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G-Fest 2007 (#VIII)


DaysBetween

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Why oh why couldn't GratefulFest have started in 2001 to avoid the confusion?! Anyway, here's my take on the week:

DSO was right on, which was not unexpected of course, but other bands really rocked it as well. This was probably my favorite year of "other" music. Cornmeal was downright yummy (Baby Blue yeeeaaahhhhh!). The New Mastersounds were my new WOW band. JGB really surprised me after the first couple of tunes. Love the Tricksters 'delic late 60's sound. Keller! Late night music like Gans (Down to Eugene!) and Ramblin Jack Elliott, who certainly lived up to his name.

Won't ever forget the bonus DSO soundcheck ala Watkins Glen, 'specially the Walrus > Ohio. On Friday the Lucy in the Sky (Holy Beatles Batman!). The Space BEFORE the Drums, again on Friday. Awesome '76 jamming on Wednesday was my best show, until Saturday that is... An odd Thursday gig with (almost) pre-emptive El Paso and Woman Smarter, the shortest DrumSpace I can ever recall (if memory serves), and only a Dew after Space - but that Dew cresendo was death tho. And my two fav's of the entire festival, I think.. the Music and Bird Song on the final night to close the first and open the second sets.

Being able to buy SBDs was AWESOME. I picked up four.

And it's always great to see old friends that I haven't seen all year, and make new ones. Gotta publicly apologize for the noise that one night; I wasn't participating in the call-and-response-type yelling from distant campsite to campsite to campsite at an hour normally reserved for unconsciousness, but I did help our "chief political negotiator" come up with his campaign slogans, sales pitches, and revolutionary nonsense. ".. on the count of three, everyone blow up your cars!!" wasn't mine, but this is still me when I think of it: :rofl:

Random thoughts: Mmmm. Minglewood Pizza. Dust. Glow sticks. A giant golden key? Dust. Body paint. Fire and ice. HOT! stickers. Dust. A cardboard bomb? Smiles. Glow everything. Dust. Dust. Dust.

MOST AMAZING OF ALL: it didn't rain more than a few seconds over the entire 5 days.

Can't imagine topping it next year, but that's what I said back in '05. '06 came close. This one SHATTERED it.

Already looking forward to next year, which will not come quick enough. But with it getting better, and BIGGER with time, I do fear an implosion of sorts. Kudos must be given to Evan and the entire NLQP staff for dealing SOOOO well with many many many headaches and the occasional jerk. Their hard work makes it as enjoyable as it is.

Not to quote anything, but there AIN'T no place I'd rather be. I'm out!

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Guest captain420

WOW!

That is the word to describe the week that I had experienced!

A HUGE thanks to anddave for providing us with many things this week, including a place to crash, rides, laughs, smiles, and unforgettable memories~ YOU ARE HERE

I would like to thank those that I have met this week.....you all were Fuckin' cool people...REALLY!

So here is the list of the people I had the chance to either meet for the first time and hang out, or just got to see again!

EVAN!!!!!!!!!!!

anddave (Thanks for th e whole sha-bang)

B_and_A (Great People, nice to finally meet!)

Jersey Steve (I loved the pasta!)

bs69 + crew (STRIPPERS!) :lol:

Kira & Jamesr (Good luck! You guys make a wonderful couple)

Fennario (it was great to meet up)

James (thanks for the sticker!)

Jack Jones (Thanks for the SD)

Kirt (I got your biter..jfolks had it...pm me.)

TapinFool (thanks again for many things~tapes,beer,fun!)

Bix & Erin (glad to meet you guys!)

ChinaCats111 --Tom, Kyle, Lisa, Laura's (It was great to meet other younger heads, you guys ROCK!)

Teacher Matt (thanks for the lineup...#29)

blythe (what a blast, thanks for sharing in the groove~had fun dancing with you guys!)

Chuck Vegas (HIPPIE STRIPPERS!?!) :lol: Chuck rocks!

arm (appreciate the pre-party...thank you for welcoming us in your home!)

