Suwannee Hulaween: The Miraculous Recovery Act

Suwannee Hulaween: The Miraculous Recovery Act

[This article would not be possible without the work of great photographers Josh Rish, Zach Smith, Joel Shover, Tara Gracer, J Strausser, and others from the Hulaween crew, the coordination with Charlotte Vosbeck and the media crew, and the videos by my brother from another mother Jake Funkmayor of FunkCity. net. THANK YOU ALL!]

The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, had caught a debilitating case of Helene. So debilitating it was that one of the park’s most popular events, Suwannee Roots Revival, was force to cancel. There was absolutely no way to clean up the mess Helene left behind on such short notice. Everyone invested in Suwannee Hulaween, AFTER offering thoughts, prayers, donations, and in-kind assistance, and AFTER doing the same — heaven forfend — for those affected by the deadly North Carolina strain, we all wondered: WILL HULA HAPPEN THIS YEAR?

To be clear, this was, however, NO miracle. It was the Herculean effort on the part of park owners, event staff, local authorities and utilities, and massive amounts of volunteer hours, and blessedly Suwannee Hulaween officially commenced Thursday, October 24, at 2:00 p.m.

Was there music? Yes, there was, but most would agree that the music was secondary to the love, hugs, concern, community, camaraderie, and joy that flowed through the park, and everyone — patrons, bands, event staff, security, police, Spirit Care, fire & rescue, vendors, Hula organizers, park owners, Port-a-Potty crews, garbage crews, bats, EVERYBODY — could feel it. 

We are forever grateful.

Most would agree that the security and LEO personnel were very chill and seemed to enjoy our vibe. There were so many, but I would like to acknowledge Brandon Thompson of the security crew who engaged so well with the patrons.

And that goes double for our favorite dancing officer, Deputy Berry Raulerson, whom we also praised at last April’s Resonate Suwannee. People like this made our experience both safe and enjoyable, and we thank all of you!

There were several significant changes this year that seem to enhance the festival even further. The beloved Campground Stage is no longer; this means that fewer of the Florida and regional bands made the lineup, but those who did were elevated to the four main stages. The 360-degree Off Limits stage took its place with a continuous flow of EDM and DJ offerings. House of Lost had a full schedule as well.

One more item. Bands sound-check throughout each morning. In past years, the first String Cheese Incident soundcheck was always early Friday morning. This year, it was Thursday. In the past, the Kyle Hollingsworth Band had a Thursday slot (what a tremendous group!). They did not perform this year, meaning that Kyle’s phalanx of keyboards was already there on the Meadow stage; hence the Thursday soundcheck. (Or so we believe.)

For ease of identification, we will note the stage for each band/performer in (parentheses). Also, sound from stage to stage and even on the same stage varied greatly.

Oh, yes. Music. But first:

INTERPRETING EDM

Live music is, at its core, a social event, whether it is a symphony hall, revered jazz club, amphitheater, concert venue, sweaty bar, or a massive field in Live Oak, Florida. Music lovers are there, on various levels, to hear music they love, be with friends new and old, and interact with the vibe of the scene. At some events, you could hear a pin drop; at others, the music is merely background for many patrons.

Let’s talk about EDM, or, rather, my lack of understanding of it. I love the deep house and acid jazz side of things, and I understand the DJs who spin tracks you may or may not know. What has confounded me is the not-particularly-melodic mechanical sounds and whomp-whomps (you know what I mean). Sitting with Jake Funkmayor and Jeffrey Scott Meahan, we were attempting to evaluate our very first Tipper set on Friday. 

We were all looking for something that I believe isn’t there in EDM, or at least to a much smaller degree. Jake finally said, “It’s a rave.” And that made everything much easier to understand. This was a social event, with music you could tune in and out as you mingled with friends while the light show entertained. People weren’t straining to hear the lyrics to the second stanza or trying to see the artists on stage all the time. IT WAS A PARTY! Mystery solved, at least for us.

THURSDAY

St. Pete rockers The HeadTones (AMP) had the honor of the opening set, and they threw down as great a set as they’ve ever played. They were dressed in Star Wars regalia, with a Luke, Han, Chewy, Lando, (others), and guitar maven Stephanie Perez as Leia, replete with hair buns and flowing white kaftan.

