Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival 2008 - Saturday/Sunday

With the rain on Thursday, and the music (finally) on Friday, we were halfway through Wakarusa. The festival had already seen its climax with its one true headliner, The Flaming Lips, but many of our favorite bands were still to come on both Saturday and Sunday.

Keep reading "Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival 2008 - Saturday/Sunday" after the jump

Saturday, June 7

We Were Ready. The Music Was Great. We Were Up Too Late.

The day was hot, much like Friday, but we were determined to catch at least parts of several of the day's sets. After having a little "Chompdown" of our own with some friends from Lincoln, we made our way over to the main grounds just in time for the start of State Radio's early afternoon set at the Sun Down Stage. The last time we had the chance to catch this band didn't fare too well, so we were excited to see at least one of their two scheduled sets. Led by Dispatch frontman Chad Urmston, this reggae-tinged political minded college rock trio from Boston was the perfect formula to rid ourselves of the music hangover from the previous night's late shows. They played through many of the songs off of their latest release, Year Of The Crow, including the standouts "Gang Of Thieves" and "CIA".

State Radio

Towards the end of State Radio, we took a hike up to the Revival Tent for The Gourds 2:30 set. This Austin-based bluegrass band gained some notoriety when their cover of Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice" made waves on file sharing sites like Napster and Kazaa, although most somehow mistook the remake as a Phish cover. They come to Houston pretty regularly, but Eggs or Cereal have never had the chance to catch them live. Their rowdy brand of Texas hill country bluegrass made fans out of us along with many others. Nice walking bass lines laid a solid foundation for the driving acoustic guitar, mandolin and accordion that provided the right amount of energy to get their early attendees moving. The crowd seemed to grow as the show went on, which only made the band work harder and faster. After getting quite involved in dancing ourselves, we had to move on for the buffet of afternoon tunes that Wakarusa was providing.

The Gourds

Next up was a trip back to the Sun Down Stage for Brett Dennen's set. Dennen has been gaining in popularity over the past year, touring with established acts (Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer), making several festival stops, and providing his song "Blessed" for Hilton Hotel advertisements. His unique vocals and songwriting are most comparable to Matt Costa, but with his own style and flair, with more of a blues sound to them. Upon arrival on stage, this baby-faced ginger proceeded to win over the main stage audience that was slowly starting to build, with people claiming their spots for the rest of the day's festivities. We were not sure how well his voice would translate live, but he soon proved that it is not just a trick of the studio's knobs and buttons. Being not too familiar with his catalog, we decided to hang back and observe the show from a much more comfortable blanket spot. Instead of reverting to conversation though, the BOT crew listened attentively, and quickly became big fans.

Brett Dennen

The next hour was devoted to replenishing ourselves, and bouncing around to the other stages for bits and pieces of both Alejandro Escovedo and Delta Nove. Escovedo first grabbed our attention when he was added to last year's Wakarusa, but soon after cancelled his appearance. After some further research, we soon found out that he was an Austin native, and had a rather storied musical history playing in bands like The Nuns and the True Believers. After skipping his show in Houston a few weeks ago, we made it a point to stop by for a song before heading to Delta Nove. His Texas roots showed as he led his band through many songs from the aforementioned bands, as well as material from his solo career.

With the need for some funk, we took off to Delta Nove's Sun Up Stage appearance. These guys were the talk of last year's Wakarusa after both of their sets and sit-ins with the Everyone Orchestra. We were not going to make the same mistake by missing them this year, and after witnessing what everyone was talking about, we're more than glad we didn't. They provided a sound that was otherwise missing from us at this year's Wakarusa by playing through deep funk, world-beat, reggae, and jam music. On top of that, they were also the band that made us shake our asses the most all weekend. Delta Nove is definitely a delight.

