Bonnaroo days bleed together and it was hard to resist the sun making a full circle upon The Farm, as birds chirped at 5:30am – music still thumping from The Ville and Kalliope. With Eminem, Anderson.Paak, and two sets of Bon Iver today, it seemed hard for them to compare to the rising wave of 16-year-old Billie Eilish. She was the talk of Roo – before, during, and after her set.
Read Part 1 of NYS Music’s Bonnaroo coverage HERE.
Earlier on, she spoke to press about her quick rise to stardom, losing those ‘friends’ close to her and fighting a fake internet-driven world. She was unfiltered and spoke like any 16-year-old would, but something so intriguing and real laid beneath the surface.
It wasn’t until she took the Which Stage that teens flocked and the rest not much older. Whispers and smiles filled the crowd about her age and attitude. That discomfort Eilish felt off-stage suddenly disappeared as the barriers blended into all of Centeroo. Her music is seamless in hope and heartache as intimate feeling slowly cuts.
“Put your hand up if there’s somebody you fucking hate out there,” screamed Eilish – finger pointed up. It was unanimous. She is human and her music speaks to us. Eilish continued in choreographed dance with her brother and stage partner, Finneas O’Connell. They played “Lovely” for the third time ever at her debut-Roo performance as well as the catchy dance groove of “my boy” that’s refreshing, moving Bonnaroovian’s parallel to Eilish.
As Eilish concludes, “Those of you who fuck with me, thank you … And those of you who don’t fuck with me [pause]. Thank you too.” The crowd willing drops to the hay-filled grass with little effort for Eilish during the bridge of her final song. Bodies drive up with hard crashing drums bordering your favorite rock-dub breakdown.
Captivating music and artists like Eilish continued to pour in including rapper, drummer and producer Anderson .Paak, First Aid Kit and Old Crow Medicine Show. Rebelution took That Tent by storm along to Bon Iver’s first set on Which Stage. The Rebel-horns were fiery, screaming out with improv every chance they could. Glowing totems danced with the packed crowd and swayed with lighters on mellow tracks like “Fade Away.”
A white curtain was draped from What Stage as a Godzilla-spoof Eminem appears on screen. The crowd goes nuts and the curtain falls to Slim Shady himself spitting the tongue-twisting Dr. Dre cover “Medicine Man”. It was just like a scene out of 8 Mile – hands swaying back and forth with “Kill You,” “Rap God” and “Like Toy Soldiers.” Fireworks blast into the night sky during “White America.” The set caused immediate controversy about alleged ‘gun shot’ sound effects during the performance.
Bon Iver’s second appearance on Which Stage was poetic. It was hard to categorize it in purely musical terms. It was moving. Opening with a heartfelt acapella chorus of “Heavenly Father.” Likewise, TU Dance accompanied the ensemble with white t-shirts stamped “PEOPLE,” reminding us we are all human. It was as if Bon Iver didn’t exist, there was just music and pure emotion. Iver featured a five-piece trombone section and countless guest including Francis and the Lights, Sylvan Esso, Moses Sumney and Naeem Juwan. It was captivating and the crowd agreed, swaying slowly or too mesmerized to move their eyes away from the stage.
It was unbelievable to think, most haven’t experienced this many bands in a lifetime let alone in three days. Sunday morning crept upon us and frankly it was hard to digest all the music we loved, wanted to see and the ones we didn’t, but had got sucked into the live performance anyway.
For the fourth and final day at Bonnaroo, it hardly felt like the end. Canada’s Broken Social Scene played That Tent with a massive 10-piece band. They could have gone wherever they wanted and still griped the crowd’s attention. “Texico Bitches” and “Shampoo Suicide” moved Bonnaroovian’s equally. The band was drum-driven with dynamic and transparent intent. “I don’t have much to say, we’re just gonna keep playing….On the count of three, let everything out and scream as loud as you can.” The music had taken over. “One more time.” The crowd yelled beyond belief.
By this point Bonnaroo fever had caught up with us – trapped between the heavenly vocals of St. Paul & The Broken Bones or Moon Taxi’s third return to Bonnaroo. St. Paul was unruly, biting the cord and letting the gold microphone dangle from his mouth as the band slows in a mountain-sized retard. The band fades away.
In route to Moon Taxi, you were halted by the experimental trio that is Daniel Caesar. The drums would not let up – what seemed to be a 12 minute constant solo. The keys and bass kept pushing and pulling during “Streetcar,” while Caesar expresses his love of felines. “Do y’all like cats? [crowd cheers] Do y’all know my cats name? I try to facetime my cat every day…dead ass [seriously].”
By the end of Moon Taxi you could feel the world during “Two High.” It was real – invading your brain. We were floating like beach balls as big as the moon. Three of them surfed the crowd during screaming keyboard-synth solos on “Make Your Mind Up”. Seriously, where did they come from?
The band also paid it forward with a rock mashup of “Lose Yourself” [Eminem], “All These Things That I’ve Done” [The Killers] and MUSE’s “Uprising” as the amber-sun came down on Tennessee. When there are just too many bands to see, take the ‘moon taxi’ whistling the melody to “Good As Gold.”
Finally, the end was upon us although it didn’t sink in until you woke up singing “Mr. Brightside” at 6:30 Monday Morning. The Killers were fantastic, bring a Las Vegas strip show to Bonnaroo. Brandon Flowers dressed in an all red suit with gold pleats mirroring a modern day Elvis.The Killers played a Tom Petty tribute of “American Girl” with the intro of “Free Fallin.” It was wild. Fireworks filled the sky. Stage lights were beaming through the night on The Killers first Bonnaroo gig.
Ambient keyboards began. Two notes and Roo instantly goes wild, screaming at the top of their lungs. Flowers licks his lips and grins back at them – then turns slowly to the band. “I don’t think they’re ready. Did you get that one in the back,” he looks out. Bonnarovians are going wild and the keys lean into the same two notes as before. But this time, a little harder and longer…
“Read My Mind” was only the beginning of the end. A near 15 minute wait cued an encore of “The Calling” and “When You Were Young” featuring a collective Bonnaroo choir: I got soul, but I’m not a soldier.
So as you can see this whirlwind we call Bonnaroo is unlike no other. It is ever expanding. The festival takes eight or more months to prepare 24/7 – nearly twice as long as any other festival. With dates booked for June 13-16, 2019. We can only wait to see what will top a fantastic 2018 Roo.
During the seemingly unending winter, Rochesterians yearn for a glimpse of the warming sun. As soon as the summer hits however, a large number of them start ducking in and out of dark halls, churches theaters and clubs, now yearning for a glimpse of some of the greatest musical talent the world over. From June 22 through 30, 2018 Rochester Jazz Fest will once again become one of the hottest destinations for live jazz, and music in general. The 17th edition of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest is bringing 1500 artists from 20 countries to play over 300 shows in 20 different venues. 214 club pass shows, 97 free shows and 5 headliner shows all happening over a 9-day stretch inside 1 square mile. That’s a lot of numbers to crunch, and you just want to see some music. Thankfully we’re here to do the math, calculating the perfect slate for any music lover. Whatever you’re pleasure, there’s a number that fits. Check out our picks below, and don’t forget to also read our tips for the best way to enjoy your time at the fest.
1 Voice
These are the singers we’ll have our eyes on:
https://youtu.be/JJYzPOYHOao
Songs of Freedom Drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. originally put together this show for a special gig at Lincoln Center. It features not just one, but three amazing voices singing songs from not just one but three iconic singers. The show explores the 1960s through through the music of Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell and Abbey Lincoln and will feature the singers Theo Bleckmann, Alicia Olatuja and Joanna Majoko.
June 27, Kilbourn Hall, 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; $35 or Club Pass
Zara McFarlane An award-winning singer from the UK with roots in the Caribbean, McFarlane’s sound adds reggae and soul to a jazz base, but it doesn’t stop there in breaking down new barriers in music. She’s in the thick of a new and young British jazz renaissance and is joined on her latest release by XRIJF alums Moses Boyd, Binker Goldings and Shabaka Hutchings. This won’t be your typical jazz vocal set.