[HT: Star Wars theme, James Brownie, No Sleep, Destiny, Cantina Band, MOOL , Best of You, Coming with You, Solid Ground, Manipulator (with Star Wars breakdown), Sewed Up, WANS, Imperial March]

Up the hill, Dionysus (Spirit Lake) from Gainesville have emerged as some of the best jazz rockers in the state, and they too blew out a magnificent set of music. More than previously, I took note of the prowess of drummer and leader Ivan Padilla, and tenor saxophone player Jose Piñeiro has been over-the-top killer recently. Their set included many great originals such as “Koi Pond” and new tune “Thriller Bark” and a spectacular cover of Dave Watts’ gem “The Magic Way.”

[DIONYSUS: Black Dot > Koi Pond, Whirlwind, Callipygian, Nica No M, Ionize, Mister Mister, The Magic Way, Koi Pond (reprise), Thriller Bark; E: Gypsy Woman]

The sound at the AMP was schizophrenic, to say the least. Punkadelick, featuring The Vibes Destroyer Mike Dillon, Ms. Nikki Glaspie on kit and vocals, and Brian Haas with his array of keyboards and melodica, had the superb set of manic to match. It would have been more superb, but the bass Houser was rocking was pumped up way too loud by the sound engineers, often overshadowing the music.

The music was amazing, ranging from “Cremate Me” and “Quarantine Booty Call” to a wild take on The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” There was a long story about Texas ’92 called “White Boy Run,” and during “Hummer and Debbs” Glaspie and Haas joined Dillon on vibes!

Eater and A Hundred Drums were part of the all-EDM day on The Hallows. Later I found some artists who veered much closer to deep house and acid jazz (my EDM range is pretty narrow).

One of my top five sets not to miss was Say She She (AMP). The core quartet are the Orgōne band, and Say She She features three heavenly female vocalists who sing in a style rarely heard anymore, reminiscent of Chic (where they got their name), En Vogue, and Banarama. Songs from most recent album Silver were prominent (“Feeling,” “Astral Plane,” “Forget Me Not”) along with a dynamic cover of “Slippery People” and the self-explanatory “We Will Not Go Back.” 

Ten years ago, Orgōne played what was, for me, the most wonderful set on The AMP at Bear Creek 2014. It was so great to see and hear Dan Hastie (keyboards) and Dale Jennings (bass). And the heavenly vocals of Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham, and Nya Gazelle Brown. The sound was perfection.

Levity rocked the Hallows, followed by the most talked-about set of the day by Hula favorite Daily Bread.

To this point, I had not seen or heard from our community guidance counselor Paul Levine. He took the stage prior to Lettuce. I cannot even paraphrase his wonderfully heartfelt comments about the privilege this year of being able to have Hulaween; be assured they spoke to EVERYONE. He then invited Lettuce to take the stage, reminding us that they are truly park ambassadors. Someone later noted that they had been playing The AMP since 2008.

With that, Lettuce launched into their set, opening with Nigel Hall on vocals and Adam Deitch on drums and percussion. Eventually, that yielded to “Silence is Samba,” featuring great work from Hall on electric piano, then Hammond B3 and Ryan Zoidis on sax. THE BASS WAS UNNECESSARILY LOUD; that’s a knock on the house engineers, not Jesus Coomes. Let’s just say we will disagree.

It took a while for the set to congeal, but that moment was a superb cover of “Yearnin’ Learnin’,” great trumpet work for Benny Bloom, and a tight Star Wars tease. They dipped into deep grooves, hit an eastern-toned tune, then great new tune “The Matador” before Hall did band introductions. What next? “Chameleon” into more fabulous playing, including great interplay between Zoidis and Cooms. Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff had been all over the set, but he saved his best guitar work for last.

[LETTUCE: Silence is Samba, Insta‐Classic, Purple Cabbage, Salute, Yearnin’ Learnin’, Moksha, The Matador, Trillogy, Vámonos, It’s Just Begun, Blast Off (with Chameleon)]

Now there were three EDM options. Of the Trees (H) was slammed, but it didn’t reach. Neither did J. Worra (SL). On the other hand, Riordan (Off Limits) was holding a rave dance party that was lit!

Killer Mike (AMP) had his choir of angels and DJ on stage with him, but the rap was too hard-edged for my brain. He drew a huge crowd.

So did festival favorite CloZee, whose stage was being lit up by Lightbrush, Microdose VR, and x. Still not what I was looking for.

