August 16, 2007

Gathering of the Vibes Festival Review and Photos - 2007

First there was 10KLF Festival in MN, next up was Crossroads Festival in Chicago followed by the Telluride Jazz Festival in CO. Now I finish up my four weekend in a row festival run in Bridgeport, CT and I must say it has been a great time. Fantastic music at each one, met some interesting people and had plenty of writing material.

But, somewhere along the way this past weekend, my writing pad that I take comprehensive and articulate notes in about each and every performance has seemed to have grown legs and walked away. This means I have to rely on memory, which can be sketchy at best. So I will give you the highlights as I remember them.

Thursday, August 9^th

Dark Star Orchestra – Cover band for Grateful Dead that did a masterful job at performing and were psyched up about opening the festival up. I must admit I was never a Deadhead growing up and not because I did not like them, but in New Orleans I just listened to different genres of music. But to hang out and listen to them perform old classics was a good way to start off.

Friday, August 10^th

Tea Leaf Green – This foursome from San Francisco is fast becoming one of my favorite bands as I have seen them 3 times in as many months. Trevor Garrod showed some versatility by playing the flute and harmonica as well as being his usual self at the keys and vocals. Josh Clark and the rest of the guys performed some prolonged jams that launched this day off right… despite the rain…

Dickey Betts & Great Southern – I have not seen him since his days with the Allman Brothers, but he set the strings on fire with “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”.

Mickey Hart Band – The Grateful Dead drummer was set back amongst the bongo drums while giving George Porter Jr., Jen Durkin, Steve Kimrock and Sikiru Adepoju the front of the stage. George’s influence was obvious with the selection of “Fire on the Bayou” and “Iko, Iko” from his days with The Meters, but that was a warmup for “Fire on the Mountain” from Mickey’s time with the Dead.

George Clinton and P-Funk – This is the first time I have seen them in at least 10 years and they still bring the “funkiness” to a higher level. They did not stop playing from the beginning of the set and brought the rain to an end…finally…. I am used to George’s 3 hour long sets, but he packed it in 1.5 hours that had the crowd wanting more.

Saturday, August 11^th

Keller Minus the Keels – Larry and Jenny Keel got delayed on a flight, so Keller had to perform solo which is no big deal for him. He had two guitars set up on stands, his usual acoustic strapped to him and his looping unit going at full speed. Great show with Bob Weir showing up at the end of his set for a few songs.

Les Claypool – He showed sans the band with his “bassjo”, a combo bass and banjo, and went at it alone for about 45 minutes before members of Ratdog showed up at various intervals. Bob Weir came out at the end and Les jokingly referred to him as “Mr. Edward Van Halen”, then they hit it off with a version of the Beatles “Tomorrow Never Ends”.

Bob Weir and Ratdog – I stayed around for about ½ the set and listened to rest from the campground, but Bob and company were in good form. Donna Jean Godchaux appeared a few times for a bit of nostalgic singing. They played the Dead, Dylan, Beatles and some songs for which I could not match an originator, but it was late at night and the brain cells were tired……

Sunday, August 12^th

Kevin Hays Jazz Session – what better way to start a Sunday morning than listening to a bit of jazz. Joshua Redman was fantastic on sax and Peter Bernstein played to his reputation on guitar.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band – These guys from New Orleans always light it up and today was no exception.

The Wailers – Even though Bob Marley is no longer around, some of the old classics came back to life including one of my all-time favorites “ Get Up, Stand Up”

Buddy Guy – when it comes to Buddy, what else can you say….

I exited after Buddy’s set to avoid the rush and find the hotel that I booked. We could not camp Sunday night and had to be out after the last act. That was not the best of scenarios, but it was nice to have a long shower and sleep in a bed instead of on the ground.

Another legend was on hand this weekend in the form of the one and only Wavy Gravy as the Master of Ceremonies and I even got to witness him perform a wedding under the VIP Tent. Wavy had the same duties at the original Woodstock and even though he was having trouble moving around, it did not stop him from entertaining the crowds and willingly signing autographs..