Shame of shames, went to Hippiefest Saturday night.  As it turned out, it was a guilty pleasure, as I enjoyed almost every minute, but I did have some mixed reactions.


The show opened with a stage band and Denny Laine (most well known for his short stint in Moody Blues and his influential place in Paul McCartney's Wings), singing some well known numbers.  So far, OK, but not as exciting as I hoped.  Then Joey Molland (introduced as the "last surviving member) came out to do Badfinger songs, which just reminded me of what good material they were.  The energy levels started to climb.  The Mitch Ryder came out and rocked the house with "Devil with a Blue Dress on".  The stage band was excellent and worked hard all night.

Country Joe McDonald did an eclectic acoustic set, playing with some alternate tunings for "Sweet Lorraine" and doing his infamous "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die-Rag".

Felix Cavaliere's Rascals delivered a great set, full of medleys mixing their tunes (Groovin, People Want to be Free) with other songs of the period quite masterfully and seamlessly.  I believe that Felix was the only original member of the Rascals, but I could be wrong.

Another break and out come the Zombies, whoopie, what a show!  Rod Argent and Colin Blumstone, original members, did a great job doing both Zombie tunes and Argent songs (Hold Your Head Up High).  It felt like each act was getting better and better.  

Then the Turtles hit the stage and had a great time.  They played the heck out of their material and really had a lot of showmanship.  Flo & Eddie, the original members also known for their stints with Frank Zappa, knew how to play a crowd and everybody was singing along with everything, especially "Happy Together".

The evening closed with a set by Mountain.  It was certainly the loudest set, and I'm not sure exactly who was who in the power trio on stage.  I admit at this point, I left early, simply because the music was no longer moving me.  I didn't seem to be the only one, many folks were on their way out.

It was great to hear good tunes performed by people who knew and loved them, and it was obvious that each of the musicians, whether original band members or stage band, loved what they were doing and enjoyed the music thoroughly.  That's what it's all about.

It was... odd... seeing Country Joe McDonald hyping t-shirts ("pick up your Hippiefest t-shirts at the merchandising booth").  Not that I have problems with any of these great groups making money, but it seemed somehow at odds with the Summer of Love this tour supposedly celebrated.

But, minor moral qualms aside, it was a great show and I was charged up afterwards.