Music lovers have been gathering for the Vibes for the past 20 years -- a tradition that started to honor the late Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead -- but the popular annual Woodstock-like music festival is going on hiatus next year.
Organizer Ken Hays, an independent promoter handling the Gathering of the Vibes, said in a statement that after "a seemingly never-ending amount of thought and deliberation between myself and those closest to me, I've made the decision not to move forward with Gathering of the Vibes in 2016."
Hays said that he and others working the event have poured their hearts into it, but that it's a "challenging endeavor" for an independent promoter and that they "need a time out."
He said that he's "enormously proud" of the event and the community it has created that has "carried the torch representing the spirit of Jerry Garcia, the music of the Grateful Dead and the uniqueness of the Deadhead community."
"Over the past 20 years, we've traveled many roads together and experienced the beauty [and] magic of what happens when thousands of like-minded souls converge to celebrate life, love, music and community," Hays wrote in a statement. "When Jerry died, we all took a moment to look around and take account of those for whom we are grateful; time stopped, we formed a circle within our cosmic music community and said to each other, 'it's ok, we're all going to get through this TOGETHER."
But don't worry, it's not the day the music died.
"This is not the end of the Vibes my fiends (sic); it's simply a pause, an opportunity for us all to reflect on the memories, explore new and exciting festival initiatives while planning our triumphant return in 2017," Hays said. "We know how important the Vibes is to all of you, and ask for your love and support as we look to the horizon with great excitement. Paradise and new adventures await us VibeTribe (sic). Take good care of each other, be kind & know that our love will not fade away! Be well, continue embracing live music and we'll stay in touch."
