After three days at Rothbury, we awoke on Sunday, July 6th with serious cases of festival head. The intense, all-out, party-til-the-break-of-dawn lifestyle we'd been leading had finally caught up with us. Oh, to be effervescent 19-year-olds again! It was at that point that we realized it would be in our best interest to depart that night (rather than Monday morning) to make the six hour trip to our next destination, Akron, OH. Still, everyone was in good spirits and we soon made our way toward the music. A bittersweet atmosphere takes hold on the last day of any great festival. On one hand, it's disheartening to realize that your four-day adventure in a magical place will soon draw to a close, and you'll be rudely deposited back into reality. But on the other, you've reached a point where your feet are painful and disgusting, you miss your pets/loved ones, you miss sleeping in a real bed, and you can't wait to take a real shower (well, some of us, at least). Though we must admit, we'd consider forgoing beds and showers if they'd let us stay in Sherwood Forest forever. At any rate, Sunday held some of the most coveted acts of the weekend, like Rodrigo y Gabriela, Phil Lesh & Friends and Trey Anastasio, so we geared up and walked to the festival grounds for one more day of fun in Michigan.

Continue reading 'Rothbury Festival 2008 - Sunday Review' after the jump

Our late night Saturday resulted in a bit of a late start on Sunday, so we weren't able to take in the reggae party hosted by Steel Pulse at the Odeum. We did have time to catch the last half of Brett Dennen's set, however, so we sped over to the Ranch Arena. Dennen was easy to spot even a considerable distance from the stage - he's tall, lanky, and has a mop of red hair that you can't help staring at. Even more striking than his hair is his voice - his singing voice doesn't seem to match up with his speaking voice, and neither corresponds with his appearance. We don't mean this in a negative way; his rich yet frolicsome vocals are a clear strength in his songs. Much of Dennen's work builds upon elements of folk-pop; while it's very easy on the ears, after awhile it can grow iterative. Still, he's got appealing stage presence, and there's something winsome about his manner of tossing off random remarks (example: "Skin's a terrible thing to burn...there are much better things to burn"). There wasn't a huge crowd in attendance at this early afternoon set, but those present were visibly enjoying themselves. The band treated us to a few new songs from an upcoming album, plus plenty of Dennen's earlier work. Highlights were "She's Mine" from 2006's So Much More, "All We Have" from Dennen's 2004 eponymous album, and new song "Who Do You Think You Are?" Set closer - and probably his best-known tune - "Blessed" was in fine uplifting form, its exuberant lyrics seeming to strike a chord with the blissful festival-goers.

Brett Dennen (photo by arbender)

Cereal and Eggs had been thwarted - twice! - in their attempts to see Rodrigo y Gabriela perform in 2007, so their Rothbury set was at the top of the BOT must-see priority list. Our interest was primarily in their smokin' guitar skills, but it seemed that a few others had a different sort of smoking in mind - a sign emblazoned with ¡Fuma con nosotros! was held aloft near the front of the audience. Those unfamiliar with Rod y Gab might have been taken aback by their abilities: A dude and a chick with two acoustic guitars - so what? Their unassuming stage set (two chairs) doesn't do anything to increase expectations. But the thing is, then they start to play, and you quickly realize that they have absolutely no need for stage props; the two of them and their guitars are quite enough.

We were already impressed with the many percussive elements Gabriela incorporates into her playing, but it was something else altogether to actually witness it live. The two guitarists work incredibly well together, but we loved that they each played individually as well. The short solo stretches served to further highlight their distinct talents. Rodrigo left the stage first, leaving Gabriela to demonstrate how to make it sound like you have a guitar and a percussion section, instead of just a guitar. When she stopped to address the crowd, we couldn't help but smile. She and Rodrigo learned English in Ireland after moving there from Mexico, and the results are just so stinkin' cute that we can't even stand it. Rodrigo used his solo time to exhibit his swift picking skills, running through a medley of songs - many familiar, some not. A few minutes later, he glided into "Stairway to Heaven" and was soon joined by Gabriela onstage. It's true that everyone and their broccoli covers this mother of all Zeppelin classics, but no one plays it like Rod y Gab. Another clear highlight of the set was their blazing extended version of "Tamacun." The duo's self-described "acoustic metal" seemed to make fans out of many that day - we heard several different groups of people raving about the performance later.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Rodrigo y Gabriela

