Rothbury Festival 2008 - Friday Review

Friday, July 4, 2008 at the Rothbury Festival found us well-rested, thanks in no small part to not being rudely awakened at 7am by soul-shriveling heat. We wondered aloud why no one had thought of throwing a music festival in Michigan before. You just can't beat that kind of weather in July. But as pleasant as it was waking up from a good night's sleep, that certainly would not be the highlight of our day. Friday was the day the BOT crew was most anticipating musically, and it would prove worthy of our expectations.

Continue reading 'Rothbury Festival 2008 - Friday' after the jump

Our day started with a slice of The Beautiful Girls at the Ranch Arena. We were in a hurry to get to the media tent, however, so we didn't get to stay long. After restoring some juice to our batteries, we hopped over to the Odeum to catch The Wailers. The Odeum, Rothbury's enormous main stage, wasn't open on Thursday, so this was the first time that we glimpsed it and the surrounding area.

Seeing the Odeum in action for the first time was a definite treat. And who better to grace the stage and devirginize it (for us, anyway - The Dynamites feat. Charles Walker had provided The Odeum's first-ever set earlier in the afternoon) than former Bob Marley backing group The Wailers? It seems that our only opportunities to catch them just happen to be at festivals, which is certainly not a bad thing. They make for a fun performance that everyone can equally get down to, and this time was no different. The Wailers began with a long instrumental jam, giving the crowd a peek at the aptitude of the musicians on stage, and possibly beckoning more festival-goers to get down to some afternoon reggae. Soon, vocalist Elan Atias would join the group on stage to get everyone in the mood with "Natural Mystic," and then offer up a song from their new album. It's almost startling how closely Atias' voice resembles Bob's. From there on out, it turned into an all-out Marley fest featuring several of their better known hits, including "I Shot The Sheriff," "Stir it Up" and "Three Little Birds." They also played through some of their not-as-popular songs, like "Real Situation," an ode to just how fucked up the world is. The Wailers easily converted the once deserted field into an all out dance party, sending everyone on their way with - what else? - "Jammin."

Sam Beam was up next at the Ranch Arena, so we scurried off through the woods to take in his acoustic set. These days, when Beam tours as Iron & Wine, he usually brings along a full backing band. It was nice to hear him doing stripped-down true-to-folk solo versions of his songs. Iron & Wine's most recent studio release, 2007 best-of list mainstay The Shepherd's Dog, features a wealth of lush instrumentation, which might make one fear that a guitar-only rendition wouldn't be quite as satisfying. This wasn't the case, however; with just himself and a guitar onstage, Beam came across as accessible, and his music somehow seemed even more sincere. The rather bitter reviewer over at JamBase lambasted him for coming off as a smart-ass hipster, but we didn't pick up on that vibe at all. On the contrary, we appreciated his relaxed, easygoing attitude. Sure, he stopped his second song ("Each Coming Night") twice - once to smilingly kick a ball off the stage, and again to change keys - but something about his looseness was charming. Perhaps we were just expecting him to be dark and brooding for some reason. At any rate, he played a simple, pleasant set highlighted by "He Lays in the Reins" from the joint Iron & Wine/Calexico effort In the Reins and "Resurrection Fern" from The Shepherd's Dog. Beam closed with "The Trapeze Swinger," which had been requested by an audience member earlier in the set.

Everybody was buzzing about all of the day's events, but the most talk was about one man: Snoop Dogg. The largest crowd so far of the weekend made their way to the Odeum for the West Coast rapper's afternoon set. Some local police officers came equipped with their personal digital cameras and were overheard saying, "We just want to see what the hype is all about." After a ten minute breast-flashing competition thanks to some persistent cameramen, a video mashup started on the screens that featured scenes from several drug-related movies (mainly Scarface) plus some footage of Snoop taking care of some gangsta-type activities. A few minutes later in rolled Snoop Dogg on a personalized baby-blue lowrider bike. The crowd made it known that they were Snoop Dogg fans even if Snoop didn't really know where he was (he kept yelling 'East Lansing,' to the chagrin of many). He made the most of his extended set time by playing through many of his hits, including "Gin and Juice," "G's and Hustlas," "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)." Flanked by suited security guards on either side, Snoop, backed by a live band, played through a version of "A brand new song that [they] wrote last week" called "Smoke Weed, Get Drunk and Fuck" that even featured its own dance moves. Keeping things raunchy, Snoop launched into recent hit "Sexual Seduction" to the delight of many of the sorority girls and frat boys in attendance. As expected, Snoop made it known that it was 4:20 at several times throughout the set by sparking several blunts (4:18, 4:25, 4:42, 4:58, and 5:13...). After the greatest hits set by the Snoop, we made our way over to the Ranch Arena to catch Keller Williams with Moseley, Droll and Sipe.

