ROTHBURY pt.7 - Saturday

Saturday!!!! The day of the Dead. We eased into Saturday with a warm glow from the night before. Made our way to the festival grounds a bit late, unfortunately missing Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. But there is something called *pacing* that necessitates a certain amount of energy conservation, even at a 4-day party. Jackie Greene was another casualty of our slow-moving morning. Too bad! I heard he was great, and that PHIL came out to join him for a few tunes... but I'm sure I'll have another chance to catch him in the future.

We wandered through a bit of Railroad Earth and made it to one of my most anticipated sets of the fest: Zappa plays Zappa! Whoa, I was blown away by the musicianship of this band. Tall order, given the complexity of the material.

And here he is: young Dweezil doing justice to his dad's incredible work. This is unique music at its wackiest. The band smoked - great xylophone player, sax player, and a fun lead singer who looked like the most clean-cut guy you'd never expect to be spouting such oddities. I was ecstatic when they launched into Inca Roads - got my guitar solo and danced my bones. A great start to a psychedelic day of cerebral music.
I also regret missing Les Claypool, though I hear he was in fine form. Luckily I've heard Primus a few times and get a sense of the kooky sounds that he can generate. One of my bass heroes.

Well, without further delay, let's move on to the main reason we're here: The Dead!