Recap: Rock the Dock Music Festival 7/13/2024 -Lake George

Words: Rob Smittix

Photos: Tim Reidy

I (Rob Smittix) apologize for this late recap but this has been a busy week here at RadioRadioX/Xperience as we not only are finishing up our August issue of Xperience but we also had our 6th Anniversary Party yesterday, which was a lot of work to put together. But… finally I can let you know about my experience this past weekend in Lake George!  If you have read my recaps before it’s more of what my full experience was rather than critiquing each individual bands performance. You can find those types of boring reviews pretty much everywhere else.  Let’s begin!

We couldn’t have asked for better weather that’s for sure. It’s a rare occurrence that my wife Laurie joins me for these types of adventures but she was all in for this one! Our musical tastes are completely different and I knew going in that she was not familiar with any of the music or bands that were playing at Rock the Dock last Saturday. We scooped photographer Tim Reidy up and we ventured up the Northway to Lake George. When we got into town we grabbed a bite to eat on the main drag and then headed on over to check in to the event. Rock the Dock is conveniently located in the heart of all of the action in Lake George which I think is fantastic because if you want to take a stroll, it doesn’t take long to get back to the dock!

We only ate lunch on the strip because we arrived early, Rock the Dock has plenty of food options on-site, so you do not necessarily need to go into town but the option is there if you choose. Another and probably one of the greatest of all the benefits of the dock’s location is that the beach is right there. It was very hot Saturday and we came prepared with our swimsuits on. My wife and I took a dip at dog beach while still enjoying the music that was literally right next to us! Lake George has become my happy place, it is one of the most beautiful places in all of New York. As the music played and I was in the water I glared at the mountains that surrounded us and I believed in that moment I was happy (like that song “Wish You Were Here” by Incubus).

Laurie and I spent most of the day hopping boats at the Dock of The Lake George Steamboat Company and mingling in the crowd. The boats had beautiful bars and we even found Air conditioning to battle the heat. Did you ever watch a movie that you love and you rewatch it with a friend and you hope that they love it too, so you keep watching your friend to see their reaction? That’s what it was like for me to watch Laurie at this event. She usually is into all of that crappy hit music you here on the FM dial, in fact she controlled the radio on the way up and Tim and I were not too thrilled. But… I now see that there is hope and perhaps Rock the Dock was a monumental life-changing event in the history of her life. I was prepared to leave early if she was bored and not feeling the music but on the contrary we were dancing our asses off! We stayed until the last note was played and we couldn’t have had a better time!

This was my first Rock the Dock Music Festival and it will now be my first of many. Honestly, I can’t even begin to describe how much of a blast we had at a concert in the center of all of this natural beauty and landscape in the heart of a happening little village. Awesome Vibes!

PS: My wife is now adding the line-up of Rock the Dock 2024 to her playlist! Thank You to Lotus, Dopapod, Wild Adriatic, Formula 5, Quantum Cosmic, and Neon Avenue!

See you next year!