'Gentleman of the Road' tour wraps up

Mumford and Sons, John Fogerty, local bands take the stage

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Gentleman of the Road tour continued on Saturday as thousands were getting their party on at Francis Field.

As Mumford and Sons, the London-based folk band, was getting ready to take the stage Saturday evening, many who were inside Francis Field had one thing to say to Channel 4's Elizabeth Campbell: Water, water, water.

The clouds were out Saturday evening, which made people feel a little cooler, but it was still hot out there as lots of people were drinking alcohol, which can make you even more dehydrated.

St. Johns County Fire Rescue said they treated 70 patients Friday and transported 10. The majority of them were treated for dehydration or heat-related injuries.

Jeremy Robshaw with St. Johns County Fire Rescue  said there were 85 patients treated on Satuday -- most treated and released back to the concert.

IMAGES: Mumford & Sons & friends
SPECIAL SECTION: GOTR tour

Some advice from Fire Rescue is to continue drinking water all day, even if you don't feel thirsty.

Two men who said they were from Florida and are used to the heat said they deal with it another way.

"We're Floridians. We're born this way, no shirt, no shirt," said one of the men.

"Drinking a lot of water so far. Water, water, water, beer and water," the other man said.

"Lots of water, lots of water, and just keep drinking water all day," said Sarah Stokes. "Stay in the shade, drink water."

Besides the heat, business owners also spoke to Channel 4 about some of the available lots along U.S. 1 close to the concert.

Those business owners said there were hundreds, if not thousands more that were not being used on Saturday. They said it's the same along A1A and San Marco.

Earlier in the week, the city had encouraged people to ride their bikes and take the shuttle.

As the festival brought in tens of thousands of people, even folks from out of town, some of the people who live and work here just want concert-goers to know you just have to look, but you'll find what you need.

"You have the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park has several hundred spaces available. There's about 700 spaces still available," said John Fraser. "There are numerous small lots all around town and you can still find spaces. The prices range anywhere from $15 all the way up to $50. That depends on how close to the concert you get."

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office said they were not seeing a great deal of traffic issues.

When Mumford and Sons got done playing their hit song, "I will wait," the crowd cheered. The band was done playing around 10:30 p.m. and the last band of the night was Yacht Club DJ's.

A bug surprise Saturday night was John Fogerty. He filled in when the band fun. canceled because their lead singer had vocal issues.

Although one woman was excited for Fogerty, she said she was hoping for another rumor to be true.

"There were so many rumors and I thought Elton John was going to be here then I heard it's just John Fogerty, which is good too," she said.

St. Johns County Fire Rescue said an estimated 26,000 people were in attendance Saturday night. They treated 120 patients, 4 of those were transported to Flagler Hospital in stable condition.


About the Authors:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.