Gratefulfest 10

[kdubfan]

Well here we go again, just as I thought I could not have a better time as before it got even better.

I got in Tuesday and set up camp. It is alwasy fun to chill at the ledges with just a few people before everything kicks off.

The music was amazing all around. Everyone had huge smiles on their faces.

You could just see how much fun the bands were having playing in this heaven on earth called NLQP.

DSO out did themselves as always.

I want to thank all the bands and crew who made this all work so well.

A very special thanks to Evan and his crew and their hard work to get this done ten years running.

This is the only fest I do any more. I love the place I love the people and most important my kids have a blast!

I had some serious breathing problems over the week due to a health issue and all the camp fires this year. Thank you Evan for having a medical tent!!! They were very nice and took care of me all week. I don't know what I would have done without them!

I had many friends who could not make it this year so I felt that I had to party a little extra for them which I did

This was the best time! I have never laughed so hard in my life. Nothing but good times, good friends and good music. What more could anyone ask for?

I hooked up with so many old and new friends. I do hope to see a lot of you next week at the Springfield show.

This week was just so amazing!

Thanks everyone :)

[DaysBetween]

I'm not sure where to begin this, so I'll just state what I always state after GratefulFest: that GFest is THE highlight of the year. Nothing - NYE, birthdays, Christmas - NOTHING beats GFest. After 10 years of these (OK, I missed 2002 when my garage was crushed by the biggest mulberry tree you'll ever seen the day before the Fest) I still find myself wanting more. One more song each night. One more minute of jamming in that Alligator. One more second just to sit and take it all in.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you all have the simultaneous feelings while at GFest that you find yourself thinking "I just got here" and "I've been doing this for SO long". How it can seem so short yet practically infinite I attribute to the magic of both the Place and the Event.

Carl!!!!!

Spoiler alert! The first night was THE show of THE time of the year, hands down. Of course that's not to say the other two were throwaways by any means; it's just that Friday night was THAT FRIGGIN GOOD! The opening LTGTR and Weight each brought goosebumps, as well as happy Scott memories. Me and My Uncle > Big River was the first WOW! moment. Another great Ledges Passenger & strong New Speedway highlighted a GREAT first set, that I can't wait to hear again at the Archive. *Ahem* Please? *Ahem* Soon? Please!

The second set setlist speaks for itself but I'll say a few as well. More WOW with a long Help > Slip. "Roll away the Poo" is a terribly shocking yet funny thing to find on the inside of a Port-a-John the next morning. I still heard random passersby talking about the Alligator MONDAY morning. Throwing Stones was so good it literally rocked a man unconscious (but for only just 30 seconds to 1 minute, he's fine now, and we did NOT ridicule him at camp for the next three days about it!). Then we get a truly innovative encore duo of Mr. Charlie > Samson, and that Spirit of '76 Samson was blistering! Yes folks, this was THE one.

Carl!! Where are you Carl? Your momma's calling you, Carl!!!!

Saturday showcased what DSO does to '78. I LOVE what they do with '78! This 4/22/78 featured a rockin Good Lovin. Then L.L. Rain had the hair standing on the back of my neck as it just kept building and building... this has happened to me the last X number of times I've seen DSO do the song, and I fathom that it will continue ad infinitum! How they do that EVERY time to me, I will probably never figure out. Jack Straw wasn't good just because of the lyric (4th of July remember!) but because of the JAM that, again, just kept getting more and more powerful. Very pretty Peggy-O, then Mark Karan took John's spot for Minglewood and Deal. The change in guitar tone threw me at first, but he certainly tore those two up!

I'd have to call the second set "standard" but that "standard" is "DSO-standard", which, if you look it up in the dictionary, means "like always, good, in fact VERY good, but not quite transcendent". Personal highlights were certainly the Wharf Rat, which the entire Kevin side, where I was located, went nuts for even before the tune was audibly identifiable as Wharf Rat by my ears, and the Sugar Mag, which ROCKED and had a good 20 second or more break in it before ROCKING even more. I also really dug the US Blues, and it's echo resonated inside my head all night until the crack of dawn.

Carl!!!! Demand succulence!!

Music started off the final night just right. Greatest Story took it to a new level! That's another one I can't wait to hear again. *Ahem* Cumberland featured the addition David Nelson, which was great, but I wanted more JAM in the Cumberland. I'm always wanting more! Keller came on for the Scarlet but it was Lisa that stole the Scarlet in my opinion with one of "those" performances where I stop and stand still, and my jaw hits the sand.

Strong second set with my favorites easily being The Eleven and Saint of Circumstance, well, until Two Souls that is, which I meant to pick in our set list game... seriously! I was ticked with myself for forgetting to write it down as one of my ten. Ah well. Great choice and execution on the Two Souls a.k.a The Stranger, which in a sense makes that two Strangers and two Saints in one set if you think about it!

Carl!!!!! Kind midnight (unintelligible), 1 for 2 sale! Will trade for Philly.

Evan comes out to make a toast (if I have my timing right) and discuss the origin of GratefulFest before the encore. Our old buddy Scott and he ironed out all the details that first year, which we all knew was special from the get-go, and 10 years later it's still happening. Wow, that just hit me, more so than it has before. I've been doing this for a decade. What a decadent decade. I was dying for a Mission in the Rain ("10 years ago..") but the other obvious choice, and now I believe the better choice, was Brokedown Palace, sung by John as tenderly as he did Stella Blue at the Kinetic Playground on 4/29/05. It was in that vicinity, for sure. At least for me, and I'm sure for many others, Brokedown was for Scott.

