Show Review

All Good 2006 was truly an event worth waiting ten years for. If you had attended All Good since the beginning, you felt extremely validated joining the festival this summer. “We” - the collective that shares this weekend every year - have grown, laughed, cried and made it through some of the wildest weather and trying times together. This summer, the All Good Festival fully sprouted the wings it was always meant to fly on. The special touches were prevalent everywhere; from the “All Good Radio” to the street signs marking all of the previously unlabeled roads, the advances in the infrastructure paralleled the maturity of the crowd and new benchmark set by the lineup. All of these factors combined to push this year’s festival over the top, making it easily the best All Good Festival yet. Sometimes a Festival shatters all the rules, while sometimes a Festival works to rewrite them. With a perfect lineup of top-notch talent, surprises galore, and front-to-back quality, All Good proved to be a candidate for the best festival of the summer.

Thursday evening, we found ourselves steeped in a lethargic return to camp after the Easy Star All Stars welcomed our souls. We followed All Good Avenue past the Spicy Pie Pizza tent and everyone’s favorite Pesto mozzadilla vendor, down the dusty road to the main stage area. The pond on our left reflected the memories of All Goods past as we trudged between the giant mascot canines chomping on guitars. The main stage was bathed in brilliant white spot lights. She glistened like a lady on her wedding day in a pure white dress. Seated next to her was her smaller, shyer little sister. Who knew that for the next few days these two gals would host such a plethora and paradigm of amazing and groundbreaking music?

Oteil Burbridge got things started with his group, the Peacemakersm as vocalist Roger Clyne was in great form, and Oteil showcased the legendary low-end that has made him a staple in the scene. He left the stage to a great ovation, and his diehard fans knew he would be back at the end of the weekend for ARU. Southern Culture on the Skids was next and put on a very fun show, as the North Carolina based trio illustrated how stripped-down sounds can be sweet as well. After this foreword by Oteil and SCOTS, the tale of their finest moments began early on Friday afternoon with John Medeski and the Itch. This band’s performance debut was nothing shy of stellar, with Adam Deitch proving once again why he is the most solid percussive anchor in the business.

The fun continued into the evening with Les Claypool, a performer who has been a festival staple over the last years and has continuously brought the funk each and every time. He had just finished thwacking the crap out of the audience with a lovely older tune off his Holy Mackerel album when Les invited up Trey “Antipasta” Anastasio to jam out the end of “Precipitation” into an orgasmic Oysterhead finish. This was what it was all about – sure there were rumors, but who truly expected to be jamming to Oysterhead in the middle of the West Virginia hills? The creatures from Bignazo.com had fully freaked the entire field out as Les proceeded to tell us about his amazing wife and the tune he had written for her, his one and only “Iowan Gal.” The sweetness that followed was honey for our ears as Les single-handedly guided his banjo bass on the stage. His pangs reflected off the sea of freaks as Claypool’s subtle nuances and notes bounced around the hills.

The magic came again faster and harder as the Ween brothers from nearby Pennsylvania gave us soothing to really dig our teeth into. They shined with Mary Huff on stage during “Piss Up a Rope” and, although the pathways around the festival lacked the foot-and-a-half of mud last years incessant rain produced, Ween left the stage and everything else covered in their trademark brown. G.R.A.B. followed with their best set of the summer and their short but sweet existence. Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon broke free of the bounds of their wolf men and brothers and welcomed the dynamic duo to the fold. Glow sticks were flying through the air like rain drops had in years past. One of the most interesting parts of the set that really made the crowd feel like part of the show was the enormous, glowing puppet man that danced its way through the crowd. The puppet started on the left side of the stage and grooved its way up the hill and back down. The effect that the puppet man made was incredible. It truly appeared to be a giant glow stick man dancing on top of the crowd, very trippy. At the end of the set, Trey took a moment to thank the three puppeteers for operating the puppet. I’m sure from his view on the stage it looked pretty amazing. The Disco Biscuits had a chance to drop their knowledge and eclipse their amazing and revered 2004 All Good performance. Yet, they held back just enough to make their set very enjoyable but nothing legendary. Recent shenanigans like their infinite sandwich set at High Sierra were nowhere to be found, but “King of the World” was a great treat, and the crowd kept moving to their trance-fused beats. All in all, things were sensational and the first night of All Good eclipsed the highlights of the past in one sensational swoop.

