On The Golden Road: FURTHUR!

What: Furthur Festival
When: May 28-30, 2010
Where: Angels Camp, CA

Aoxomoxoa
Aah, the Grateful Dead's latest incarnation, Furthur, had put together a beginning-of-summer festival in exactly the right place ~ northern California. DB and I cruised up for the multi-day event in the green, rolling foothills above Angels Camp.

We'd originally intended to spend our days hiking in the mountains and our afternoons and evenings digging the many bands grooving their sounds amidst the trees. But alas, there were few mountains, they seemed to all have 'Private Property' signs at their borders, and so we decided to head directly for the fest. We camped amongst the ever-growing crowds.

Soon, we started to get hungry. So DB got in line for some grilled cheese...

Just inside the gate we stumbled upon...FURTHER! Not the original bus, no, but Ken Kesey's newer bus. Although Ken no longer walks the earth, his son Zane was there meeting and greeting, selling stuff, posing for pictures, etc.

Zane Kesey, getting on the bus
The weekend hosted many highlights, among them the acoustic stage, some tasty green drinks, vegetarian (and vegan) foods, and of course, the main stage bands! It was a pleasure seeing Jackie Greene again, my first exposure to live Hot Tuna was a pleasant one, and of course, seeing the Dead again was what it was all about. DB's now been to FOUR Dead shows!

Hot Tuna

Furthur!
The band played well. With the first night scheduled to be just an open aire soundcheck, rumors soon swirled that the band would play an entire set. And they did! Next night, they played three entire albums ~ American Beauty (the band's most classic studio album), Workingman's Dead (Cumberland Blues was the highlight of the set) and Anthem of the Sun. The last night, the band played an outrageous Blues for Allah (excellent), followed by Aoxomoxoa, and closed with Terrapin Station. The days begged for forgiveness...

Hiking above the festival grounds

Another head, laying around
But aside from the obvious joy the music itself generated, Furthur offered another, unpublished treat to those who were paying attention ~ on both Saturday and Sunday, a privileged few sat in on talks given by the band. DB and I sat front row both afternoons while they took a few questions and talked about the days of old!