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Just returned from All Good last night around midnight. I had an absolutely amazing time. Got there at about 10:30 on Thursday night and waited about an hour to get in. I didn't go see any music Thursday night because we were starving by the time we got set up and wanted to cook some food. Plus we could hear the music great from out campsite. The Easy Star All Stars sounded great, both the Radiohead and Pink Floyd sets. One of the highlights of the festival came Friday evening as we were heading in to see Les Claypool. As we were walking through the vending area we just see Mike Gordon walking around looking at stuff. I went over and shook his hand but I was at a loss for words. Plus I didn't really want to bother him while he was out enjoying himself. Claypool was real good and Trey sat in for a couple songs. They played a nice segment of Oysterhead too. Ween was everything I expected and more. Awesome choice of songs by those guys. John Medeski and the Itch was so good. Krasno was just ripping the guitar the entire time. Mike and Trey with the Duo was just so good. For once Trey didn't look like he was all messed up on something and it showed in his playing. Such a fun and great show. Disco Biscuits latenight set was a lot of fun. It was my first Bisco show and I really enjoyed it, I thought it was a great setlist. Seemed to lack a lot of the energy I've heard from other Bisco shows but I still enjoyed it.
Saturday the sun was behind clouds all morning so we were able to sleep pretty late, which resulted in missing Raq, Tea Leaf Green, and Railroad Earth. I've seen Raq and Tea Leaf before but I really wanted to see Railroad Earth so thats really my only regret of the weekend. Umphrey's was the first show I saw Saturday and probably my favorite of the weekend. Not just because they are my favorite band but because they did such a good job with their limited time. They did a lot more segues into songs than normal and did A LOT of jamming for such a short show. It just seemed a lot better than the typical daytime festival set they usually play. The Black Crowes headlined that night and I was blown away by them. It was one of those shows you don't know much about but you have the right buzz going on and everything around you just seems perfect. I couldn't get enough of it. Had to retire to the tent after that show so I missed the Grey Boy Allstars which I really wanted to see, I was just too tired to even enjoy it.
Sunday was the hottest day all weekend and being out in the sun was tough. I went and checked out Xavier Rudd and Hot Buttered Rum String Band. Both were impressive and a good way to end the festival. We left around 4 because I had to be at work today, which sucks.
Overall this festival competely exceeded my expectations. I didn't see ANY sort of security presence at all the entire weekend. An incredibly light vehicle search going in and then no searches at all going into the concert area. We had awesome neighbors who we hung out with all weekend and partied with. The festival grounds were absolutely beautiful. The camp grounds and concert area were on mountain tops with valleys inbetween them. All the shows were running right on time, almost never a quiet moment from the stages. I'm still gathering all my thoughts and everything from the weekend but I had an amazing time and would definitely recommend this festival. My personal highlights would have to be Umphrey's set and meeting Mike Gordon.
I agree that this festival totally exceeded my expectations. And, although it's kinda like comparing apples and oranges, I would still rate my overall festival experience as better than bonnaroo.
My favs were Les Claypool, Mike and the Italians, and the Crowes and Greyboy. I thought Grace Potter was the sleeper band, she put a hurtin on me.
I think I met some of the absolute funniest people at this festival. Some dude during the Disco Biscuits show had me laughing so hard I thought I was gonna pass out. He had this glowing light thing that looked like an icesicle and it had like a gourd on the end of it. He just kept staring at it and making the funniest faces. Then he was pretending it was a phone and talking into it and holding it up to the crowd and yelling "everybody say Hi to my mom". I was going pretty good on some fungus and this guy was just making me laugh my face off. There was a naked dude just wandering around during this set too. Such good times.
Post by melikecheese on Jul 17, 2006 16:02:15 GMT -5
crap, should have went. Picked pitchfork over it, picthfork has more bands I like but all good iss about 1.5 hours away and from what tyou said sounds awesome! Think I made the wrong choice.
How late did the music go till? Was the crowd friendly like roo?
The late shows went to about 4 and 3, respectively. Not only was the crowd friendly, it was way better than roo. Since it was a smaller festie I would see my neighbors at the show--that almost never happens at roo. Also, it seemed that everyone was an experienced camper and festival-goer, which means much more coffee and eggs and sausage being made in the morning and hamburgers at night.
