The family-friendly Life is Good festival which raises funds for the Life is good Kids Foundation – took place this past weekend in Canton, Massachusetts at Prowse Farm. Mather Nature blessed the festival, its guests and the weekend itself with two days of glorious sunny weather with just a splash of rain on Sunday morning. The festival line up boasted international superstars such as Jack Johnson, the Roots and Hall & Oates, but it also included other notable artists that many may not be aware of just yet. This festival was quite impressive. Family-focused, earth-friendly and entertainment for all ages – this was quite a memorable event, with many memorable performances.
Quinn Sullivan
Buddy Guy’s 14-year-old protégé from New Bedford, Massachusetts – walked confidently out on to the Life is good main stage wearing a blue and white T-shit, jeans and sunglasses. After being introduced, he plugged into his sunburst Stratocaster and promptly started his set with Eric Clapton’s “Got To Get Better In A Little While”. His take was very close to the original and his blistering solo was impressive and heartfelt. This first song garnered the crowd’s attention and had them dancing right away. He followed with “Getting’ There”, a solid blues number off of his latest release by the same name. Other highlights in Sullivan’s set included Jimi Hendrix’ “Little Wing” and Getting There’s “Things I Won’t Forget” which sported a similar chord progression to “Sweet Home Alabama” or “Werewolves of London.”
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
Thao Nguyen, from Falls Church, Virginia owned the Positive Purpose stage on Saturday afternoon with her energetic and engaging set. Dressed in a hot pink dress, Nguyen waved to the crowd, smiled, grabbed her hollow-body electric guitar and broke into the groovy “Body” off of her 2009 release, Know Better Learn Faster. Then she asked the crowd, “Who’s going to help sing along to Holy Roller?” her hit single off of her latest album We The Common. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down continued to impress the festival crowd with material from all three of her albums, including the songs, “Kindness Be Conceived”, “When We Swam” and “We The Common”.
Dawes
Hailing from Los Angeles, California – Dawes took to the main stage like rock and roll veterans. Lead vocalist, Taylor Goldsmith was in charge and the audience was completely taken by the band’s presence. Supporting their most recent release, Stories Don’t End, the band played fan favorites and deep cuts alike. Jumping and dancing around in his black jacket, brown pants and shades, Taylor’s guitar solo during “Someone Will” was wild and colorful. The band also graced the crowd with “Time Spent In Los Angeles”, “When My Time Comes” and sing-along, “Fire Away.”
Hall & Oates
Saturday night’s headliners Hall & Oates graced the festival’s main stage by jumping headlong into a few classic hits from their catalog. Daryl Hall was dressed mostly in black with the exception of the glimmer of the red and white of his TV show’s logo that emblazoned his T-shirt and guitar strap. Oates was dressed liked a grizzled rock star as well with an all black western long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans. They opened with “Out of Touch” which pleased the pleased the sea of fans that had gathered to see and hear this pair of song writing titans. The band did not disappoint. They played a smorgasbord of hits, including “Family Man”, “Say It Isn’t So”, “I Can’t Go For That”, “Maneater” and deeper cuts as well. John Oates joking explained that lesser-known “Uncanny” was a song written about gambling – in Vegas of course. Fans of all ages sang and danced along during their entire set.
Bahamas
Fronted by Canada’s Alfie Jervanen, Bahamas had an awkward start to their set. The band dealt with some less than desirable feedback and apparent monitor issues. However, Jervanen’s calm demeanor and sense of humor put the rest of the band and crowd at ease. While waiting for the festival’s techs to solve the problem, Alfie told jokes, explained what they weren’t doing – playing music, and then lofted into a playful instrumental version of Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called To Say I Love You” on his vintage black and white Silvertone. He left it to the audience, who were waiting patiently, to sing the lyrics. Once the levels were set properly, Bahamas played an eclectic mix of new songs from his most recent release Barchords, his first album Pink Guitar and a couple of choice covers. Highlights included his originals “Okay Alright I’m Alive”, the foot-stomp driven “Lost In The Light”, and “Hockey Teeth” – a tale about knocking his front teeth against those of a former girlfriend. Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” was a surprise. Not only was it well done and authentic to the original – it threw the crowd into a frenzy.
Delta Rae
Durham, North Carolina’s Delta Rae took the stage, mid-day with the hot sun beaming down on the restless fans that couldn’t wait to hear the band. After a thorough sound check, mostly to make sure that their vocal mix was spot on – the band of siblings and friends sprang back out on stage to formally greet the crowd. Immediately, the Holljes siblings along with Elizabeth Hopkins’ four part harmonies exploded out upon every available set of ears. Trading lead vocal duties as well during the set, Delta Rae tore through an upbeat and impressive set supporting their debut release Carry The Fire, which included “Unlike Any Other”, the haunting “Bottom Of The River” featuring the stunning Brittany Holljes, a tack sharp cover Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” and “If I Loved You”, co-written by Lindsey Buckingham.
