In its first ever incarnation, the Rothbury Music Festival drew 35,000 music fans from all 50 states to Western Michigan. Being three hours from Chicago and Detroit, the location is nearly ideal. It was a 11 or so hour journey for us driving from Minneapolis, and roughly the same from many East Coast locations. This was a festival with a lineup well worth the drive, and they say they sold tickets in all fifty states. Rothbury had a different focus than other large scale festivals - more than any previous festival, their vision was to minimize waste and promote sustainable fun. Beer was served in compostable cups made of corn. Paper plates were biodegradable. You couldn't walk far without seeing multicolored barrels, one for compost, one for recycling, and one for landfill. I think just having the word landfill instead of trash really made people think. The grounds were absolutely spectacular. The venue has room for a lot of growth, and based on my experience and that of everyone I talked to, this festival will grow enormously each year. With six different stages of varying sizes, and plenty of cool shopping, art, politics, and activism to look into, there was certainly never a dull moment, and in fact, I said at one point that I could spend a week in this place because there is so much to do and see. Case in point-i never even saw the two smallest stages where they held think tank discussions on environmental and political issues, yoga sessions, DJ sets, and open mics.
Thursday was a day for getting situated-setting up camp, finding our Minnesota friends who lead us to a splendid campsite about as close to the venue as possible without being in the nearby VIP section, plotting out our schedules and generally settling in for a wicked four day extravaganza.
The first band we saw on Thursday was the Mickey Hart Band featuring Steve Kimock on guitar and George Porter Jr. on bass. Mickey Hart is of course one of the two original drummers for the Grateful Dead, and is a world class percussionist. He has won a Grammy for his work with his band Planet Drum, spoke before the Senate on the value of sound therapy for aging people, and does work for the Library of Congress. He also happens to own the largest collection of drums of anyone on the face of the Earth. He's also written four books on music and drumming. His set was a treat with a nice long "Sugaree" and "Fire on the Mountain". Hart's band also boasted Jen Durkin, who started Deep Banana Blackout 12 years ago and Kyle Hillingsworth of String Cheese Incident on keyboards.
After Mickey we went over to the nearby Disco Biscuits show, where thousands of people had already gathered in advance of the show. After checking out a bit of Bisco's spacefunk, we enjoyed some Railroad Earth before calling it a night.
Waking up Friday was like being born into a new world of possibilities. Everyone was at Rothbury for the first time, curious as to what the festival and the hundreds of musicians who awaited to share their Fourth of July with us had in store for us. After having an ultraheady french bread breakfast pizza,(food was everywhere and diverse and delicious) it was time to go up and see Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels. I was impressed.
This is a picture of Kevin and I in from of a giant metallic cowboy boot near Sherwood Court:
From there we went for the first time over the The Odeum, the biggest stage at Rothbury, and one of the biggest stages/concert areas I have ever seen. It was draped in bright red curtains, and had jumbotrons on either side of the stage.
The first band to take to The Odeum ever was The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, a great funk/soul band from Nashville. Walker was clad in a bright green suit and had a whole lot of soul to share with us.
Next up was the Wailers. Remarkably I had never seen them before, and I was excited. Aston "Family Man" Barrett, who was part of the original lineup and played with Bob until the end, is still rocking the bass, and hearing him play all those classic rude boy bass lines was absolutely stunning. The rest of the band was fantastic as well, and while I expected a fairly standard setlist consisting of the Legend album, I was thrilled to hear them do some lesser known songs. it went something like this:
Righteous funky opening jam that lasted 10 minutes or so, Bob Marley's Intro from the live record "Babylon by Bus", Natural Mystic, The Real Situation, Keep on Movin', new song, I Shot the Sheriff, No Woman No Cry, Jammin'
Big Snoop Dogg was up next on the Odeum, and after rolling onto the stage on a pimped out tricycle he paraded out a great number of his many hits, including Nothin but a G thang, Murder was the Case, Lodi Doddi, Gin and Juice, the new Sensual Seduction, and of all things "Could You be Loved". Snoop ended his set with House of Pain's Jump Around, What's My Name, and finally, sha na na na na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye. He also managed to smoke onstage several times, dance around with a stray beachball from the crowd, and inspire this awesome "I DROPPED IT LIKE IT'S HOT AT ROTHBURY" sticker.
