Massachusetts. While picking up Route 3 in Chelmsford would take me straight to Gilford New Hampshire, a decent section of this highway between Massachusetts and New Hampshire is multi-lane, the kind of road I'm trying to avoid. To work around this, I picked up Route 4 in Chelmsford and followed that for a short distance northwest to where I was able to pick up Route 3a in North Chelmsford. Route 3A continues northwest, where I made my final switch in Tyngsboro Massachusetts, to Middlesex Road. Middlesex Road shadows the multilane Route 3, changing in name to the Daniel Webster Highway once you cross the New Hampshire boarder. The Daniel Webster Highway eventually turns into "the desired" Route 3 in Nashua New Hampshire, and carries us to our camping destination, Gunstock Campground in Gilford, New Hampshire as well as to the Meadowbrook Pavilion on Weirs Beach.
The Venue
The Meadowbrook Pavilion sits back a ways off of Route 11B in Gilford New Hampshire, occupying what once was farm land, creating a secluded yet inviting environment. The Meadowbrook Pavilion is similar in style to other outdoor concert venues I have visit. Currently Meadowbrook offers 3,000 seats under the pavilion roof, and another 3,400 lawn seats. The concert grounds are modern in appearance, with a suitable variety of vendors so satisfy most whims, and the sound system projects clearly even at concert level volume. Conscious of the motorcycle crowd, Meadowbrook has a dedicated motorcycle parking lot just as you enter the main drive. Not only does this make for easy entrance and exit, but the motorcycle parking lot is in close proximity to the stage, making it a quick walk down a dedicated path to the Meadowbrook Pavilion entrance.
The Bands
The Outlaws were the first to warm the stage. Even without Henry Paul, the Outlaws sounded as tight as ever, tearing it up with an awesome set
Hughie Thomasson and the Outlaws
In retrospect, this turned out to be a bitter sweet outing, as several weeks after the show, frontman and guitar legend Hughie Thomasson passed away.
The Marshall Tucker Band followed the Outlaws, giving what can only be described as a disappointing performance. It was clear that both time and the passing of the Caldwell brothers is more than the remaining band members can overcome. This definitely was not the best Marshall Tucker concert I have ever heard, and it will probably be the last.
Just into his seventies, Charlie Daniels still knows how to put on a show. CDB sounded as sharp as ever, and Charlie worked the stage and the crowd like a man twenty years his junior. The only downside was listening to the idiots behind us, who complained when we refused to sit down during the show. Perhaps these assholes thought they were here to see Yanni.