SANDY RIVER PLANTATION — Jim Kinney and Donna Seegers took a chance that their tent on the side of Saddleback Mountain could withstand the brisk winds and sudden dip in temperature on Friday night.

The Mount Vernon couple, family members and friends said it was worth the effort, because they had a perfect view and acoustical backdrop for the Saddleback Mountain Bluegrass Festival on Saturday afternoon and evening.

“Last night, we joined people around a fire, and some musicians played for awhile, and they were really great,” Kinney said. “And this was worth waiting for.”

Seven bands took the stage on a breezy, sunny, clear day, with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.

Musician David Grisman, a close friend of the late Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia, stopped between songs to explain that the legendary “Father of Bluegrass,” Bill Monroe, started like many young men, joining a band with his older brothers.

After years of following their lead, Grisman said, Bill decided to strike out on his own, and the rest was history.

“Who came out the better on that deal?” he asked the crowd, as he launched into another Monroe standard.

Grisman’s band played Appalachian-style bluegrass, wowing the audience with exhilarating instrumental breakdowns.

A superb mandolinist, he shared stories and lore between songs about the history of the bluegrass style.

The first, and what many hoped will become a replacement for the defunct Thomas Point Beach Festival in Brunswick, was a success, according to organizer David Robie.

“We’re very pleased with this turnout,” he said, as he and dozens of yellow-shirted staffers kept more than 2,000 people moving smoothly through the ticket lines, onto shuttle buses and out of the parking lots.