JJ Grey and Mofro were next up at the Ranch Arena. We had our first encounter with Mofro at Austin City Limits in 2005, where their southern swamp-style blues quickly grabbed our ears, giving them the proverbial tug. After listening to their sophomore album, Lochloosa, several times, they became an act that we hoped would continue to quench our musical thirst. Unfortunately their act this day, though still good and more blues inspired then we'd remembered, failed to impress us as they had previously. Their sound rapidly became rather monotone, making us feel like we'd heard many other bands with a similar sound. There were, however, several glimpses of greatness during the set, such as seeing JJ Grey prompt the audience to sing along to "Lochloosa." In addition, the set included several tunes off of their upcoming release, Orange Blossom, that sounded promising. While tolerable, we found it difficult to recall what drew us so near and dear to them so many years ago. It's evident that our musical tastes have changed tremendously since then, and Mofro just didn't seem to do it for us that day. As optimists, we hope they were just having an off day.

JJ Grey & Mofro

JJ Grey & Mofro

JJ Grey & Mofro

Beth Orton was up next at Sherwood Court, so we ambled over to see what she was all about. We didn't have much prior knowledge of Orton's work; truth be told, the only song we were really familiar with was "Carmella" - and that's because it was included on Four Tet's Remixes. It seems that not many other Rothberries knew of her either, as the audience was sparse. She didn't seem to mind though, professing that she preferred playing to just a few people who really cared. Orton's folktronica sound is soft and goes down easy; her music has been featured on shows like Grey's Anatomy, Felicity, Charmed, and Dawson's Creek, and it's clear why. We enjoyed the mellow, country-tinged "Heartland Truck Stop" and pretty ballad "Rectify," but the set just didn't hit the spot for us. After a few songs, we stepped over to The Odeum to prepare for all the phun at Trey Anastasio's set.

Beth Orton (photo by toastandjam

One of the most anticipated artists of the weekend had to be Trey Anastasio. He's remained relatively absent from the limelight over the past few years, after encountering some off-stage problems in 2006. So many Rothberries were gathered in front of the Odeum, anxiously awaiting his set and hoping for a positive outcome. We're sure that more than a few were also hoping to witness the Phish reunion that everyone else knew wouldn't happen (at least not today). It was nice to see the Odeum so packed for just one man and a guitar. It was as though the entire crowd had come to see a long lost friend, making this your cliché feel good story of the weekend.

Trey came out and, after a few short words, immediately and appropriately jumped into "Back On the Train." The roar that came over the crowd as he ended the song, in combination with the ear-to-ear smile Mr. Anastasio had mustered on stage, made it clear that one of the musical highlights of 2008 was happening right before our eyes. After playing through an elaborate mixture of Phish tunes with speckles of his solo work in between, Trey calmly introduced a close friend of his, Mike Gordon. The two ended the performance by playing a couple of songs written by creative genius and close friend Tom Marshall, entitled "Backwards Down the Number Line" and "Alaska." Both tunes kept the crowd engaged and prompted one heck of a boisterous fan response. Hints at an imminent Phish reunion had speculations flying through the air - at one point, Trey joked that all they needed were a drummer and keyboardist. After the new (Phish?) songs, we were granted one more tune, "Chalkdust Torture." As they ended, Trey heartily reminded the audience not to miss Mike Gordon's set, which would begin in 15 minutes. Hmmm...wonder what could possibly happen there?

Trey Anastasio

Trey Anastasio

Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon

After Trey and Mike finished up at the Odeum, we quickly dipped backstage to see if we could somehow finagle our way into meeting them. Trey was nowhere in sight, but we spotted Mike headed toward Sherwood Court in a golf cart. We managed to get almost close enough to talk to him, but alas, he drove off faster than we could walk. Feeling like a pack of creepdogs, we headed to the media tent to refill our water bottles.

After a brief rest, we wandered down the hill towards the Sherwood Court, where its largest crowd of the weekend pressed close to the stage for the start of Mike Gordon's set. Gordon is currently on tour in support of his upcoming album The Green Sparrow, which is due out later this year. The man also known as Cactus took us through a funky set that featured help from Scott Murawski on guitar, Craig Myers on percussion, Tom Cleary on keys, and Todd Isler on drums. Most of the set drew from the new album, but a few covers were also featured. Toward the end of the set, Gordon returned Anastasio's nod by inviting him onstage for several songs. (Apparently Anastasio was supposed to join for a longer part of the set, but did not have an electric guitar with which to perform.) Gordon and Anastasio soon launched into Phish's "Meat," which Gordon had been performing regularly on tour. After a brief break that found Gordon introducing his band, another member of "that band that needs to get back together," Jon Fishman, entered the fold for a much-needed, but all-too-short version of The Beatles' LSD-inspired "She Said She Said." It felt special to be sitting in that field watching these amazing musicians play together for the first time in a long while. We can only imagine how it must have felt for them.