Keller Williams was BOT's first huge crush in the jamband world. Being a little odd and quirky ourselves, we were immediately attracted to his brand of humor-based music. Until his set with the Transmitters at Wakarusa last month, we had never seen him front a band for a full show. We enjoyed what he could do with a few talented musicians behind him, and the Waka set was only a taste. When we walked up to the Ranch Arena we could immediately tell that with Jeff Sipe (Leftover Salmon, Aquarium Rescue Unit), Keith Moseley (String Cheese Incident) and Gibb Droll (Brett Dennen) backing him, Keller felt comfortable. This high energy set included many Keller originals like "Freeker by the Speaker," "The Juggler" and "Celebrate Your Youth," but also delved into the catalogs of their inspirations, covering The Grateful Dead's "Eyes of the World" and Butthole Surfers' "Pepper." Although we prefer his solo sets in which his technical skill takes center stage, we still rather enjoyed this change of pace with him backed by a full band. We spent the rest of the set getting down before heading back to camp to get essential supplies for the rest of the evening's activities.

Another BOT favorite was to follow, with Yonder Mountain String Band making a visit to the Ranch Arena. With several YMSB shows in our past, in venues ranging anywhere from about 200 people to festivals with crowds exceeding several thousand, it has been extremely fun to watch this Colorado act thrive throughout the years. To get things started, they played a few songs solo, before being joined by former Phish drummer Jon Fishman to add the beat. Unfortunately, we missed the first few songs of the set due to the largest conflict of our weekend, Modest Mouse vs. YMSB. The upshot was that it seemed to even out the amount of folks at each show, making the crowd - though still thick - easier to navigate through. Their set included many of their classic covers, including traditional bluegrass number “Kentucky Mandolin,” as well as John Hartford’s “Up On the Hill Where They Do the Boogie” and “Two Hits and the Joint Turned Brown.” And no YMSB set would be complete without some of their original tunes, like “Steep Grade, Sharp Curve” and closer (and probably crowd favorite) “Ramblin’ In the Rambler.” Yonder proved to us once again that they can entertain, and the addition of Fishman to their set gave them a little more pep. Fishman’s presence also seemed to bring in some folks that weren’t there necessarily for Yonder, but hopefully they too were turned on to them by their excellent showing.

While Yonder got their newgrass on at the Ranch Arena, Modest Mouse was delivering a hard-edged set over at Sherwood Court. The show was heavy on material from 2007's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank; highlights included "Missed the Boat," "We've Got Everything" and "Spitting Venom." Good News for People Who Love Bad News was also well represented, with renditions of "The Good Times Are Killing Me" and "Float On" setting the sun-drenched crowd's heads bobbing. The set was boisterous and firmly rooted in indie rock, and frontman Isaac Brock's voice sounded even better than expected live. While the audience raged, BOT succumbed to the beckoning calls of the vendors at the top of the hill. Turns out Modest Mouse pairs quite well with soba noodles. Chopsticks in hand, we enjoyed the rest of the dinnertime show while calculating the odds of Morrissey making a random appearance (his former Smiths-mate Johnny Marr is Modest Mouse's new-ish guitarist). No such luck, but it was a solid set anyway.