311 was on deck, and they are a band that I have really come to appreciate in the last few years. Of course it doesn't hurt that my brother Kevin, who joined Brianna and I on this magnificent excursion with his wife Sara, is the biggest 311 fan I have ever known. He has invited me to join him for several of their shows, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Every time I see them, I am surprised at just how many memorable songs they have and what a dynamite live show they put on. Kevin and Sara were married on 7/7/07, and their first dance was 311's version of The Cure's "Love Song". K and I were right in front of the stage, but when that song came on, he instantly walked back to where Sara was seated and they had a lovely little slow dance, almost exactly a year after they were hitched. Nice.
Here's their full setlist: Beautiful Disaster, Down, Freeze Time, Prisoner, Taiyed, Love Song, Hive, What Was I Thinking?, Applied Science, Flowing, Amber, Nix Hex, Sick Tight, Beyond The Gray Sky, Omaha Stylee, All Mixed Up, Who’s Got The Herb, Feels So Good, Creatures (For A While)
Yonder Mountain String Band featuring Jon Fishman was playing another stage and we got to check them out for a bit, but of course I was far more excited about the possiblity of Fishman playing with Trey and/or Mike.
Widespread Panic was soon taking the Odeum stage, and they put out two brilliant sets of music, starting out with that crazy fiddler chick of youtube fame, Annie Marie Calhoun. I like Widespread more and more each time I see them or throw them on my ipod. Jimmy Herring is an incredible guitarist.
here's the complete lowdown:
SET 1:
PIGEONS
NORTH
WALK ON THE FLOOD
*SURPRISE VALLEY
*ARLEEN>
*SURPRISE VALLEY>
YOU SHOULD BE GLAD
*TAKEOUT>
*PORCH SONG
SET 2:
FISHWATER
PLEAS>
BUST IT BIG>
SECOND SKIN
DISCO>
**DRUMS
LOVE TRACTOR
*PROTEIN DRINK>
*SEWING MACHINE
*LIFE DURING WARTIME
*W/ANNE MARIE CAHOUN - VIOLIN
**W/JEFF SIPE - PERCUSSION
Between sets we got to check out Of Montreal on a nearby stage, and they were really entertaining, and far more improvisational and funky than I expected. Here's a couple of shots of them:
Thievery Corporation was the final band for us for the night, and their blend of trip hop/dub was sounding phenomenal.
From back at the campsite we could hear M.I.A.'s former DJ spin international styled hip hop and when he was through Pnuma Trio was kicking out some fine trance funk until the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday morning our humble Minnesota campsite was abuzz with liquor and the knowledge that Trampled by Turtles was going to kick off the afternoon in a most phenomenal footstomping way. A couple strings were broken throughout the 45 minute set, with a new song "Darkness and the Light", "Codeine", and "I'm a Target Too"
heres a couple photos from sherwood forest
a chick getting some kind of sonic treatment:
here's some dude banging on percussion instruments made of trash in the junk garden:
The Black Keys were next on the agenda and although it was blazin hot out in the mid afternoon sun, we were able to enjoy a good part of their sun before taking shelter in some shade.
Michael Franti and Spearhead were up next, and they were another band that I was very much looking forward to. I have really been into them in the last year or two, ever since I saw them at Harvest Fest and had a fantastic time. Since then their new album "Yell Fire" came out and they have been receiving a surprising amount of airplay on stations like The Current, and have been hitting the festival circuit hard. They'll also be at 10K this month and here in Minneapolis Sept. 2nd playing an anti RNC concert near the capital in St. Paul, along with Matisyahu. Franti took a moment during the show to congratulate the organizers and festivalgoers for being so responsible with the composting and what not, but was a little confused about where to put his chewing gum, so he asked the nearby attendant. Franti was further perplexed when the worker reportedly inquired "Is it sugarless???" As always Franti was barefoot (he quit wearing shoes for three days in 2000 as part of an anti-poverty protest) and highly energetic. "How you feelin???" he was heard to say about a hundred times throughout the set, and everyone was feelin fine.
