Festivals are concerts with amplitude and, sometimes, attitude.
Most festivals are family-oriented, a canny combination of art, frolic and information.
There's something to be said for the unhur-riedness of a daylong show, for the variety you re likely to find. For instance, you may be at a blues festival, but over the course of the day, you'll probably hear a raucous mix of acoustic or electric instrumentation, strains of Chicago, Texas or Mississippi Delta blues, performed by venerated elders and young pups. And festivals by their nature encourage jams, both onstage and off. In fact, some folks never see an onstage performance at a bluegrass festival. They go to play rather than to listen.