Not much mud, but lots of music and fun, at Kansas City’s Rockfest

A little sunshine did the trick Saturday as Rockfest got started in Penn Valley Park south of downtown Kansas City.

There was no sign of the wet weather and muddy mess that characterized some past years, even after Friday’s late afternoon rain.

Concertgoers took advantage of the favorable conditions, arriving as early as 9:30 a.m. to mingle or tailgate in the parking lot. The one-day rock music festival at Liberty Memorial was expected to draw a crowd of 50,000 to see national acts on two stages, with a third venue for unsigned bands.

Gates opened at noon for the 24th annual Rockfest.

Fans continued to stream in all afternoon, providing ample opportunity for one of the great pastimes of any music festival: people-watching.

“Seeing all the crazy people that walk by has to be one of the perks,” said Cynthia Raney of Higginsville, Mo., who was among those hanging out along the entrance.

Crazy or not, Rockfest drew a diverse crowd. Within a few moments one could spot an orange mohawk haircut and then two young people carrying signs reading “Free Hugs.”

Raney’s husband, Dillyn, counted Saturday as his 10th Rockfest.

“The music is amazing,” he said.

“Most of the time,” added a friend, Josh Decator, also of Higginsville.

The lineup of bands included Disturbed, Hellyeah, Seether, Ghost and Sixx: A.M. — a band formed around former Motley Crue bass player Nikki Sixx. The night would wind up with fireworks shortly before 11 p.m. and a final show at midnight.

Plenty of visitors traveled across the state for the day.

Aaron Nance came from Cole County, Mo. The afternoon found him and his friends still tailgating in the parking lot and playing ladder golf.

Not being in a particular hurry to arrive on time is part of the entire ethos of a festival like this, Nance said.

“You don’t have to go sit down. You can walk around, meet people,” Nance said. “It’s just fun.”

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 4:40 PM.