After a break at the campsite in the shade, we ventured back up to the Odeum shortly after Dave Matthews Band started. This is the first time I had seen them, and while I have never been a huge fan of him, I have heard plenty of times that he is amazing live. So we gave him a shot and while there is no denying that the DMB is incredible, DM can be rather obnoxious. His attempts at scat singing were mocked by many for the remainder of the weekend, and while the show overall didn't make me want to go on Dave tour, it was cool to hear him cover Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer", close with Sly Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin" and to hear him do a some of his solid tunes like "Satellite", "Jimi Thing", "So Much to Say" and "Too Much". DMB's regular sax player was out due to an ATV acident, so filling in for him was Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Tim Reynolds also was playing with them the whole show on guitar.
When we walked over to the stage where Sound Tribe Sector Nine was just starting up, the crowd was absolutely aglow with glowsticks of various shapes and sizes, and when STS9 came on, the air lit up. Surprisingly, I found their set to be a little more on the low key side, I have definitely seen then bust out harder, funkier, and faster music than that before, but it was still a dynamite late night show.
Sunday began with some relaxing at the campsite in order to save strength for the epic day of music ahead. The possibilities were as amazing as the were abundant. Would Mike Gordon and/or Jon Fishman play with Trey? Would Trey and/or Mike sit in with Phil Lesh and Friends? Would Warren Haynes be all over the place, playing with everyone as usual? Since Page McConnell recently posted a letter on phish.com saying there was no immediate plans for a reunion, it seemed all but impossible that we would see all four members of Phish together this weekend, but the excitement of that possiblility in the future was enough to have everyone even more thrilled to be there, about to see Trey and Mike perform separate sets. This would also be Trey's first official performance in some 15 months, and that alone would have been enough to have your average Phish fan mighty excited.
So we sat out Steel Pulse and Taj Mahal, and made our way up to the Odeum around 3 o'clock when guitar wizards Rodrigo y Gabriela started their dazzling instrumental set. The two met in Mexico City as teenagers over their mutual love of heavy metal, then moved to Dublin and slowly began melting the faces of unsuspecting Irish folk. A decade or so later here they are on the American festival scene, humbly sitting on folding chairs by themselves, covering "Stairway to Heaven" with some awesome camera attached to the neck of Rodrigo's guitar for the benefit of those who were not close enough to see how fast his fingers were playing. Here's a cool video (not mine) of part of Stairway: I was once again just to the left of this person, it was incredible how close we were able to get to the stage at just about every show.
And a picture I took:
With only a half hour until Trey started, we maintained our position near the stage. When Trey came out I was right there in front with an enormous smile. When he opened with one of my favorite songs "Back on the Train", from one of my favorite records, "Farmhouse", I was overjoyed.
"It feels really good to be here" he said, before playing "Driver". What followed was an introspective, good humored and gracious as always Trey who made a joke about nearby Whitehall, Michigan, after a guy near me yelled "Welcome back to Michigan!!!" He looked very healthy and was positively giddy to bring out Mike Gordon, who came to the stage with a headless bass and purple pants, and introduced two new Trey/Tom Marshall songs. The first one, "Backwards Down the Number Line" was mailed to Trey for his birthday from Tom, and while it and the other new song "Alaska" were met with less enthusiasm than Trey's performance of Phish songs, it was undeniable that many in the audience beside myself were contemplating the seemingly more and more real possibility of seeing Phish play, and play new songs. (?!!!!) Adding to that idea of a reunited Phish was Trey's comments when introducing Mike: "if only we could find a drummer and keyboard player....but it’s got to start with the songs, so you can be our test audience." yep. After the two new songs it was a very welcome "Chalkdust Torture" that surely satisfied every Phish fan in attendance.
