Our pal The Joker from the Coventry Music blog has made his way to Arkansas to cover this weekend’s Wakarusa for HT. He’ll be sending reports each day – on both the scene and the music – and hopefully we’ll get some photos from longtime HT contributor John Schulze who is also on the scene. Here’s The Joker’s report on the first day of the festival…
To start this trip a few friends and I flew from Denver to Tulsa and rented a car to make the trip from Tulsa to Mulberry Mountain for Wakarusa. As we were waiting to board our planes I got a couple of stories from friends who had run into some bad luck on the way there – the Basics Fund Bus got pulled over in Hayes, KS after a State Trooper stopped to question the driver and noticed a stray nugget at his feet. Oops. They were “detained” for several hours while the Troopers ripped apart the bus, but they were eventually allowed to continue on to Wakarusa.
My group got to the festival grounds and finished setting up camp about 8pm. We started a little late in the evening as compared to most of the festivalgoers. The first taste of music I caught was after sundown – Robert Randolph. Robert Randolph always puts on a danceable show, but his setlists lack variety. Randolph brought up Ivan Neville for a strong version of Papa Was A Rolling Stone, but other than that it was a high energy yet standard show.
Next up was Railroad Earth in the Revival Tent. Railroad started off by ripping through jammy, psychedelic versions of Cold Water and Birds of America. The crowd in the tent was so into it and Tim Carbone’s fiddle seemed to breathe new life into an audience who was happy the sun had gone away and could dance under the lights. I was into Railroad Earth’s set and wish I could seen all of it. Since they play again today, and I had a Disco Ball on my head once again, I left early to head to see what madness Bisco would bring.
READ ON for more about Neil’s experience on Day 1 of Wakarusa…
Every year, countless thousands of music fans – from first-timers to seasoned veterans – travel to music festivals of all shapes and sizes. There are many lists of essentials, but here are some of the time honored secrets that can really make your experience better. These suggestions could make the difference from being awakened by the burning sun or sleeping caked in mud. This first post will deal with setting up the best possible camp which means a lot of tips for the rain. The Boy Scouts had it right when they said “Be Prepared!”
[All photos by Jeremy Gordon]
#1 – If you will be camping in your van or SUV, invest in window screens to help you keep the car cool but bug free (or DIY with a roll of screen and some magnets from a home store) and don’t forget pop up solar sun screens.
#2 – If you are tent camping, use old yoga mats to make a tent floor. To make a more comfortable bed place an egg crate on top of your air mattress – or better yet a cot – and a towel underneath to soak up any condensation. Finally, when you leave for the day either put your sleeping stuff & pillow in a car to keep them dry or wrap it up in a blanket to keep moisture and condensation away.
#3 – Bring an extra small plastic bin for shoes – you can leave it right outside your tent or car and shoes won’t get wet or muddy.
READ ON for more tips to make your festival experience great…
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Now that concertgoers who attended Phish’s Festival 8 in Indio this past weekend are home, a slew of amazing clips have been uploaded to the major video sites. Head over to YEMblog for a complete accounting of the better Festival 8 videos, but we just had to share a few more clips of the sign language interpreter we told you about on Sunday, a “Team Hood” vid and a few epic playlists of the Exile On Main Street set and the Acoustic set.
Sign Language Interpreter Rocks out to Bathtub Gin:
Phish @ Festival 8 Acoustic Set Playlist:
READ ON for the Exile playlist, more sign language clips and a purported Team Hood shot video of Torn and Frayed…
In our continuing effort to keep tabs on the coming and goings of past Blips artists, we’re pleased to see Boston electro-rockers Passion Pit – who are currently in the
When guitarist Bill Nershi of the String Cheese Incident announced he’d be leaving the band after their 2007 Summer Tour, we all knew it was just a matter of time before the group known for their eclectic blend of sounds, hula hooping fans and group hoots would return to the scene. It turns out their breakup didn’t even last two years, as the Colorado-based band will stage their comeback at the second annual Rothbury Festival in Michigan.
[Photo by Jennifer Kirk]
Scheduled for July 2 – 5 at the Double JJ Ranch just north of Muskegon, this year’s Rothbury Festival lineup features a solid base of jambands with a number of artists from various genres thrown in for good measure. The Dead, which kicks off their reunion tour in Greensboro on April 12, have been tapped to headline the festie along with String Cheese, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and the Black Crowes.
Tickets for Rothbury 2009 are currently onsale for $229.50 until Friday when the price rises to $249.50. VIP packages of varying degrees of comfort and price ranges including multiple lodging options are available once again this year. As with most other ’09 festivals, a layaway plan is available for those who want to spread the cost out. READ ON for a full list of performers…
