Gary Clark Jr. and crew thundered through an afternoon set at Electric Forest.
Gary Clark Jr. made it all worthwhile.
Cranking out the raw blues-rock of “Bright Lights” in the brilliant sunshine at Double JJ Resort in Rothbury with undulating, brightly bedecked Electric Forest hippies grinning madly and cheering, Clark turned what could have been an unpleasant disposition into a pretty darned ebullient attitude.
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After encountering enormous, ridiculous delays in reaching the “media tent” (a concept which left most security personnel and volunteers clueless and scratching their heads), I managed to jog into position on time to watch Clark and crew, uh, light up the Ranch Arena stage in ultra-sweaty fashion.
The vibe hasn’t changed. I’ve attended both Rothbury festivals here and Electric Forest last year, and the groovy mood, the laid-back-party-and-everything-is-cool-man atmosphere has survived and thrived.
Already I’ve run into the face-painted, flower-headdress-wearing Kayla from Tennessee, who’s back for her second Electric Forest, and clearly enamored of the environment.
I’ve seen a guy wearing an “I’d rather be naked” T-shirt, a fellow with a “Let’s get weird” foam finger on a stick, and countless variations on Elton John-like glasses and shades. Of course, there are the hula hoop girls, the psychedelic merchandise booths, the constant thunder of bass lines. And that was just the first 5 minutes or so.
That groovy Rothbury/Electric Forest vibe remains intact.
Of course, there’s also the inevitable, no one-really-knows-what’s-going-on-or-where-anything-is vibe, too: After picking up my wristband at the main gate, I was literally sent to six different barricaded gates miles apart until I pretty much accidentally finally stumbled across the mysterious media tent, where I was told an even more frustrating tale by another reporter.
But I imagine Woodstock was probably a lot like this, with tons of volunteers and well-meaning organizers just trying to adjust to a sprawling rural concert setting. And they didn’t have to deal with hordes of Internet reporters, video geeks and troublesome wifi connections.
So it’s onward and upward: Next up, The Soul Rebels, meshing brass with R&B, jazz and funk. Stay tuned, because there’s far more to come.
Oh, another first impression: I’m not nearly scruffy enough for Electric Forest.
Guess I shouldn’t have shaved and gotten a haircut last week.
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
