Will take time to let it all sink in, but overall one of the strongest Vibes in recent memory—a really strong mix of young and old, classic and new, Dead and Deader. As I exited the grounds, the Neville Brothers were cooking up a tasty gumbo—as has been their wont for longer than I’ve been alive—and the sun was setting on a steamy hot day.
Soul Stew Revival were as advertised: the Derek Trucks Band bolstered by the always-welcome Mrs. Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and a three-piece horn section, keying in on various standards of funk, soul and funky, soulful rock ‘n’ roll. It was nice to hear the DTB so focused—by itself, the band moves so intensely through so many different musical idioms it’s tough to get your arms, not to mention head, around a full set. And that Hey Jude closer, wow—a slow-cooking arrangement close to the one Wilson Pickett cut with Duane Allman at Muscle Shoals and a complete crowd-slayer, provoking the loudest cheers of the afternoon.
Soul Stew Revival setlist:
Tell the Truth, People, I Wants to Be Loved, Anyday, Pack Up Our Things, Hercules, Sugar, Get Out Of My Life Woman > Glad You’re Gone, Hey Jude
Next, no one will ever accuse Umphrey’s McGee of playing an easy, no frills “festival” set—the band went for the jugular in its first-ever (I know, right?) Vibes appearance. Some of the Umphreaks in my neck of the crowd were chattering about how Bayliss and Cinniger looked to be playing new or different guitars—I confess I don’t know the Umphrey’s gear situation well enough to confirm anything—but either way, they were their to shred, driving the bus on long swaths of fierce, proggy jamming. Some of it was tough to get into—one onlooker I saw was trying his best to groove to Plunger and got frustrated with the slippery rhythms—but most of it was deeply involving, and the sextet crammed a lot into an hour and a half that went by like five minutes.
Umphrey’s setlist:
Walletsworth > Wife Soup > “Jimmy Stewart” > Plunger, Words, Bridgeless, Miss Tinkle’s Overture > Ja Junk
