The Gathering of The Vibes

Overview

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Started by one of the surviving members of the Merry Pranksters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Pranksters) after New York's Mayor said there couldn't be a concert in Central Park for Garcia when he passed away, this festival has emerged into an annual outing for thousands. The line ups usually include members of the Grateful Dead playing with their new bands, bands who were inspired by the Dead and then bands that just like to party and jam. It is usually a four-day event with bands starting at 11am each day and the last one finishing up well after the midnight hour. There are also some amazing vendors selling the most unique things like...Read More

Started by one of the surviving members of the Merry Pranksters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Pranksters) after New York's Mayor said there couldn't be a concert in Central Park for Garcia when he passed away, this festival has emerged into an annual outing for thousands. The line ups usually include members of the Grateful Dead playing with their new bands, bands who were inspired by the Dead and then bands that just like to party and jam. It is usually a four-day event with bands starting at 11am each day and the last one finishing up well after the midnight hour. There are also some amazing vendors selling the most unique things like homemade jewelry, posters, instruments, tapestries, clothing, and more along with eastern influenced things like prayer bowls, chakra cleansers and more. Also, there are people everywhere dressing in unique attire and doing strange things. It’s a complete ball and worth it every time. Plus, if this is your thing, there are drugs at every corner for "below market prices." One of my favorite things at this particular festival (this was my fourth Vibes festival) was the fact that it was on the water front of the Long Island Sound and the sunsets were amazing.

Quick Tips:

My biggest tip for any of those who plan to make it to this, or any other festival, is to pack clothes for different weather conditions. Our first day was so cold and I only brought shorts, so it was a rough one. Also, you are camping, so if you can, bring an inflatable mattress (the ground is not comfortable) and a light sheet. Finally, bring a cooler loaded with ice (if you think it's enough or add more) and enough drinks and food to last a day or more longer than the festival is. This will guarantee that you have enough supplies for your partying, your meals, and your hangovers. Plus, bring Gatorade or Powerade, and a ridiculous amount of bottled water, it helps in the mornings. There are never usually showers, so bring deodorant, powder, toothpaste, and baby wipes. It sounds gross, but you do what you have to do. Also, bring sneakers, your feet will thank you.

Best Way To Get Around:

You have to drive to almost ever festival, so your car is the best way to get there. However, after you are there, the only real option is to walk around. Some people bring bikes or skateboards or things like that, but most just hoof it. Read Less

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Day 2 - Who'll Stop The Rain

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Never in my life have I been as cold as I was on that second day. After spending all night in a parking lot, sleeping in the car, all we wanted to do was set up our tents and go to bed. However, the waiting process seemed to drag on, with disorganization everywhere. When we finally arrived at our campsite, the first order of business, before setting up the tents, was layering ourselves in a much clothes as possible. You see, we all looked at the weather and it said rain, but nothing about sub-arctic temperatures, so we were up the proverbial creek. The complete setup of the tents, the canopy, the extra tarps, the chairs, and the table took only about 45 minutes, but with the lack of sleep and ...Read More

Never in my life have I been as cold as I was on that second day. After spending all night in a parking lot, sleeping in the car, all we wanted to do was set up our tents and go to bed. However, the waiting process seemed to drag on, with disorganization everywhere. When we finally arrived at our campsite, the first order of business, before setting up the tents, was layering ourselves in a much clothes as possible. You see, we all looked at the weather and it said rain, but nothing about sub-arctic temperatures, so we were up the proverbial creek.

The complete setup of the tents, the canopy, the extra tarps, the chairs, and the table took only about 45 minutes, but with the lack of sleep and the cold, damp air, it felt like forever. After we finally were set, breakfast was looming over everyone like the clouds above and we took off to the food court area for egg sandwiches. There is nothing more enjoyable than an egg sandwich when you are tired and slightly hung-over.

But when that satiated feeling crept over all of us, we had mere minutes to find those tents and sleep. There is nothing more enjoyable than laying down when exhaustion hits the red zone. Hoping and dreaming about nice, beautiful weather was the worst thing that I could have done for myself while sleeping because I awoke to the most dismal day the planet has ever created, or at least those were my feelings. The rain had tapered off into a constant cold mist that wasn’t showing signs of stopping. And with the combo of the off shore winds created by the Sound, the day was one that I would have preferred to have missed, but there were some amazing acts to be seen, so it was time to arise and start my day, again.