All Good has experienced some bad years in the past, not because of music, but because of pesky downpours and even snow. Luckily, the curse of bad weather touched down only once during the weekend for a short spell during The Bridge’s turn at bat. Much like any longtime All Good veteran would, they spat back at the rain and were determined to not let it affect their slot. The energy coming off these guys was positively contagious as they warmed up while G.R.A.B finished. The blend of their funky sax with Trey’s guitar during “Tuesday” was a special treat to all in earshot in the sweet spot. The Baltimore band warmed the “younger sister” stage nicely for the other breakouts of the festival. Saturday’s Grace Potter set, dubbed “Less Talk, More Rock,” was the buzz of the weekend. The young Vermonter continued to enthrall audiences as she grabbed a quick closed-eye breath before heaving her guitar and leaving the stage and audience in splendidly shredded shambles. Potter is truly a raging rock star and it would behoove any “totally great” festival to create a magic day in 2007 by giving us the pleasure of seeing her follow The Bridge in back to back sets (hint, hint). Also, Danielia Cotton is another up and comer representing what seems to be a lacking presence in the festival scene, the female performers. It was inspiring to see not only Grace Potter rock her way onto the scene, but Danielia also did her thing. Mellow grooves bookended Zeppelin inspired leads and her passionate delivery of “It’s Only Life” had the crowd wondering who this crooner was.

Saturday has its share of killer sets. RAQ got things started with their guitar and organ-based jams. The Vermont-based unit sounded great and those who hadn’t blown their brains out dancing to the Biscuits all night were rewarded with a nice treat. Tea Leaf Green brought the improvisation to new levels and Josh Clark continued to show how he could very well be the future kingpin of the guitar. Trevor Garret was good as well, adding some harmonica as well as his keys to the jams, but his somewhat adolescent delivery turned a few rookies off. Railroad Earth followed and stepped up to the plate without any swagger or attitude. The result was a home run of sensational bluegrass-based explorations and their passionate fans were in heaven. Donovan Frankenreiter’s music belongs in the bedroom. But for an hour and a half he turned Marvin’s Mountaintop into a giant love fest. It seemed all that was missing was a giant rotating heart shaped bed and lava lamps in various colors. Frankenreiter’s long-haired surfer looks stood in stark contrast with his Marvin Gaye like delivery. Somehow the quality of his offerings brought the whole set together. Everyone was ready to get busy by the time Galactic hit the stage.

Galactic put on a great show that brought the funk of the big easy to the Mountaintop. Drummer Stanton Moore almost fell out of his seat after jumping around during “Crazyhorse Mongoose” and bassist Bobby Mac was in good form. The band actually continued the fun in an improve set over on the Ropeadope stage, but Umphrey’s McGee was up and we were firmly planted at the Main Stage, ready for them to explode. The result wasn’t what we expected – even though the set had some moments, this bottle of champagne spiked with rocket fuel simply fizzled when the cork was pulled. Umphrey’s McGee could have brought some heat to complement the scorching sun, but in the end even Jake Cinninger’s attempts to vault the band into the stratosphere fell short and they played a wonderfully average set. ALO took the crown as the kings of the side stage, playing a disgustingly short 28 minute set to a hugely appreciative crowd. Although Walther productions is certainly on to something with their setup, which in quite the opposite vein of Bonnaroo, allows attendees to see each and every band that plays w/o any overlaps or gaps, the 30 minute sets are agonizing for fans and the artists alike. Somehow they need to make a 40 hour day so everyone can play a full set.

Even those bands many lacked enthusiasm to see like Robert Randolph came through with huge showings. His new material, in particular the latest single “Deliver Me”, stirred up a raging “Sly storms the disco party” atmosphere in the crowd. Craziness ensued, as witnessed by on of our crew members who overheard one of the festival’s more cosmic attendees remark “This is Randolph’s way of paying homage to Two Live Crew with a seven Bizzo’s Jam” while Robert Randolph covered Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile “. At the same time this raucous scene was happening, DJ Logic and a mix of Umphrey’s McGee, Galactic, and, for a short time, Tea Leaf Green’s Josh Clark ripped the Ropeadope stage. This hidden gem, tucked on a hill by the camps, hosted some of the sickest and most intimate jams of the weekend. Stanton Moore with his “friends” and the almost perfect trisect to form the Duo Buggin' with Skerik/Dillon/Marco were some of the musical highlights of the weekend.