June 25, Christ Church, 6:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
The Suffers
We could easily throw this Houston band into the next category because they’ll certainly get you moving with their big band Gulf Coast soul music, but it all comes back to Kam Franklin and her big time pipes. They’ve wowed at many a festival all around the world, but now it’s Rochester’s turn.
June 28, Harro East, 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Also check out:
Liz Vice June 27, Montage Music Hall, 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Deva Mahal June 30, Harro East, 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
2 Feet
In the mood to dance? Here are some artists that will get your body moving:
St. Germain An innovator of house music, St. Germain is the stage name of Frenchman Ludovic Navarre. He combines jazz, blues and African music with electronic music. Even if you’ve never heard of him, you’ve likely heard him, his songs like “Alabama Blues” and “Rose Rouge” were widespread hits. Even his music that is now decades old sounds fresh and new today.
June 29, City of Rochester East Ave and Chestnut St Stage, 9:00 p.m.; Free
Tower of Power
Going further back, Tower of Power have been blasting their tunes for 50 years and are celebrating as such all year. As appropriate a name in a band as you will find, this horn-based funk and R&B band is truly a towering power, with charting hits like “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”.
June 30, City of Rochester East Ave and Chestnut St Stage, 9:00 p.m.; Free
Moon Hooch
Moon Hooch resides somewhere in between St. Germain and Tower of Power, the up-and-coming three piece combines bombastic saxophones with eclectic drumming to arrive in an electronic music space via a more organic path. It’s unique and will make your mind spin, but it’ll also get your feet moving.
June 24, Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 8:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
June 25, Montage Music Hall, 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Also check out:
Ghost-Note with Mononeon June 27, Harro East, 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
June 28, Squeezers Stage at Anthology, 7:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Mwenso and the Shakes June 23, Xerox Auditorium, 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
6 Strings
Here are some musicians that will be lighting fires with axes:
Scott Sharrard
You may have caught Sharrard a couple of years ago as a part of the late Greg Allman’s band when he headlined at the Eastman Theatre. Sharrard was a long-time member and musical director of Allman’s band, but he also has a long solo career of his own. Now he’s fronting his Brickyard Band, playing raw and vital blues rock. They’ll be bringing material from their forthcoming album, Saving Grace.
June 22, City of Rochester East Ave and Chestnut St Stage, 9:00 p.m.; Free June 23, City of Rochester Jazz St Stage, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; Free
Stephane Wrembel
The mantra of the festival might be “It’s not who you know, it’s who you don’t know,” though after 17 years it’s tough not to have return visits. Wrembel is coming back for the 5th time, and has been a fan favorite every year. He returns almost yearly for non-festival shows and even recorded a live album in town at the Lovin’ Cup a few years ago. We probably don’t need to tell you, but you won’t want to miss his set this year either.
June 29, Max of Eastman Place, 6:15 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Ron Artis II and the Truth
If you’re looking for a fresh-faced axe slinger to blow you away, look no further than Ron Artis. This Hawaiian band oozes soul and backs it with exhilarating instrumentation. They’ll bring material from their recently released debut album, Soul Street, and will leave town with a whole bunch of new fans.
June 22, Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 8:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
June 23, Montage Music Hall, 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Also check out:
Jack Broadbent June 23, Harro East, 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass June 24, Xerox Auditorium, 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Torben Waldorff June 27, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
50 Stars, 13 Stripes
That’s the flag we’re referencing there, and these are acts steeped in Americana:
Pokey Lafarge
Another returnee, Pokey Lafarge is coming back to the festival after six years away. In our review of his Lilac Festival set a few years back, we noted “his music does pull from many early music influences like Western swing, ragtime, old-time country and jazz, it manages to rise above a simple throwback.”
June 29, City of Rochester Stage at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, 9:00 p.m.; Free
Alison Krauss
Grammy-winning bluegrass, folk and country singer Alison Krauss comes to the festival behind her critically-acclaimed new album Windy City, her first without Union Station in a decade. Her smooth-as-silk voice will be even more front and center than usual and the show will be as captivating as you’ve come to expect.
June 27, Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 8:00 p.m.;$115/$105/$85/$70 or Club Pass
Dustbowl Revival
One of our favorite finds from last year’s fest, Dustbowl Revival, “a string band with a horn section, used each of its eight pieces to their advantage, moving from swing to ska to folk to blues to funk to rock and everything in between.” Anyone who caught them last year will certainly be on their way to see them again.
June 24, Harro East, 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Also check out:
Junior Brown June 26, Squeezers Stage at Anthology, 7:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
As always there’s plenty of piano talent to go around, these are the ones we’re most excited to check out:
The Bad Plus
Genre-bending trio The Bad Plus premiered material from a forthcoming album featuring singer Wendy Lewis at the festival in 2008. It was quite the surprise at the time. Ten years later they finally return, and again have a lineup change. Pianist Ethan Iverson left the band at the end of last year, and was replaced by Orrin Evans. The band promptly released a new album, Never Stop II, and we’ll get a peek at some of that material and a lot more.
June 23, Temple Building, 7:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Pilc Moutin Hoenig Heavily improvised and inventive, this trio out of New York featuring Jean-Michel Pilc, Francoise Moutin and Ari Hoenig. Each brings their individual instrumental prowess together to form something wholly unique. For the full experience, you can also catch Pilc perform solo piano at the Hatch Hall on the next night (at 5:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.).
June 28, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Gogo Penguin
They played their first ever North American gig in Rochester when they nearly topped our list of the 10 best sets of the 2015 festival. They’ve expanded their reach and have been winning fans the world over. “The music is thoroughly melodic, not veering into traditional solos, and taking cues from both classical and pop music for a unique sound that isn’t immediately identifiable as jazz.” Our most anticipated returning artist is a toss-up between Gogo Penguin and The Bad Plus. We wouldn’t miss either!
June 28, Xerox Auditorium, 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Also check out:
Django Bates Beloved June 23, Christ Church, 6:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
The skies the limit with these artists who push the boundaries of music:
House of Waters
It’s your one chance to see the hammered dulcimer at the festival, so thankfully it’s a player, Max ZT who NPR calls the “Jimi Hendrix of hammered dulcimer.” Forget everything you know about the instrument as ZT has all but reinvented the sound. With jazz bassist Moto Fukushima and South American drummer Ignacius Rivas Bixio, House of Waters creates a musical blend unlike any you’ve ever heard.
June 26, Max of Eastman Place, 6:15 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Matt Wilson’s Honey and Salt Band
Wilson’s latest project, the Honey and Salt Band, plays music inspired by, and including the words of the poetry of Carl Sandburg. It is off-beat and quirky, funny and fun and will have you smiling ear to ear for the duration of their set. You kind of just need to go see it.
June 30, Kilbourn Hall, 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; $35 or Club Pass
Beats and Pieces Big Band
A big band for the next generation, bandleader Ben Cottrell conducts this 14-piece outfit out of Manchester, England. Their music is equal parts rocking, jazzy and ethereal. The band’s lineup hasn’t changed much in ten years making for a supremely tight group that has incredible agility for a band of this size. Expect the unexpected.
June 24, Christ Church, 6:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Also check out:
Trail of Souls June 25, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Shake Stew June 27, Xerox Auditorium, 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; $30 or Club Pass
Be sure and check out the full schedule and download the app at rochesterjazz.com to construct your own nightly schedule.
Governors Ball Music Festival returned to Randall’s Island Park last weekend for its eighth year in a row, bringing a mainstream savvy lineup that spanned an array of genres as well as several decades in music. Nearly 150,000 people trekked to the scenic Manhattan locale, to rock and dance it out to the newest in electronic pop, the hippest in indie folk, some of the best in hop hop, and much more.
