Four days, twelve hours of sleep, zero showers, scads of bands, torrents of rain, ankle-deep mud, glorious vibes. All in all, the best $200 I have ever spent. I'm talking about the Gathering of the Vibes festival at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, from which I returned only last night. Needless to say, sleeping between clean sheets in a bed, rather than in a sleeping bag (albeit on a lovely air mattress) in a damp tent, was very nice, but I am still bummed to be back in society. The Vibes was quite a wild and wonderful oasis.
My Dad and I drove down and got through the drive, traffic, line, and the extra line because Dad had to get a VIP ticket separate from my general weekend pass, by about noon. I helped Dad set up his site and then waited for my friends to call and tell me where they were. It turned out that they were WAY the hell to the west of the venue, somewhere near a large Canadian flag. I carried my stuff about a quarter of the way, which was not terribly comfortable, then I found a really nice guy named Kevin at the Solar Power tent (we're so eco-friendly at the Vibes...) and he gave me a ride the rest of the way on a solar-powered golf cart. Good luck already. I got to the site in time to witness and assist as Adam modified his outrageous tarp contraption, affixed to all the tents in the circle (actually, it was more like an amoeba or perhaps a kidney bean) and to he shade canopy, for what seemed to be an endless amount of time. Aside from some leaks, which we attempted to patch as they appeared, everything was pretty much all set by the time the rain started. We spent quite a while under the canopy and, although I'd planned to, I did not have the willpower to get out from under the tarps and trek through the rain to see Donna Jean. We did make it to the music for a wicked but very wet Dark Star Orchestra set. They played an amazing St. Stephen, and I literally danced right out of my shoes when they played Sugar Magnolia--I honestly forgot that it was raining--but right after that song, the rain just got ridiculous, and Kellen and I booked it out of there and took cover in the massive den that was Adam's tent. Meanwhile, some unattended cigarette holes in the floor had created a layer of water on the bottom of the tent, so thank God for the air-mattress that doubled as a raft and kept all of our sleeping-gear dry. We decided not to venture out for the late night band, The Machine, since we were dry and warm and perfectly content to stay that way, so we turned in relatively early. My sleeping bag never felt so good.
Friday morning, I woke up a little before 6am and just had to get out of the tent to walk around. I grabbed a bag and went for a walk down the beach. I took the beach road sidewalk ALL the way down past the campsites and into the park area of Seaside Park, past the beach and onto a pier (much longer than I had anticipated) that ended in a lighthouse. My ultimate goal was to reach the lighthouse, but that really wasn't possible, so I settled for the end of the pier, looking out over beautiful water and some amazing clouds (ones that I fervently hoped were NOT the foreshadowings of more rain...). Then I went down to the soft sand on the beach, made some dank footprints, picked up some lovely shells, took some amazing photographs, and trucked my way back ALL the way to the VIP camping to visit my Daddy and his new buddy Mark (I was hoping they'd sneaked me some free VIP goodies...). To be perfectly honest, I went all the way there partly because I'd missed the turnoff to my friends' campsite and in my relaxed morning logic I figured I'd just keep on going. I chilled there for a bit, ate the banana that had apparently been rather hard to get out of the VIP tent (I guess they cracked down this year on goodie-sneaking), we swapped some stories, and then I meandered on back to my site. On the way back, I saw Kevin at the Solar Power Tent, got some free water, and bought the solar folks a bag of ice for their iced sun-tea. I realize now that all this walking, probably more than 6 miles a day, plus bathroom-runs and food-runs and water-runs, was the cause of the very painful blister I developed in between my left big toe and second toe and then had to nurse for the rest of the weekend. Ouch. Back at the campsite, it was time to put all of our stuff on the tent so it would dry in what was shaping up to be very hot sun. I had forgotten to pick up my raincoat and folding chair at my Dad’s site, so I walked ALL THE WAY back AGAIN, making sure to apply scads of sunscreen while I was at their campsite. My God all that trucking back and forth took FOREVER. I felt bad for delaying the cleanup at the campsite, since Adam still had to get the air mattress out of the tent to fully fix the leak. After I returned from my journey, the tent would be patched with duct tape (an entire roll was used during the festival, between the tarps and the tent--don't leave home without it!) and we would