Three Grown Men: H.O.R.D.E 2012 – Expectations and Reservations
Here’s what Three Grown Men are thinking about the possibility of the H.O.R.D.E. tour making a comeback next year…
Conor Kelley
The recent speculation about the H.O.R.D.E. Festival making a resurgence in 2012 has jamband fans buzzing, from the dreadlocked to the collar-popped. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the tour’s first all-star lineup, which ripped listeners away from the Grateful Dead’s concert-opoly and fragmented the scene into dozens of successful nationally touring acts. The “jamband” world officially had a seat at the head table. Being present for the birth of any musical movement is an exciting spectacle I’m sure, though I’ve never had the perfect right time, right place, right hair, right clothes combination to witness it. It’s a rock and roll rarity when the crowd organizes itself and rallies around a group of like-minded and talented bands, but these are the moments that change popular music forever.
[Pass Scan via H.O.R.D.E. page on Bluestraveler.net]
The interesting thing about the first few H.O.R.D.E tours is that the players involved in the original 1992 and 1993 lineups went on to become, by and large, the most commercially successful jam acts of all time. The tour had nothing but pure intentions and backed up the old-world touring band credo: talent + exposure = success.
Bringing H.O.R.D.E back after a 13 year lapse is an interesting move, but will H.O.R.D.E. 2.0 be anything like the original? My hope for the festival is that John Popper returns as organizer, takes the reins and creates something truly special again. He should find a short list of dead-serious bands who just need that extra push from a 600-capacity club into an amphitheater in order to gain a following. That would be the only way to pay homage to what H.O.R.D.E. started in 1992.
READ ON for more from 3GM on the possible return of H.O.R.D.E….
