Sep 15 : "Meet Me In Morristown" + Vail Mansion

The last week in August I went over to Morristown one evening after work and went to the final "Meet Me In Morristown" event of the season. This takes place every last Thursday of the summer months and is a time when all the restaurants and shops are open late, and people come to the center of town to "meet" and socialize. Part of each of the last Thursday nights is a featured local band.

On the evening of August 29 it was native Morristown band "Mama D and the Vexations" that was featured. They portray themselves as a cover band. While they do some concerts like other bands, their main efforts seem to be directed towards doing private events and parties. Mama D mentioned that right now she has bookings into 2020 and even 2021 for private events. Here is the click to their web page where you can see their huge repertoire. Mama D and The Vexations (CLICK HERE).

The concert itself took place on the lawn at the Vail Mansion, which was once a private residence of a local industrialist. It later became a government building and today has been reimagined into condos. Here is an interesting background story. Vail Mansion, some background. (CLICK HERE).

I was less than happy with the way this concert was set up. Vail Mansion is in the center of town along South Street, and the concert stage was set up near the street. There were desks and booths of vendors and organizations too close to the music, lots of people milling about and talking. A real distraction from trying to listen to the band. (It reminded me of the old Grape Street in Philly, where everybody talking loud at the bar sometimes drowned out the bands playing only 20 feet away!) ... The bad logistics for this event were just the opposite from the great evening I previously had at a "Meet Me" show at Morristown Green.

So, yes, I will be checking out the "Meet Me In Morristown" events in 2020, with an eye toward only going to those that are held at Morristown Green, not Vail Mansion. While Morristown Green is also in the center of town, it is large enough so that the music is in the center of the square and away from distractions and any noise on the street. Also, the tall trees were great for a summer evening. That was a wonderful experience; will try for that one again.