EVENTUALLY set off for more music. I was excited to see Strangefolk and since no one else at the site was particularly into going down for them, I went on my own to catch the last few songs with which I was very pleased, especially since I had been less than thrilled with the last time I'd seen Strangefolk. I was right up front and enjoyed it the whole time (even though I think Strangefolk was better before Greenier left). After they finished, I managed to locate my Dad and Mark on the field, and then Kellen and I tried to catch Cornmeal on the Green Stage, where some of our friends were, and we arrived literally at the end of their last song! Oh well, we went down to the beach to sit on the rocks and cool down a bit (it really was getting hot) and wait until our friends came down to see Keller Williams, who I don't know much about but who turned out to be pretty good. We chilled on the edge of the field, and stayed the same distance for George Clinton & P-Funk. We needed to run back to the site before Deep Banana Blackout, which I really wanted to see, and again there was some delay. Kellen and Adam and I ended up just giving up on waiting for folks and just took off at a critical point, getting way up to the front and enjoying about the last third of the set. It was great! Being up close to the stage is like nothing else in the world. And after Deep Banana Blackout, it was time for moe. I had come to this Vibes especially because moe., one of the original founding bands of the festival, way back in ’96 when it was called Dead Head Heaven, had not played a Vibes for TEN YEARS. I was dying to see them. They played about four songs. Then an electrical storm took them off the stage, and they did not come back. First lightning, then thunder, then more pouring rain, and we all had to stampede back to our campsites and wait it out. We got pretty soaked, although I did have my raincoat (I had only had an emergency poncho last night, basically a glorified blue trash bag with arms and a hood... really not intended for hours of dancing), and after huddling in Gabe’s shelter for a bit we got back to our own tent, where we holed up until the rain stopped. We were still hoping that moe. would come back, but no such luck. I was seriously bummed. My bummed-ness would last through to the next day. C’est la vie, I suppose. We did get over to the late night stage to see Lettuce though, and that was really amazing. They were so hot and wild and we were right up by the speakers and I was so exhausted but I just did not stop moving and the lights were all over the place and everyone was dancing like crazy... What a way to end the night. Back in the tent, we passed out in barely enough time for me to find the shirt I was sleeping in. I don’t even remember falling asleep.
Saturday morning, I woke up desperately needing to pee. I jumped out of the tent only to find Kelly, another member of our campsite, returning from the bathrooms to tell me that they were 100% backed up and impossible to use. We were the only ones up so we decided to go in search of serviceable porto-potties and then to try out the morning yoga that was scheduled for 9:30 every morning. The bathrooms weren't hard to find, but the lines were huge, so we walked a little more and found relatively clean ones with no lines at all. Then we walked a ways down the road to kill time, considered buying fresh donuts or coffee, decided not to because of the huge lines, and went through the nitrous-alley on our way and saw some clever individual with an inflatable sex doll strapped to his back attempt to jump over a trash can on a bicycle with a jerry-rigged ramp made of spare boards. At least he didn’t die. We eventually got to the food/water pavilion, where I filled up my water bottle, and, after I saw some guy doing it, I BRUSHED MY TEETH by the water fountain. A truly amazing and under-appreciated feeling. Then we continued our search for the yoga. It was supposed to be on the concert field, but that was closed due to all the mud, which the Vibes staff continued to cover with straw, so yoga was moved to the green stage, which was booked for a panel discussion at 9:45, so we moved yet again, this time to a nice grassy spot under a tree, where I managed to stretch away my dancing-induced aches and pains. After that unbelievably refreshing activity, Kelly and I went to get vibrational massages from a guy who had two gongs set up with a chair in between them. The gongs were supposed to be cosmically attuned to the sun and some other dwarf planet, and were intended to wash away negative vibes from past lives. I don't know about cosmic re-tuning, but the space in between those gongs was pretty cool to inhabit for a little bit, and just added to the yogic relaxation. We came back to the campsite to pack up enough stuff to get situated for the afternoon at the concert field, and after some delay set out for Assembly of Dust. Kellen and I put down a blanket (a godsend for my terribly