There were many things to celebrate in July at RiversEdge with recent renovations to the amphitheater and David Shaw’s Big River Get Down returning to Hamilton to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a huge lineup of musicians spread over two days throughout the city.
If you have spent any time around Hamilton, it is likely you have heard of David Shaw and The Revivalists. Shaw grew up in Hamilton and became a singer and songwriter. His band, The Revivalists, produces rock & roll music and has released six albums, including the top charting single, "Wish I Knew You.”
As a native Hamiltonian, Shaw has seen Hamilton in the good times and the bad and has continued to believe in his hometown. One way he has been able to give back to the city and help make it a better place is through his music festival.
Director of Resident Services, Adam Helms was perhaps the most unlikely person to find himself in the roll of founding and overseeing a music festival. When Helms came to Hamilton the city was building the RiversEdge amphitheater on the site of the old hospital, but there was no definite plan in place about how to use the structure. At the time, he was a political science major working as a city clerk. He had no musical background, but was given the task of fundraising money to bring music to downtown Hamilton. Shaw and Helms were connected.
In the early days, Helms did not have any background in booking bands. Since Shaw is represented by the same group that runs Lollapalooza (one of the largest musical festivals in the world), he was able to get Helms connected to the music world. Helms learned how to book bands and the ins and outs of producing a music festival.
The first show with The Revivalists was held in Hamilton in 2012. What began with a concert downtown, became a few shows with The Revivalists. In 2015, the vision became even bigger, and the music festival Hamiltonians and Revivalists fans have grown to love —David Shaw’s Big River Get Down—was born.
It was a hit.
Typically it takes several years for a music festival to grow and begin to sell out. Not in Hamilton though. By just two years in, Big River Get Down sold out. “So we started in 2015 and then we sold out Big River Get Down in 2017,” Helms said. “Normally it takes music festivals three to four years to really get a foothold, but 2017 also coincided with The Revivalists big hit ‘Wish I Knew You.’ That was the song of the summer for a lot of people. And then we had a killer lineup like Marcus King, and The Record Company was big at the time, and we sold out the event in the second year.”
Since then, Big River Get Down has continued to draw in around 2,000 attendees every year. The festival not only attracts locals, but also music fans from all over the country.
“Absolutely, they gave us a key and unlocked a whole nother door for us…and bands ask to play Big River Get Down or ask to play River's Edge now,” Helms said. “It’s wild.”
To celebrate 10 years, Big River Get Down was bigger than ever this year, with 33 performances, in 8 venues, over two days spread across the city of Hamilton.
“I think Hamilton is so unique where our venue is placed in the downtown,” Helms said. “We had an opportunity to do something different than what every other music festival is doing. It’s walkable. Go out and check out all the nooks and crannies of Hamilton.”
📸 Joshua Raymon with Deep Focus Photography