Lookyloo (Massage/volcano/bubble)

Kdubfan (your tunes were amazing!)

Jay_B (excellent guitar skills Jay...next year...guitarchestra '08)

Herdy (Nice to put a face with the stories and name...Budweiser??? OH YEA, that ESAU ROCKED!) ;-)

Alpine (glad to meet you)

Prescott (Thanks for the Dale's and 6-point! You saved me!)

Gus (nice to meet ya, take care)

Anthony & Ellen (You guys rock! swimming to boombox, nice!)

Susan (glad to see ya.)

Tiny (a pleasure to meet you, great dyes, and there is more where that came from!)

Gary aka greyhead (Gary glad you introduced yourself, Boulder was fun as well!)

daniella (Nice to meet you...stay away from Looky) lol

Me & My Andy (Steve/Dave and crew) (See ya next year guys!)

and all of our neighbors who were the best ever! Mark & Janet thanks for the good times~Shawn (Mario) & Abbey...

I hope that was everyone that I met that was a great person and went out of there way to show their kindness and sense of community...If I left you out, then you were probably a dick to me... :lol::moon::lol:

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It was definitely a magical week. It was so wonderful to be with so many friends and to meet so many more! You are all so kind and generous. I can't list everyone- but you all know who you are:) Hope to see everyone again soon! Big thank you to the band as always for doing what you do!!! You are the best!!!

Peace and love,

Lisa (and Kyle and Lauren!)

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it's getting all warm and fuzzy here now isn't it?

There were just so many wonderful people and things going on this weekend, I can't think of where to start. But really it just all made me one happy camper (quite literally) all throughout the trip

But to sum up real quick...

floating on a rubber tube out in the quarry was as close to pure quiet, serene bliss as it can get

the guy with the two little kittens was the BEST. his kitties were the cutest damn things I've seen, and they were so docile and friendly it was just ridiculous.

Some great performances by the bands I'm already well aquainted with (DSO, Umphrey, Keller, Tricksters)

and most of the bands I hadn't seen before really turned my ear around too --

Greyboys, New Master Sounds, Cornmeal, Zero... this year it seems like they really went out their way to nab some sick sick bands to come in and rock the place out. About the only band missing from previous years I would have really liked to see again was Meltone (c'mon guys how much does the plane trip from Japan cost??)

I know I was having myself a good time all througout, but what made me even happier was seeing everyone around me having themselves a good time too. Grateful fest has without question the best friendly, family atmosphere of any festival situation going on anywhere at any time

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Guest crazy digits

It is really difficult to explain how grate this trip was! I love this band soooo much and the people who I have met because of this love. The last night was simply one of the best if not the best shows I have seen. I have been known to say this before :-) The Music was the best one I have ever seen..period........ The band played the four songs we picked thanks to Lisa M...... Mr. Charlie, Candy Man, World to give ( Thanks JK ) and the rest of the band who lobbied on our behalf and China Cat. There was some strategy picking the songs knowing that the band probably wouldn't repeat any songs they had played. World to Give is the most beautiful song and one I have loved ever since I first heard the Dead do it ( after listening to the 78 Cleveland Music Hall show on tape ). I have heard Dark Star do it twice now and this one was as perfect as it could be....THANK you very much. See you soon...really soon. Peace and love.

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now where were all those "HOT" stickers coming from?

kinda cute and all... but in the back of my mind, I'm hoping this doesn't turn into something like that whole Uno thing that went on in the Phish scene during the late 90's

by golly those stickers were EVERYwhere

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i've always felt that one of the greatest things about DSO is that they have the unique ability to keep the Grateful Dead festival atmoshphere alive and well. In fact, that is exactky how DSO was introduced to me in 2000. One of the dearest people in the world to me called me sometime in fall of 2000, and said,

"Brian, you're never gonna believe this!"

"What , I thought could this possibly be".

But since it was coming from my three year older brother, and I could tell from the intonation in his voice that the subject matter he was referring to must be some kind of exciting new (or old in this case) music, since that's the only thing ever other than the Yankees and the Steelers to get him sounding that excitied.