abused feet) on the relatively dry dirt/hay pretty close to the stage, and I did not stop dancing for the rest of the set. They played ‘Valhalla’ and ‘Roads,’ which I love and which I listened to on the drive down. Did I mention that I love Greenier's voice? Well, I do. Amazing set. Also, they played longer since State Radio cancelled last-minute. Their set completely made up for moe.'s truncated one, and then some. I was just so damn happy by the time they finished! Max Creek was playing next, and we met up with Kelly at a set of stacked-up picnic tables, where I proceeded to dance on top of a table through most of Max Creek (BUT SOMEHOW I MANAGED TO BE GETTING FOOD FOR MY FRIENDS DURING BERTHA!!! Goodness gracious the food pavilion was the WRONG direction at that moment) and Guster (they were pretty great, actually, and they're not a band I listen to a lot. However, their dissing of the "bullshit" encore tradition did irritate me a wee bit, since that tradition has been going on since before they were born...). Plus, some awesome chick handed me a pair of sparkly orange feathery fairy wings to dance in, saying “You look like you could use these. Just pass them along when you’re done with them.” I was miracled. Also, from that moment on, I danced up on those tables with those wings and had my picture taken by so many people that I could barely believe it was going on. I remember looking at girls like that when I was a wee one, and now I AM one. Amazing how these things turn out. However, we did have to leave halfway through Guster's planned encore so Kellen and Adam could change into their costumes for the evening; red striped pants, suspenders and a top hat for Kellen (this got a lot of comments) and a blue velvet tailcoat and a red top hat for Adam. The evening music consisted of the Levon Helm Band, Bob Weir & Ratdog, and Perpetual Groove. I can't even express in words how amazing the show was. It took us a bit longer than expected to leave the campsite again, so we were booking by the time we finally did--I was so excited to get back to the field that I practically ran, even on my destroyed little feet. We got there just before Levon started playing ‘Attics of my Life’ (Bobby had joined them onstage) and were content to dance back by the sunshades and blankets, but when they started playing ‘Tennessee Jed’ I just had to dance all the way up the left and get close to the stage, even through the muck, in which I nearly lost a sandal--I just took off my shoes and danced, up to my ankles in the squishy mud. Amazing. We returned to the tall picnic tables for Bob Weir & Ratdog, who played a ridiculously great show: hey started with 'Festival' (fitting, I think...) and played an amazing set that would be (and already has been, I suppose) better reviewed by a music-type blogger, but I was thrilled by 'Birdsong' (always makes me think of my Dad), complete with a reprise, 'Bertha' (since I'd only heard it from the pavilion when it was played earlier), 'Scarlet Begonias,' 'Iko Iko,' and 'Days Between.' The best, however, was saved for last. Bobby played 'One More Saturday Night' (which I had called at the very beginning, I mean, it was Saturday night) and my feet moved faster than I ever thought possible, especially since they were already damaged goods. It was exhilerating, and it was finished off so perfectly when Bobby followed it, joined by Donna Jean, with a sweet, mellow 'Ripple' that just begged to be swayed to. Beautiful. I could barely breathe when it was over. This is why I go to The Vibes, and I was not at all disappointed. Back to the campsite for a bit, then off to Perpetual Groove under the tent at the Green Stage. We showed up about halfway through, and thank God we did. If we had been there the whole time, I might not be writing this right now. Seriously. The show was so rockin' under there that I just could not stop moving, and fast. We kept hydrated with an enormous Arizona iced tea jug that we'd been carrying around since Friday, but if I had danced that hard twice as long at that particular time in the wee hours of the morning, I might have had to be carried back to camp. I was so pumped after they finished that I didn't want to go to sleep at all that night (last night of a show, it happens) so I suggested a sunrise on the beach. We made our way down to some soft sand by some volleyball nets, threw down the blanket, and watched the sky lighten up. It was pretty cloudy, so the actual sunrise was more of a gradual light-spreading beyond the fog, but it was lovely anyway, especially on the beach. However, a few seconds after we had decided that the sky was definitely light, it started to sprinkle, then sprinkle harder, then rain. And rain. We ran back to the campsite in an absurd, zig-zagging path, and it rained just enough to get us uncomfortably damp. Five minutes after we got in the tent, it stopped. Oh, nature... Well, by that time, we needed some sleep. I barely even remember putting my head down.
