The senior from Gaines went to the first incarnation of the epic music festival near Muskegon and stood 10 feet from her favorite artist, Dave Matthews.

At the end of his band's performance, she caught one of the drumsticks that was thrown into the crowd.

"I went with my brother and some of his friends, along with some of my girlfriends," she said. "We drove there and camped out."

This year's festival, taking place July 2 through 5, includes artists such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson & Family and Broken Social Scene.

Also scheduled to perform are the Black Crowes, Damian Marley and Nas, Ralph Stanley and Ani DeFranco. Sixty-six acts are listed on the festival's Web site.

The Ragbirds, playing at the festival this year, is a Michigan band that has played in Mount Pleasant and at Reggaefest in Oil City.

Last year's festival attracted 30,000 to 40,000 fans to the Double JJ Ranch and Resort in Oceana County.

The Double JJ filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection within two weeks of the end of last year's festival because of millions of dollars in debt unrelated to the event.

Two festival-goers died during last year's event from unrelated drug overdoses.

Discounted early-bird tickets for this year's festival went on sale Saturday and sold out in less than 24 hours.

General tickets go on sale noon Friday at the event's Web site, starting at $249.50 for a four-day pass and on-site camping.

West Bloomfield native and Mid-Michigan Community College senior Nicole Seinberg said the general experience of the event is impressive.

"I was really impressed with the way it was set up," Seinberg said. "The only thing I had a problem with was the campground, the dry, hard grass."

Seinberg said there was a circus tent and shopping tents like a fairground.

She said the 'Sherwood Forest,' a patch of woods on the grounds, was dotted with artwork and hammocks were strung up to give people a relaxing, shady respite from the heat of the sun.

Like Ciaravino, Seinberg's experience was highlighted by Dave Matthews' near four-hour performance.

"It had the best weather and his band was the only one playing," she said. "Everyone was there."

Both Seinberg and Ciaravino said there are different age groups there, ranging from children to older generations.

Ciaravino said the closest she got to getting hurt was dehydration - she emphasized the need to stay hydrated during the busy weekend.

"Drink a lot of water," Ciaravino said. "You're allowed to bring a good amount into the festival and you can take a water bottle with you."

Artists that will be performing at Rothbury 2009, scheduled for July 2-5

- The Dead - Bob Dylan and His Band - The String Cheese Incident - Willie Nelson & Family - The Black Crowes - Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley & NAS - STS9 - G. Love & Special Sauce - Gov't Mule - Broken Social Scene - Yonder Mountain String Band - The Disco Biscuits - Les Claypool - Cold War Kids - John Butler - Chromeo - Ani DiFranco - MSTRKRFT - Matisyahu - Girl Talk - Guster - Femi Kuti & The Positive Force - Martin Sexton - Flogging Molly - Railroad Earth - The Hold Steady - Toots & The Maytals - Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys - Brett Dennen - Zappa Plays Zappa - Grace Potter And The Nocturnals - Shpongle DJ Set - Son Volt - Jackie Greene - Lotus - Soulive - Man Man - Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band with Tony Rice - King Sunny Ade & His African Beats - Kid Cudi - STS9 (Live PA Set) - The Glitch Mob - Davy Knowles And Back Door Slam - EOTO - Pretty Lights - Moseley, Law, Sipe & Droll - Rebelution - Quannum All Stars Ft. Lyrics Born, - The Mighty Underdogs - Gift Of Gab & Lifesavas - Toubab Krewe - Sam Roberts Band - Hill Country Revue - Kyle Hollingsworth Band - Lipp Service (Eliot Lipp + Members Of Pnuma) - 2020 Soundsystem - Break Science Ft. Adam Deitch - The Hard Lessons - Underground Orchestra - Future Rock - The Macpodz - Steppin' In It - Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad - Chris Pierce - Rachel Goodrich - The Ragbirds - Four Finger Five

Need tickets? There are several ticket packages available - $249.50 for a four-day pass - Weekend and children's weekend tickets are $23 - Tickets through Ticketmaster - Certain fees and surcharges apply - On sale noon Friday, March 20

Source: www.rothburyfestival.com

metro@cm-life.com