Oktoberfest by the Bay 2009 was great!

Well, Oktoberfest by the Bay 2009 has come and gone already... it seems like we just got started!

All in all, the 'fest appeared to be a roaring success: the crowds were at least as big as last year, despite having moved the event across town to Pier 48.

From the band's perspective, we loved it. The new location includes an outdoor beer garden (or, "biergarten", as the Germans would say) that is directly across the building from the stage. This means that there are several open roll-up doors opposite the stage, and that really seems to improve the overall sound (less sound reflection).

We liked the layout inside too. Thanks to the fact that Pier 48 is longer than the Pavilion at Ft. Mason, the organizers were able to set up in such a way that there was more room to move around even when the place was packed with people.

And Pier 48 seems to be much easier to get to than Ft. Mason had been -- the tram and CalTrain are within walking distance, and AT&T Park's Lot A was right outside the building!

We're already looking forward to Oktoberfest by the Bay 2010! The dates aren't set yet, but you'll see them on the Chico Bavarian Band and The Internationals web sites as soon as we have them. I'll be sure to post them here as well.

Prost!