The Black Crowes were the headliners and deserved the spot, as their southern-rock was the perfect companion to the audience’s vibe and the peak of the weekend. Even though the band swooped in and literally had pedestrian traffic blocked so their van could leave and get them to the hotel the second they were done (stay and have fun guys, you really weren’t the biggest rock stars on the planet or even in the fest this weekend, and your egos could use a little relief), the music was fun and Marc Ford got the crowd going each and every time.

Saturday night’s moments flowed so perfectly together. We had just finished an ass-kicking Black Crowes set including special guest Jimmy Herring when the Hackensaw boys kicked up the bluegrass. No sooner had they began picking than fireworks started flying over the main stage. Seriously, is their anything more fun on a Saturday night then bluegrass and fireworks? Heck, I just had to get up and dance a patriotic jig while sporting a shit-eating grin and, apparently, this was the consensus as feet started kicking across the Mountaintop.

In many ways, the Greyboy Allstars felt like a 2 hour tease. Just when everyone had warmed up to the groove, it was over and we were left screaming and demanding more. I felt like I had just attended prom with the loosest girl in school only to have her call it a night as soon as the dance ended. But many with inferior stamina blew their collective loads - some even twice or three times. Karl Denson led the screaming freight train known as Elgin Park all over the hills, blowing off enough steam to heat a small country. They had the crowd so hot and bothered before they kicked into the last tune of the night (the deceptive and tamely titled “Deck Shoes”), that something exceptional needed to happen to cut the tension. I looked around at the whole sweaty mass and noticed them doing a pseudo-electric slide in time with the music. The moment was not intentionally choreographed, but it was so on point with the music and was positively surreal. The rest of the Saturday evening was a party complete with events that require huge shout-outs to the Tent City Two, the Big Dipper, Free Paul, and wild adventures. Don’t worry Digger, if you lose your chair next year in the crowd, I’ll be there to find it for you.

All Good has a way of capturing the spirit of all of the amazing times of the weekend, blending them up, and tossing them right into your lap to reflect on during the Sunday afternoon wind-down. This year, Sunday arrived with a raging, beating sun so bright that not only were sunglasses were a must to survive, but it almost seemed as if the extraordinary bands and crowd had finally broken the longtime curse of rain (and worse). Rebirth arrived late, but they were definitely worth the wait. The upbeat brass sounds, the heat, and the sun beating down temporarily took us all to Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Despite the heat, the music was refreshing and got the crowd to its feet to dance and sing along to the energetic Rebirth brass band. If you were like the majority of attendees, you planned on staying in your chair and relaxing to the afternoon of music. That thought was a distant memory mid-way into Xavier Rudd’s set. This was the stage and set he was born to play, as he tore into covers of Toots and the Maytals “Famine” and a spectacular version of “Gift of the Trees.” Anyone who didn’t get out of their chair to dance barefoot to his amazing set missed out.

Sunday’s heat didn’t let up, leading into an Aquarium Rescue Unit throw down that I’d waited to witness for 13+ years. By the end they were wailing so hard that an extra mini-set from the group was welcomed. ARU somehow represented the past and the future of this music at the same time, and it was a true treat to see the godfathers in the West Virginia sun. Jimmy Herring was on fire, and showed a bit of why he is the not only the solution to the Dead’s needs, but he knows how to Panic as well. Col. Bruce Hampton sounded great and was wished well but all; even though he had a massive heart attack recently, the Col. Delivered vocals with passion and precision, especially when adding his touches to Traffics’ “Glad”. The Wailers closed things out with a sun soaked splash of Reggae. Their set was the stuff that legend is made of and everyone “lively’d up themselves” and celebrated a great end to an amazing weekend. This final push left no doubt that the seamless sets of music, beefed up organization, cast of freaky costumed characters, and amazing weather had created the perfect balance of enchantment and heat, making All Good 2006’s festival of the summer and the definite winner of the “most improved” award. With the continued blessings of Masontown WV, Marvin, and Mother Earth herself, the All Good festival should stay strong for at least another 10 years.

Photos by Jake Krolick