With Targhee Fest 2010 still fresh in everyone’s mind up here, we’d like to recap for those who missed out…and boy did they miss out (we’re sorry to rub it in…)!
The weekend started well with the winners of the 2010 Targhee Fest Battle of the Bands Competition Mandatory Air taking the stage just after 3:30PM. The crowd began to trickle in as weekend warriors traded their work hats for some fun in the sun and a beer mug. These beer mugs have become something of a collectors item, and its a common scene to see proud long time music festival goers proudly showing off their festival mugs from back in the day. The crowd seemed to build both in size and enthusiasm as Steve Kimock’s Crazy Engine and Melvin Seals & JGB rocked the stage. As the sun set and night began to fall, a flurry of enthusiasm raced through the crowd. The excitement and anticipation of an exciting and memorable music filled adventure began to take hold and it was written on faces everywhere, “this is going to be a good weekend!”
By the time Moe took the stage the crowd was ready to dance. If you’ve been to a music festival at Targhee before, then you already know…when we say crowd we mean an exuberant and eclectic group of party people jiving to the music in one of the most intimate settings in the Tetons. One can get so close you actually feel like you could play with the band…and a lucky few actually have. Targhee is known for producing music festivals with names that rival the larger festivals of the west without the unwieldy crowds.
Moe delivered. Superbly. Dancers were moving in ways never thought possible. By the end, we wondered, “at this pace will we make it through the entire weekend?” There was no telling, so on we went…
The early Saturday morning sun revealed the previous night’s shenanigans. People comfortably sleeping in their tents, RVs and the lobby of the Teewinot Lodge seemed eerily quiet. It was a good night. Breakfast burritos helped bring festival weary patrons back to the light and coffee worked like a charm. At noon, Margo Valiante took the stage and people began to migrate to the music. David Lindly, Shawn Colvin and Alejandro Escovedo stoked the flames as day two of Targhee Fest 2010 began to take form.
Hula hoops, beer mugs, sunglasses and super soakers were the items of choice as festivarians enjoyed the sunny Wydaho weather. As the festival set into a rhythm we found ourselves on a loop. Dance until we get too hot, then head over to the guy with the super soaker. After that it’s on to the cocktail tent for a nice cold margarita. Finally, head back to our blankets for some rest before we take part in a hula hooping extravaganza. Repeat.
By the time Grace Potter and the Nocturnals took the stage, the crowd had been whipped into a frenzy. As Grace’s one of a kind smoky voice belted her soul healing lyrics, the crowd seemed to engage overdrive. The sun was again setting on the second day of Targhee Fest and Grace was rocking us senseless. Still to come Los Lobos, for those of us with the stamina to keep rockin’.
Los Lobos hit it pretty hard. Good tunes and good vibes, people were really enjoying themselves. Only the hardcore remained in the front dancing their hearts out. We couldn’t take it, we had to take a break. Sitting in the back watching the scene unfold is a music festival’s hidden vacation. We chose the trees off stage left where we laid down our blankets and looked up at the sky. The sun was down, the air was cool and the party was rockin’. A near perfect evening, we even found ourselves commenting on the lack of mosquitoes!
We caught a second wind and resumed our hippie gyrations vehemently when La Bamba came on. We stayed that way for the rest of the evening. When all was said and done, Targhee Fest had once again made good on its promise of musical thrills and entertainment. Satisfied, we walked back to the shuttles for a quick ride home and some rest. We still had one more day of musical festivities and little did we know, we were going to get all we bargained for!
The last day of Targhee Fest started much like the previous day. Except that some of us chose to sleep in our beds instead of sleeping bags. The day had started with rumors that Katchafire wasn’t going to make it. The feeling of disappointment was soon allayed as Paper Bird took the stage. Then forgotten completely as Great American Taxi sang “420 Long Years”. Taxi soon became a crowd favorite the days activities took shape. More hula hooping, dancing and hiking to the beer tent, in between Kobe beef hot dogs (thanks Pete!) and margaritas. Great American Taxi really put on a show and by the end we didn’t want them to leave. On his way out, Vince Herman shouted to the crowd, “I’m here for a few days, let’s party!” referring to the free show they would later put on at the knotty pine supper club.
As they packed their gear and prepped the stage for Michael Franti and Spearhead, we wondered how Franti was going to close such a great weekend? We questioned whether or not placing Franti’s act on Sunday was a good idea. However, every once in a while at a music festival a band is able to connect with an audience in a way that makes everyone in attendance feel like they were a part of something amazing. Michael Franti and Spearhead managed to do just that.
If you’ve never heard Franti live, he’s pretty spectacular. High energy is an understatement. This band really knows how to mix it up. The tunes were good, Franti raised his hands and the whole crowd started jumping and waving hands more like an outdoor revival than a concert, Franti’s inspiring lyrics simply can’t be ignored. The scene grew more exciting as folks began to filter down from their festival chairs and tents high up on the hillside to be apart of the mob gathering at the sound of Franti’s voice. A third of the way into their set, the band is happily jamming, when Franti asks the crowd if anyone knows how to play guitar? A few brave souls raise their hands and are promptly invited up on stage to jam! “No no, he’s cool…” Franti instructs through the microphone as a fan tries to get on stage. A particularly pointed moment is when a child hops on stage, takes the guitar and actually rocks out! The crowd went wild at the site of the little guy strumming next to the towering Franti.
Franti ends his song and disappears back stage for a minute, the band stays front and center and many of us find ourselves wondering where he went. A minute passes by and we hear his voice…but no one can see him on stage! All of a sudden the crowd starts moving back toward the sound setup and we see Franti in the crowd with a microphone and guitar! He plays a song amongst the crowd and gets pats on the back as he makes his way through the gathering masses to return to the stage.
A couple more songs on stage and the crowd is prepared with all manner of digital recording device, just in case he decides to play amongst the crowd again. Another little guy and young lady are brought on stage and rock out with the band. They transition to Nirvana’s ‘Smells like team spirit’ and everyone near the stage starts jumping.
Then the entire band goes off stage. The crowd waits in anticipation, hoping to for another surprise. Not to disappoint, Michael Franti and the entire band march out from the behind the stage and start playing for us. They stride up the hill, towards the sound tent, then across the field and back down, all the while courteously meandering through the crowd. One thing is certain these guys are non-stop excitement!
If that wasn’t enough, they invited some locals to “shake it” onstage, had a short jam session with Tom Garnsey of Vootie Productions and managed to take an already beat crowd after a weekend of dancing in the sun and turn the the place into an uproar. What a show.
The finale came when the band invited all the children on stage to dance along to one of Franti’s most popular songs “Say Hey (I love you).”
Targhee Fest was over, and what a festival it was! We headed home with smiling faces, confident that we had attended the best Targhee Fest to date. But heck, I guess we feel like that everytime…