On Sunday morning I was again awakened by the urgent call of nature, so after only 2 hours of sleep I leapt out of the tent to find the nearest bathroom with the shortest line. After that, I found an amazing coffee stand; two bucks for a hot strong cup of organic fair trade coffee in a compostable cup. Easily the best cup of coffee that I have ever had. I took the trek to my Dad’s site again, meeting a really nice fellow named Steve along the way. He accompanied me and bantered about the weekend’s music with me as I walked past my Dad’s site at least three times before seeing it, and this was only after my Dad was standing by the car (I have NO sense of direction)... and then we parted ways. Only at The Vibes can such positive interactions happen so spontaneously and without any strings whatsoever, just good feelings. My Dad’s camp-mate Mark told me that there were ominous weather warnings, including thunderstorms later in the day and flash-flood conditions. Folks were packing up. I hustled back to wake up my site-mates and spread the news. While Adam was waking up, Kellen and I decided it would be nice to go and get some fresh hot donuts for everybody. So we went and got in line. And waited. And waited. And waited. The line did not move. The donut-maker ran out of bags. The donut-maker did not look fully awake. But we had waited so long that we simply could not leave. I sent Kellen over to the coffee line and we decided that when whoever got their item first, we would just leave. Finally, the donut line picked up. I got by five-dollar dozen of munchkin-sized apple cider donuts, which were very hot. I had not thought about how very hot the day was, because it was hot. Hot donuts no longer seemed like a good idea. But there I was with a bag of hot donuts, and back to the campsite we went. From the time that I woke Adam up to the time the tent was down and we were all packed up, about five hours had elapsed. Enough said. Then I had to lug all of my stuff to my Dad’s site to get it in the car, which was an incredibly long, hot, sunny walk that was helped only by the fact that Gabe, Kellen, and Adam helped me carry the load. We finally arrived at the concert field as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals were finishing up, re-filled the trusty jug, and got situated on the picnic tables, with which I had become quite comfortable. I got right up there for Buddy Guy, who was playing with some AMAZING little kid. Seriously, he must have been about twelve. He was whaling on that guitar! This kid completely blew my mind. Amazing set, as expected. Also, during Buddy Guy, I gifted a little girl (who was dancing with her daddy in such an adorable fashion) with my orange feathery fairy wings and watched her dance with them on. Needless to say, they were perfect for her. Unfortunately, Kellen and Adam and the rest of their crew had to leave when Buddy Guy finished up, so Gabe and I were the only ones left for Crosby, Stills & Nash. Now this is not a band with which I am terribly familiar, but I simply could not pass up the opportunity to see them. I didn’t know all the words like I did during Bob Weir, but they played, of all things, ‘Ruby Tuesday,’ which was pretty damn cool. Their set was great, although the sky just got more and more ominous, and eventually it started to drip, then sprinkle... I just put my towel over my head and kept on dancing, and then they started their last song, ‘Teach Your Children,’ which we all know and love (especially since I came with my Dad... warm fuzzies and whatnot), and the rain came down a wee bit harder, but I kept on dancing, and as the song ended, the sky OPENED THE FUCK UP. Seriously, it was pouring in mere moments. I didn’t know where my Dad was, but Mark found me and we ran back to their campsite, where he had a shelter set up. Thank God for that shelter! we stayed pretty dry and he played his guitar as we watched people leave, and I could not have been happier that I stayed for the whole set. Amazing. My Dad took eons to get back to the campsite, and it was dark by the time he did, and Mark had dogs to get home to, and we had to strike the shelter, and getting out of Bridgeport was hellish and we drove in circles and watched a prostitute get in and out of a car screaming at someone or other and we just wanted to go home... FINALLY we got on the right highway, and then it started to POUR. Torrents of rain came down. It was almost terrifying. The car was hydroplaning like crazy and I could barely see the highway signs, but SOMEHOW my Dad and I got ourselves home and I managed not to pee myself on the last leg of the journey. I unpacked my stuff, scrubbed my feet, dressed my festival-wound (damned flip-flop blister...) and went to bed between beautiful clean sheets. In other words, oh, I am so sad that it’s over. I have not felt that wonderful in a LONG time. I gotta get me to another festival ASAP.
Take only pictures, leave only footprints: 
