Review: Life is good Festival, Day One

As one could imagine, a festival with the focus on helping out kids, also made it a goal to create a family friendly concert experience. Bringing the kids to Bonnaroo, Coachella or a three-day Phish festival may not be the best decision for many families, but bringing them to Life is Good was an easy one. In addition to an entire stage devoted to music that the younger set could enjoy, there were scores of diversions and fun. Amongst the activities, in areas scattered amongst the concert grounds aptly named “Chillville”, “Good Karma” and “Good Move” were storytelling, BMX exhibitions, yoga, break dancing, sports competitions, an instrument “petting zoo”, seed spitting competition, rock climbing wall, and assorted “characters” and celebrities available for photos.

[Stroller Parking at the Kids Stage]

The entrances to the Good Kids Stage looked more like a stroller drop-off zone at a Disney ride than a tent at a rock concert but don’t let that fool you. The Good Kids Stage provided lots of great acts for those just beginning to learn the joy of live music. Packed to near capacity for many performances, the stage hosted such acts as They Might Be Giants. The well known band with Platinum selling records, Grammy Awards, and 14 studio albums under their belt, ripped through favorites like Seven, I Never Go to Work and Alphabet of Nations.

Another favorite that catered to the kindergarten mosh pit were the San Francisco-based The Sippy Cups. Playing kid friendly versions of popular Pink Floyd, Beatles, Rolling Stones and other classic rock bands, the Sippy Cups got the tent rocking. Dan Zanes, former front man of the popular band the Del Fuegos, lead his band through many foot stomping, hand clapping, sing-a-longs such as I Won’t Grow Up, Smile and Let’s Shake. Another well received act on the “Good Kids Stage” were the Laure Birkner Band whom the Wall Street Journal said, “Her music is distinctive because it speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grown-ups”. And that is exactly what all the acts on this stage did & why they were picked: the ability to not only entertain kids, but also to put on a great show for the adults.

As good as the entertainment was on the kids’ stage, the real rocking came from the two other stages: The Life is Good Main Stage & The Good Vibes Stage.

Saturday’s opening acts on the Good Vibes stage were Chris Phillips and the soulful singer-songwriter Will Dailey and the Rivals. Coming on at 3PM, as per the performance schedule which ran with military precision throughout the weekend, was Donavon Frankenreiter. Much like Jack Johnson who plays a breezy, surf rock, Donavon had the crowd swaying, smiling and singing along in an easy going manner. Previously singed to Johnson’s Brushfire Records, Donavon is now with Lost Highway Records, home of Willie Nelson & Ryan Adams amongst others. His new album Glow is debuting this week which gave him and the band a good opportunity to play the title track and namesake of the new album. After that, Donavon had the crowd happily singing to American Girl. “Who called it first?” bellowed the sun-glass wearing, bearded, long haired singer. “I did” responded someone ten rows deep. “You sir win a beer!” and with that exclamation, Donavon tossed an opened beer can to the guy as foam and suds trail behind. “Oh yeah, it’s been opened, sorry”. Your Heart and Move by Yourself rounded out the well received set.

Next up on the Vibes stage was the Philadelphia based Dr. Dog. The crowd seemed to enjoy the Indie rockers who had a nice mix of psychedelic jamming, straight ahead rocking and a pop sensibility. Shadow People, The Old Days, and Army of Ancients were all performed to the thrill of the crowd.

Burlington, VT’s Grace Potter and the Nocturnals closed the Vibes stage out on Saturday, and closed it out in style! Many people came primarily to see Grace Potter and this was not only a highlight for them, but also for scores of the uninitiated on the Fest’s first day. Hot Summer seemed an appropriate set opener as an homage to the end of a record breaking hot summer in the area as well as the heat she brought into Canton. Ah Mary off of This is Somewhere fit nicely before One Short Night from the recently released self-titled album. It was the first tune that Grace hammered on the keyboard. Tiny Light dropped as the sun was setting and the crowd was just warming up for a scorching Apologies > Oasis.

As the volume of Oasis slowly dropped, Grace danced, slithered and did an Arabian clap as the bad beautifully segued into White Rabbit. The energy was palpable and brought a roar from the crowd with the obligatory sing-a-long to the chorus “Feed Your Head, Feed Your Head!” A slow, quiet and beautifully executed segue brought Nothing But the Water. Turning up the volume to one of the day’s highest peaks so far on this stage, a rocking Medicine preceded the set-ending Paris. “I’m a little embarrassed to sing this, since my father is standing right over there, and it’s the naughtiest song ever” was the introduction to this tune with the lyrics: “If I a man I’d make my move, If I was a blade I’d shave you smooth, If I a judge I’d break the law, And if I was from Paris, If I was from Paris, I would say Oooh la la la la la la lah”. Grace Potter’s timeless sound, pitch-perfect tonality, sultry stage presence, and ability to skillfully and adeptly play not only the acoustic and electric guitar, but also all manner of keyboards, makes her a musician with a huge future and a swelling fan base.

The Main stage on Saturday was christened with the soulful, sweaty dance party sounds of Boston, MA natives Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & The True Loves. The crooning R&B and soul sounds that mostly came off of the recently released major label debut Come and Get It was the perfect set up and compliment to the next act Mavis Staples. While Eli Reed and the True Loves is just hitting the scene, Mavis Staples has been belting out her blend of gospel, funk and soul since the late ’60s. When Mavis asked the crowd, “LIfe is good, y’all?!” and then belted I’ll Take You There there were many nodding in agreement, that life was truly indeed good.

While the first couple acts were filled with soul, Ozomatli was the first act on the main stage to really get the crowd moving and grooving. This eight-piece band with brass, guitar and percussion ripped through quite a varied playlist meshing together the dirty sounds of Cajun swamp rock with salsa, rap, jazz, reggae and a bit of R&B. The band’s cross cultural appeal is so high that they have served as a cultural ambassador to the US State Department on international trips to Asia, Africa, South America & the Middle East.

Just before 6:00 pm, and with the first hints and aromas wafting in the air that there were more than just families at Blue Hill, Ziggy Marley and his band treated the audience to the timeless reggae sounds and feel good music of Jamaica – an appropriate act for a festival espousing inclusion, family, good times, good vibes and carefree living. This Train opened the hour-plus set before a happy, bouncy and fun Tomorrow People. A poignant and beautiful ballad, A Lifetime is not Long Enough to Love You, kept with the spirit of love and peace. Ziggy had the crowd singing along to C’Mon Let’s Make this Music before pleasing the crowd with favorites, Got to be True to Myself and Love is My Religion. If the crowd was not feeling the Rasta vibe quite yet, Ziggy closed with father Bob’s Is this Love? The upbeat, driving tune closed the set perfectly and left many most feeling perfectly fine.

Saturday’s closing headlining act was Ben Harper and the Relentless7 who kicked out 90 minutes of his signature voice, rock, soul and slide guitar. I Will Not be Broken kicked off the set with Harper seated and playing his lap guitar. Number With No Name and Why Must You Always Dress in Black preceded the fan favorite, Diamonds on the Inside. With Harper standing up and playing the acoustic guitar, the ballad was wondrously beautiful and another perfect match for the venue. Amen Omen and Keep it Together were other favorites rounding out the set. As Harper closed out the set promptly at 9:15, festival goes were hoping for another day on Sunday to match the stellar weather, great tunes, and good vibes that Saturday brought.