FRIDAY
Friday kicked off by bringing both some newer, big solo artist names and a few modern rock legends. Something interesting to note about Gov Ball’s lineup this year was the high percentage of non-US-based artists. On the Bacardi Stage, British foursome Wolf Alice tore through a ferocious set of their brand of garage rock, whipping up the first day audience into a frenzy right away and holding them there for the duration of their performance. Meanwhile, Canadian breakout artists Alvvays, whom took to the Gov Ball Main Stage, and Australian four piece Pond, whom rocked the Honda Stage, brought in their sets shades of dreamy shoegaze and psychedelic pop.
Maggie Rogers, later on, was beaming from the Gov Ball stage in a fluorescent stormy weather dress, channeling a hipster, young version of Ms. Frizzle. She, like many of the other breakout artists lighting up GovBall 2018, expressed her humility at getting to perform the event. She quipped at the end of her set:, “Can you believe that mother****ing Karen O is about to be standing on this stage in just a bit??” Karen O did indeed take the stage just a bit later, with her defining alternative rock group Yeah Yeah Yeahs, for one of the first hugely anticipated rock sets of the weekend.
Governors Ball did well to line up their Honda Stage with some very fresh names in the music world. Shawn Mendes was announced closer to the event as a special set and, as he explained to GovBall’s Friday crowd, it was personally special to him. He told the audience that the Governors Ball was one of the first music festivals he had ever attended. Rapper Post Malone was certainly another highly anticipated act of the first day, and he delivered the goods on many of the songs that have accompanied his fast recent rise, like “Candy Paint” and “Paranoid,” and a set closer of “Congratulations.” Damian Marley, meanwhile, brought his reggae-inspired hip-hop to the lineup for a very fun performance that even included a story about telling Bruno Mars to smoke pot. Eventually, towards the end, he offered great, danceable covers of his father’s “Exodus” and “Could You Be Loved?”
Jack White returned to Governors Ball for his first appearance at the event since 2014. After an early surprise of “Lazaretto,” the guitarist offered much from the White Stripes’ catalogue, including “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” “Hotel Yorba,” and “Black Math.” White is a guitar player of a strict artistic sense—it may not pull the ripcord quite like other heavy hitters, but every time the solo is sure to be unique in both tone and melody. He split up of some of the sonic madness with a brief acoustic portion featuring tunes like “The Same Boy You’ve Always Known” and “We’re Going to Be Friends.”
Opposite him, James Blake delivered quite a different kind of closing show—deep, mellow, at times almost downright sullen in his surreal kind of new age soul. While Jack White basked in a backdrop of bizarro blue light, Blake’s set was a cool, minimalist light show that silhouetted himself and his two bandmates. The effect complimented the soft intensity of his songs and kept the focus on the singing and the playing.
SATURDAY
Saturday morning started big and bright with a few up and coming singers. New Nashville crooner Mikky Ekko shined with “Stay,” his hit song which features guest singer Rihanna, while Cuco and his backing band kicked off the American Eagle stage. Early on the Honda stage, GovBall spanned the US, first bringing Los Angeles’ The Regrettes—punk in a clean package—followed by NYC’s own VHS Collection. As the name might suggest, VHS Collection throw fresh digs on an old school sound, and the result encompasses, in a way, a lot of the musical aesthetic running through GovBall’s lienup—a love note to the past that’s written in shiny, forward-looking letters.
Galantis, for instance, are about as fresh as live electronic music gets. Their jam is club music made for a sunny day in a New York City park, so they were right at home Saturday mid day at GovBall. Galantis grooves are mechanical yet often feel good at times, all while keeping a sense of nuance and experimentation in their work—as if to say, we’re serious about our craft here but not without having some fun. And some big fun at that: for their set’s end, the electronic duo were leaping among exploding columns of smoke and glitter.
Rivaling Post Malone and Shawn Mendes and James Blake for big time single name performer was the Grammy Award-nominated Halsey. Thousands of fans flocked to catch her flawless presentation of pop magic. In her path towards super stardom, Halsey has remained a down-to-earth artist for the people. She sung her heart out on songs about tackling the patriarchy, dealing with drug issues, LBGT rights, and more.
Of course, many, many GovBall attendees were waiting to see the hyped-up debut performance of Silk City—the combined talents of electronic superstar Diplo and mega music producer Mark Ronson. The result was a nicely dressed combo of beats and remixes that mixed in touches of coastal-groove, hip hop and more. Many acts helped to dazzle out Governors Ball weekend with visually striking and ambitious set pieces, and Silk City were not in the least in that department. A mini cityscape towered behind, boasting all kinds of street sigs, while Ronson and Diplo did their thing above a bright blue, emblazoned signature of their name.
With the hard-hitting “Stay Vicious” revving things off, The Gaslight Anthem took to the Gov Ball main stage Saturday night and charged their way through a tremendous twenty-five songs—twelve of which comprised the entirety of the band’s groundbreaking album The 59 Sound. Quite the big to-do, but the band certainly delivered all the favorite bits of the record: like the heavy “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues,” and the extra tender “Here’s Looking At You, Kid.” As Anthem furrowed through a third block of songs for their GovBall set, the rain started and would soon enough be a “true test of will” kind of downpour. But the show raged on, especially also for Travis Scott, taking the Honda Stage opposite Anthem. Scott gave live versions of tracks he’s collaborated on with some of the biggest in the game—”4 AM” with 2 Chainz, “Through the Late Night” with Kid Cudi, “Goosebumps” with Kendrick Lamar.
SUNDAY
An early highlight of the festival’s third morning were Middle Kids—another breakout foursome from Australia that, like many other artists on this year’s lineup, have been successful in taking the indie world by storm, and after debuting their brand of folky garage rock only a couple of years ago. While other artists on the list ride high on the rock charts, Margo Price might be considered the newest queen of country. In addition to her own material, she offered covers of Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River” and Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” Even after laying down a full set of her pop Americana, she enthralled the crowd all the more by jumping on a second drum set for a crazy breakdown ending.
Across the way, Khalid delivered a soulful, emotional set of his many beautiful songs. Kicking off with favorites like “8TEEN,” “American Teen” and “Coaster,” Khalid had one of the most massive daytime crowds of the weekend. One of the most thankful offerings was “Silence,” the song that Khalid introduced as having written with his good friend, EDM producer Marshmello. At the same time, Third Eye Blind amassed a surrounding of their own sort, perhaps more nostalgic but no less enthusiastic. After they had cranked out a few rocking early numbers, a grateful Stephen Jenkins said to TEB’s ecstatic audience, “Thank you for keeping our music alive.”
Shortly after them, one the most bombastic sets thrown down the whole weekend came from N.E.R.D, the hip-hop hard rock group centering around Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shay Haley. In a curious surprise opening bit, N.E.R.D had a young kid address the Honda Stage crowd with a moving speech about working hard for your dreams and overcoming adversity. Once done, Pharrell and company rushed the stage and alighted the scene fast. The performers never once stopped moving, circumventing the stage with a raucous energy matched also by their jubilant dance troupe. Pharrell, in between bringing hits from both N.E.R.D’s early days from over a decade ago and newer favorites, called out the crowd to help bring about all the vintage gems of intimate rock concert—crowd surfing, mosh pits, and getting everybody to get off the ground simultaneously.
Sylvan Esso delivered a black and white set of sorts, showing the range of their appeal. The first half of their hour on the Bacardi Stage stayed to a very mellow side of their electronic pop. But by the time the duo had to take their leave, they had found their way into a zone and were syncing up beats and vocals brilliantly, and the energy was overflowing through the finish. “The only way I can describe this feeling of playing Governors Ball,” a wide-eyed, out-of-breath Amelia Meath said, “is that I hope, one day, you also get to perform in front of thousands of people in the finest ice skating leotard imaginable!”