The funniest thing I saw was this crazy guy on Sat night. We were way up at the top of the hill and this guy was ranting and raving at people about clearing a path--"for your own safety" he was saying. He was wearing pads all over his body and a helmet. The next thing I know, he bounces off the fence at the top and start somersaulting down the steep, rocky hill. I mean, huge, looping, head over heels somersaulting down a crowded hill at night. We saw him later, so we know he survived. "You want rolls," he said, "I'll give you rolls." It was beyond hilarious.
every show was great the people were friendly the nighttime fog was insane good deals and plenty of heads to go around
highlights for me would be the lack of security! Brothers Past Les Claypool GRAB Galactic Grace Potter and The Nocturnals ripped it up The Black Crowes...had an outstanding performance
I also loved being able to see your neighbors at the shows because of how small the festival was. We found our neighbors up front for Umphrey's and had an awesome time getting down together. I just really enjoyed having all the free time to hang out at camp and get to know people and not be missing music the whole time. Also you could hear the music from most the camping areas. The festival grounds were just awesome. You had a great view of the mountain range from just about everywhere.
my all good experience was awesome!!! we got in at 5 on thursday. almost no search at all. they also let us camp next to our car which we did. but im thinking carrying stuff would have been better. we were 3 mountains away from the stage and had the steepest tallest hill to climb. it was rough. the music on thursday was awesome. it was like radiohead was there. i kept hearing people saying oh my god radiohead is here? it truly was like seeing them again only with the songs all jammed out. it was incredible. in one month ive gone from not liking radiohead at all to being hardcore into them. the stage was on the side of a steep as hill though. it was hard to dance. and i tackled some trash cans. which is good because if they werent there i would have rololled down the whole hill taking people out. the fog rolled in super thich. it was like we were in the clouds. truly amazing. the only thing i would have changed is i would have put the thursday shows down at the main stage. those lights would have been the most amazing thing ever in the thick fog. unfortunatly the smalle stage didnt have many lights. friday was incredible. trey mike and the duo tore it up. it was as good as roo for sure. bisco was great. i agree that it wasnt as energized as roo. alot of people left cuz of rain. i stayed bymyself and enjoyed every minute of it. i also slept through tea leaf green!! that sucked! i though there was no way i woul sleep till 2. oh well. i only got 3 hours of sleep the 2 nights leading up to all good and i didnt sleep at all on thursday or firday. the first sleep i got was after bisco. after the roo show i was not that into the black crowes but they tore all good apart. what a show. and to go back in time the ween show was alos incredible. i lost my mind for grey boy. i made 20 or 30 laps around the mainstage area with this badass glow sword. i was everywhere. it was so much fun. sunday was really hot! i was there with a friend i hadnt seen since highschool and he was so annoying so we left at 5 on sunday just to get rid of him sooner. i wish we hadnt but oh well. it was a great time and i highly recommend going.
there are a couple of things worth mentioning that wer not all good. they only let you bring in 1 sealed water bottle but after 1 am there is no water or beer available in the venue. there was 1 vendor selling water out of gallons for 2 bucks for a little 12 oz cup. that was the only time i got out of the festis spirit and told those asswipes what i thoguht of their water gouging. that was really not good. the water situation was bad. the climbimg was nasty and i saw several people seriously fuck themselves up by falling dow steep ass hils. but i guess that just part of the awesome venue. it is beautiful. also miked d skeik and marco benevento had a show scheduled at a time so we went there and had to listen to this horrible dj for an hour. dj skidmark. all he did was play cds it was really lame. and then we finally left because the perfect window to see them without missing something i wanted to see had passed. why make a schedule and then not follw it? that sucked. but really those are minor complaints. i will be going every year. and we will be doing the 3 person water thing next year. have 1 person in. one out, and 1 who just keeps going in and out of the checkpoint transferring water 1 bottle at a time. and also they are in the same boat as far as punishing the early arrivers. we got there alittle after 5 and paid for our early bird passes only to be stuck as far out in bfe as you possibly could. and the people getting in on friday night got primo spots right up front. i dont understand why the do thids to the hardcore people. it blows. anyways again i dont wanna make it out to be more then it is. it was an awesome time and i will be back every year.
Dudewheresmyroo, you're crazy. On Thursday they were busting balls about bringing stuff in, but after that we brought in whatever we wanted. I never ran out of water b/c I had a camelbak. You should get one.
but they let my buddy bring in more than one bottle, and they let me bring in an unsealed gallon jug. Maybe you looked suspicious.
we went down early everyday. they were being pricks about it. we took in sealed gallons. but its not enough for the whole day. we had a 30 minute walk back to camp so were werent going to be going back and forth all the time. they werent even letting chairs in at random times. they woiuld say no chairs allowed and then youd walkin and see dozens of chairs. and other times they let ya walk right in with them. we wnt down one time and they werent letting frisbees in. all in all the security was less then at roo but we still had some issues. i do need to get a camelback. but if they have restrictions on bringing in water then they should sell water for every minute that the venue area is open. and even if they allow water they should still sell it all the time for the people in bfe who dont want to carry 2 gallons of water each. and im not sure what you mean about thursday. they werent letting people inot the main venue area and there was no check for the second stage or anywhere for that matter. you could bring a cooler full of beer and liquor if ya wanted. so maybe your crazy.
Last Edit: Jul 18, 2006 16:17:31 GMT -5 by Dude - Back to Top
Maybe I am crazy. Perhaps it was Friday when they were busting balls. We didn't arrive at the main stage area till later in the afternoon, so maybe they were tired of hassling people by then.
