Furthur / The Dead / The Other Ones | OtherOnes.Net

Well alright, I'll be the first person to post a review. Just got back from Maine last night after being there for Nateva. We had gotten our tickets when Furthur was announced as headliners right after we saw a string of shows in February, and although I would have loved to make it to Herkimer, we patiently waited for Furthur on the 4th. And I do mean patiently. Although there were a lot of good acts there, it got so hot during the day that we ended up seeking refuge in the off-lot amenities: Pizza Hut (first time in ages), the awesome swimming hole behind Pizza Hut, and even the movies. I'd been to lots of GD shows when camping was still on, but this was our first modern-era music festival, and I guess we're getting a little too old to fry all day in the sun. As for the festival itself, can't compare it to any others, but it seemed to go pretty smoothly, although we heard of lots of arrests as we were leaving. Food and drink were real good, even though beer sales were limited to a wrist-band access area near the stage (maybe for the best?) Missed a lot of bands on account of the sun, but of the ones we caught, my personal favorites were Ghostland Observatory and STS9, go figure. Flaming Lips and Grizzly Bear were interesting too, and moe. was better than I expected, but we heard most of that from the tent, as we were done by then.

By the time Furthur came around on Sunday night, that familiar magic was back in the air, as the crowd became much more recognizable. The setting was beautiful, with the glowing art-installation pillars fitting perfectly with the stage lights, along with the weird orange balloons that kept lifting from near the stage, the ferris wheel, and the multi-colored glowing hula hoops that seemed to be everywhere. I wonder if the band was tired after Columbus and Herkimer, because the show was a little relaxed for what you might expect on the 4th. First set was OK, standouts were Samson and Cumberland, and I was happy to hear Casey Jones (only my second). Stephen was an unexpected set opener, although they tend to play this one a lot, and followed nicely into the expected Jackstraw. Fantasy/Eyes was beautiful against the aforementioned visual landscape. Days Between is a tough one for Bob, but was saved by the orange balloons that began to lift-off during the song. In my mind, the moment was primed (or at least I was) for a mind-bending "Time" right after that, but instead they broke into another Furthur staple, Help/Slip/Franklin's. They seem to pair this with Eyes quite often, giving you a nice double dose of Phil vocals (for those of us that still like to hear him sing). They always do it well, and Franklins and Eyes always get the place bouncing. GDTRFB seemed like it was truncated, but gave way to a very nice WBYG. It was only 11:35, and they were scheduled until midnight, so I was expecting a 3-song encore. Instead we got the inevitable 4th of July encore, which believe it or not caught me by surprise, and although doubtless "appropriate" (as Phil put it after the donor rap), was a little less than fulfilling for those of us who had waited three days for them to arrive.

Even before the last note was played, the fireworks started up behind us, causing everyone to turn around and allowing the band to sneak off unnoticed. I stayed looking at the stage for a bit, which was surrounded in fog/smoke with red-white-and-blue lighting. The fireworks were sort of like the weekend: long, but never truly very exciting. But what the hell, it was 4th of July in Maine, and Furthur had just put a shine on the place. The festival grounds were wild after the show, and we took our time coming back to the tent, only to discover we were going to need a jump start the next day. After packing up the next morning and getting a jump start, we hit a great lake on the way out of Maine, and settled in for the long drive home. This'll be it for us until the Nokia "sequel" shows later this month, which I'm really looking forward to, as they should be pretty rested after a grueling summer schedule...

Oh yeah, almost forgot the fire-dancers! They were there all three nights, but their pyromantics seemed tailor-made for Furthur's second set. You can see some pictures at natevafestival.com/category/live-coverage.

Whitewater rafted the kennebeck on saturday, then drove to oxford on sunday and scored two tickets for $30 a piece. Saw a bald eagle on the river and a moose on the ride back to the hotel in bethel.

Loved seeing furthur in the festival setting even though I was not there for the whole weekend. It was nice to have a cool hotel to go back to.