At the conclusion of Governors Ball 2018, Randall’s Island fought a second battle with some vicious rain, but that didn’t stop a dynamic, larger-than-life set from the lineup’s musical crown jewel for the weekend, Eminem. Droves of people, groups of friends, aged from mid teens to mid forties, were screaming along with the modern hip-hop phenom. Halfway through, for a huge surprise, the performer invited up another legend in 50 Cent, who stayed for versions of “Patiently Waiting,” “In Da Club,” “I Get Money” and “Crack a Bottle.” Eminem steered the end of his tenacious, spot-on performance with a slew of the classics, including “My Name Is” followed by “The Real Slim Shady.” People who had retreated to dodge the increasing rainfall were sprinting back through the mud once “Lose Yourself” was dropping as the big encore.
Intrepid Travelers performed the fifth and final show of their Cinco En Mayo Residency at Nietzsche’s on Thursday, May 31. “Freedom” was the theme for the night and the band took that as an opportunity to be “free” of any theme, and to play all the original tunes that had yet to be played this month. “Stand The Heat” was aborted as an audience member shouting “Free Bird!” was challenged to come up and play the song.
“Free Bird” featured Sean MacNamara (aka Free Bird Guy) from Mosswalk on guitar and vocals. “Stand The Heat” featured MacNamara on guitar. “Get IT To You” was dedicated to former IT bassist David Neimanis and featured teases from each residency theme: “Get Up Offa That Thing” from the James Brown Birthday show (May 3), “When I’m Sixty-Four” from Over 65 Night (May 10), “End Credits Theme” from Spongebob Night (May 17), and “Hedwig’s Theme” from John Williams Night (May 24). Watch the entire show below:
Setlist: Dark Disease > On Inside, All About It ~> Authority > Stand The Heat > Free Bird(1)% > Stand The Heat% > Get IT To You%
(1) Lynyrd Skynard
% Sean McNamara from Mosswalk on electric guitar
On June 21, celebrate Solstice at the 3rd annual Intrepid Travelers festival. The festival returns this year with a new name, on a new weekend, in a new location, with a new vibe! Join IT at the beautiful “G” Lodge in Hannibal, NY for an unforgettable weekend of community, experience, and most of all, music. Enjoy 5 sets of Intrepid Travelers, special guest musicians, open jams for fellow musicians, vendors, and an intimate gathering like no other. Get tickets here.
Summer Camp Music Festival 2018 was a circus of strange artistic juxtapositions, wild forays into the outer limits of musical expression, and once-in-a-lifetime interactions between friends, new and old, both on stage and in the crowd. Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment has fine-tuned this ever-growing event to highlight all the glitz and grunge that makes a proper music festival special, not to mention that the lineup, amenities and culture of Summer Camp continue to set the standard for what fans have come to expect at a major festival.
It was a smooth entry into Three Sisters Park for festival goers during the day on Thursday, and while traffic increased over the weekend, there was no painful gridlock or major incidents to report. It was fun to see the dramatic increase in campsites from Thursday to Friday, and more impressive is the way in which Summer Camp maximizes the grounds to comfortably contain so many attendees, stages, and facilities within a single, highly accessible loop.
While Thursday was essentially a bonus day of music before the headliners took over the main stages for the weekend, the first night of shows was nothing to scoff at as Beats Antique, Crosseyed and Phishless, Lettuce, Porn and Chicken, Steady Flow, Keller Williams, Yonder Mountain String Band and others took turns knocking it out of the park.
Crosseyed and Phishless had the Starshine Stage rolling, treating fans to Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd covers and teasing them with “Fluffhead” throughout the set without ever playing the Phan favorite. Beats Antique followed on the Starshine stage, successfully bringing the crowd to a boil as twilight faded into neon. Lettuce’s Starshine Stage set was one of the most talked about shows of the weekend: a flawless masterwork of psychedelic funk that had the whole field moving in waves.
Porn and Chicken’s “in-your-face” dubstep set filled out the Vibe Tent for the first time, which also started the process of transforming one of the busiest dance floors at Scamp into a mud pit. Eliot Lipp, a veteran producer based out of New York, delivered a set of his unique precision flow dance grooves, keeping the young crowd moving on their toes, as the grassy floor continued to give way to mud.
The Camping Stage hosted shows throughout the day on Thursday, but it really got rocking at night. Space Carnival, from Ithaca, New York, played an exciting set of extended, spacey jams that had the growing crowd dancing. Louisville’s Quiet Hollers took the stage next, impressing listeners in their Summer Camp return. Scamp veterans, Steady Flow’s heavy gumbo funk attracted a slew of fans, and by the time they covered Dr. Dre’s “What’s the Difference Between Me and You,” the crowd was packed and everybody in it was straight coastin’.
It was the Campfire Stage, however, that set the tone for the weekend on Thursday night. The Kyle Hollingsworth Band delighted fans by welcoming Hollingsworth’s String Cheese Incident bandmate, Jason Hann, who was there to perform with EOTO, to the stage. KHB was joined later by living legend Keller Williams, who helped close out the set with “I Know You Rider.” Keller, who has played Scamp more times than anyone but moe., took to the Campfire Stage next for his own show. Yonder Mountain String Band, who was joined by Alie Kral, played a gorgeous set of traditional bluegrass, then dubbed it the “Yonder Mountain Sausage Party” and walked off stage, promising better ratios later in the weekend.
The VIP upgrade at Summer Camp is worth it for the exclusive sets alone, but the other amenities provided with it make it a great deal. The VIP sets on Thursday were not to be missed. Headliners Umphrey’s McGee played their first sets of the weekend, first an intimate umVIP set, which was then followed by a late-night Red Barn show that featured fan favorites “Slacker,” “Out of Order,” “Blue Echo,” and “Resolution” and a cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” Other VIP highlights included shows by Break Science, EOTO, and the one-off Nine Inch Nails tribute Nailed It!, featuring Eliot Lipp and members of Cherub, Umphrey’s McGee, and Zoogma.
Three Sisters Park was packed with people by Friday. Tents were being pitched deeper and deeper in the forest and green space was disappearing rapidly in the field. But as the weekend population of Chillicothe steadily rose, so did the jubilation in the air, and anticipation for everyone’s favorite artists.
Friday got off to a hot start as Keller and the Keels broke in the Sunshine Stage early in the afternoon. Moe. followed suit by breaking in the Moonshine Stage afterwards. Moe. opened their first set with Pink Floyd’s “Breathe,” worked through an extended “Puebla,” mirrored the stormy skies with an apropos version of “Haze,” and finally ended early when lightning shut down the festivities for the time being.
The rain held off after some brief showers, but from then on things got very complicated for fans as there were literally dozens of primo acts playing in competing timeslots, people had to pick and choose who they wanted to see and how long they wanted to stay. First Twiddle, Protoje, and Keys ‘n Krates battled for fans; then it was Yonder Mountain String Band, John Medeski’s Mad Skillet, and Con Brio who shared a time slot; the wealth of riches continued with Lettuce, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, and Organ Freeman playing at the same time; and finally SOJA, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and Nikki Lane made fans make yet another tough decisions on where to spend their time.
After the action packed evening, headliners Umphrey’s McGee launched into their first main stage set of the weekend. The set featured the debut of “Triangle Tear,” a song off of the brand new album it’s you, sit-ins by Lettuce members Eric “Benny” Bloom and Ryan Zoidis on The Police’s “Canary in a Coalmine” and “Booth Love,” who were then joined by pedal-steel guitarist Mike Racky for a cover of Sturgill Simpson’s “Call to Arms” which ended the first set.
Between UM sets, Tipper filled the Moonshine amphitheater to the brim with fans anxiously awaiting the Englishman’s Journey set, which featured a one-off collaboration with visual artist Steven Haman, adding elusive three-dimensional visuals to the mix as Tipper moved from downtempo ambience to uptempo grooves as the set progressed. It’s safe to say Tipper had a successful Summer Camp debut, as he absolutely packed the house, delivered a fire set, and left half the festival in exuberant reflection and wanting more.
Umphrey’s McGee returned to the Sunshine Stage and played a string of classics. They opened with “Ocean Billy,” followed with a “Remind Me” > “Miss Tinkle’s Overture” > “Wappy Sprayberry” > “Remind Me” sandwich. Nigel Hall, of Lettuce, then joined Bayliss and company on keys for “Den.” After a brief pause, UM encored with another 2018 debut, “Half Delayed,” followed by another classic, “Partyin’ Peeps.”