Alejandro Escovedo

Delta Nove

Ozomatli, a band that BOT has vowed to see as often as possible, took the Sun Down Stage next for an early-evening (after?) party. Ozomatli's performance at last year's Wakarusa turned out to be one of the most talked about of the weekend, so a similar sized crowd was on hand to check out this LA-based collective. During the beginning of Ozo's set, Eggs had a nice chat with That 1 Guy about his experiences seeing Ozomatli, as well as his "guest spots" during the weekend's events which included MC-ing before the Flaming Lips and a bass-heavy sit-in with Buckethead. Meanwhile, Ozomatli was working the crowd into a frenzy with fan favorites "Can't Stop", "Magnolia Soul" and "Como Ves". Their brand of Latin-based hip-hop, funk and soul provided the perfect change of pace from the rest of the genres represented. Spotted throughout the crowd dominated by upper-middle class youth were various members of the Hispanic community, who threw the money on a one-day pass just to see Ozomatli. It was great to see these new faces in the festival community; hopefully walked away from the experience as fans of a few new bands. After Ozomatli, we decided to take a break in the shade and decide what our next plan of attack was to be.

Ozomatli

Leftover Salmon were the next band to take the Sun Down Stage, so our brief break turned into about a half an hour, during which water and Gatorade became our best friends. Leftover Salmon came onstage with huge smiles on their faces while guitarist and vocalist Vince Herman, who served as MC to last year's event, yelled his trademark "Fesstttiiivvvaaaallll!!!!" into the microphone. These festival veterans know how to put on a show. They took a brief hiatus from the road which led to their inevitable return in tip-top fashion. Leftover Salmon holds a special place in BOT's heart as it was Toast and Eggs' first experience with live jam music. We knew there were several other shows going on, but something about their performance that night made it hard for us to walk away. We did end up taking brief trips to see both the Old 97's and Dr. Dog, but our feet eventually led us back to Leftover's set. They played through several songs including "Carnival Time" and "Lonesome Road" which brought much delight to the masses. We stayed through the end, but did not want a miss a minute of Hot Buttered Rum, which started just a short time after Leftover Salmon finished.

Leftover Salmon

Old 97's

Dr. Dog

Hot Buttered Rum was the show of the weekend. By far (at least for Eggs). They only had about an hour set, but in that hour they packed in a setlist full of many of our favorite HBR songs and covers. Missing from action for the evening's set was banjoist Eric Yates, but replacing him for several songs was local picker Charlie Rose. The festival program told us that we were to expect Jason Hann and Michael Travis, rhythm section for String Cheese Incident as well as EOTO-ers, to join the band throughout the night. That never happened, but Matt Butler, leader of the Everyone Orchestra, did show up to hit the skins (that's what she said). After a few technical difficulties, they started their set with "Sweet Honey Fountain". The short but sweet show included many highlights with covers of the Grateful Dead's "Sugaree" and The Beatles "I've Got A Feeling", as well as spirited takes on their own "Busted in Utah" and set-closer "3.2" dedicated to Kansas' ridiculous alcohol law. They jumped on the Bassmaxxx speakers to take a bow, and just like that it was all over. Sound Tribe Sector 9's deep bass grooves were pounding away from the Sun Down Stage while Ben Folds was enjoying a rather large crowd over at the Revival Tent.

Hot Buttered Rum

Matt Butler - Hot Buttered Rum

As Eggs was enjoying the funky bluegrass across the way, Toast made his way over to check out the "headliner", Sound Tribe Sector 9 out of Atlanta, on the Sun Down Stage. Aside from The Flaming Lips show, this was the most crowded that this stage had been throughout the entirety of the festival. Although electronic music has never been one of our most beloved sounds, STS9 definitely can throw down. The view from the press pit had to have been one of the most beautiful of the weekend. Watching the intense light show while the bass was rattling every inch of our mortal bodies was definitely a unique experience. After a few songs, and wishing we had talked to the guy offering us doses, Toast made his way back towards the Sun Up stage to meet up with his yolky friend Eggs, in order to catch Keller Williams.

Sound Tribe Sector 9

Sound Tribe Sector 9

Keller Williams sits very high on BOT's favorites list, so both of his shows, including Saturday in the Revival Tent and his Sun Down appearance with reggae band The Transmitters on Sunday, were of top priority. We made it in time for the start of his midnight set. After a brief instrumental, he started strumming the chords to "Breathe", one of our favorites. Amid touring with several different bands, Keller's choice to perform solo for one of his Wakarusa sets made us very happy. Eggs unfortunately had not seen Williams in 3 years due to him never stopping in Houston (ahem...), so their "reunion" proved to be refreshing. The huge white ceiling of the Revival Tent was littered with different video projections of Keller performing which made for an even more amazing experience. Instead of playing through a host of his new material, Keller decided to take his setlist back a few years with several cuts from the albums Buzz, Laugh and Home, creating a more traditional Keller experience. After mellowing the crowd out with many acoustic tunes and making us "think of cool things" with the snow-themed songs "221" and "Floating On Freshies", he quickly turned around the pace of the set with one of his instant dance parties. His not-long-enough performance seemed to make the fans want more, so fortunately he was set to take the stage again on Sunday.