Anyways, he said to me, "You'll never beleive this but the Grateful Dead is alive and Well."

"Hmmm, I though"

He had seen DSO the night before in Portlandand Oregon and had probably one of those magical, unforgettable mystical experiences amongst the people in the audieance and the members of the band and most of all the music itself that he could say for certain that he was seeing the Grateful Dead, AGAIN!!! He was totally serious, and told me that I had to go see DSO on their midwest tour (i was studying icollege n Ann Arbor at the time) right away, so I took my highschool girlfriend Ashley (though we were in college together now) to see DSO at the Electrica in Cincinnat.

I won't go into the details of the evening, but that was my introduction, and it still just always amazes how this band is able to refertilize, regerminate the seeds of the music and provide such an unbelievably realistic (so realistic that it is indeed and in fact real) version of the Grateful Dead Experience, particularly their festival shows.

For some bizarre reason, I have always held the feeling that kids neeed festivals. Heck, we all need festivals. It brings us back to another period of our ancestral heritage and evolution, one that was for once based on the peace inherent to musical composition and performance. The community settting is priceless in today's overarching world of instant communications and digital conveniences of every sort. To spend a couple nights out in the campy, smokey woods of NLQP and enjoy that much wonderful music with a crowd of that size and diversity really doesn't have any specific dollar value for me, or anyone I would venture to say. I found everything I wanted on my trip to never ever land, and more.

Since being initiated into DSO's traveling music scene in 2000, while mindful to keep an intuitively respectful distance from the band members themselves, for the sake of privacy and comfort, I have learned and grown so much in the person who I am. DSO has guided me through countless dark nights, and made nearly every day a new positive dream that I feel, I know I can count on, and that's really what i look for in any band. Can I trust you? Can I make a fool out of myself by accident and have it be ok, or can I tear up the show with my electricity and fire?

The feeling, and the feelings that I have received and generated myself through participating in the live production of the Dead shows and the originals has raised my energy level by several quantum leaps. Gratefulfest 08 was all of that, and as always, even just a little more. These people have taught me so much, shared so much with me, included me, invited me, honored me, accepted me. All my wishes are granted, thanks to this Band for going the distance, to virtually anywhere there is an audiece just to keep creating that feeling. DSO really gets it, and I am geared to be on whatever bus they're on, which of course is none other than their bus, but speaking more metaphorically, i am there with them everynight, in their bunks, at the breakfast dinner, in the hotels. I'm on the bus man, whether the band recognizes it or does not take notice.

I've always wondered about tha :icon14::D t, about how the band perceives me. I wonder sometimes if they really perceive me at all. But I know what I know, and when the music plays, I am swirling in the center of the Grateful Dead funnel (tunnel) and I think each of them on stage feels the gravity of my twirl. I sure hope so cause I have the GD rythm. I would do anything to show my affection for the individuals by breathing a dose of my energy into their collective and individual spheres of consciousness, all for the better, but all good things in all GOOD TIME/ Thanks DSO and each and every star head that roams the Grateful Dead community. We've embarked upon a special land of gold, now we must continue our traverse of the cliffs and hills in the terrain of terrapin for that golden road of unlimited Devotion. Deal? :dsorocks::cheers::rolleyes::icon14:

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  • Advisory Board

i don't have much to say except that gratefulfest was pretty much one of the more amazing times of my life and i'm really, really tired. cool?

i'm assuming i'll get it together beginning shortly.

until then, i dunno...

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wow Bri

that was a lot to get off your chest. but a Deal's a deal -- and you'll always be Starhead #1 in my book

all I can really say is that our community - both here on the boards and at the shows themselves is TOPS.

it clearly gets no better than what we have with ourselves.

makes me awful proud to be part of such a world and such an experience

hey Blythe - yeah, we're all tired after that trip... but that's not stopping me from helping you celebrate your 23rd birthday at the Pony this saturday... and sunday probably too.

the only cure for Dark Star shows... is more Dark Star shows

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Thunder

I just had to comment that this (re-posted below) is a great, grate post. Straight from the heart, and a true pleasure to read. I think a lot of us can relate to what Brian describes here.