Highlights where many, including Missisippi Halfstep, Jack Straw obviously, Saint Stephen is always a pleasure. Eyes, help>slip>franklins. I can't wait to see Furthur again. Both shows I have been to have been wonderful. I am so thankful this music is still around.

Of the 4 shows I saw this Summer tour, this show may have been the "weakest", though I really hate to say that. The show had some great highlights and some real fine points: Ramble on Rose, Cumberland Blues, Days Between and the Help>Slip>Franks...

Bobby came on stage and set the tone immediatly and pointed out the beautiful sunset to the crowd, which made for a very good vibe to start the show. "Celebration", while was very fun and cool to hear, may not have been the best opener choice, as many people in the crowd were just casual Dead fans. Next song, Samson and Delilah was perfect for the occassion and it got the crowd right back into the groove. The first set had some very good segues and transition jams, some of the best I have seen from this band. Half Step>Cold Rain and Snow>Ramble on Rose>Masterpiece>Cumberland, all flowed very smoothly.

St Stephen to open 2nd set was cookin'! Maybe the most energetic and groovy song of the night. I thought (and was hoping) they were gonna go into the Eleven, but they faded out and went into Jack Straw instead. Jack Straw, one of my favorite Dead songs was another highlight for me. Eyes was really jammy and I dont think there a single person in the state of Maine who wasn't dancing during that Eyes of the World. For the Jerry ballad we got Days Between, which Bobby sang with so much passion and emotion that I had to keep myself from shedding a tear "Gave the best we had to give, how much we'll never know, never know." Then to end the show, Help>slip>Franklins was surely a crowd pleaser and made everyone happy.

Furthur did a good job of closing out the first Nateva Festival. The weekend was fun all around very mellow and chill compared to other festivals such as All Good or Rothbury. Some small improvements need to be made in the future, but it was a 1st year festival so I'l cut them a break. Hopefully next year they will bring back Bobby and Phil. because thats about the only way I'l be back...

Nateva as a first time large festival was easily the best fest i've been a part of, and i've been to many since 1998. This was our first time as vendors and got a sweet spot and hung out with the most amazing people I've ever seen collectivly at one festival...the "family" vibe was all over the place in full force. My finace and I was in charge of the Wellness tent with Yoga and also sold jewelery and hand-made custom fabric dancing hoops. Every bit of music I witnessed on this weekend left me buzzing, Moe., Lotus, The kind buds, Felice Brother's, Derek trucks...but I was obviously most amped and ready to put forth every last once of energy i had for Furthur. I had given up the chance to see them in Lowell and mohawk so i could vend at Nateva. Honestly i was soo high for this festival and in the most clean and energenic, friendly way possible i didn't even notice that most people were very hot. i was born in summer and can handle just about any heat july can bring (except for that damn Tennesee bonnaroo style heat) The sunset just before furthur broke into the first Celebration was magical, second only to SAturday mornings sunrise! Yeah, I only got about 4hrs of sleep over the course of four days! The first set was all well exectuted miss half step>CR&S>ROR>Masterpiece>Cumberland blues made me very happy but went by a tlighting speed. The set closing casey jones lacked the rollicking energy of the one i saw in Amherst Mass on 2/19 but was a good choice because on saturday moring we were shocked to see a train go through the satalite camping area near the race track. (we were visiting friends in the satalite camping area) I was jazzed and amped up for this show beyond belief and was ready for s three hour set!! Not exactly but..but a fine version of Jack straw...very well sung and played by mr.weir took me to another level Eyes of the world is always a treat but when i realized we were in for an emotional sledghammer that is Days Between I simply could'nt handle it. bob weir made this version PERFECT and very emotioally sung. all the couples near us up front grabbed eachother and most heads i looked at were visibly emotional from the thoughts of Jerry and beauty of this song. Heavy shit. Help>slip>frank is also always a treat and the lyrics to franklin's tower helped me elevate my mood back up again from the days that had me weeping. "roll away the dew" indeed!! Best show of my life.