Wow! What a fun, festival weekend! My legs and feet are tired from walking, but I’m not sunburnt, so I can’t really complain. How about that weather? I camped in a tent, hoping it wouldn’t rain so much that I would wake up wet. There was enough rain to tamp down the dust a bit and keep the first two days of the festival in the 60’s. By Saturday, the sun was a welcome sight and we finally got a little bit of the weather we are so accustomed to for this fest.
In the weeks running up to the festival, I planned out my schedule around my volunteer shift, picking several bands I wanted to see for the first time. I came up with a short list in my mind of people that I wanted to try to connect with in person, since we’ve only ever talked via email or on the message board. I had it all planned out.
My plan quickly went out the window. After my first shift in the kitchen on Thursday, I was so tired I went back to camp and napped for three hours instead of catching a couple of acts on the main stage. The next thing I knew it was almost 6pm. Instead of making dinner, we decided to grab food from the vendors and sat at Vern’s Stage to eat. The Blue Jays just happened to take the stage shortly after we sat down. They weren’t on my list of bands to check out, but I will sure keep an eye out for them in the future! As a mom, with a 15 year old aspiring performer, it made me a little teary to see these young men on stage playing their hearts out – I just kept thinking, “That’s someone’s little boy up there!” Maybe someday that will be Patrick!
As it turned out, The Blue Jays were the only act that I saw. I ended up so caught up in camp life that I didn’t have time for any of the stage shows. I initially felt like I should force myself to get to the stages, but when I realized just how much fun I was having in camp, listening to camp jams, I let that expectation go.
On Saturday afternoon, Patrick and his peers in the Youth Academy had their performance at the Pioneer Stage. I always get a little teary watching the littlest kids perform on instruments that are almost bigger than they are. They are so brave to get up there and give it their best shot in front of a crowd of people. Patrick’s group, Kurt Monroe, performed In the Pines, with a little mashup of the Nirvana song My Girl at the end. The vocals were arranged beautifully and the kids did a great job. I’m always impressed with what they are able to pull of with only a few hours of practice.
Later that evening, Patrick brought the band to our camp for an encore performance. Let me first say that I hardly see Patrick during the festival. He shows up in the evening to grab something to eat, and I see him first thing in the morning before he takes off for class, but for the most part, I see him for only a few minutes a day. Patrick and his friends coming to hang out and jam in camp was a first, and a real gift. They played their performance song for us a couple of times, and then they just jammed, playing bluegrass tunes they’d learned over the years, like Shady Grove, old country tunes by Johnny Cash and a few newer rock and roll songs. There were several sing alongs, where all the adults joined in, like when they played Ripple. All in all, we were treated to a couple of hours of talented kids singing and playing, and I loved every second of it.
After the final stage performance Saturday night, Patrick and two of his friends took me around to show me where they like to hang out and jam, gave me the tour of all the popular jam spots and let me tag along with them for about an hour. It was probably one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve had as a parent recently. The boys were all lovely, they didn’t act like it was a drag to hang out with me at all. They talked to me about school and peers and they listened when I told them that it gets better, being a teen is really tough – for everyone! I never felt like they were just humoring me. I got to watch them interact with one another, how they inspire each other to try harder and help each other figure out pieces that are tricky. I consider myself very lucky to have been a part of their group for a little while, and I would definitely hang out with them again, if they’ll have me!
The Saturday jam in our camp led to a great discussion with Patrick on Sunday while we were packing up. The adults from our camp all backed off and let the kids do their thing, not wanting to “butt in” and scare them off. We were all happy to have them there and to get a chance to listen to them. But the adults would have loved to play with them. They were waiting for an invitation. I know nothing about jam etiquette, but in talking to those adults in camp that do know a few things about it, I learned that, while I would have just expected anyone who wanted to join to just freely join in, there should have been some sort of invitation to join from the group. So I talked to Patrick, explained from the adult’s perspective that they just wanted to let the kids do their thing, but would have loved to play, and that someone in their group should have extended an invitation. Patrick said the same thing I thought – that he figured anyone that wanted to play would just join in! Patrick said if he’d known that he would have said something! Now he knows for next time!
I had such a blast this year and I’m already excited about next year. I enjoyed my volunteer job so much that I’ll be doing it again next year, with maybe even a little more to add to my plate, but we’ll see how that evolves. I’m just happy to participate and help make the festival a success for everyone. I hope those of you that attended the fest enjoyed it as much as I did, and that you got to see your favorite bands, participate in some jams and catch up with old friends. As for me, I’ve got a couple more music festivals on the horizon – I hope my feet can handle more walking!