Thanks for sharing.

i've always felt that one of the greatest things about DSO is that they have the unique ability to keep the Grateful Dead festival atmoshphere alive and well. In fact, that is exactky how DSO was introduced to me in 2000. One of the dearest people in the world to me called me sometime in fall of 2000, and said,

"Brian, you're never gonna believe this!"

"What , I thought could this possibly be".

But since it was coming from my three year older brother, and I could tell from the intonation in his voice that the subject matter he was referring to must be some kind of exciting new (or old in this case) music, since that's the only thing ever other than the Yankees and the Steelers to get him sounding that excitied.

Anyways, he said to me, "You'll never beleive this but the Grateful Dead is alive and Well."

"Hmmm, I though"

He had seen DSO the night before in Portlandand Oregon and had probably one of those magical, unforgettable mystical experiences amongst the people in the audieance and the members of the band and most of all the music itself that he could say for certain that he was seeing the Grateful Dead, AGAIN!!! He was totally serious, and told me that I had to go see DSO on their midwest tour (i was studying icollege n Ann Arbor at the time) right away, so I took my highschool girlfriend Ashley (though we were in college together now) to see DSO at the Electrica in Cincinnat.

I won't go into the details of the evening, but that was my introduction, and it still just always amazes how this band is able to refertilize, regerminate the seeds of the music and provide such an unbelievably realistic (so realistic that it is indeed and in fact real) version of the Grateful Dead Experience, particularly their festival shows.

For some bizarre reason, I have always held the feeling that kids neeed festivals. Heck, we all need festivals. It brings us back to another period of our ancestral heritage and evolution, one that was for once based on the peace inherent to musical composition and performance. The community settting is priceless in today's overarching world of instant communications and digital conveniences of every sort. To spend a couple nights out in the campy, smokey woods of NLQP and enjoy that much wonderful music with a crowd of that size and diversity really doesn't have any specific dollar value for me, or anyone I would venture to say. I found everything I wanted on my trip to never ever land, and more.

Since being initiated into DSO's traveling music scene in 2000, while mindful to keep an intuitively respectful distance from the band members themselves, for the sake of privacy and comfort, I have learned and grown so much in the person who I am. DSO has guided me through countless dark nights, and made nearly every day a new positive dream that I feel, I know I can count on, and that's really what i look for in any band. Can I trust you? Can I make a fool out of myself by accident and have it be ok, or can I tear up the show with my electricity and fire?

The feeling, and the feelings that I have received and generated myself through participating in the live production of the Dead shows and the originals has raised my energy level by several quantum leaps. Gratefulfest 08 was all of that, and as always, even just a little more. These people have taught me so much, shared so much with me, included me, invited me, honored me, accepted me. All my wishes are granted, thanks to this Band for going the distance, to virtually anywhere there is an audiece just to keep creating that feeling. DSO really gets it, and I am geared to be on whatever bus they're on, which of course is none other than their bus, but speaking more metaphorically, i am there with them everynight, in their bunks, at the breakfast dinner, in the hotels. I'm on the bus man, whether the band recognizes it or does not take notice.

I've always wondered about tha :icon14::D t, about how the band perceives me. I wonder sometimes if they really perceive me at all. But I know what I know, and when the music plays, I am swirling in the center of the Grateful Dead funnel (tunnel) and I think each of them on stage feels the gravity of my twirl. I sure hope so cause I have the GD rythm. I would do anything to show my affection for the individuals by breathing a dose of my energy into their collective and individual spheres of consciousness, all for the better, but all good things in all GOOD TIME/ Thanks DSO and each and every star head that roams the Grateful Dead community. We've embarked upon a special land of gold, now we must continue our traverse of the cliffs and hills in the terrain of terrapin for that golden road of unlimited Devotion. Deal? :dsorocks::cheers::rolleyes::icon14:

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