The parade of talent was hardly over after the headliners exited the stage on Friday night. In fact, the party went long into the night, but once again fans had to make some tough decisions on whom to see. Slightly Stoopid, EOTO, and Zoogma all played at the same time, as did R.L. Grime, The Funk Hunters, The Rumpke Mountain Boys, and Marco Benevento; and while Break Science and Zomboy played outstanding electronic sets at the Vibe Tent, Pink Talking Fish performed in the Soulshine Tent, and Buffalo’s Aqueous played a wild two-hour, six-song set at the Campfire Stage, letting Scampers feast on their deep exploratory improvisation. The set also featured a “Cliffs of Dover” bustout, playing it for the first time in 300 plus shows, and the debut of Oysterhead’s “Pseudo Suicide.”
The VIP lineup for Friday was even more ridiculous than Thursday. The special sets kicked off early, with Kyle Hollingsworth and Joel Cummins pairing up for a keyboard soiree. Keller Williams, the busiest player on the scene, did another set for the lounge while the rest of the stacked schedule included shows by Horseshoes & Handgrenades, Spafford, and The Werks, plus late-night Red Barn sets by moe. and Twiddle.
Regardless of which adventure one chose to explore on Friday, there was ample fun and too much brilliant music for one person to take in, so you couldn’t go wrong. But before any of it got started, I had the pleasure of speaking with Greg Ormont, vocalist and guitarist from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, to bring you a bird’s eye view of the festivities. Fresh off of two sold out 930 Club shows in Washington, D.C. and a headlining slot for the sold out Domefest, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong arrived at Summer Camp riding a high wave. Greg’s energy ahead of the Pigeons show was evident, as he was jubilant in describing Summer Camp, saying “this festival is awesome because a lot of our friends play here. So it’s a reunion for the artists—our buddies Aqueous are here, I just saw the Main Squeeze last night—it’s nice to be around the water cooler with all the homies again and the crowd out here is wild. It’s a rowdy group of people who love music.” After Friday, I could not agree more.
Before the music got started on Saturday, I spoke with Rob Hauk, Dave Loss, and Evan McPhaden of Aqueous, who, having just played a dynamic late-night set a few hours earlier, echoed Scrambled Greg’s sentiments. It’s so refreshing to know that these brilliant musicians can appreciate a festival for the same reasons that so many of the fans do—of course, the music—but, as guitarist Dave Loss said of Summer Camp, “It’s like a homecoming. A lot of our friends are here and it’s always fun to play in the Midwest.” Drummer Rob Hauk added, “The fans out here like our edge.” It’s this humble vibe, paired with outsized talent, which makes the whole Summer Camp experience one to savor for fans and artists alike.
Like Friday, Saturday offered a full slate of insanely juxtaposed sets from so many strangely complementary artists. The Moonshine and Sunshine Stages hosted wildly diverse rosters of music all day long. Spafford, the rapidly ascending jamsters from Arizona, started the day’s proceedings on the Sunshine stage with a hot set. They were followed in the heat by the veteran Colorado jamgrass outfit Leftover Salmon, who kept it cool jamming on classics and fresh cuts from their new album Something Higher. Just to keep it interesting, organizers followed that up with Action Bronson’s set of hardcore, humorous rap. STS9 hit the Sunshine Stage next and sounded out a seriously sexy show replete with liquid grooves, tight rhythms, and danceable jams. Despite the heat, STS9 had the crowd dialed into the party throughout their show. While there were still the familiar rumblings of jaded Tribe fans hankering for the old days following the show, the band at present is at the height of their powers and continuing to progress as a unit.
Headliners Umphrey’s McGee finished out the night on the Sunshine Stage again on Saturday. The first set included classics like “Plunger,” “Glory,” “2×2,” and “Hurt Bird Bath,” plus the always bouncing Snoop Dogg track “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None),” with percussionist Andy Farag on vocals. The sextet returned with a “Mulche’s Odyssey” > “It Doesn’t Matter” > “Mulche’s Odyssey” combo that led into the live debut of “Seasons,” another cut from it’s you. Other second set highlights included a smooth cover of Prince’s “1999” and solid takes on “Dump City” and “August.” A “Jajunk” encore concluded an eventful day at the Sunshine Stage.
The Moonshine Stage also featured crazy variety on Saturday. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to catch Mike Dillon in one of his various projects, it will come as no surprise that the Punk Rock Percussion Consortium he led at Summer Camp was the most unique show of the whole weekend. Being a percussionist extraordinaire, it only makes sense that Dillon brought the drum circle, a music festival campground staple, to the main stage. Featuring a number of special guests, the drum circle included about a dozen musicians simultaneously playing various percussion instruments on Mike Dillon’s original compositions. Indie-rockers Guster followed the Percussion Consortium, and vocalist Ryan Miller summed up the whole Scamp vibe, saying, “Thank you to the curators of this fucked-up, weird festival.”
The weirdness was in full effect as classic hip-hop foursome Cypress Hill took over the Moonshine Stage for their much anticipated set. The crowd was into the hits “Insane in the Brain” and “Dr. Greenthumb,” but there was also a deluge of in-and-out traffic for the show, as a number of the attendees only showed for a song or two just to say that they had seen Cypress Hill.
The crowd could not have been more different for moe.’s first set on Saturday. The amphitheater was packed with moe. fans who were delighted to be there and weren’t going any further than the next dance step took them. There was bliss in the air as the band opened with “Billy Goat,” featuring bassist Rob Derhak’s signature vocals and basslines. Ain’t nobody live forever, indeed, but everyone in attendance was grateful and ecstatic for Rob’s Summer Camp return. The first set also saw the band do fan favorites “Kids” and an adventurous version of “Rebubula.” The quintet came out blazing in the second set, covering Pink Floyd’s “Time” and “Breathe” before starting a saucy “Plane Crash,” which transitioned into a “Buster” > “Silver Sun” jam. To cap it off, the rockers encored with the end of “Plane Crash” before finishing with the debut of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.”
The Saturday late-night lineup was up to snuff as well, with The Werks crushing the long jams all night, with beaming versions of “OG,” “Headin’ South,” and “Going Round,” plus a tasty “Hard to Find” > “Lights Out” > “Hard to Find” sandwich. Meanwhile, Z-Trip and Liquid Stranger kept the Vibe Tent packed with people until the end of the night. Sun Stereo also pulled off one of the coolest tribute sets of the weekend with their Sun Stereo Battles the Pink Robots set, during which they played songs from The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Once again the late-night VIP shows were stellar on Saturday, with Aqueous, STS9, and Keys n’ Krates all taking the stage.
Sunday’s schedule had absolutely no slack in it either: all of the headliners played, a handful of festival mainstays joined the fray, and a wealth of up-and-comers took to the stage. Longstanding, influential rockers Los Lobos played a crowded show under the scorching sun to start the final day on the Moonshine Stage, proving that they can still work their magic after all these years. Victor Wooten also made the most of his time at Summer Camp, playing three sets on Sunday. The Victor Wooten Trio set on the Moonshine Stage, featuring drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini, treated fans to some of the most fun and savvy musicianship of the weekend. J.J. Grey and Mofro added a set of bluesy originals and poignant covers, including John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” Tycho dropped in for a set of ambient electronica played before a large crowd at the Moonshine Stage.
Fittingly, moe.’s two Sunday sets closed out the Moonshine Stage in style. They opened the first set with the rocker “Seat of My Pants,” went back to the Led Zeppelin catalogue for a cover of “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do,” and finished the first set with a flourish, pairing “Lazarus” and “Moth.” Moe. returned with purpose, letting drummer Vinnie Amico lead the band into “Brent Black” which was followed by two gems, “Bullet” and “Kyle’s Song,” that had all the moe.rons singing along. “Four” > “Brent Black (Reprise)” concluded the set, but moe. was not about to stop there, as they encored with tasty takes on “New York City” and “Wind It Up,” putting the final touches on a heady weekend of music.
