Too much to even begin to cover from yesterday. Highlights include:
“Hey, were you at Coachella?”
“Uh, yeah, actually, I was…”
“Do you remember me?”
“Uhhhmm, I met so many people there, I was ‘working,’ so-”
“Yeah that’s just it, you smoked me out for free though, remember?”
“Ohhhhhhhhh yeah! Yeah, you’re the girl whose boyfriend had just been busted for selling bud and molly when I was right there fifteen feet away slinging bud and- bud. Yea, I told you I’d smoke you out but the bowl was in the car and I accidentally sold like 4 bags on the walk back… How you been?”
The abridged version was good, and that she’d brought her friend Dmitri to Furthur. And now, through the transitive property, karma, unbelievable chance and good memory, Smokey and I have been introduced and are gonna be chilling with Dmitri all weekend too.
Jackpot.
Ok so when I parked, there was one fire lane between me and the outer perimeter fence, and I’m literally 40 feet from the entrance road, just pulled off it and parked. Problem was, since I parked yesterday a bunch of other Deadheads came and filled in everywhere around me. Good thing I smoked up all the neighbors yesterday…
After finding Smokey and Spitz – in the parking lot by the admissions gate, they drove right past my site where I told them to stop, but no – I put a bracelet on Spitz and told Smokey I’d help him make one once we parked his car. I took the wheel and drove out the entrance toward my car. Someone (honestly unsure if it was Furthur staff or clever campers) put up a string of those triangle flags across the boulders I’d driven between, which was doing surprisingly well at keeping all the late newcomers from doing exactly what I did.
“Sig, you can’t drive through there, it’s flagged!”
“No, look, that’s my car, right up there…” I stuck my head out the window and motioned to the guy selling bracelet pipes to lift up the flags. He recognized me and obliged.
The spot next to my car was taken, but we managed to find the drivers to clear a path so we could face both trunks (two hatchbacks) together to have something to hang a tarp from. Now the game plan is don’t die of dehydration before the show even starts…
So last night I ran into Sid – an old festival buddy of mine – when he was making his rounds through the campgrounds. Long story slightly abridged, by the “sound check,” (a three hour set billed as a sound check to keep costs down, ended with an apology for getting carried away… then a second indoor set) I was coming up when they played Eyes of the World. It was six different flavors of glorious. Stole my face it did.
At least I didn’t get as spun as Continue reading ‘FTR – 07′
Okay, so I told Smokey and Spitz since they’re getting here late, I’d get wristband clippings for them too. Everyone with a real wristband here has already cut them! It’s wicked cool, but also a bit frustrating. I honestly think there’s as many gate-crashers as ticket-holders here… Continue reading ‘FTR – 06′
So, yeah, at most festivals I’ve attended, the perimeter of the campgrounds/center stage area is usually lined with some sort of chain link fence. Granted, this show is wicked tiny (at least compared to Coachella a couple weeks ago, I think I heard 10,000 tickets sold here versus upwards of 100,000 there) but I was given the option of continuing down the dirt road deeper into the festival grounds to give the ticket check a try, or simply just pulling off the road and straight into the campgrounds. There was no fence, no chains, just a few giant boulders designating where the dirt road leads, with more than enough room to drive a car in between each.
Too fucking easy. Let’s go make some friends.
WAKE AND BAKE – at the lake!
Woke up a couple miles outside Angels Camp where Furthur is playing tonight, and was sleeping in the back of my car until the sun turned it into a pressure-cooker situation. I’d left the hatchback trunk door cracked open when I parked last night, but did not realize the panoramic view I’d set myself up for until my heat-stroking body kicked it open in a last-ditch twitch for air. So fucking beautiful, and not just because of the oxygen depravation…
Now as soon as I find my pants, I’m off to gatecrash Furthur Fest.
Scene: sun setting on vineyards, Dark Side of the Moon echoing from my stereo, window down, wind in my hair… my phone rings (Phish – Down with Disease ringtone).
Me: Yeallo?
Smokey: Sig! Are you driving right now?
Me: Yup, headin’ north, are-
Smokey: Are you smoking a joint?
Me: You know me too well. What time you guys getting there tonight?
Smokey: See here’s the thing – me and Space both have class tomorrow, so we’re either gonna get in really late tomorrow night or early Saturday. Do you think you can get wristbands for us and save us a campsite?
Me: I’m on it. Gimme a call when you’re close. Peace out, man.
Ok, so it was raining in LA, but by Santa Clarita the skies have already cleared.
With the sun out, I reached to the flip-down sunglasses dispenser in my car’s ceiling, and realized that I was right before when I thought I’d forgotten something.
Sunglasses.
Damn it.
Continuing north!
Just left LA after lunch at Phillipe’s with my southern California family, heading north to Angels Camp for Furthur. From there, continuing east. Thought I’d bring y’all along for the ride, update from the phone and whatnot. Probably won’t be back in LA until after trim season up north, so peace out, everyone, the open road calls… can’t shake the feeling I forgot something, but oh well, here I go!