And thus it was. And there was so much great music beside DSO to check out, including Greyspoke that I thought REALLY brought it this year, and my New Band of the Year (drumroll please): Rumor Has It. Each year I seem to discover a new one at the Ledges! Boombox, late night with the Flyin Jays and Goldmine Pickers, that whole first night, and Kevin's bass vibrating through us all each of the nights are things that will stick for a very long time.

Carl!! Onward!!!

Great to see people that I see really just this one time each year from all over the country, but this is already over 1000 words so I'll name none of you! I will give a shout to the very nice young couple from Michigan that chose GFest over some other festival up there and who camped beside us, unknowing of the BEAST that wakes up after a show, in the woods, at Nelson Ledges, and who seemingly enjoyed every bit of chaos.. AND one more quick one to the most interesting new person I met: the one-time Marine with all the awesome stories who playfully always refused to divulge his age and went to see the Dead on a whim in the mid-80's, and then caught the next 2 years worth of shows in a row. He did see Bo Diddley though, when Bo was young, hmm....

Sorry for the length, but the way I figure it, I rarely post here anymore, so when I do write reviews, I'm going all out. Quick thanks to my campmates for everything, and to everyone at DSO and NLQP, and now, I'm out! See ya at the next one!

CAAARRRRRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

[kdubfan]

Nice job... good read :)

[John A]

Good read. But I give up. Who (what?) is Carl?

[Guest crazy digits]

It seems that the DSO traveling family grows year to year...... At my first Gratefulfest ( #5 ) , I knew the band and another 10 folks who traveled to see this band in far away places. It so reminded me of yesteryear when traveling with the GD but in a much more intimate more gentle way, with the smaller crowds, the loud crisp sound, regardless of whether you are up front or behind the soundboard. I now know 100 ( approx ) of the kindest folks one would dream to know, many of which I can count on to be at Gratefulfest year in and year out..Having said that, it wasn't the same without Scott, Anthony, Ellen, Brett/Alisha, James, the Jersey Boys, Daniella, woodpile, Kyle, Kira and others I am drawing a blank on..sorry

First, the biggest thanks go out to the band. Without DSO, there would be no Gratefulfest. Thanks to Evan for having all of us. Thanks to the all happy campers whom behaved well ( apparently there were NO arrests over the weekend ). Thanks to Camp Kitchen, Steve, Kris, Vince, Sue and Barry who all provided gourmet meals for so many of us during the time we needed it the most. Like the family, this seems to grow with time as well

Musically, I loved all of the DSO shows, specifically the 78' show. The Lazy Lightning, Roses Estimated > Eyes to open the second set was way beyond good... I can still hear the Estimated...The guest musicians, Mark Koran ( Minglewood, Deal to close second night first set - JK sat the 2 songs out..the first time I had ever seen JK sit out in my some 200 shows ), David Nelson, Keller Williams -scarlet 3rd night first set > sick The show on the small stage after the second night was SICK! I am sorry anyone missed it...I was in no mood for the DSO show to end when it did and there is a God, trust me...He assembled an amazing crew to do approx 10-15 straight GD tunes, mixing in a Jerry song as well...Someone help me with the line up? Donna, Stu Allen, Gans and another 5 folks...It was as good as anything I can remember in along time. Stu Allen is a really nice guy and a musician that got my attention this time around..I like the way he goes about it..

The woods was a great place to be this year...quiet for NLQP...all the asses must have gone to another festival, I forget the name of it .........only folks who loved our kind of music, played the way we like to hear it - as I said, if you don't like the GD, start to or be on your way! I got lost only two times this year, both the last night...tough to get thru 4 nights in the woods without getting lost...try it, it is fun!

Frank, did you find your sweatshirt? I think I know where it is? Teacher Matt, I love you buddy. You were missed the last night. To the 2 AZ brothers, you guys were so much fun to have on board this year. Rob and Wiley, you knew you would miss the 11 if you left early..and you did! When you drive that far, you must stay. It should be a law > once you enter, you cannot get out until it is over..unless it is an emergency..period. You guys have a beautiful little girl. To Linda, I am glad you made it and can see you at many more to come. All of you are missed as soon as I drive out the gate....see you all soon...Love.

[Vince and Sue]

We waited a long time for this one to come around. Finally when we got the green light at work, the countdown began. Smooth trip north, no problems. Pulling in on Thurs we found we couldn't get last years spot. Oh well. The site they gave us was fantastic. Camp Kitchen needed some space and we were granted it! We went right to work and never stopped. Everyone arrived throughout the evening and the gathering was underway.

Our family was together again. Our closest brothers & sisters. Seeing you guys every few months is too long of a gap. We miss you.

Thanks to the band for bringing these great people together. For allowing new friendships to bloom, and old relationships to realize why they've stayed tight for so long! The music needs no description, just magic from start to finish.

We have many memories that will remain in our hearts.....especially the laughs, and plans that we made around that campfire!!!!!

Love You All

V&S