Mike Gordon

Mike Gordon

Mike Gordon w/ Trey Anastasio & John Fishman

Due to relentless gigging since their inception in 1994, Gov't Mule have made a strong name for themselves in the jam and blues music scenes. Guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes has proven himself over the years, and has also demonstrated his skills by touring with seminal jambands The Allman Brothers Band and The Dead. Their set started as a standard Mule show with songs "Blindman In The Dark," "Unring The Bell" and "Bad Little Doggie" leading things off. Standard was definitely not the theme for the rest of the set, however, as Mule changed the pace with a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Living Loving Maid." Soon the set found Mule ripping through a host of covers, including The Beatles' "She Said She Said" (which we heard for the second time that day) and "Tomorrow Never Knows," Allen Toussaint's "Get Out Of My Life Woman" (with help from Larry McCray on guitar), Temple Of The Dog's "Hunger Strike," Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy," and Prince's "When Doves Cry." To finish off the set, Mule played through an inspired version of "Beautifully Broken," which was intertwined with "When Doves Cry," "Thorazine Shuffle" and BOT favorite "Soulshine." Thanks to the strong covers, Gov't Mule again exceeded our expectations. Now we could only hope that Haynes would step up on stage again to perform with the evening's headliner.

Gov't Mule

Gov't Mule

Gov't Mule

Gov't Mule

Next up on our itinerary was some Minnesota hip-hop, with Atmosphere and Brother Ali gracing the Sherwood Court stage. Atmosphere has been high on our list of shows to see, not only because we enjoy their vocals, but also because the buzz surrounding them is that they put on an unforgettable show. We were quickly introduced to Ant, DJ of Atmosphere, as he began mixing a few beats and getting the crowd ready to move. Slug and Brother Ali promptly joined him, injecting us Rothberries with a much-needed dose of hip-hop. They moved quickly through much of Atmosphere's catalog, giving us a taste of each album. Their performance of the song "Puppets" from Atmosphere's most recent effort When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, demonstrated what to do in order to bring Sherwood Court to life. Ant clearly knew how to get the house jumpin', and two of the best lyricists in existence stood onstage a only feet from our faces. Unfortunately, in order to catch Phil Lesh, we had to leave the show just as it was heating up. One of the saddest moments of our Rothbury experience was walking away from this set, watching the crowd become positively airborne to "GodLovesUgly." Even though we'd just seen them, Atmosphere and Brother Ali remained high our list of acts we need to catch in the near future.

Atmosphere

Brother Ali

Atmosphere & Brother Ali

The BOT crew has attended numerous festivals and concerts, but Phil Lesh & Friends had never before made made an appearance at our live music experiences. We saw The Dead at Bonnaroo '03 and '04, but had never had the opportunity to see Lesh's band. While the roster is forever rotating, Lesh has been touring with the same musicians for some time now. Between the amazing vocal and guitar presence of Jackie Greene, the multi-instrumentalism of Larry Campbell, the steadfast drum work of John Molo, the sonic attack of Steve Molitz on keys, and the undeniable vocals of Teresa Williams, Phil's friends swim in quite a deep talent pool. On top of this regular line-up, Warren Haynes (as we'd hoped) stepped on stage to lend his guitar and vocals to the mix. The set started with a crowd-pleasing "Here Comes Sunshine," which aptly described the blue-skied weekend we'd just experienced. An early highlight was "China Cat Sunflower," which demonstrated why Warren Haynes has what seems like a permanent invitation to join Lesh whenever wants. "Mexican Girl," "Dire Wolf" and "About Cell Block #9" led into set closer "Sugaree," which we also heard from his Grateful Dead bandmate Mickey Hart earlier in the weekend.

Phil Lesh & Friends

Phil Lesh & Friends

Phil Lesh & Friends

Phil Lesh & Friends

Phil & Friends' second set still loomed, but we decided that we needed to begin our impending drive to Ohio. We linked up with the friends who had joined us for the weekend, and we embarked on one final lap of the festival grounds before departing. We traveled through The Sherwood Forest, The Ranch Arena, The Tripolee Domes and past the non-spinning monkeys and headed out of the main gate for the last time. A quick walk down still-booming Shakedown was filled with people looking for their final goodies of the weekend (and Carl...). We passed the "Falafel and a Pickle, Baby!" food stand and the showers that served as our signal to turn, and finally arrived at our campsite. Our belongings were all already crammed in a tiny Ford Contour, so departure was easy as pie. We said our goodbyes to our friends and the festival and headed out of the gate with no problems and no wait. As soon as it started, it was over, and the only thing we had were our memories (and the numerous pictures and videos!). We were sad to leave, but already looking forward to next year's edition.