LP Giobbi (SL) was exactly what I was hoping to hear, a great set of deep-house grooves! Sound was perfect, again, at Spirit Lake.

It was time for the first of four late-night Spirit Lake sets, this one from TAUK Moore. I’ve heard TAUK dozens of times, Kanika Moore at least a dozen, and their collab five times. THIS WAS THE SET OF THE WEEKEND (well, until Holly Bowling Sunday). The TAUK instrumental tunes were off the charts, and Moore… There is absolutely NO argument when drummer Isaac Teel says, “Please welcome THE QUEEN!” 

The sound was dialed in to perfection, again! With Moore, they offered favorite “Supernova,” and it was off to the races. I recognize that concerts and festivals are social events, but DAMN IT if Moore and TAUK are CRUSHING “Pigs,” you oughta shut the F up! The TAUK gents were in prime form start to finish.

[TM: Friction, Moon Dub, Supernova, Deal Breaker, Afloat, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Times Up, Chopped Cheese, Lil Mama, STFU, Flex]

Also, DUST.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25

I had hoped to catch Tamayo’s set on Spirit Lake to start the day, but, with zero connectivity in the woods, I needed to trek to the media tent near The Meadow to get some work done.

Tand (Meadow) from South Florida, now pared back to a quartet, were mean and lean and absolutely killed their set. Taylor Godsey (guitar, vocals) and Daryl Wolff (lots of keyboards) were superb, leading the band through a great set on the main stage!

[TAND: Swim, Out of Season Sweater, Such Great Heights, Puzzle Piece, Papercut]

At this point videographer and writer extraordinaire Jake Funkmayor of FunkCity.net decided to put our chairs in front of the H in the HULA sign on the hill — IN THE SHADE; it was in the mid-80s and sunny all afternoon. It was perfect for hearing both Meadow And Hallows stage, with clear sight for the latter. PERFECTION!

St. Petersburg’s funksters Ajeva (H) had a superb set of their own, with some great new tunes (“Whatcha Gonna Do,” “”) and a few older gems such as “Better Off.” Their jam is good, their prog rock better, their funk by far the best. 

Bouncing sprite Karina Rykman (M) and her outstanding trio played a delightful set. Adam November is an underappreciated guitarist. Also, nobody — and I mean NOBODY — gets more steps in than bassist Rykman. She was all over the place!

They opened with “Joyride,” later offering “All That She Wanted,” “City Kids,” and “Why Can’t We Get Along.” Rykman said, “We found out right before we came on stage that Phil Lesh had died. This entire set is for him.” The trio threw in a short “Fire On the Mountain” tease in tribute. 

Then it was time for New Orleans to represent with some of their most favorite sons (and a daughter!): Dumpstaphunk (H). For many, this was our first show without the iconic presence of bass player Nick Daniels III. As always, NOLA was in the house with “Sexy Ida,” “I’m Gonna Make It,” and new tune “Let’s Do It.” Alex Wassily on trombone and Ashlin Parker on trumpet added their usual punch. Ivan Neville and Tony Hall were in great voice.

Ivan observed, “It’s not on the setlist, but we have one for Phil Lesh”; a funky “Shakedown Street” emerged, with a fine drum solo from Deven Trusclair. They closed with a rockin’ “Dance with Me.”

The Ries Brothers (SL) from St. Pete were in their duo format, with Charlie Ries on drums, keyboards, production, and vocals and Kevin Jordan Ries on guitar and vocals.

Finally, it was time to get Cheesy with the first of seven sets of The String Cheese Incident (M). You would be hard-pressed to name another band that consistently covers such a wide range of musical genres so adeptly. (Phish come close.) Highlights included Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” and “Enjoy the Ride.” Keith Moseley is a superb bassist, always providing a great pulse to the sets.

[SCI 25: S1: One Step Closer, Enjoy the Ride > MLT > Jam > You Wreck Me, Vertigo, Desert Dawn > Synchronicity > BollyMunster]

Roddy Hansen of Guavatron saw me earlier in the day and said it was imperative that I check out Mildlife (H), the Australian quartet making big waves. Or perhaps low-key surf. Opinions varied, but for many this was one of the greatest sets of the weekend. One of the best joys of attending music festivals is “discovering” bands you knew little or nothing about.

