Review: Life is good Festival, Saturday
It was hard not to get excited about Life is Good 2011 after the lineups were announced in June. Coming off of a wildly well received inaugural year, a plethora of top tier acts were added for this sophomore outing. Each day’s closing headliners in Avett Brothers on Saturday and Ray LaMontagne gave festival goers something to eagerly look forward to all day.
[All Photos © Parker Harrington]
After a week’s forecast of torrential rains for all day Saturday, Mother Nature seemed to have second thoughts gracing Prowse Farm in Canton, Mass. with a spectacular day of warm weather and a sky full of sunshine and good vibes. Raising close to $1Million in 2010 for children’s charities and as the only multi-day music festival in the Greater Boston area, Life is Good had much to live up to this year. Not skipping a beat, 2011′s event came out of the chute as strong as 2010′s closing notes of Jason Mraz left the environs of the 6,000 acre Blue Hill Reservation. Many may not know the rich history of the area and the fact that Massachusetts derives its name from the very spot where the three stages were situated. Native Americans referred to the area as “Moswatusek” or “Land by the Great Hill.” Indeed, for the second straight year, a great history is being written in New England’s music scene.
[Whimsical Sculptures Throughout the Festival Grounds]
READ ON for more on Day One of Life is good 2011…
As was the case last year, the performance schedule was carried out with atomic clock like precision. Staggered sets between the Main Stage and the Good Vibes Stage allowed festival goers to migrate between one another as the waning notes of each set wafted through the air. Never having to miss a note of a set, nine straight hours of music graced the two primary stages and kept the crowd energized throughout the unseasonably hot day. Despite these two main stages, the Good Kids Stage, geared towards the younger set, had some pretty stellar talent as well. How many festivals can sport Keller Williams on a kids stage?
Kicking off the Main Stage was Mystic, Connecticut’s Barefoot Truth. A quick 45 minute set that featured a folksy blend of rock, reggae and jazz was a nice way to open the day as the clouds slowly receded and the crowd of 10,000+ trickled in from all over New England and beyond. Dwight & Nicole quickly followed christening the Good Vibes stage with a unique blues & soul sound.
[Dirty Dozen Brass Band]
If there’s one band that you can always count on to get a crowd dancing and grooving to jubilant and high octane dance tunes, it is the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Single-handedly defining and popularizing the New Orleans brass sound that has become synonymous with good times and partying, for 30-plus years the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has been tearing it up across the country. While still early in the day, such tunes as When the Saints Go Marching In and Fire on the Bayou lent a small, smoky, energized club feel to the expansive grounds.
[Tristan Prettyman]
While unknown to many, as Grace Potter was last year, Tristan Prettyman etched her breezy, acoustic folk-pop sound into many people’s memories. A beautiful voice & commanding stage presence captivated the Good Vibes Stage. Playing through a catalog of songs from the past ten years including Echo, Madly & Smoke, Prettyman sprinkled in tunes from her forthcoming album including the debut of My Oh My.
[Martin Sexton]
Without a backing band, just a man and a guitar, Martin Sexton completely captured the attention of the crowd. Stepping on stage just hours after returning from a European tour, Sexton electrified Canton with an extraordinary take on the National Anthem. Weaving stories into songs, and songs into stories, the coming hour was absolutely captivating. Proclaiming “I Love My Job”, this troubadour who used to ply his trade on the streets of Boston, was as thrilled to be singing as the crowds were to hear him and welcome him back to the Bay State.
[Craig Finn of The Hold Steady]
Having not heard much of The Hold Steady and not knowing what to expect, this band was one of the biggest surprises of the afternoon. A seemingly humble and quiet Craig Finn took the stage with his button down dress shirt and Grateful Dead dancing bear emblazoned guitar. After a minute or two of barely audible banter and light strumming, the band erupted into a high-energy set blazing with passion and fire.
[Michael Franti]
[Spearhead]
No act better espoused the Life is Good mantra then Michael Franti and Spearhead, the penultimate act on the main stage. It was nearly impossible not to have a smile on your face and be uplifted by the good vibes and feel-good music of Michael Franti. Say Hey I Love You, The Sound of Sunshine, I’ll Be Waiting and It’s Never Too Late were all well received and overflowing with optimism, love and hope. This festival veteran knows how to work the crowd, get everyone singing along and bouncing in rhythm. Working his way through the crowd and creating impromptu mini-stages, the front man earned every penny of his pay.
[Young Fan Doug from Exeter, NH enjoys the Michael Franti set]
Closing out the Good Vibes stage for Saturday was MySpace discovered, singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. While heavy on pop, she had enough funkiness and unique energy to captivate the large crowd. The New York native dropped in tunes from a forthcoming album as well as favorites like her single Parachute and Die Alone (which despite the name of the track, is actually a happy song about finding love).
[Ingrid Michaelson]
[Scott Avett]
[Strumming to Go to Sleep]
Finally, just as the sun dropped and a gorgeous sunset graced the horizon, the day’s final act took the stage. Many had come solely for the Avett Brothers who always put on a high spirited show. As always, the Avetts did not disappoint. Playing a huge range of songs sandwiched between set opener of Go To Sleep and set closer of I and Love and You, the Avetts had the crowd rocking with their unique blend of folk-rock, banjo, guitar, stand-up bass and cello. Among favorites Will You Return, Head Full of Doubt, and Ballad of Love and Hate, fans also enjoyed rarer tracks such as I Killed Sally’s Lover and newer songs such as Once and Future Carpenter. A quick two encore set of Dylan’s Just Like a Woman and Laundry Room put an exclamation mark on an amazing day of music.
A saw this tweet earlier in the day from @Chalkdust99 and I couldn’t agree more:
Life is Good is refreshing. It is a unique festival that has proven yet again in 2011 that a large festival with killer music can indeed go hand in hand with whole family enjoyment.
[Main Stage]
[Crowd during Michael Franti set]
[Kids have fun jumping in a parachute on concert field]
[Fundraising total through Saturday was over $900,000]
[Fan claps along to Martin Sexton]
[Nothing bounced more than Michael Franti]
Stay tuned to HiddenTrack for an overview from Sunday’s show and image gallery including Ryan Montbleau, Levon Helm Band and Ray Lamontagne.
Today was great, looks like yesterday was too! Great shots.
Great work as usual Parker. Interesting write up and pictures. What a nice looking festival. The site, acts, crowd/scene, and being family friendly make this a great looking outing. Also the fact that it’s not on a summer holiday weekend.