Trey's acoustic set was subdued and intimate, and no doubt he put a lot of thought into what he would play. Here's a complete setlist:
Get Back On The Train, Brian & Robert, Water in the Sky, Driver, Inlaw Josie Wales, Farmhouse, Let Me Lie, Sample in a Jar, Mountains in the Mist, Sleep Again, Velvet Sea, Waste, Backwards Down the Number Line*^, Alaska*^, Chalkdust Torture*
*-w/ Mike Gordon
^-new song
Trey encouraged everyone to go check out Mike Gordon's set on a nearby stage, but to also stick around for Gov't Mule, who would be taking the Odeum in less than an hour. This being the first time I'd heard Mike Gordon's band, I was really not sure what to expect, but was immediately very impressed. They were funky. The guitar player rocked. Mike's bass was prominently featured, and he was singing. Mike brought out Trey for the last few songs, and Jon Fishman came out for the encore, a cover of "She Said She Said" by the Beatles. To hear the three of them playing together was magical. You got the feeling that the three of them were very happy to be playing together. It sounded phenomenal, and it was all us Phish fans could have hoped for.
Back to the Odeum, Gov't Mule was finishing up "Bad Little Doggie" before they covered Zepplin's "Livin' Lovin' Maid". That was funny because the last time Brianna and I saw The Mule was Halloween when they did the entire "Houses of the Holy" record. Then it was a little funny when they launched into "She Said She Said", which had of course just been played by Gordon and friends. But it was also awesome. From there they went into the phsycadelic Beatles "Tomorrow Never Knows", the JGB blues standard "Get Out My Life Woman", then the Pearl Jam/Soundgarden collaborative Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike", then Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy", back into "Hunger Strike", then "Purple Rain" into Ashlee Simpson's "Beautifully Broken", and back again. They closed out the show as they often do with The Allman Bros.' "Soulshine". Whats so awesome about G Mule, aside from the way Warren wails, is that he will do songs like that that you would not expect. A couple pics of the Mighty Warren Haynes:
Atmosphere and Brother Ali, who were the only band other than Trampled by Turtles to represent Minnesota, were the only band playing at the same time as John Mayer, so needless to say they had a huge crowd. Not that people only came to the show because they know John Mayer sucks, but because Atmosphere and Brother Ali know how to put on a show. Atmosphere recently debuted their new album at #5 on the billboard charts, so they have certainly by this point become well known and respected on the national hip hop scene. Brother Ali has also been skyrocketing the last year or two, and it was cool to see Ali fir the first time with Atmosphere. Slug and Ali's stage presence and chemistry on stage was great. Brother Ali, who I'm happy to say calls Minneapolis his hometown, lived for years in Michigan beforehand, so I'm sure it was great for him to play this first of it's kind Michigan festival.
Phil Lesh and friends current lineup has Larry Campbell, who toured with Bob Dylan for years as well as Levon Helm. He fucking rocked the guitar as well as the pedal steel and fiddle! Campbell's wife Teresa Williams did vocals for a good part of the show, and Warren Haynes sat in for the first four songs. Particle's Steve Molitz was on keyboards and brought a fresh funky sound to the band, and John Mole was fantastic on drums. The newest and moat unfamiliar of Phil and Friends to me was Jackie Greene, a 27 year old singer/songwriter from L.A., was absolutely brilliant and Brianna and I immediately got a bunch of his own (really outstanding) solo stuff when we got home. It was an absolutely spectacular two sets of music from the always solid, now 68 year old Phil Lesh and his ever changing, ever phenomenal band of Friends. Here's a picture of Campbell and Haynes tearing it up and the complete setlist, which included some Grateful Dead gems and Phil's ongoing effort to raise awareness about being an organ donor to save a life, like his was saved when he needed a new liver in 1998.
I:
Here Comes Sunshine>
Althea>
China Cat Sunflower>
Mexican Girl
Dire Wolf
About Cell Block #9
Sugaree
II:
Help on the Way>
Slipknot!>
Franklin's Tower>
Eyes of the World>
Uncle John's Band
Mountains of the Moon>
Unbroken Chain
New Speedway Boogie>
Fire on the Mountain
Donor Rap / Band Intros
E: Dancin' In The Streets
It was a perfect way to close out what had been a mesmorising weekend of awesome music, and it left me looking forward more music this summer and to what incredible things next year's Rothbury might bring us. I will be there for certain.
1 comment:
bravissimo!!!!!!
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