My initial reaction was: Franc Moody meets BoomBox. They were so deep in the pocket, and Tom Shanahan was constantly offering inventive bass lines, keeping the whole set fresh. Also, they played shirtless.

[MILDLIFE: Yourself, Forever, Zwango Zop, The Magnificent Moon, Return To Centaurus, Vapour, Automatic]

Maddy O’Neal again delighted at The AMP with her powerful set.

SCI opened set two with a simple reading of “Ripple”; they kept it acoustic for a bit with “Round & Round We Go” before Michael Kang grabbed the fiddle and the band soared with bluegrass, then deep funk. Kyle Hollingsworth used many of his arsenal of keyboards, so good!

[SCI 25: S2: Ripple > Can’t Wait Another Day, Lend Me a Hand > Shine, Bumpin’ Reel, All We Got]

DJ Brownie had a set on Spirit Lake and even had an interloper on stage (it might have been Karina Rykman).

Cory Wong (H) and his ten-piece band ripped their set with big-band funk and jazz. Perhaps their setlists don’t vary a lot, but it’s all in the delivery for Wong and crew. People who had never seen the band before were knocked out. The five-horn section really kills.

It took a while to warm up to the deep psychedelic soul and R&B of Black Pumas, but once you caught the groove, they had you. Superb vocals and band all worked to create. Band leader Eric Burton reminds of Bobby Womack. Producer and guitarist Adrian Quesada clearly stood out as well. The set included tracks such as “Tell Me How You Look So Good,” “Get It Together,” “Ice Cream (Pay Phone),” and “Let’s Fly Together.”

I have seen Eggy several times, including at Hulaween 2022, and I have really enjoyed them. They had the late-night Spirit Lake set, but after a full day of music I simply couldn’t focus. That was me; Spirit Lake was jammed with dancers for their set.

One of the major problems of the festival centered on at least three very loud sources of music and/or sound near the Spirit Lake stage at night. The 110-decibel Off Limits stage was blaring, that bubbling wall along the Spirit Lake border (toward the AMP) was loud, and, worst of all, the music broadcast in conjunction with the lake visuals was astoundingly loud, so loud it often drowned out the band on stage. The lighting folks knew this but were not able to convince the sound blasters to turn that damn thing down. PLEASE! Get this all balanced properly. It was extremely unfair to bands playing at night there. 

Vlad the Inhaler had curated the Silent Disco experience for Friday and Saturday. In the past, it had been at the Campground Stage, no longer there. The event was moved, very successfully, to The AMP, where it was more convenient for those distributing and collecting the headphones. I enjoyed the first pairing with Dismantla vs. Cry Havoc and then Booty Boo vs. Sub-Lo for the second. It is always fun at Silent Disco switching channels and figuring out who is listening to which channel.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26

The Sponges (A) opened the day with a really bouncy, fun set, drawing a good crowd for the early set.

The HoneyHounds from Jacksonville got to open the Meadow stage. They had impressed at Hula several years ago. They opened with two so-so pop songs. At the very second I was about to express my concern, they shoved the set into overdrive and never took their collective feet off the pedal. They dove into deep funk, a great cover of “Young Lust,” some hard-edged prog, and a guest appearance from Zach Simms of Future Joy on tenor saxophone. 

With 12 minutes left, they announced their last song was brand new. They finished… WITH NINE MINUTES TO GO! You have the main stage and a crowd building. Surely you must know a cover tune you like! What on earth?

Jacksonville darlings Sauce Pocket have been sky rocketing, and they made the most of their set on Spirit Lake, paired with vocalist Jessica Jones. The set featured vocal tunes and great instrumentals such as “Tequilerino Bambino.” Jones offered a gorgeous tune she penned for her wife, and Taylor Ivie (bass) and Riley O’Brien (drums) anchored the rockin’ set.

[Sauce Pocket: Laser Bean, Drunk Dial, Tequilerino Bambino, The Runs, The Weight, Rocket, Tiddies & Trucks]

Due to the cancellation of Tash Sultana (health concerns), the schedule on the Hallows stage was shifted ahead, leaving an opening at 4 p.m. The men of Spafford, already set for Spirit Lake late night, stepped up big time. I caught the end of this set, ready for more later.