Keller WIlliams

We made a quick trip around the field, eventually making it to the end of Yard Dogs Road Show (more about them later) and planting ourselves on the side of The Porch stage where C-Mon & Kypski were just starting. Towards the beginning of their set they were playing to a very small crowd, but soon stragglers from the nearby Ozric Tentacles and Tea Leaf Green shows started trickling in. This show turned out to be quite an interesting surprise. Originally, we never planned on attending their show due to a conflict with Tea Leaf Green, but after taking a seat by their show, we never left. They finished out our Saturday night with a mixture of MacBook-infused beats and live instrumentation. The now-dense crowd at the Porch stage bobbed its collective head to every drum beat and turntable twist from this Netherlands-based band. They reminded us quite a bit of Galactic, but with more of a dance feel. The energy alone of their live show is worth checking out. Hopefully these guys start to make more of a name for themselves in the States so they can come and play for us again.

C-Mon & Kypski

C-Mon & Kypski

After a very long Saturday, we were ready to call it a night. While we felt that there was no true headliner on Saturday, we made the most out of it with the smaller tent acts, which appeal to us very much. Hot Buttered Rum, Keller Williams and Leftover Salmon proved to be our favorite sets of the day, while nice surprises like C-Mon and Kypski and the Yard Dogs Road Show also made a statement. Many people complained about the sound bleed from one stage to the next, especially during the bass-heavy STS9 set, but that never seemed to be a problem for us. It helps that we always made it a point to get close to the stage at all of the shows we attended. We were ready for a nice full day of shows on Sunday, and went to sleep thinking that's exactly what we would get.

Sunday, June 8

We Were Ready. The Rain Came Back. What Did The Festival Lack?

Sunday came bright and early as the gang of small children that were camped with the family next to us made sure that we were awake. Once awake, both Eggs and Toast agreed on the fact that the next little kid to set off a waterfall style crying session would be snap kicked in the face. This random, and almost necessary, act of violence never occured, but the day abruptly started. Eggs, bacon, cheese, tortillas and ketchup had become a staple in our morning Wakarusa diet. Our vendor friends from next door told us about another storm that was set to hit Lawrence at about 3 in the afternoon. We were there, and had plans to stay through the night, as Eggs had an early morning flight out of Kansas City, so we took off to the main grounds hoping for the best.

Upon arrival at the main gate, everybody was handed a yellow sheet that announced a revised schedule because of the cancellation of Emmylou Harris due to an alleged illness. We were not particularly disappointed about the cancellation as we had already experienced Harris live, but it did make scheduling somewhat crazy for the whole day. The day's music started off with a not-so-busy noon showing by Philadelphia's Dr. Dog. As we only stayed at their set briefly the day before, we were excited for the opportunity to see more of them at the Sun Down Stage on Sunday. They reminded us a lot of many bands we know and love, like Wilco and My Morning Jacket, with their sound drifting more towards the heavier psychedelic sides of both of those bands. What stood out about this group most was their ability to show off their influences while still maintaining their own true sound. Eggs and Cereal are ecstatic about the opportunity to catch a full headlining show from them when they come through Houston later this year.

Dr. Dog

The day was still young, and the rain clouds were still yet to reach our sky. Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk were up next bringing the New Orleans Funk to the afternoon crowd. After a short delay, Dumpstaphunk brought it on, making everybody happy that they had awoken to such a glorious day. Their funky sound is reminiscent of many other funky acts such as Galactic, which is by no means a bad thing. Young Ian Neville was a delight, effortlessly shredding his guitar into oblivion, as Tony Hall kept us all on track on the bass. Dumpstaphunk have made their way several times to BOT friendly locations, but we'd never seen them (at least, not that we can remember). This was an excellent opportunity to correct our lapse. Their set proved to be exactly what we had imagined, and seemed to be warmly received by the still-small crowd.

Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk

Yard Dogs Road Show impressed us so much in the fifteen minutes that we caught of their late night set that we threw them onto our must-see list for Sunday's events. We were glad that we did. Their music is actually pretty good, ranging from gypsy-punk to bass-heavy Les Claypool-like jams, blues to 80's hair metal, but it's the stage show that makes them what they are. Throughout the show each character took the time to introduce themselves and their unique talents and tricks. The show featured a host of different visual stimuli that kept the crowd cheering throughout. Flappers, cowboys, a washed-out rocker, a really old guy, sword/chair leg swallowers, wind-up dolls, and women sporting Dia De Los Muertos masks all made appearances during Yard Dogs Road Show's hour and fifteen minute set. It was the most entertaining show of the weekend by far, and we couldn't help but wonder what someone under the influence of mind-altering substances might be thinking of the antics we were witnessing. The show ended the same way as the previous day's set; as they started to repeat some of the same antics, we departed for the Sun Down Stage to catch Tea Leaf Green's second set of the weekend.

Yard Dogs Road Show

Yard Dogs Road Show

Yard Dogs Road Show

The sky was still completely void of any rain clouds at two forty-five, so our hope for a rain-free day was starting to brighten. We stopped an officer (SCARY!!!) who was driving slowly by in a golf cart and asked him if he knew what the rain situation was going to be like. He told us that in about an hour (we heard "about an hour" several times throughout the course of the day) we were going to face certain doom. We were happy to hear that we wouldn't be missing Tea Leaf Green's set, but were growing ever-so-worried that Keller Williams would not be able to play his set with The Transmitters. While obsessively glancing at the sky with hopes for no rain, we took the time to watch Tea Leaf Green run through their progressive, jam-based show. Keyboardist and vocalist Trevor Garrod meshed extremely well with guitarist Josh Clark, bringing their melodious sound out of their instruments as well as their vocals. The new addition of well-respected bassist Reed Mathis has brought their sound full circle. They were a much stronger and more determined band then the last time we saw them during their opening slot for moe. a few months ago. It is going to be interesting to see what this band is doing five years down the line. After staying for a guest appearance by BOT favorite Allie Kral from the band Cornmeal, we walked up to see what Leftover Salmon was bringing to the table for their second set.

Tea Leaf Green

Leftover Salmon's afternoon Revival Tent show seemed to focus more on the bluegrass sounds that helped them make a name for themselves years ago. A cover of Taj Mahal's "She Caught The Katy" was an early set highlight, while John Hartford's "Steam Powered Aeroplane" (requested by a guy holding up a hastily-crafted cardboard sign) was a fan favorite, and always a great addition to any set. After a fine rendition of "Mama Boulet", which has very strong zydeco influences, we headed down to get a good spot for Keller. As we were walking we noticed that the clouds were finally starting to creep in from the southwest. Although it seemed as if we were going to get another full set by Keller with help from The Transmitters, we were worried about what was going to happen to the rest of the night's music. We watched Keller play through several reggae versions of his classic songs. Highlights of this one-off show included spirited versions of "Dogs", "Callaloo and Red Snapper", and the traveling themed "Doobie In My Pocket". The crowd was working up quite a sweat when Keller jumped into "Gate Crashers Suck", his not-so-tongue-in-cheek tribute to the people who ruined his last true Grateful Dead experience. After screaming "Fuck you, you cocksucking motherfuckers" to the growing crowd who all seemed to be screaming along, defiantly waving middle fingers in the direction of the looming clouds, Keller jumped into a slowed-down, set-ending version of "Best Feeling" to the delight of many fans. The sky was starting to grow ever darker as we made our way to the Revival Tent for the start of David Grisman's set.