BOT Crew

As a whole, we all agree that Rothbury was a phenomenal event. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that it's the best festival we've ever attended. So much thought was put into the tiniest of details - it was truly mind-blowing. The organizers ensured that all who attended enjoyed a magical experience full of surprises around every corner, and we can't wait to see what's in store for the coming years. No festival is perfect, however, and we do have a few thoughts on how it might be improved for the next edition:

• Make the Establishment more accessible.
  The Establishment was a truly unique venue, what with its circus theme, eccentric outdoor lounge area, and one-of-a-kind performers. But it never seemed to house many festival-goers, despite its proximity to the main gate. You could see the Establishment tent from the Tripolee Domes, but you had to go out through the main lobby in order to access it. We think that opening up a direct route from the Domes to the Establishment would make a huge difference in attendance.
• Bring environmentalism to the main stages.
  We love that Rothbury made it a point to be environmentally conscious and promote the green lifestyle. But the musical lineup was so strong that once you got into the Odeum/Sherwood Court/Ranch Arena area, it was hard to tear yourself away. Word is that many of the greening talks were sparsely attended, so why not move some of them to the main stage? Even if it's a short discussion of a topic like simple suggestions for being greener - people will be camped out there anyway between sets, so why not give them something meaningful to listen to?
• More parking attendants.
  We didn't have any problems with parking or space in our campsite, but it seems that later arrivals did. Though the orderly lanes through the campgrounds were a definite plus, there weren't any attendants actually in the lanes helping to regulate campsite sizes. As a result, many of the early arrivals had huge sites, which probably adversely affected those who arrived later. Sure, we loved how much space we had, but in the interest of fairness, perhaps it would be better to add some attendants on golf carts to more closely monitor camp sizes.
• Move the Farmer's Market to a more visible location.
  We understand why they wouldn't want to put them in a high-traffic area, but how many people actually visited the Farmer's Market, Epicenter Fair, and can sculpture? If you weren't looking for them, they were very easy to miss.
• Improved VIP experience.
  We weren't personally in VIP, but we've heard that the VIP treatment had some room for improvement. We do agree that if you pay the money for VIP, you should get a few nifty perks. Some better viewing areas (and adding a viewing area at Sherwood Court) and complimentary food and beverages would probably do the trick.
• More showers and water stations.
  The pay showers always had a long wait, even at $10 a pop. And it was often difficult to locate water stations, so perhaps a few more would be beneficial.
• Add My Morning Jacket to the lineup.
  And a Jim James solo set on the Sherwood Forest secret stage while you're at it. Because that would be bloody amazing.

One concern that we have is that festivals like these inevitably lose their unique charm after a few years of operation. Too many things are left unchanged, too many features become old-hat, too many people with bad vibes attend. It's necessary to continue evolving and adding new, unexpected elements in order to avoid becoming stale and too - gasp! - mainstream. We feel confident that the minds that dreamed up the inaugural event are capable of continuing to awe Rothburians for years to come.

Of course, there are some things that we hope never change - we'd be absolutely crushed if the monkeys (actually a piece by artist Peter Hudson entitled Homobouroboros) weren't there next year. (Though a different psychedelic piece by Hudson would be a compelling replacement.) And we can't even imagine Rothbury without Sherwood Forest; the two are firmly intertwined in our minds. Also, the volunteers were incredible - all the people manning the waste stations were very helpful, and it was startling to see how well they did with maintaining the grounds. We also loved the size of the festival, and we hope that it doesn't grow too terribly much next year.

For those of you with a trivia fetish, here's a rundown of Rothbury by the numbers:

• 50,000+ feet of fencing
• 12,000 porta-potties
• 500,000 corn cups
• 1000 volunteers (550 green team volunteers, 450 work exchange program volunteers)
• Attendees from all 50 states and 15 countries

Bonnaroo, Coachella, and all other US festivals - you've got some work cut out for you. Rothbury just raised the bar in a big way.

See you in Michigan next year!

Check out our other Rothbury coverage:
Thursday
Review
In Photos
In Videos

Friday
Review
In Photos
In Videos

Saturday
Review
In Photos
In Videos

Sunday
Review
In Photos
In Videos

-Breakfast On Tour