I've done some funny gigs in my life, but this one was right up there. I'm still chuckling about it - about the entire scene. This is a festival that has been going on for, I was told, 31 years now, and is perhaps the largest festival - of it's kind - in the world. And I have to say, in many ways, it felt like we were transported back about 31 years. Quite a scene. 

 

The park the festival was held in is on the waterfront in downtown Seattle - it's quite narrow, but very long, at least a mile or possible two. I came in from the north and was transported to the stage on an electric cart, driven by a guy named Levi. There was another festival worker on the cart as well, to help maneuver through the crowds along the pathway. We passed 4 other stages and many vendors selling wares along the way. Levi had a duck whistle - shaped like a duck's bill - that he blew the entire time, to part the crowds. His buddy was yelling, as well, to get the people's attention, so as not to run into anyone. It was hilarious! I told Levi I wished I would have had a little recorder to have captured the chaos along the way - duck sounds and shouting for a good ten minutes as we worked our way through. And as one would expect at and event named Hempfest, there were numerous aromas to smell along the way - even with the police presence throughout the festival.

 

Speaking of the police - there were a number of them cruising around on horses - Kevin told me last night that he was walking along a path, I think it was when he was leaving, pulling his suitcase along, and had the instinct to look down just before he would have taken a full step into a nice steaming pile of horse dung - mmmmm, nice!

 

So has anyone mentioned what incredibly terrible weather we've been having here this summer? Saturday night, before the show, it was litarally pissing rain all night. And the next morning. And into the afternoon. Phil and Karl had gone down for an early load in - you could get vehicles in only very early, before the event opened, and Phil told me there was no cover on the stage. I  thought wow - just our luck. But as it did with our last gig, the weather gods smiled upon us and the skies lightened up - even a little blue sky peeking through. But did I mention the weather here this summer pretty much SUCKS?!?!?!

 

So I get to the backstage area and find its a bit of a circus - quite a scene. Lots of characters at every turn. However, everyone was very friendly and nice and very happy that we were there. The rest of the band was aleady there - I saw Alan first, across the way, and he just looked at me and laughed. He told me where the hospitality tent was, and added that I might not want to stay in there very long, as it was filled with a smoke of a certain kind....  :)  And yes, I had far too much to remember to hang around in that tent very long.....

 

So I wander around the backstage compound, taking in the sights, chatting with friends and meeting new people. Listening to a number of speakers, talking between the bands, about how hemp should be legal, etc, etc. Truth is, I agree with them, but at an event like this, they're preaching to the choir. And truthfully, most of the crowd seemed to just want to come for the party. At one point, Karl and I peek over one of the fences to look at the scene on the beach. And what a scene it was. People everywhere, in smaller groups, and it seemed they were all smoking big fatties. A very funny scene! I came across some first aid workers in one of the tents, attending to someone, laying flat on his back, who apparently had too good of a time......

 

Went into the trailer where we stored our gear, and was - kind of - our dressing room, and ran into the band that was just about to go on to play the set before us. The Supersonic Soul Pimps. http://supersonicsoulpimps.com. I had heard their name before, but had never seen them. So here we are, four of them and me, crowded into a very small space and they all seem to have shaved heads and are wearing bright yellow, shiny tights. They were all in good moods, joking around, telling me I must be a brave man to come into the dressing room with a bunch of guys dressed like that. I had to get into a bag of mine and tried to band my knees, rather than bend over, but they all started whooping it up saying,  " Hey he's bending over - very dangerous around here!" Yeah, yeah - heard that one before - but it was all in good fun. They went on to play a very lively, energetic set. An entertaining band.

 

So it became our time to get on stage and ready to play. Once again there were a number of speakers while we got ourselves set. No sound check, just quick little check, checks into the mikes and some verbal direction to the monitor engineer. So then they do the big "It's 420" thing, most everyone in the crowd lights up, and the people on stage unveil "Toking Man", a take of of a famous downtown Seattle art piece - Hammering Man - right above Alan's head. A giant guy with an even more giant joint in his hand. Alan and I looked at each other and once again, just laughed. The crowd, of course, went wild. (We'll be posting at least a few photos from the show, if not some video, and Toking Man will be very easy to spot!)

 

So they give us a very nice intro and off we went. Turns out Alan couldn't really hear much of any of us - he was on a riser, but waaaaay back behind the rest of us. So the first couple of songs were done by brail. But you just go for it - and we did. There were a few funny moments throughout the set, due to some of us not hearing each other, or ourselves, but all in all I think we did ok and didn't embarrass ourselves......   Everyone really seemed to love the set. It was a blast to play Tempis Fugit onstage again. Everyone was pretty "on" on that one, in particular. We had to drop one song from the set due to time constraints, so we ended the set with Tempis Fugit and Changes. Fun to see lots of people in the crowd singing along to Changes.

 

And then in an instant, we were finished. Then the chaos begain all over again - getting offstage what gear we brought - a good part of the backline equipment was provided. And Phil - the keyboard master - had his entourage whip his sizeable keyboard rig on and off stage in record time. It was like a small army in action!

 

So then, a bit of chatting, going out front to find family and friends, we talked to a few folks who loved the set, then started the wheels in motion to get someone to find someone who can find someone else who can find the keys to a golf cart who can drive me and my gang and gear for the ten minutes or so, back through the throngs of Hempfesters, back to my car to make the great escape from Hempfest.

 

All in all, a very strange trip, indeed......