[SPAFF1: The Postman, Diana, Neutrino > America, The Reprise]

It was time for round one of Cheese, and the set was lit from the first note of “On the Road.” Bill Nershi introduced a song about “Self-Reflection” before Michael Kang put down his guitar and grabbed the fiddle for “Who I Am, Who I Want to Be.” They offered an island-style approach to Paul Simon’s “Late in the Evening,” which also featured a drum and percussion feature from Michael Travis and Jason Hann, and the set closed with fan favorite “Rivertrance.”

[SCI 26: S1: On the Road, Lost > Black Clouds, Eventually, Late in the Evening > Drums > It is What It Is > Rivertrance]

West Palm jamtronic prog rockers Guavatron (SL) spent half their set with a tremendous version of “GRIT,” with “Planets” stuffed inside. Unfortunately, the sound engineers, who had generally done a stellar job on that stage, blasted this set much too loud. The second half was all “Shadows,” a deep dive into prog rock.

[Guava: GRIT > Planets > GRIT, Shadows]

I sprinted back to catch the last part of the Andy Frasco & the U.N. (H) set: perfect timing! The crowd in front of the stage was slammed, and at first I misunderstood him to say, “I need three HORRORS down there!” It took a moment to recognize that this was, of course, the 20th anniversary of his bar mitzvah and that in fact what he wanted were “THREE HORAS!” (circular dance parties, one inside the next).

They brought up Ryan Stasik of Umprhey’s McGee to join in on “Celebrate What We Have,” which was certainly the main theme of Suwannee Hulaween 2024. 

Cheese round two was a match for the first one, so joyous and fun, including highlights such as “Let’s Go Outside” and “Restless Wind.”

[SCI 26: S2: Hi Ho No Show, Close Your Eyes > Shantytown > Let’s Go Outside > Restless Wind > Just One Story]

Many in the crowd were primed for the prog rock of Umphrey’s McGee, and they delivered in spades. The hard-edge prog also funked through a great take on Prince’s “Controversy” in addition to “Staircase” and “Miss Tinkle’s Overture.”

[UM: S1: Leave Me Las Vegas, Staircase, The Floor, Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Controversy, Pure Saturation, 1348]

It was time for the String Cheese Incident theme set (the Shebang), which was “How Weird” (or How Weir’d), appropriate on multiple levels. Rather than cover tunes, as we had come to expect, they played their own great songs while all sorts of “weird” activities graced the stage. It began — and ended — with “Howard,” perhaps the weirdest song in the SCI canon. Let Michael Kang explain:

“Come As You Are” and “Miss Brown’s Tea House” were in the great set. I had hoped to hear “Rosie” at some point during the first two sets, not expecting to hear it during set three! Bill Nershi and crew really revved it up! Traditional fireworks marked the finale of How Weird.

[SCI 26: S3: Howard > Born On The Wrong Planet, Come As You Are, Miss Browns Teahouse, Best Feeling, Joyful Sound, Rosie, Trip The Light Fantastic > Howard]

Umphrey’s McGee returned for their second set, piling on more metal-tinged prog, including a BRILLIANT reading of the King Crimson standard “Red.” INCREDIBLE. Their mashup of “Heart of Glass” (with falsettos) and “Jump Around” was just as much fun as it sounds.

[UM: S2: Wappy Sprayberry, Push the Pig, ’40s Theme, Red, Small Strides, House Of Better Glass, JaJunk]

sublime had the late feature set on The Meadow, and the crowd really enjoyed the new and improved trio with original members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh and the son of original guitarist Bradley Nowell, Jakob. Michael Kang came out to play “Scarlet Begonias” with them early on, and the set featured great covers and all the fan favorites, including “Badfish,” “STP,” “What I Got,” and “Santeria” — with the Meadow packed.

[sublime: Garden Grove, Wrong Way, Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead), ”54-46″ – That’s My Number (Toots & the Maytals) > Ball and Chain, Right Back > New Thrash, Greatest-Hits, Badfish, Jailhouse (Bob Marley & the Wailers), The Ballad of Johnny Butt (Secret Hate), April 29, 1992 (Miami), What I Got, Pawn Shop, Date Rape, Burritos, In Your Eyes (Johnny Osbourne), Doin’ Time, Romeo, Warning Sign / Armagideon Time, Ring the Alarm (Tenor Saw), Boss DJ (Jakob solo), Pool Shark (Jakob solo), Saw Red, Feel Like That (Stick Figure), Same in the End, STP, Santeria]

The set Spafford (SL) threw down in the late-night slot was a stunning jam fest. After “Double Time” and a fun cover of “Land Down Under,” the group took off! The flow was intense, as they were locked in tight. One of the best sets of Hula, for me.