With an already stellar, seemingly endless lineup on Friday, who else but Athens, GA grown Widespread Panic could possibly fill the headlining spot? Arriving at the Odeum just a tad later than planned, we were quite surprised to find that we could easily walk up to meet our buddies anxiously awaiting the show - on Schools' side, of course. They opened their first set with “Pigeons" and prepared to melt everyone’s face off during the next couple hours. The first guest appearance occurred about three songs in, during “Surprise Valley.” Acclaimed violinist Ann Marie Calhoun joined the rockers on stage to add her string wizardry to the rest of their set. Calhoun was given the spotlight several times to strut her stuff, and boy was it impressive. Although it didn't pack as much punch as we've seen from WSP in the past, the first set was still quite solid. Especially memorable was Calhoun’s violin work in correlation with the band. The first set ended swiftly with an excellent and well timed version of “Porch Song,” and we still had another set to look forward to.

Panic took their short half hour break and came out quickly ripping off “Fishwater” flawlessly. Soon after, we began to hear the opening riffs of “Bust It Big,” a song that is at the top of a BOT friend's favorites list. It was at this time that we looked over at him - let's just call him Rich Uncle Pennybags - and realized that he was unable to remove the permagrin that had become lodged directly between his cheeks. A glance around showed us that much of the packed out crowd felt quite the same. Panic, as always, had sent the audience into an all out dance frenzy. Jimmy Herring’s ridiculous guitar playing took center stage at times as well, with several lavish solos. The set seemed to take a darker turn during “Drums,” which found Sunny joined by Jeff Sipe of Leftover Salmon. One thing that will always captivate WSP fans is the band's ability to take a crowd in any direction that they want. They also seem to have a heightened perception of their audience's state of mind. This night was no exception, as they seemed to take us into a dark, twisted dimension, only to bring us all back out again. Ann Marie Calhoun would again join the band for the last two songs, including Talking Heads cover “Life During War Time” to close out the night. Immediately following the show was an intense fireworks display directly behind the stage that prompted much scurrying throughout the crowd to get a good view.

Overall, we wouldn’t say that this was the best Panic showing we've ever seen, but it definitely wasn’t the worst either. It was the perfect way to top off an already excellent day filled with music, with even more yet to come. The guest appearances seemed to be extremely well received by the audience. It seemed there were a few Panic cherries popped that night; hopefully we'll be seeing those folks back for more in the future.

Halfway through Panic's first set, indie glam pop outfit Of Montreal began their show at the Ranch Arena. Frontman Kevin Barnes was in fine flamboyant form, strutting around the stage in an ornate many-layered ensemble. A few songs in, a sparkly-masked ninja and a cast of dimunitive sci-fi-on-acid characters joined the hipster freaks onstage. A strange struggle ensued. We're not really sure what was going on, but we can tell you this: a glittery cape was involved. Even if the stage show was a bit too outlandish for your tastes, the music was surprisingly solid. Barnes' voice is strong and intense, and it translates very well to a live setting. The band's musical prowess adds gravity to their sometimes baffling onstage theatrics. Highlights included "Du Og Meg" from their 2007 EP Icons, Abstract Thee, as well as "So Begins Our Alabee" and "I Was Never Young" from 2005's The Sunlandic Twins. "She's a Rejecter" from 2007's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer was also particularly blazing. The showstopper, however, was a 12-minute rendition of "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal" that stretched into epic territory. After the impressive set ended, BOT hurried back over to The Odeum to catch the rest of Panic's second set.

The late night action began immediately after the post-Panic fireworks display, and Thievery Corporation kicked it off for us. DJ duo Rob Garza and Eric Hilton were joined by a few other featured artists for a soul-stirring percussion-heavy fusion of global rhythms. They steered clear of their more mellow downtempo material, choosing instead to focus on distinctly danceable songs that would mesh well with the audience's state of mind. The crowd at Sherwood Court was definitely in the mood for what Thievery Corporation were serving. Bathed in rays of luminescent blues, pinks, and greens, the late-night Rothberries kicked the party into high gear and raised their freak flags. Glowstick accessories illuminated dancing body parts, and hoopers showed off their night gear. Three songs in, the familiar opening strains of "Lebanese Blonde" filled the air, much to the delight of those who were turned on to the band by the Garden State soundtrack. The Talking Heads theme continued, with the group performing The Cosmic Game's "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter," which featured David Byrne's vocals on the album version. Thievery Corporation vaulted themselves into a high position on our festival best-of list, but we just couldn't resist journeying to the freakier side of the forest.

