Arlo Guthrie performs at the Blue Mountains Music Festival in Katoomba on the weekend. Photo: Noel Plummer.
Folk music legend Arlo Guthrie wowed audiences at the 18th Blue Mountains Music Festival in Katoomba on the weekend.
“Arlo was a huge hit, split pretty evenly with [Aboriginal performer] Gurrumul,” said festival co-director Al Ward.
While baby boomers were enthralled by Guthrie’s tales from the Vietnam War-era, a different generation claimed the space when Kate Miller-Heidke followed him on stage on Sunday afternoon.
“The ‘60s were 50 years ago, you know/Get over it,” the 31-year-old Australian pop performer sang as young fans rushed to the front of the pavillion main stage
This mix of old and young festival-goers was a promising sign for the festival’s future, said Mr Ward.
“We did have more of that younger generation than we’ve ever had. The ratio of baby boomers to younger people was leaning more to the young range [this year].”
Two days of brilliant sunshine after several years of rainy festivals saw an increase in tickets sales in 2013 — and plenty of happy music fans.
“This year it was beautiful just to see people lying on the grass in the sun,” Mr Ward said.
Held in the precinct of Katoomba Public School, Katoomba RSL Club and The Clarendon, the annual festival relies on an army of volunteers for its success.
“The volunteers are unbelievable, they’re just fantastic,” said Mr Ward. “Without them it wouldn’t be possible.”