bam! the fest in full effect and friday had it all: killer music, an abundance of reindeer games, and a wheelbarrow of conniving!!!
the rest of our crew rolled in at various points on thursday, and so we were at full strength on friday. we charged the fairgrounds early, set up shop in a prime location, and let it flow.
the camaraderie that the fest elicits is infectious. new faces from the day before became best friends today. and best friends from the day before became outright soulmates today.
'twas a treat to have the female bojon crew on board as well. a balanced ratio is just good chemistry.
killer music was the rule all day on friday. early treats included the IronMountain Native Dancers and a jammin' band called Ethan. then the heavy hitters came to play. back-to-back-to-back: Los Lobos, Robert Randolph, and Ben Harper.
Los Lobos was on top of its game, capping things off with an epic rendition of Bertha. Ben Harper was tight as well, but it was Robert Randolph who took best o' show.
Robert Randolph's a wizard on the slide box guitar, and he just tore through endless high energy riffs. and what's more, he was having so much fun on the stage that you got the sense he would have stayed there all night. guarantee we would have!
well shit, where do you go from there? retire to the hotel and pack it in?
not really.
more like swing by the hotel to don some funky threads and then check back into the mix.
first stop: the state palace theatre to catch jack johnson and galactic. more foot-stompin', groove-catching mayhem.
by this point, our crew was in full stride, and if there were any reins to pull back on we weren't looking for them.
next up was G Love and the Special Sauce at Tipitinas. my kingdom for the transcript of our conversation as we were waiting for the 3am show to start.
the one thing i do remember is that gravity was still very much in effect. i watched in slow motion as one of our best mates passed out standing and hit the ground hard . . . only to bounce back up and declare himself just fine . . . only to hit the ground again before he could finish the thought.
we stuffed him in a cab as he explained that alcohol had nothing to do with his status. just a touch of dehydration, that's all.
and yes, the G Love show was sick. intimate venue, raucous crowd, love in the air, and G Love bobbin' and weavin' all over the stage.
exactly what time we made it home is unclear. what is clear is that friday was a chart-topping, stone cold groove!!!