Rock The Garden

I DO NOT recommend upgrading to VIP/​Green Room. We upgraded our tickets with the promise of «free/​included parking in the Parade Lot, shorter lines, & private entrance.» Only to find when we arrived at the festival the Parade Lot was full and we were denied parking, we encountered rude employees/​volunteers, were told to park in the art center’s ramp on the COMPLETE opposite side of the VIP/​Green Room and waited in line at GA entrance.
I emailed David Goldstein, the Walker Art Center’s Associate Director — Visitor Services, and was told «It was unfortunate that the parking in the Parade lot filled so quickly. The lot filled at such a rate because the majority of Green Room ticket holders did not add parking to their orders, yet we needed to accommodate them anyway… In the interest of providing a positive customer service experience, we accepted the parkers even though they did not add the option to their cart during their transactions.»
OK, so what was the point of upgrading to VIP if we could have just gotten the free parking anyways?
Overall, VERY DISAPPOINTING.

While not a huge fan of live music, I accepted an invitation to go with some friends to this year’s RTG at the Walker Art Center. My expectations were low, but it turned out to be a great time – Im very glad I was convinced to go.
As I mentioned, Im not a music guru… But I like to think of RTG as an «event.» Several local bands play, but to me, it’s more about the atmosphere and comraderie. The venue is beautiful and situated in such a fashion that you can sit on the hill next to the Walker and look down on the stage – with the downtown skyline in the background. There are also a number of vendors and food trucks such as the Barrio taco truck and some of the best corn dogs Ive ever tasted. Of course, if you are a drinker you can partake in plenty of local Summit beers. So even if you arent familiar with some of the bands, I highly recommened experiencing this event at least once.
The only drawback to this particular event is the price. Thankfully, my ticket was donated to me… But typically, the tickets are expensive. If you combine that with parking ($ 10) and food, you can expect to spend around $ 80 or more for the entire outing.
I should also mention that the photography policy is confusing. The website is a little ambiguous about the types of cameras they allow. Thankfully, they let me in with my D3100 but they made me promise not to shoot video. Id check with security before bringing an SLR.

Rock the Garden just keeps getting better. The ability to bring your own water bottle *and* refill it is pretty inheard of in the concert scene. It makes the day 1 000 000% better. The food is fairly priced and there is a decent selection to choose from. I love that The Current and Walker come together to create something so wonderful. The crowd is peaceful and mellow. It’s a great time if you can get in.

I have to say, this year was better than last.
Better lineup, better organization, more food.
Some complaints if I may, and feel free to add your own opinions here. This is Unilocal afterall!
1. Rules. They were conflicting. Facebook said bring a cooler. Get there and it says now outside food. What the F is the cooler for then? Make sure everybody is on the same page re: the rules before they show up for work at this event. We brought water and were told we couldn’t have it. Then later, we were told we could. Too bad I had already guzzled it and had to piss.
Same applies for the umbrella rule. It was 90 degrees and no shade. We are pale ass minnesotans. let us have an umbrella to block the shade. Makes me angry when I see other people were allowed in with an umbrella.
2. Food.
Can I just say that Vincent must have the best burger in town if the burger at RTG was any indication? Wicked good. Seriously.
I was happy to see Holy Land in the lineup this year. I was upset to see that there were two lines. One to order (shorter) and one to pickup (much much longer).
No receipt, so when you go to pick up, dude asks you what you had. Seriously? I just waited 45 minutes for a fucking gyro (what else is there to do really?) and you have no idea what I ordered, so I have to tell you again.
How many people stood in the pickup line w/​o paying and just said give me one of everything and got it? Silly Silly Silly.
Once I got my Gyro, I was tempted to stand in line for the bathroom because by the time you get to the front, you would be ready to shit it out.
You can still hear the music and chat with your neighbors while in line, which makes it moderately ok. Conversation ranged from how stupid Holy Land is for not being able to manage with one line to how stupid Holy Land is for not being able to manage with one line. That and how there will never be peace in the Middle East with such a lack of logic…)
I could have driven to Central ave and back and gotten my shit quicker.
3. Beverage. Just beer. Really? Oh wait, there was water for a buck (not a bad deal, actually. No hidden prices there) and watery lemonade for $ 6. I waited in line for what turned out to be a $ 6 lemonade. The sign said Lemonade $ 3. Refills any size. I ordered, thinking it was 3 bucks. Dude said: «That’ll be six bucks to break the ice.»
I said: «Hard work breaking that ice, huh?» but paid anyway, because the lady needed something to drink since beer doesn’t sit with her.
Bourbon yes, vodka yes. Beer no.
RTG, can you please allow better selections for drinks, better preparedness on message, and better vendor organization for a better experience next year?