[SPAFF2: Double Time, Land Down Under, Electric Taco Stand, Weasel > Anyone > Weasel]

The Silent Disco was again rocking at The AMP. Due to Spafford’s killer set,  I was only able to hear the end of the second time slot battle between, yes, Vlad the Inhaler vs. MoGanja! Both were dynamite!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27

The final day settled in, with many ready for the Bobby Weir Incident sets, especially in light of the new of Lesh’s passing. 

For me, Holly Bowling had THE set of the festival. I probably would have thought so in any event, but this hour-long memorial service was stunning. A friend quickly and correctly amended my description to celebration of life.

Look at the setlist first:

[HB: Bird Song > Unbroken Chain, St. Stephen > Box of Rain (unfinished) > St. Stephen > William Tell Bridge > The Eleven (w/ Box of Rain tease), Brokedown Palace]

If you have ever seen Bowling do her solo set, you are transported to a concert hall with a grand master exploring all of the nuances of the works played. In her case, the setlist usually features tunes of the Dead and Phish. Obviously, for this one it was all aimed straight at Lesh. It certainly sounded like a ten-foot grand piano; in fact, it was a Roland DX-2000 that had us all amazed. And, to their credit, the sound engineers had this one dialed in PERFECTLY. 

It took almost 20 before “Bird Song” morphed into “Unbroken Chain,” unleashing a torrent of tears (well, mine, for sure). Then she launched into the stunning medley of St. Stephen > The Eleven” with lots of goodies inside. She spoke for the first time to thank us for coming to Sunday Morning Service. What followed was a stunning “Brokedown Palace” that kept the tears flowing. 

BRAVA!

Paul Levine popped up on stages at important times. He came out to welcome The Ain’t Sisters, the no-holds-barred combo from Atlanta that has developed an amazing following. They were scheduled for three sets at the ill-fated Suwannee Roots Revival (thanks for nothin’, Helene); Levine’s introduction was just magnificent, and the quintet responded in kind.

Arrie Bozeman began with a full white beard, looking like another performer coming up later. That went soon as they romped through their setlist of originals, including the obligatory “Shake Your Taint.” The “Creek > Late Checkout > Creek > Crime” was superb, and they finished by dedicating to Lesh a gorgeous new ballad by Barb Carbon titled “Beyond the Blue” about the grief of losing friends too soon.

[AIN’T: Bloom (instrumental) > Birds, Creek > Late Checkout > Creek > Crime, Shake Your Taint, The Fighter, Horses, Wellers > Manik Panik, Let There Be Love, Beyond the Blue (for Phil)]

Speaking of Suwannee Roots Revival and its companion Suwannee Spring Reunion, I sure hope they will invite The Sam Grisman Project (H), because they were awesome. After “Waiting for a Miracle,” Grisman noted, “We’re going to be playing a lot of notes for Phil. We rejoice in his liberation.” And, with that, a lovely version of “Bird Song.” They were brilliant, especially on “Dawgnation,” honoring the legacy that Grisman’s dad, David Grisman, carved out. The set closed with a beautiful “Cats Under The Stars.”

[SAM: Waiting for a Miracle, Bird Song, Say Old Man, Sitting Here in Limbo, Brown-Eyed Women, Dawgnation, Leela, We Share as One, Cats Under The Stars]

Greensky Bluegrass (H) kept that great vibe ringing through the Meadow with a fine performance enhanced with semi-regular guest Holly Bowling. After opening song “Past My Prime,” somebody said, “We just got here. Sorry we’re late! It’s a party!” The energetic set included lots of favorites, a Townes Van Zandt cover “White Freight Liner Blues,” and a pair of tunes from Dark Side of the Moon.

[GSBG: Past My Prime, Solstice, Like Reflections, Courage for the Road, Room Without a Roof, White Freight Liner Blues, Reasons to Stay, Time, Breathe (Reprise), Living Over]

Tire Fire was playing a second time at House of Lost. You could have spent the entire weekend there and navigating all the incredible art surrounding Spirit Lake. They were missing drummer Dave Gerulat and bassist Sean Hartley, but Justin Beaudreau of The Ain’t Sisters filled in admirably with Arrie Bozeman (no beard this time), Trey Miller, and Dani Jaye, who was the star of House of Lost all weekend. They roared through a bunch of their favorites, and, as always, they paid tribute to Atlanta music, as Miller explained before they busted out “B.O.B.”