The Sunshine Stage was stacked with headliners all day Sunday. Umphrey’s McGee played their final set of the weekend, a concise show that saw two more it’s you debuts, “Xmas at Wartime” and “Push & Pull,” a funky “Mail Package,” plus a multi-layered chain-jam featuring “Bridgeless,” “Great American,” “Tribute to the Spinal Shaft,” “Whistle Kids,” and a cover of Toto’s “Africa.” (Weezer fans eat your heart out!)
Sunday was the hottest day of the festival, with temperatures climbing toward 100 degrees, but Greensky Bluegrass was able to match the heat with a sweltering late afternoon set of bluegrass, priming the massive crowd for the Phil Lesh shows that were to follow on the Sunshine Stage.
Phil Lesh is one of the original beacons from which music festivals draw inspiration and he has played at nearly every major festival and venue in America, so it was a great pleasure to witness his Summer Camp debut. He brought with him the Terrapin Family Band and a friend by the name of Eric Krasno, but there were many more surprises in store. Phil opened with a pair of classics, “Alligator” and “Brown-Eyed Women” before bringing Anders Beck from Greensky Bluegrass up to play on “Cassidy.” Next, Phil picked another one from the Pigpen-era songbook, playing a scorching “Mr. Charlie.” He then invited moe. guitarist Al Schnier to the stage to help with “Jack Straw” and Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” The first set closed with “Dancing in the Streets,” which had everybody moving in sync and ready for more Dead jams. When the band emerged for the second set, Al Schnier was once again on stage, playing lead on a sizzling “Shakedown Street.” Crowd favorites “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” followed, but Phil was pulling no punches on Sunday and unleashed a beautiful “St. Stephen” > “Terrapin Station” combo, only to venture into a raucous “Viola Lee Blues” that drifted into a cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In the Free World” which ended the second set. In typical fashion, Phil returned with a donor rap honoring Cody, his liver donor, before encoring with Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” accompanied by JJ Grey and the Mofro horn section.
The headliners were the highlight on Sunday, but the schedule was packed all day. Diplo played the final Moonshine Stage show, packing it one last time, and dropping the set of the weekend for a lot of Scampers. A number of bands growing in popularity, such as Backup Planet, Future Rock, Kung Fu, Mungion and Sun Stereo also performed throughout the day, plus the VIP stages hosted even more unique performances, including shows by Tyler Childers, Mike Dillon, Liquid Stranger, Tauk, Victor Wooten, and a special show by Everyone Orchestra. The Everyone Orchestra featured an All-Star lineup, with members of Umphrey’s McGee, moe., The Terrapin Family Band, Roosevelt Collier, Mike Dillon, and more, and was played in celebration of the Make-a-Difference Village—the extensive outreach program hosted by Summer Camp Music Festival that benefits a plethora of nonprofit organizations and good causes over the weekend.
While there were plenty of heartwarming moments at Summer Camp, one of the most heartening experiences was speaking with Aaron Ghitelman of HeadCount, an organization founded by the Disco Biscuits’ Mark Brownstein that registers voters. HeadCount is now in its fourteenth year of existence and continues to grow throughout the music scene and beyond, with a presence at more than 1,000 events per year. Not only are HeadCount volunteers handing out Bobo’s Oat Bars for music fans who register to vote at events like Summer Camp all across the United States, they are gaining significant support from the artists themselves. In speaking with Ghitelman, he said, “Al Schnier was one of the first artists after Brownie to get involved, which led to Bob Weir’s involvement.” Artist engagement with HeadCount is on the rise, too. David Byrne, Dead and Co., Jack Johnson, Lake Street Dive, Dave Matthews, and Phish have all played a role in supporting HeadCount. Look for HeadCount at Participation Row on Dead and Co. tour, at Lockn’ Music Festival, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Steel, the Capitol Theater, SPAC, and many other venues this summer.
That’s a wrap on Summer Camp 2018! In a phrase, it was fireworks, calliopes, and clowns. The music never stops, so we will see you next year, Scampers, until then check out our coverage of all the summer’s hottest concerts in New York and beyond.
A good music festival can be just as much about the patrons as it is the bands that are playing. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to find the perfect mix of the two. When that happens, it creates a truly harmonious feeling that every single attendee will take with them even after they leave the festival grounds. This pretty much sums up what Domefest is every year, especially in 2018.
This would be the 9th version of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s annual event, and it would prove to be the biggest and best one so far. With a sellout crowd of 1500 smiling faces ready to dance and have a good time, this flock would provide more than enough sunshine despite the rainy conditions that would persist throughout the fest.
The opening Thursday night music got the weekend started off with a bang. The Magic Beans, Formula 5, and Strange Machines warmed up the hungry crowd on the main stage while Shwizz took the set break duties on the side stage. Of course, this is the Pigeons’ festival, and they let everyone know who the headliners were when they took the stage Thursday night.
Playing to the theme of “Throwback Thursday,” the band’s only one-set show of the weekend would not disappoint. This was also lead guitarist Jeremy Schon’s actual birthday, so fittingly, the band started off the set with some birthday wishes. Most notable in this set was the bust out of two songs, “Candy” and “Dutchmaster,” both of which hadn’t been played since 2012 and 2011, respectively. Just to pull the curtain back on this moment for the readers a little, there’s a very good friend of mine (and the band’s) named Mike. He is, quite probably, Pigeons fan number 1 and “Dutchmaster” was his golden goose that he had basically resigned to the band never playing again. So when they called him out by name and dedicated the song to him, it was one of those special band/fan moments that you just can’t help but smile and feel good about. After the Pigeons set, The Mantras would take the crowd deep on the late night stage well into the night. Needless to say, despite the wetness and mud, day 1 was a great indicator of what the rest of the weekend would entail.
Friday would bring more rain and mud, but more importantly, more great music and good vibes. I’ve never seen a festival crowd happier to be out in the rain and sloshing around in the mud. It seemed like a literal afterthought on everyone’s mind and that feeling was infectious. It was rainy in the campgrounds, but sunny in our hearts.
The music on Friday afternoon featured Flux Capacitor, Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers, West End Blend, and Headless Robot. Mateo Monk and Cycles would take care of music during the setlist breaks, save for one set break featuring Schwa, which is the side project of Pigeons’ bassist Ben Carrey. Broccoli Samurai then set the stage for the first two-set P4 show of the weekend.
As the first Pigeons set started, it started to become apparent that something wasn’t right with Greg’s voice. He basically let the crowd sing the whole first verse of “Poseidon” before it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to keep singing without completely losing his voice for the weekend. After pushing through the rest of the first set with superb versions of “Schwanthem” and “King Kong,” even a bust out of the Jefferson Airplane classic “White Rabbit” was sung by drummer Alex Petropulos, and impressively nailed at that.
During setbreak we were all wondering how the second set would play out without a lead singer. Would they switch up vocals? Play a set of only instrumentals? Will Greg just keep trying to sing with a raspy voice? All those questions would be answered within about 10 minutes of the second set’s opening song “Whirled.” It became pretty clear once they started really getting deep in the jam what was going to happen, and it was pretty amazing to watch (and hear). They would take the song on a 60+ minute ride, making it the second time in their career that they’ve played a single song set. (The first was on 4-15-18) This is a must listen for any fan of improvisational music; there really aren’t many bands that can keep a jam interesting for an hour. This one felt like something they had been working on for a while, which is the true measure of a great jam in my opinion. They would encore with one of my favorites of their instrumental tunes, “Avalanche.”
The Magic Beans lit up the late night stage on Friday, and they would not disappoint – definitely a highlight of the weekend for me. This was only the second time I had seen them and now I know why so many people talk about them. They are a very promising band that everyone should keep an eye on.
After some much needed rest, the final day of the festival would begin bright and early with Baltimore’s own Squaring the Circle opening up the main stage. The funky dance party would continue all day with bands like Ernie Johnson from Detroit, Backup Planet, and the McLovins. Baltimore power trio Deaf Scene would take up most of the set break duties on Saturday, aside from a special setbreak set by Pigeons’ front man “Scrambled” Greg Ormont.
