Phil Lesh

The All Good Music Festival is pleased to announce its 15th annual event to be held July 14-17, 2011 on Marvin’s Mountaintop near Masontown, WV.  As the Mid-Atlantic’s longest running music & camping event, this summer’s annual musical oasis saw the festival attracting record crowds, bringing in fans from every state in the country and internationally.

Until I arrived at this year’s Gathering of The Vibes Festival in Bridgeport, CT, I didn’t know I was looking for something. Until I left, I didn’t realize that I had found it. The following is a recounting of that journey. Along the way masters in the field of musical entertainment will appear. All were influential, some more than others. But as you read this recounting of GOTV 2010, remember that this is one man’s quest.

Furthur played this past weekend at MCU Park in Brooklyn New York, home to the Brooklyn Cyclones and just adjacent to one of the most famous amusement parks in the world, Coney Island. Growing up 10 minutes from NYC I felt almost embarrassed to admit I have never been to Coney Island before.

It was another jam-packed night outside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. You would have thought you were seeing Furthur on New Year’s Eve 2009 all over again. It was just about impossible to get into line outside the arena as there were so many people walking up and down the cordons with their pointer fingers in the air hoping for some miracle ticket to gain entry into DeadHeads kingdom; a Furthur show.

Furthur, featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir played the brand new 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on March 5th & March 6th, 2010.  The Grateful Web was on hand to check out the show, take some photos, shoot some videos and soak in seeing the band a mere 1

The anticipation outside San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Center was at an all time peak! Dead Heads everywhere with their long hair, dread locks, beards, hemp necklaces and tie-dyed clothing were lined up outside the venue either in line or holding up their pointer finger praying for a miracle ticket. This was the kind of atmosphere I had dreamt about for years! It was beyond a rock n’ roll concert! It was the indescribable coming together of thousands of Dead Heads, who are a tribe, who become joined into one strong force once they step a foot through those auditorium doors.

One of the most anticipated shows of the Fall was Bob Weir and Phil Lesh’s new side project together called Furthur. The lineup also consists Dead keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and Dark Star Orchestra lead guitarist and vocalist John Kadlecik. Dark Star Orchestra is considered the best Grateful Dead cover band in the country because of Kadlecik’s ability to sing in a very similar mellifluous voice like Jerry Garcia is part of his attraction to longtime Dead Heads.

It's been nearly a year since ROTHBURY's state-of-the-art "Party with a Purpose" inaugural event paved the way for the new generation of rock 'n' roll music festivals. The high-profile four-day affair tallied more than 35,000 attendees, representing 50 states. Fans traveled to Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan, to witness, participate, and celebrate music, art, and get involved in climate change and clean energy solutions.

The wait is over! ROTHBURY has unveiled 2009’s complete Festival Schedule and Map, presented this year by the Michigan State Lottery. Visit www.rothburyfestival.com to view both.

You might still think this was 1973.  I did for a second, as I watched the tie-dye clad Deadheads trekking through wheat-colored fields, on a pilgrimage to Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on Sunday evening to catch the band now known as The Dead.

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