Post by jimmyjamesx5 on Jul 18, 2006 17:40:52 GMT -5
yeah i brought in a platic bag with three seal waters and they let me in. on thursday the secrurity was acting retarded no umbrellas or chairs, what the f and then on friday it was completely different chairs and umrellas allowed, although i opted to go with the beach towel instead of the chairs since thursdays security fing up, but you need some type of shade while your in the concert area. the lacko f securtiy and searches was awesome, no horse cops and 3even event staff and quads didn't care about people selling things that they shouldn't. Black Crowes kicked ass, and i am not a big fan at all, they were my favorite show though Mike and the italians were a close second
Post by jeanninepc99 on Jul 19, 2006 19:57:46 GMT -5
Okay, here's my review...
We had a pretty easy trip up to WV last Thursday for the All Good Festival. The best part was probably going by the country store on Rt. 522 where my boyfriend and his friends had bought pies (best pies ever, according to them) last year. As soon as he said "that's the pie place!", I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the other two cars in our caravan off the highway and going into the parking lot. Realizing that keeping pies on ice for the weekend might be hard, they were back on the road shortly, vowing to stop on the way home.
While driving through a small bit of Maryland, we saw a car pulled over, contents on the road and occupants handcuffed, sitting in the grass. They were clearly headed to the festival, too. Friends who drove in the next day (Friday) said that even more people were pulled over as they got closer to the fest.
We had almost no wait to get into the grounds. They really planned well for the check in (bonus: we saw the ever-smiling BJ from Man Mountain Jr., a Cville band, at the gates...he also works for Coran Capshaw at Starr Hill Music Hall). We wound up parking pretty far from the stages (intersection of All Good Ave & Magnolia Circle, for those who were there). I didn't really mind the distance because we got such great scenery (we weren't surrounded by hills full of tents).
Side story: Friday morning, we were sitting around camp and Marc saw a guy walking up one of the hills on the fringe of the area towards a tree, presumably to go to the bathroom sans Handy House. As he approached the tree, a fairly well hidden deer jumped up and ran away, scaring the guy so much he fell over.
Night one, we went to the Rope-A-Dope stage, which was just off Shakedown for Easy All Stars, who were pretty good. Brothers Past came on after them and was really impressive. Throughout the weekend, they seemed to have non-stop music at this stage (some people decided to pitch their tents there for the weekend!). There were tons of DJs plus "& friends" sets with Standon Moore, Karl Denson, John Medeski , and DJ Logic.
The main stages were set up perfectly. In the past, they were pretty far apart (and crowds would run back and forth between them), but this year, they were next to each other. With no overlapping sets, we'd set up camp when we first got to the area and stay put for the entire day.
Shows we saw: Friday - Les Claypool (Trey guested), Ween, GRAB and the "tweener" sets by The Brakes, Soldiers of Jah Army, Stephen Kellogg, and Steel Train Saturday - Galactic, Umphreys, Robert Randolph, Black Crowes (Jimmy Herring guested), DJ Logic & Friends and the tweener sets by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, ALO, and Daniela Cotton Sunday - Life in Balance (wacko), Rebirth Brass Band (awesome!), Xavier Rudd, Aquarium Rescue Unit and the tweener set by Hot Buttered Rum
I feel like this is getting way too long, so I won't go too much into all the different sets, but the highlight of the entire weekend was definitely GRAB (Trey, Mike and the Duo). They did a mix of solo Trey and Duo songs (maybe one Mike song) and completely surprised a lot of people, including the one Trey hater in our camp.
At one point, three guys controlling this huge glow man came out of the crowd. This glow man had to be about 8-10 feet tall. One carried the power source and supported the body on his back and the others moved the hands. The thing danced all around the crowd. Someone said they made it for Burning Man and started taking it with them to other festivals. At the end of the show, Trey actually said something like "I'd really like to recognize whomever is responsible for that dancing thing in the crowd. It's been really cool to watch it out there."
Other highlights: RRFB, Black Crowes, ARU, Grace Potter, Steel Train, and The Bridge.
Another funny side note: I was waiting for Marc by the potties while Jimmy Herring played ABB's Dream with The Crowes and a redheaded guy came running up to me and asked what the song was. I said "It's an Allman Brothers cover." and he said "Yeah, I know, but I can't remember the name and it's driving me crazy!" I thought about it for a second and couldn't remember it myself. He went into the potties. A few moments later, Marc came out and told me it was Dreams. So, I went into the aisle with the potties and said to a redheaded guy "It's Dreams!" He replied "I know!" It was the wrong guy. Oops.
One last thing: the amount of dealers at this fest was outrageous. They were the most sketchy people I've ever seen...looked like they were more suited for Ozzfest than All Good (a friend told me this is the element that follows the Disco Biscuits crowd around). By Saturday, it was clearly a "buyers market" and the dealers were getting desperate. There'd literally be people standing next to each other, selling the same things. I liked seeing those frustrated sketch balls as we walked around.
I LOVED All Good and definitely plan to go back next year. The line up was fantastic and the size was just right (16K).
