Stereopirate Sailing through life, one song at a time...

After finally getting some sleep and making it out of the domesticated zoo that was the campgrounds, I made it to catch the Brett Dennen show to start off my Friday. I had seen Brett Dennen twice before, opening up for John Mayer at a show a few years ago at the Verizon Ampitheater in Noblesville, IN and also at Rothbury in 2008. I was glad to see him a bit more sober this year, because I'm pretty sure he was quite drunk last year during his show. Either way, he is still a great musician with a unique sound and music style that makes for a great feel-good concert. Couple that with a great Michigan afternoon on a Friday, and everything was just dandy. There aren't too many videos up on the infamous YouTube yet, but there happens to be a decently-produced video on the web that actually starts off by showing my friends and I in the lower right of the camera right at the beginning. So there is a little FYI for the day, but enjoy the video and check him out if you ever have the chance to for an enjoyable concert experience.

Following the Brett Dennen show, we made it over to check out G. Love and Special Sauce. I have been quite upset that I have never made it to one of his shows, and was extremely happy when I saw his name on the set list for 2009. He stepped up a notch in my book when I saw him come up sporting some new black Nike Blazers with the neon laces. Call that FYI #2. He put on a great show, playing a lot of the songs from all of his studio albums creating a great mix of songs and styles. He even played one of my favorite songs, "Booty Call" so I was thoroughly satisfied.

Moving on from G. Love, we caught a little bit of Femi Kuti & The Positive Force while killing some time before Broken Social Scene. I had never heard of Femi Kuti before, but I was pretty amazed at the performance. Their music was an almost Afro-Beat roots-y vibe combined with the showmanship of James Brown and Al Green. They put on a great show and was extremely happy that I was able to check out a great previousl unknown band.

Leaving the Femi Kuti & The Positive Force show early we made out way over to get some good seats for the Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley show. En Route we landed upon the Broken Social Scene set. Not having too much knowledge of a lot of their music, they came highly recommended from a friend so I wanted to make sure to check them out. I couldn't believe how good their show was, playing with such an energy that you don't get too much at a day-show of a festival. Their music definitely rocked Rothbury during the first full day of tunes.

Leaving after a handfull of songs, I made it over to the Nas and Damian Marley show. This show was definitely near the top of my To Do list for Friday's shows. I have never seen Nas or Damian perform, and both of these musicans have earned a lot of respect in my book for making great music time and true. Nas came out first and did his thing, performing everything from "One Mic" to teaming up onstage with Damian for the timeless "Road to Zion." Damian rocked the stage playing all of his jams and even playing some songs I have never heard before. Hopefully they are some new tunes because I definitely loved the vibe from him and his band during the music. Look for me to get some of my videos from this set uploaded in the near future.

Following the Nas and Damian Marley show, we headed back to take a break for the day and get some food and rest. Missing some of the first set of String Cheese Incident, I was able to make it back to catch a great deal of the second set and witness the rediculous performance they put on. I really wish I would have been able to catch more of their show because I couldn't believe how energetic their performance was. Since their "breakup" in 2007, everyone knew that they wouldn't be reuniting for Rothbury and not put on an amazing concert. To the say the show was amazing doesn't do the String Cheese perfomance justice. They came back and somehow managed to take their vast library of songs and sounds and put them together to not only create an amazing setlist, but they also seemed to create a new sound as if they were going to be getting back together to head on that audio-journey together. There are some really great YouTube videos out there of their performance, I have just hosted a few below. For those who were not the biggest fans going into the show (including myself), I would testify that they definitley made their mark in my mind of a great band that can put on a unbelievable show. Whenever a band reunites on a perfect summer evening with giant beach balls and circus performers, only magic can happen. Check out even more videos on the web and you can just imagine how rediculous it was to be apart of it!

Following an insane String Cheese Incident show, I couldn't even imagine what Sound Tribe Sector 9 was going to have in store for us Rothbury-ites. Following in the footsteps of some amazing performances through just the first 2 days, STS9 seemed to draw from the SCI performance and funnel that energy and hype into their late-night set. They played a lot of tunes that I had jammed to many a times in my room, and even played some songs that seemed to be new to me (and hopefully will be on an album soon!). Seeing them last year had me excited to be able to catch their late-night show again in the beautiful Michigan night.

Having to leave the STS9 show early to catch the Girl Talk show, I was nervous that Greg Gillis and company wouldn't be able to bring the amount of energy and excitement that was being pumped out of the speakers of the STS9 show. As I secretely had hoped, Greg Gillis aka Girl Talk came out, started the REAL party, and it never seemed to stop for another 2 days later! I have been a big fan of Girl Talk for quite some time, and after missing out on what turned out to be a horrible performance at Miami (OH) in Oxford, OH, I was stoked to be able to see him at his prime late-night festival slot. Coming out on stage already packed with fellow Rothbury-ites, Greg sported a red and blue sweat suit looking like he just came out of bed. If I got to wake up to rediculous mixes of Pop, Rock, Hip Hop and everythign in between, I'm sure I would be much more productive everyday. We were lucky enough to get fairly close considering Sherwood Court was packed to the edges. I couldn't have been more happy to finally see Girl Talk live while being in one of the greatest party environments ever! (That and the glowing colors and heart-pounding beats always combo with other things to make an even better experience)