I took the day off from work yesterday so that I could go to the Big Summer Classic over at GMC Stadium in Sauget, IL. What a time I had! The doors opened at 13:00, and New Monsoon was slated to start at 13:30. In typical rock 'n roll fashion, they started a bit late (closer to 14:00).

Before I go any further, let me present to you the afternoon/evening lineup of bands, in jam band setlist nomenclature:

New Monsoon
Umphrey's McGee
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Keller Williams >
Younder Mountain String Band
String Cheese Incident

Back to my story: New Monsoon played a great opening set. I ha dheard snippets of their music on their website (as I researched the bands on tour) but hadn't really heard much. I was pleased with their sound and stage presence. They have a sort of Allman Brothers vibe. Nice music.

During their set, I noticed Andy Farag putting his percussion rig together on stage, right behind the performing band. I was distracted, and a little annnoyed, by this behavior, but I looked around, and realized that if they wanted to get through five bands and stage changes by 9:00 PM, when String Cheese INcident was slated to begin, they had to make the best of all of their time, and there was no other space to use. So I got over it. Plus, it got me a little excited about hearing my favorite band live for the first time.

After New Monsoon, and before Umphrey's McGee there was a yoga lesson off to the left of the stage. I didn't attend, so I can't comment upon its quality, but the participants, including the dreadlocked shorts-only body glitter guy, seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Umphrey's McGe started their set (setlist here) and I was ready to go. They were the reason I had invested in the ticket in the first place. I enjoyed the set thoroughly, especially "Hurt Bird Bath", which they just totally rocked out! the "Jimmy Stewart" was nice, too, but I've heard better in other concert recordings.

UM finished, and Michael Franti and Spearhead took the stage.

I'd like to mention how impressed I was with the stage changes. Big setups - drums and percussion rigs - were build onto wheeled platforms. Drums were mic'd, etc. and each platform had its own snake, so that the stage crew could just plug it into the sound system when the group came up.

Back to Spearhead. I didn't love them. They had a real party vibe about them. Don't get me wrong, the band played well, and Michael Franti is an excellent performer. I just didn't get into the tunes. The songs all had a nice tight raggae-infused groove which had the audience hopping. Franti is really good at getting excitement out of audiences (or, at least he was yesterday). So he would address the audience, and the crowd would start moving again.

I think the thing I didn't like the most, though, is the general message. Franti did ask for a moment of quiet for the victims of the bombings in London, which was perfectly appropriate. But in general, he had an anti-war tilt to his message. I was grateful that he didn't just come out and blame W for all of the evil in the world, as some seem all to happy to do, lately. But he said things like "God is too big for just one religion", "peace, happiness....." - froth! He talked of love, and how it overcomes all, and how it never fails - both true, check I Corinthians 13. But then when he got to the part in the song where he began to chant about love to these people, power to those people, he mentioned: peacemakers, peacekeepers, the weak, those who can't fight for themselves. I don't disagree - but he left out a huge segment of the general population who also need love - people who hate war, but who see it as sometimes necessary. So in the end, at least to me, I found that his message rang hollow. It sounded to me more like this:

"Peace to you brother, if you agree with me."

But on with the show. Keller Williams came on next. He was great. Keller Williams is a one man show. He had an electric bass and an electric guitar on stands on the stage, positioned so that he could walk up behind them and begin playing. He had an aresnal of acoustic guitars arrayed on stands behind him as well. On a rack to his right was a sampling/looping machine, controlled largely by a foot pedal, that he used to great effect. He played his guitar, stomped the pedal, and then the riff would continue. Mouth noises into the mic would produce a drum track. A bass line would follow. Then perhaps an electric guitar solo, or some singing, or a voice solo. Williams would hum or buzz into the mic and produce an array of sounds. He also played some fun cover tunes: Take the Money and Run (Steve Miller), a funny disco type song, done in a bluegrass style (I don't know the title, but it's one of those that you hear and laugh at "Talk about it talk about ittalk about it talk about it) and he mixed up that one with the chorus of "Funky Town". Good times.

Toward the end of the Keller Williams set, stage hands began removing acoustic guitars from behind him. One by one they disappeared, until he only had himself left. For his last song, members of the Yonder Mountain String Band joined him on stage. During the song, Williams left the stage, and YMSB began their set.

The Yonder Mountain string band is a bluegrass outfit; the venerable Oom-Pah of Appalachia. I quickly grow weary of bluegrass. Small doses are fine. Sometimes I really enjoy it. But not in whole 60-minute sets.

But I hung in there, because I wanted to hear some of the String Cheese Incident. I had listened to them some before, and didn't enjoy it a ton. But I thought, "It's their show, so I'll see what they have to offer".

Pleasant surprise number 1: They started their set with "Birdland", that great Weather Report tune.
Sad moment number one: They played "Birdland" right into a bluegrass jam featuring: a violin solo. Horror of horrors. I can't stand the violin in a rock 'n roll type of setting. It just makes me think of Tom Bodete, and there is nothing about that man's public persona that rocks.
Pleasant surprise number 2: The bluegrass jam made its way back to "Birdland".
Evening killer: Two songs later, more bluegrass. Geez!!!

Here are some other notes:
Funniest thing I saw: an apple pipe. No kidding. I looked over and saw this guy pull an apple out of his pocket. The girl with him started eating a peach, or something like it. A couple of minutes later, I see the guy with the apple in his mouth, and a lighter on the other side of the apple. His friend "took a bite" of the apple a bit after that. 4:20, anyone?

Most ironic thing I saw: The guys with the apple pipe were working in a vendor tent for - wait for it - The Conscious Alliance! But who says you need to have a clear mind just because consciousness is a part of your organization's name.

Best surprise: Umphrey's McGee signed autographs after the Spearhead set. I bought a copy of their set (they record every set, and make CDs to sell at each show) and had them sign it. I even asked Kris Myers, their drummer, about his practice habits (rudiments, open-closed-open), a big step for me. I don't talk to strangers, most especially famous ones. But he's one of the best drummers I've heard in a long time, so I had to do it.