Leftover Salmon

Keller Williams

On our way up to Grisman's set, we veered towards the Sun Up Stage, where That 1 Guy was performing to a packed tent. As soon as we headed that way, T1G finished his song and informed the crowd that he was told to stop due to the threatening storm that was now sitting almost directly above us. Once we made it to the Revival Tent, security told us it would only be about twenty minutes until the storm was to blow over, and then they would restart the music. We grabbed a few beers, and headed towards the back of the tent to wait out the supposed brief break. It started to rain very hard. Lightning was illuminating the darkened sky, while thunder made the now-packed tent cheer loudly. Twenty minutes passed, and the rain was only getting harder with sheets of hail every now and again. Another 20 minutes passed, and there was still no word or movement on the stage or at the soundboard. Waiting for over an hour with no explanation or answer as to whether or not we would be hearing any more music became quite frustrating. The ground that had just started to dry that afternoon was back to a soupy mess. Some people tried to enliven the crowd with repeated cheers of "Waka", but not many seemed amused. This was a repeat of Thursday night, and once again due to lack of communication, nobody had a clue as to what was going on. Finally the rain lightened to a sprinkle, allowing the crowd to exit the tent to use the port-o-potties, refresh their drinks, or get a bite to eat. By this time, the damage had already been done, as the festival grounds had become even nastier than previously from Thurday's rain. In addition to this, the Revival Tent too had taken on large amounts of water, thus creating a slippery muck. A few minutes after the rain ceased, stage crews started uncovering all of the gear. Someone came on stage and announced that they were going to have music, but the Revival Tent was going to be the only stage running. After quizzing various members of the staff to find out exactly who would be playing, we finally got word that David Grisman would indeed be taking the stage as soon as they had all of their equipment live again.

Waka Weather

David Grisman

Everybody was still wondering whether or not they were going to see Mickey Hart or Zappa Plays Zappa. BOT was more concerned with whether Bang Camaro would be able to play. The crowd was confused when David Grisman took the stage, but nobody seemed to leave. For the moment it looked like everybody had just accepted it and were happy with Grisman as a substitute for the headliners. It wasn't until later that we noticed the crowd dwindling, festival-goers exiting the tent with disappointment visible on their faces. Even with the Avett Brothers and Split Lip Rayfield set to perform, this proved to be the end of the line for the BOT crew as well. While we were glad we had the chance to see David Grisman and his Quintet, the cancellation of nearly a complete second night of notable acts made us seriously question the credibility of Wakarusa as a prominent summer festival destination. Yes, we know the weather could not be stopped, but it seemed as if they completely gave up after Sunday's round of storms ended. I can't stress how much the lack of communication between festival staff and attendees started and ended the festival in a huge state of confusion, which eventually led to many disappointed paying attendees. We packed up our soaked belongings, and headed towards Kansas City to find a cheap room in which to pass the night. We were very glad to be out of Clinton Lake State Park, and away from the disorganized mess of a Sunday night. We were done with Wakarusa, probably for good, and left wishing it did not have to be that way.

If you can look past all of that, musically this weekend was outstanding. The two-and-a-half days of shows were enough to exhaust anyone's mind and body. For sake of the state of Kansas and the Midwest as a whole, I hope Wakarusa can survive this year's problems, and eventually blossom into something bigger and better. According to reports from past festival attendees, this was the least attended event since the festival's inception five years ago. The lack of more than one true headliner, plus the reputation of being very "cop-friendly" were some of the major issues that plagued attendance this year. The police presence was notably down from last year, but the festival did not grow enough with its line-up. With the lowered attendance plus the many problems of this year, it will be interesting to see how many people show up for Wakarusa 2009. An incredible line-up would be needed to get us back, but even then it would take a ton of convincing.


For the musicians that brought their all to Wakarusa 2008, we give them 8.5/10 breakfast plates.

For the attendees that made the most of the festival despite the circumstances, we give them 9.7/10 breakfast plates.

For the staff at the festival that were in charge of making decisions and calling the shots, we give them 2.3/10 breakfast plates.


Check out all of our other coverage of the festival:

Wakarusa 2008 Thursday/Friday Review
Wakarusa 2008 Saturday/Sunday Review
Wakarusa 2008 in Photos - Friday
Wakarusa 2008 in Photos - Saturday
Wakarusa 2008 in Photos - Sunday
Wakarusa 2008 in Videos


-Eggs & Toast

p.s. We are sorry if this is not the sugar-coated review that you might have wanted to read, but we vow to be truthful in our reviews, even if they result in people getting angry with us. If you want to read an overly-positive review that fails to mention most of the negatives, go here.