All day, people were wondering if Greg would try to sing at any point. The answer, for this set at least, was that he would not. Using handwritten signs as props to speak to the crowd, he let them know that he had “lost his voice, so I’m just gonna jam.” And jam he did, complete with a pretty impressive tap dance for good measure.
Mungion would set the stage for the final Pigeons show of the weekend. It was the first time I had seen these guys and I can’t wait to see them again. One of the great things about Domefest is how careful the band is about picking their support. Every time I’ve been to a Domefest, I’ve come away with at least one new band that makes me want to seek out their music and see them live when I can. Mungion was one of those from this weekend.
As the crowd waited for the Pigeons’ weekend finale, there was much speculation about Greg’s voice and if he’d be able to handle two sets of vocal duties. Miraculously, after saying he drank an “entire honey bear” before the show, he was back to his old form. Belting out crowd favorites like “Melting Lights” and “Penguins,” the band definitely seemed to feed off the energy of their newly rejuvenated front man. The second set was maybe my favorite set of music from the weekend. The section of “Dome People” > “Su Casa” > “Horizon” felt particularly poetic. “Dome People” is, of course, about the festival itself and has been in the band’s rotation since Domefest’s inception, followed by “Su Casa” with its chorus of “This is your home now” and then “Horizon” with “Celebrate the people you love,” this seemed like a very intentional musical hug from the band to the crowd, thanking them for all of the love and support that made the event so special. Another great highlight from this set was the debut of a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” complete with a 4 to the floor funky jam for good measure. I love when a band takes a cover and makes it their own, and that is exactly what they did with this one. Ending with a raucous version of “The Liquid” and encoring with an incredibly fun “Julia” > “Super Mario” > “Julia” sandwich, they would put their triumphant stamp of success both on this set and the weekend as whole.
The final night of the festival would see a double dose of late night sets coming from The Fritz and Vibe and Direct. Both bands were absolutely great, they took full advantage of being the last acts on the bill and seemed to give all of the weekend warriors a second wind all the way to sunrise.
To wrap this up, Domefest is one of those very special small festivals. The hard work the band puts into this fest every year really shows in the product they put out. They are truly dedicated to making sure the Domefest experience is a great one for every single ticket holder. The band really cares about their fans and the fans, in turn, show all of that love right back. Just to let everyone know, the band members literally work at the festival despite headlining it. When I arrived to the main gate, one of the first people I saw was Greg with a walkie talkie making sure everyone was getting in o.k. and things were running smoothly. This is something that people notice, and it goes without saying that all of us genuinely appreciate the effort. The flock is a great group of people too. Everyone all weekend was helping each other if they needed it, pushing cars out of the mud, helping people back to their campsites if they were struggling, offering dry clothes, spreading hay around to make it less slippery. It’s always really amazing to see a large group of people that genuinely cares about each other’s well-being and happiness. As the band grows, inevitably so will the festival. Hopefully, all those same good loving vibes will continue to grow bigger every year too, and we can all continue to gather together each May to celebrate the people we love.
Review by Matthew Bowers, photography by Matt Shotwell and Mikki McMahon
Premier northeast music festival The Governors Ball returns to Randall’s Island in New York City in just a few weeks, taking place from Friday, June 1 through Sunday, June 3, 2018. GA weekend and single day tickets for each day are still available, but maybe not for long as various ticket packages, such as Sunday and Saturday GA tickets, are very close to being sold out. In just seven years running, Governors Ball has made a fast ascension to becoming one of New York City’s most anticipated annual music events, featuring a more savory lineup of artists with each passing summer. NYS Music will be there to bring you coverage of the 2018 festival.
The biggest news surrounds the festival’s heavy headliners. Rock virtuoso Jack White will be making a return to the event, having not played there since 2014. Last time White graced the Gov Ball stage, they matched his set with a same time performance from Skrillex. This year the tossup is with James Blake, the pianist, producer and soul singer who’s won the hearts of everybody, from Beyonce to Rick Rubin. If you haven’t heard, Blake just released a collaboration with Andre3000. Get on it.
Saturday night, in turn, will be capped off by a real rock gem. As a celebration of the ten-year anniversary of their second studio release, The 59 Sound, The Gaslight Anthem will be performing the record in its entirety. Full performances of albums are a live music treat that fans should experience if the opportunity presents itself.
Then there’s the act we’re all probably buzzing about, Silk City. Diplo, reigning favorite of the electronic dance music world, and Mark Ronson, the producer that can do no wrong, have teamed up to make a new collaborative disco album. Governors Ball is your chance to see the duo make their first ever live performance. Travis Scott, who has collaborated with Diplo’s project Major Lazer and also shared the stage with Ronson at last year’s Gov Ball, will be dropping his set immediately after Silk City—so this is keying up to be a weekend for Governor’s fans to remember.
But if there’s anyone that’s truly taking over the festival spotlight, it’s Eminem. Boston Calling, Bonnaroo, Firefly, and of course Gov Ball — the famed rapper is headlining them all. The last occurring slot time on Sunday night is reserved solely for him, so you can bet pretty much all eyes at the Ball will be on Slim.
As in past years, Gov Ball will be showcasing some of the most buzz-worthy, up-and-coming bands currently making noise across the indie, pop, rock and hip hop circuits. Across each of these mainstream genres, artists can go from fresh on the scene to topping the charts in no time. And on the way there, many of them seem to pass through Randall’s Island with dynamite festival sets. At this year’s Gov Ball, artists rocking this category are the likes of alt rockers Wolf Alice, country sensation Margo Price, breakout singer Billie Ellish and more. Special mention here: Belly. If you want to talk about a comeback, the Rhode Island-based alt punk band reunited in 2016 and, this month, just released their first album in twenty years, Dove, and it rocks.
That doesn’t even cover all of the musical goodness flooding Randall’s Island in three weeks. Hip hop supergroup N.E.R.D and NYC’s own Yeah Yeah Yeah’s are two other highly anticipated sets, given that they both have made huge reunions in the past year, while most others might be excited for the recently announced special set by Shawn Mendes.
The party will keep going for some after-hours concerts as part of The Governors Ball After Dark. Comprised mostly of the acts performing at the festival, this series of shows kicks off Thursday, May 30 and goes through the weekend at venues throughout the boroughs. While a handful of the shows are sold out, some tickets are still available. Check out the full lineup for After Dark here.
Aside from the music, Gov Ball is once again featuring close to 60 NYC-area food vendors with plenty of delicious tastes for everybody, including gluten-free and vegan options. More “deats” on the eats can be found here.
Tickets are nearly sold out for Saturday and Sunday, with some available for Friday here (it will sell out). Plenty of info on how to get to the festival and FAQs on how to have the best Gov Ball experience can be found on their website.
There’s something magical about the Wanee Music Festival. It always feels like the start of festival season, the official kick off if you will.
Wanee began as a two-day festival with only 11 bands; it is now a three-day festival with as many as 44 performers. The lineup never disappoints, and you always end up with a few crossover sit-ins that are memorable and unique. The days are long; music typically begins around 11 a.m. and can go until close to 3 a.m. Then there’s the drum circle afterward. It’s only natural that the park’s motto is “Music Lives Here.”
Still, Wanee Music Festival couldn’t be what it is without the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. Maybe I am biased as a born-and-raised Floridian, but I believe this park encompasses the best Florida has to offer. It consists of over 800 acres of sprawling oak trees, natural springs, and a brackish river that probably terrifies visitors. In many ways the park still feels untouched, even as it fills with thousands of people for events. I have no doubt this is why The Allman Brothers began hosting the festival in 2005 and continued until 2014. The park even offers bands on Wednesdays now. It is a perfect marriage that brings out all of the beauty and wonder that Florida has to offer.