[TF: Howl at the Moon, Canyon Wall, Spanish Pipedreams Minor Key,  Broken Strings, B.O.B. (Bombs Over Bahgdad),  Drivin’, One Cup Of Coffee, Got Damn Mess, Get Off My Lawn]

For many, The Bobby Weir Incident sets were the pinnacle of this year’s Hulaween. It was apparent from the start that this was not just a marriage of convenience; several of us noted we would not be surprised if this collaboration happened again. With all of the SCI vocals available, it made the enterprise much easier on Weir, who was clearly enjoying himself, and the huge crowd was in complete support.

Set one was a bit laid back, perfect for the early afternoon. “Feel Like A Stranger” had a nice pace to it, and the set built from there. The energy really picked up with “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” and set closer “Cold Rain And Snow.”

There was a great surge evident in set two, beginning with the Group Hoot for Lesh and then a solid “CCS > IKYR.” A surprise on the setlist emerged with “Estimated Prophet,” creating smiles everywhere, and that led to fine “Space”-type section that finally yielded “Eyes of the World,” with superb B3 and piano work from Kyle Hollingsworth and then a Michael Travis and Jason Hann drums sequence. 

What followed was a stripped-down “Standing on the Moon” before a pumped-up “Fire on the Mountain.” And they were done. But, of course, they were not. When they returned, Michael Kang said, “We’d been working on this setlist for weeks, but then Phil threw us a curveball.” Weir said, “We’re going to play it; YOU’RE going to sing it.” And sing it we did, as the lyrics to “Box of Rain” were displayed on the huge screen behind them.

NOT A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE.

[SCI 27: S1: Feel Like A Stranger, Jack Straw, Crazy Fingers > Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, Cassidy, Man Smart (Woman Smarter), Cold Rain And Snow; S2: Group Hoot for Phil Lesh, China Cat Sunflower> I Know You Rider, Brown-Eyed Women, Estimated Prophet > Eyes of the World > Drums, Standing on the Moon, Fire on the Mountain; E: Box of Rain]

Paul Levine stepped on the Spirit Lake stage one last time to welcome some more of the park’s frequent fliers, this time the superb funk masters The New Mastersounds. After some great exploring of grooves in “Dusty Groove,” drummer Simon Allen challenged us with “So we’re scheduled for two and a half hours. Do you have the energy for that? Because WE DO!”

The long set allowed the quartet from Leeds to go in various directions, including more vocal tunes than we normally hear. Every member had multiple opportunities to shine, and shine they did. As previously noted, the music blaring from the lake again interfered with the sound on stage, to the point where Allen said, TELL THE NEIGHBOURS TO TURN THE MUSIC DOWN!

Guitarist Eddie Roberts, ever dapper in his jacket, played a variety of styles, but he always returned to that wonderful Grant Green groove. Allen and bass player Pete Shand form one of the tightest rhythm section on the funk scene, and we were there for it. Keyboard wiz Joe Tatton balanced his B3, electric piano, clavinet, and piano to perfection, especially evident in “Why Did You Do It?”

Allen next told us it was “sleepy time now. Everybody get down on the mat.” That set up “Land of Nod.” After a brilliant set, it was all over but the singing, as they closed with the great “Nervous” and its famous chorus, “Bap ba dap ba top” (well, something like that). Incredible!

[NMS: Paul Levine intro, Tantalus, Miracles, Dusty Groove, Passport, Take What You Need, Smoothie > Two Fat Ladies, Coming Up Roses, Down On The Farm, The Road to Fuji Rock, Thirty Three > Do The Sausage Roll, Hey Fela!, Till The Cows Come Home, When Will You Be Mine? (AWB), 102%, Pudding & Pie, Baby Bouncer, San Frantico, Why Did You Do It?, Land of Nod, You Got It All > Eazin’ Down, You Mess Me Up, Freckles, Nervous]

Suwannee Hulaween 11 is now in the books. Almost everyone would agree it was a magnificent (if dusty) event! 

Ready for number 12? WE ARE!