Mount Tam Jam’s Success May Spark Annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Festival

Kids picnicked on blankets with their parents, women showed off their hula-hooping skills and men swayed to the music of the first major concert in 46 years at the Cushing Memorial Amphitheater.

Mount Tam Jam went off without a hitch on Saturday, potentially paving the way for a regular rock 'n' roll event to benefit the state park.

“I want to create an annual sustainable revenue source for the park,” said Mill Valley resident Michael Nash, who is serving as executive producer of Tam Jam. He hopes to turn it into a two-day festival in 2014.

“I’d love to do it every year,” Nash said. “I think it’s got a lot of potential.”

The sold-out concert featured New Orleans funk band Galactic, Sacramento alt rockers Cake, blues legend Taj Mahal, Nashville’s Mike Farris & The Roseland Rhythm Revue and San Rafael-based Danny Click and the Hell Yeahs.

A mellow crowd milled throughout the 4,000-seat amphitheater, stocking up on food, beer and wine from local vendors, batting around beach balls, and sitting back to enjoy the music well into the evening as the full moon rose above the park. 

“Everyone was happy as could be,” Nash said.

Transportation also went smoothly. People hiked or biked up the mountain, some drove, and many rode the school bus shuttles from Mill Valley.

“We were really impressed by how well the crowd behaved,” Nash said. It was a big difference from when the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival drew more than 20,000 people over two days in June 1967 to hear the likes of Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds, the Doors and Steve Miller.

The massive turnout for that event sparked much stricter regulations that virtually barred amplified music at the amphitheater. Although a number of smaller concerts have been held there since, The Mountain Play, which finished up its 100th season with The Sound of Music the weekend before Tam Jam, has been the only consistent event.

But that may soon change. With the California State Parks turning to creative partnerships to combat the funding crisis of 2010, Tam Jam may be the ticket to a steady revenue source.

The profit from this year's Mount Tam Jam will benefit Mount Tam State Park's ranger and maintenance services, equipment for trail and bridge restoration and improved emergency response. The funding for rangers and emergency services may also benefit users of Marin’s other state parks: China Camp, Olompali, Samuel P. Taylor and Tomales Bay.

Organizers of the event, led by the Mount Tamalpais Conservation Club, said they were hoping to generate $200,000 in revenue from the event, though the amount donated to the state parks would have to account for substantial overhead costs, Nash said. He said he hoped to have a total by next week. 

“This is solely about responding to the state park’s budget,” Nash said. With Tam Jam a success, it may also inspire more people to step and find other creative ways generate revenue, Nash said.

“We hope,” he said, “that it will provide a template for other folks around the state.”