rode our bikes over around 4, but forgot bike locks, and couldn't get in. Spent time on the periphery
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38842&id=1317875387&l=ec8a4b8b08
oh man, they had free valet bike parking sponsored by the SF Bike Coalition down near the Porch Stage (east end). You didn't need a lock.
But I'm sure it was chaotic and you were prob coming from the west, so it wasn't that obvious where to park them.
I saw several acts, some in their entirely, some only partially:
Friday:
Poor Man's Whiskey
John Prine - his version of Angel from Montgomery brought a tear to my eyes, but maybe it was the wine and dust
Tom Morello - fairly sympathetic to his politics, but maybe I'm getting older b/c when he dropped the f-bombs I was thinking, can't you keep it clean? if you say f*** too much it loses effect. brought Steve Earle and Alison Moorer to sing This Land is Your Land -- complete with the little known verse about "my people" lining up at "relief office."
Lyle Lovett - very professional, his backup singers were amazing, but he left me a bit cold. I don't dig his voice that much
Saturday my faves were:
Marshall Crenshaw - I'm not a fan, but really enjoyed the several songs he did. He had a steel guitar player with him, nice touch. He was in good voice, and he did Someday Someway, too! as heard on the radio!
Buddy Miller (Emmylou Harris came out for a couple songs, and Robert Plant sat in for the last 20 minutes or so. KFOG reported he was in town, so I figured the odds were good that Percy would appear). good times.
then we skipped around aimlessly for a bit hearing bits of several acts. Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women were really fun, Reckless Kelly, Billy Joe Shaver was a nice surprise (to me, even though he's a legend to those who aren't as ignorant as I), Rosie Flores and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts.
Marty Stuart was amazing! the guy is 5'4" with a world class achy-breaky mullet, but boy-howdy! can he pick that Telecaster, mandolin and Martin acoustic! One of my best discoveries this year. And we got very close to him at the Towers stage, since most folks were back at Rooster listening to Richie havens plays his three chords or Gillian Welch at Banjo.
I heard a few songs from World Party. They sounded good, just the main guy on acoustic, a violin player and a guy on electric guitar. Of the four songs I heard, I was impressed that two of them I recognized (Put the Message in a Box was their opener).
back at Rooster, Robert Earl Keen was a rowdy party, he finished his set w encores w a couple straight covers: White Room -- the steel guitar did a fine job replicating the orig Cream version's haunting chorus part in the opening ... and as I was leaving he started into Ripple.
On the way out, I caught the last few songs from Steve Earle and his Bluegrass Dukes. got right up near the stage, close enough to see Steve Earle's beard swaying in the wind. Tim O'Brien was on mandolin. fun, but I left before they did Copperhead Road, dangit!
Sunday we planned better. I biked there, arrived at about 9:30 and got a decent spot at Rooster. After gf and other friend arrived, I wandered a bit and found another buddy who got a spot at Banjo. We got some coffee from a hippie caravan cart, then we went to Arrow and heard Moonalice for 1.5 songs and left, we weren't in the mood for their blues-rock thing. They passed out some cool Fillmore quality posters for free, so they have some money behind them. GE Smith and Jack Casady are in the band. My friend remarked "What a waste of a good bass player." zing!
heard Elvis Perkins in Deerland for a couple. vocalist just very slightly reminiscent of the Waterboys.. and I like what they did but I had to skeedaddle to get back for the days highlights:
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 (featuring Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin); he was great, loved it! I could have left right then and the day would have been a success, but next up was Billy Bragg - another amazing set. I might go see him tonight or tomorrow at GAMH.
...then I settled in for some gen-u-ine bluegrass at the Banjo Stage. I knew my buds had a space fairly close to the sound board, and negotiating the crowds around the banjo stage is hell, so once I got to their spot, I knew I couldn't/shouldn't leave. But doing that meant I missed Galactic, Marianne Faithfull (my gf said she was great). The spot was good, much better than the far back or clinging to the dusty crowded slopes near the roadway, but people congregated nearby enough that it caused us to stand a lot in order to see. oh well, you're supposed to dance to that stuff anyway. yee-haw!
We heard the sets from Earl Skruggs and Ralph Stanley. You have to see the legends. Earl turned 85 just recently, and Ralph is 82. Then the Del McCoury Band came on. I had to see them this year having missed them the last time and regretting it. they did 1952 Vincent Black Lightning and Nashville Cats, two of their best known and really two of the only songs I do know them. Del was asking for requests, but I was unable to yell loud enough to request City Of Stone (I was sending telepathic waves to him, but I don't think they penetrated his truly awesome silver hair barrier.)
After they finished, I caught the last 10 mins of the Knitters from the far back of Rooster stage, then made my way down to see Amadou and Mariam, who started a full 45 minutes late! which is amazing at this festival, which usually runs like an Fascist-era Italian train. They were worth the wait, the hipsters were dancing their butts off, but I was fading and left after 30 minutes.
can't wait until next year..!