There are two primary stages in the music park—the Peach stage (main stage) and the Mushroom stage. The Peach stage is in a large open field, and there you will find the bigger names that typically rotate out yearly with a few regulars added into the mix. There is a large blowup mushroom with “The Allman Brothers” written on it as a way to pay homage to the festival’s roots; it sits near the large Ferris wheel that runs most of the day. The Mushroom stage is built strategically into the woods so as not to disturb Mother Nature but to embrace all that she has to offer. The amphitheater seating is made from old railroad ties that are carefully placed and stacked to not disrupt the large oaks that provide much needed shade from the Florida sun—as well as a place to hang your hammock. This is the stage on which the smaller bands play. Don’t let that description fool you, though; the bands that grace this stage are still top-notch and put on one hell of a show. I can’t count how many times I’ve watched a band play on the Mushroom stage only to find them again in a year or two on the Peach stage.
At the festival, you will also find beer guys with light-up hats dancing the night away while working, festival crews dressed in matching shirts, and children playing with new friends and loving every minute of it. Without question, someone will be wearing an animal onesie even though its 90 degrees out. You are also certain to see a few tutus, and people of all ages. Somehow it all works seamlessly for these few wonderful days, and everyone is just there to enjoy the music, take in the scenery, and have a great time.
This year’s festival headliners on the Peach stage were Dark Star Orchestra (Thursday), Widespread Panic (Friday and Saturday), and Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band (Friday and Saturday). Other acts that performed on the Peach stage were Bobby Lee Rogers Trio, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Sonny Landreth, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and As the Crow Flies. The Mushroom stage was packed with talent as well. Midnight North, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, The Marcus King Band, Walter Trout, The Main Squeeze, and North Mississippi Allstars all played on Friday. On Saturday, talent included The Yeti Trio, New Orleans Suspects, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, George Porter Jr., Soul Rebels, and Karl Denson. Everything I saw was fantastic! Although Marcus King sitting in with Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band was my highlight!
For an event of this size, festival organizers did a good job overall of not overlapping competing bands on the two stages. Any festival junkie knows that the worst part of the festival is trying to preplan each day at each stage so no bands are missed! It can be rather difficult. However, the close proximity of the stages to one another helps to keep festival goers on schedule.
I always say that the weeks following Wanee are the “Wanee Hangover;” it is so hard to get back to reality and the daily grind. There is just something very special about the festival, where you think, “Take me back!” The biggest comfort is that, since this is the “kickoff” of festival season, at least you know the summer tour is right around the corner. Until next year, “Merry Wanee!” I hope you enjoy going to the woods as much as I do.
Summer Camp is almost upon us and that means it’s time to sign up for Field Day! Every year as Summer Camp becomes a must-attend for festivarians, the Field Day games keep getting bigger and better, and now enters its 8th year!
On Saturday afternoon of Summer Camp, right in the middle of all the music, favorites like dodgeball, capture the flag and tug-o-war are played between the Purple, Blue (current champions) Yellow, and (total cheaters) Red teams. Having competed over the years, Field Day is a great way to add in extra fun to your weekend while making new friends and having a ton of laughs. Check out photos from the last 7 years of Field Day.
Event times on Saturday, May 26th have been announced, so plan for an afternoon on the field between the Vibe Tent and Starshine Stage – perfect for all to enjoy music all afternoon while battling it out for glory. Sign up and bring your friends along for Field Day – score a free bandana and enjoy a free pizza and a keg from Lagunitas on Sunday for the winning team. Register for Field Day here – registration is free!
One of the most integral people in planning this summer’s Curveball festival featuring Phish is the president of Watkins Glen International, Michael Printup, who took the time out of his busy schedule to give an interview to NYSMusic.
This will be the third festival the band has held at the track most famous for NASCAR racing. In 2011, there was Superball, followed by Magnaball in 2015. Like those two, Curveball is a three-day event taking place August 17 to 19 this year.
Printup shared some interesting tidbits about Curveball and about his history with the rock band born out of the mountains of Vermont. His first interaction was back in 1998 when he was the general manager of the Providence Civic Center while Phish was on, what has now become, the legendary Island Tour. It was the first time he saw the band live, but his biggest takeaway wasn’t the music.
“I mean, it was a small arena,” Printup said. “What I remember most was the fans. They’re just — they’re just so awesome. I noticed the respect and dedication of the fans, and I saw that the band respected the fans in a great way. It shows in what they do, all the planning they put into putting on these large-scale festivals. I’ve been in sports for my entire life — the NFL, Southern California, Miami, Boston — and you don’t see that kind of thing between the fans and what they’re coming to see like you do with Phish.”
That observation has directly led to the relationship that the Phish organization has with Watkins Glen. It was back in 2016 when the planning for Curveball began. Printup said that Richard Glasgow, a member of Phish’s management team, visited the site and began the discussion of a festival in 2018.
“Richard and I talk at least once a month,” Printup said. “I was in Las Vegas the same time Phish was there in 2016. They realized I was in town and they invited me to attend a soundcheck. So there I was, with like six other people in the empty arena, and they’re just up there jamming.”
That type of relationship bonding has made doing business with Phish a breeze, Printup said. At Magnaball, he recalled, when the band was walking off stage just before the weekend’s final encore, the band stopped by for a “quick hello” and then invited him stage side for the encore.
Printup, who is very professional and has a knack for teasing things without giving them away, touched on a variety of topics. For starters, he did confirm that the fan favorite event — in the past titled the Runaway Jim 5K road race — will happen again this year. He mentioned that the band had inquired about a parade, but would not give any more info on the subject.
One of the things fans have wondered about since Magnaball was the capacity of the venue and the ticketing situation. It was announced prior to the festival that all tickets had been sold and none would be sold at the gate. However, many ticketless fans who showed up were able to buy tickets from the venue at the gate. Printup explained that when the sellout announcement was made, the racetrack was only allowed by officials to cap the capacity at 50,000 people. A late inspection of the venue took into consideration the bathrooms and showers that are at the track year round, thus allowing an extra 10,000 to be added to the max capacity. Printup did not have the information as to whether or not all extra tickets were sold.
For Curveball, though, he insisted that fans don’t wait much longer to buy their tickets. While for a NASCAR event they’re prepared to handle 160,000 people, it’s not the same for a music festival.
“I have spoken to Red Light Management and Phish, and they highly recommend buying soon,” he said. “The max we can have is 60,000 per day, and Richard (Glasgow) has said sales are going very well.”
The discussion then flowed into how Phish puts on their well documented secret sets. At each festival since The Clifford Ball in 1996, the band has done an unannounced or special set. At Superball, they performed the Storage Jam at about 2 a.m. on Sunday morning in a storage shed they had on grounds. Magnaball featured the fan-favorite Drive-In Jam, which was a merging of visual art projected onto a large screen draped from the bleachers, while the band performed an all-improvised set behind the curtain.
When asked if he could give the fans a hint, or even speak off the record about what Phish has in store for this year, Printup was emphatic and filled with laughter. “No way!” he said.
Printup gave loads of credit to the local community for the help and support for the weekend.
“There is a big trust value between everyone,” he said. “There’s so much that comes along with something like this. Our local sheriff knows how to handle it all, the traffic and stuff like that. Our goal is not to inundate the community, but involve them.”
He said he’s only heard positive things from the locals, who genuinely enjoy when the Phish crowd comes to town. Printup said that he will sometimes check some of the band’s message boards in the week leading up to the festivals and everything has been positive.
It’s no secret that Phish fans like to party when they experience the band. Printup said that the crowd isn’t that different from other music crowds, but did warn that people trying to be nefarious might want to reconsider.
“Country fans, EDM fans, they like to have fun as well,” he noted. “But I know how many undercovers there will be out there. I wouldn’t take that kind of risk and possibly be arrested. Obviously booze isn’t going to get you arrested, so I just hope everyone is smart about having fun that weekend.”
But overall, Printup said that we are all in for a very special time, with a lot of new features to keep fans engaged.
“I’m most looking forward to the show, of course,” he said. “And I want to give the band a huge thank you, because they’ve just been awesome.”