While Thievery Corporation was entrancing the Sherwood Court, the walk through the forest was where the real party was raging. A huge crowd made their way to witness the many splendors and hidden gems that Rothbury had in place. With a light show that seemed to be straight from Chris Kuroda's mind, the forest was filled with craziness included but not limited to: glow-ball jugglers, black-suited glow stick figures, gypsies, fairies, screams of enjoyment and excitement, drum circles, hammock parties, and overall general madness. We made our way through the forest and stumbled upon a hidden stage that featured two glowing people leading an interactive psychedelic display that had the growing crowd swinging glow rods and balls through the night's dark air. After a brief delay, we made our way back into the crowded stream on the way to the Ranch Arena to see Primus.

We made it to the stage just in time to hear "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers" with Les Claypool, Tim Alexander and Larry LaLonde backed by over-sized astronaut blow-ups. "Frizzle Fry" soon followed with fitting opening lyrics that describe their show so aptly:

Hello all you boys and girls
I'd like to take you to the inside world
It's quite an irregular place to be
But never fear you're safe with me.

They played through many of our favorites, including "Jerry Was A Racecar Driver," "My Name Is Mud," "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" and a set closing version of "Harold On The Rocks." They returned to the stage to play through a solid version of "Southbound Pachyderm," to the delight of the still packed Ranch Arena. After we were finished with Claypool and the boys, we made it to several other locations, including the double DJ attack of Flosstradamus and Diplo at the Tripolee Domes, and the Yard Dogs Road Show at the Establishment.

While Primus was finishing up, the dance party was just starting as Flosstradamus handed the baton off to DJ-of-the-moment Diplo to throw his own touches on several classic hip-hop tracks. Current beau of Santogold - and the man responsible for M.I.A.'s popularity - Diplo threw down several nice cuts that kept the party going. It would have been much better if he had been given a longer set time to really show off his work, but the little chunk of music that we heard definitely warranted another listen at a later time and place.

Yet another late night stop for the BOT crew landed us at The Establishment for the San Fransisco based cabaret that goes by the name of Yard Dogs Road Show. After seeing part of their show at Wakarusa, we deemed it necessary to catch one of their late-night Rothbury sets. Their unique blend of poetry, sword swallowing/chair swallowing, dance, crooning, music and other performance art make for quite a unique experience. We were actually able to catch them two nights in a row, but a case of unfortunate timing put us there at the exact same juncture in the same show the next night. The pictures do more justice to Yard Dogs than words would, so have a look. In our eyes, you would have been insane not to catch one of their five sets throughout the weekend.

Pnuma Trio are a band that we've heard several great things about, but have never witnessed live. We made it over to the Tripolee Domes just in time for the start of their set. The keys, bass and drums set-up produced a very danceable sound that kept people coming in throughout the night. They extended their set past the 3am posted finishing time, and the crowd made it easy for them to do that. The main advantage of the sets at the Tripolee Domes was that everybody entering and exiting the main festival grounds had to walk right by them, which wound up bringing in a crowd that might have not made it there otherwise. Pnuma Trio proved just that, as the crowd swelled larger and larger in sync with the intensity of the music. We found it almost too overwhelming, so we headed out in search of more festival activities.

We made our way, as you could probably guess, back to the Sherwood Forest for more adventures. Our trek led us over to Bassnectar, who had about half of his audience on stage with him while his long-haired self spun some bass-heavy beats. We didn't stay for long, but we were definitely there long enough to figure out that Diplo is a much better DJ. Not that Bassnectar is horrible, but his brand of mixing does not suit our fancy. Those in attendance seemed to enjoy what they were hearing, though - especially the festival-goers who were busy raging onstage.

We trekked back to our campsite to rest up before another full day of activities. This might have been the most intense single day of music that BOT has ever experienced. Our feet and minds were exhausted after a non-stop day of jumping from acts as varied as Sam Beam to Snoop Dogg and Modest Mouse to Yonder Mountain String Band - we'd traveled from one end of the spectrum to the other several times, all by walking through the Sherwood Forest.


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