I paid $2,537 for 4 nights of country music at one of Colorado's biggest festivals. VIP was worth the money, but I wouldn't attend again.

The music festival is technically three days but all three-day passes come with access to a kick-off party before the event that includes three concerts. So, in total, we had three full festival days of music plus four nights of camping and concerts.

Even though my husband hopped on the Country Jam website to book a campsite as soon as spots went on sale in October 2022, we weren't able to get a VIP spot closest to the concert stages.

Instead, we reserved a spot in the Premier West campground, just a few minutes' walk to a nearby concert-venue entrance.

When we camp at national or state parks or at private campgrounds around the country, we typically just pay for our campsite.

For Country Jam Colorado, we had to pay per person for each person to enter the campground, in addition to the campsite fee. Early bird prices for camp access were $70 per person plus tax.

Country Jam Colorado has two concert stages: A main stage with VIP reserved seats close to the stage, reserved lawn seating, and further-afield lawn space for sitting with your own lawn chairs or blankets. The other smaller stage, dubbed Next from Nashville, is open lawn standing and seating

Yes, it was pricey to spend nearly $1,000 per person for a reserved plastic chair in front of the main stage, where the bulk of the concerts took place. But that fee was well worth it not to have to jockey for space with thousands of others on the lawn — plus our VIP seats came with other perks.

I appreciated having a direct line of eyesight to the giant screens on either side of the main stage, and I could hear the music incredibly well.

For me, an air-conditioned space to rest and regroup in between concerts was key at this event in Mack, Colorado, where temperatures can regularly top 90 degrees Fahrenheit in late June.

I was impressed by the dedicated tent for VIP ticket holders. It was filled with dozens of round tables for communal seating and was a welcome respite from the summer sun and heat.

Outside food and drink aren't allowed on the concert grounds, so general-admission attendees must purchase from set vendors. The prices weren't cheap. I saw a gyro for $15 and a 16-ounce beer for $9.

With our VIP ticket, we had access to all-you-can-drink draft beer, ice-cold water, and canned soda from 2 p.m., when the gates opened, until the final main-stage concert ended after midnight.

We needed to pay for mixed drinks from 2 to 6 p.m., but they were complimentary from 6 to 10:30 p.m., just before the last concert of the night began.

The VIP tent's complimentary nightly buffet dinner was impressive. It featured a good-sized salad bar, plenty of cooked veggies, some sort of meat, and even vegan options. Desserts included ice-cream bars, apple pie, and spice cake.

My favorite was the Mexican-themed night, with pork tamales, chicken fajitas, jalapeno bites, and chips and queso.

Pizza, burgers, BBQ, and sweet treats like churros and cookies were complimentary for VIP ticket holders. We could eat as much as we wanted.

Folks with general admission three-day passes had access to portable toilets stationed around the concert grounds. In our VIP section, though, we could use toilets that actually flushed and sinks with running water, soap, and paper towels in an air-conditioned modular building.

The ladies' room had 24 private stalls which meant that, even at peak usage times, I never waited in line long.

In the restroom, I had free use of items like hair spray, moisturizer, bug spray, and sunscreen. This was an unexpected and nice touch.

I'm glad we spent the money on an upgraded experience at Country Jam Colorado. For us, it was worth the $2,500+ for a more comfortable multi-day concert experience and campsite close to the concert grounds.

In comparison, general-admission tickets and a standard motor-home campsite further from the concert-venue entrance would have cost us about $850 when purchased on the official concert website in the days leading up to the event.

Although the campsites at Country Jam Colorado are mostly on grass, the roads surrounding them are composed of dirt. When the wind kicks up in Colorado's arid climate, the air quality with all the swirling dust is horrible.

My throat felt dry and my skin scaly the entire time we were at Country Jam.

We spent more than $100 a night to camp at Country Jam (not including the camp access fees), and picturesque spots in state parks are much cheaper — and prettier — than Mack's massive hayfield.

Camping under tall pine trees or next to a river or lake is much more my cup of tea.

I loved the live music at Country Jam. Hearing talented seasoned performers as well as up-and-coming artists was a blast. But there was significant downtime in between shows while we were waiting for the next act to go on.

I wish there was more concurrent music and performances starting earlier in the day to make it feel more worth our while to stick around for four nights.

For me, it makes more sense to buy one-time tickets to must-see shows by my favorite country music artists. Moving forward, that's my concert-going plan. My husband and I already have tickets to see Cody Johnson in Las Vegas in December.