The first couple of bands that were scheduled to perform, we missed, but got our act together enough to head down for Zero and Dickey Betts & The Great Southern. We loaded the backpack full of beers and headed down, trying to avoid buying the over priced beers inside the stage area. But at this festival, the staff were doing something I have never seen before; they were inspecting bags and not letting outside drinks in. However, the entrance was right next to the merchandise tent, so I just went in through there and then proceeded into the festival grounds.

The Zero show was a lot of fun because it was the first show we were able to catch, so the ambiance was finally settling in. But the show we loved was the Dickey Betts show. He played almost all of the Allman Brothers greatest hits (even ones he didn’t write) and played for one hell of a time. But as the beer total dwindled inside the backpack and intoxication increased in all of us, we needed to head back and recharge. Luck for us, we were camped so close to the stages that we could hear Mickey Hart and his band play from our chairs while we made up some dinner and recharged.

We needed all the energy we could muster up because that evening there was a funk explosion happening and we weren’t go to miss it. First up was George Clinton followed by Deep Banana Blackout doing a James Brown tribute. Now George Clinton alone was reason enough to come to this festival, so we were all really excited for Dr. Funkenstein. The second that we got down there, the Atomic Dog himself had emerged onto the stage and the sights and sounds of funk took over and illuminated the night.

As the night roared on, we explored around, heading over to the water, walking through the scores of people parked in the center of the field and hang around near the vendors area. We were truly trying to soak up our atmosphere and have a good time, but soon the exhaustion of everything grabbed hold of us like grabbing a raging bull and we had nowhere to go but to bed. Even before the James Brown Tribute started, we had already headed back and were in the process of crashing. All I really remember was crawling into my tents, freezing, and passing right out. The cold, damp air did its best to keep me awake, but my fatigue won the battle of good verses evil and, with that, day two ended. Read Less

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Day 1 - Break On Through To The Otherside

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I hadn’t been to a festival in two years and I was dying to go to this one because it was at a place I have never been to before and had bands that I really wanted to see. So, my buddy bought four tickets for me, my girlfriend, him and his ex-girlfriend and off we were. We left after work on the Thursday and were trying to get there for the Thursday night show of the Dark Star Orchestra who were doing a tribute show in honor of Jerry Garcia’s passing. The Dark Star Orchestra are a unique cover band that not just cover Grateful Dead songs, but actually recreate the old Dead shows, song for song and note for note. It’s a real trip and we were dying to see that, but fate had a different agenda. ...Read More

I hadn’t been to a festival in two years and I was dying to go to this one because it was at a place I have never been to before and had bands that I really wanted to see. So, my buddy bought four tickets for me, my girlfriend, him and his ex-girlfriend and off we were. We left after work on the Thursday and were trying to get there for the Thursday night show of the Dark Star Orchestra who were doing a tribute show in honor of Jerry Garcia’s passing.

The Dark Star Orchestra are a unique cover band that not just cover Grateful Dead songs, but actually recreate the old Dead shows, song for song and note for note. It’s a real trip and we were dying to see that, but fate had a different agenda.

We arrived at the entrance gate at around 11pm and were so excited and energetic that we could have lit up a small city with our collective energy. The woman checking people in said to pull up and turn off the engine because it was going to be a while. Now, I have been to many festivals and this is common practice; there are too many people at once, so they slow the influx by making people wait and the process runs smoother. So, we cracked some beers and prepared for what was to come. Unfortunately, we had no idea how long we were going to be there for.

After around three and a half hours of sitting on our asses getting drunk, I decided to head over to the security guard and see what was up. When I finally found one, he was in a mood, I’m guessing from everyone asking the same question, and barked that the gates would open when they opened. They had over sold the festival and now were out of space for people to camp on.

So we slowly walked back to our car like Charlie Brown after he got in trouble, and decided to try to sleep. However, everyone around us was making good use of the time by partying their asses off. The group in front of us was so messed up and screaming their heads off, falling asleep became a real challenge; not to mention that there were four of us trying to sleep in a minivan that was packed with all of our crap. When sleep finally took hold and we were off, some idiot in the background decided to play his saxophone at the top decibels at 5:30am! I wanted to kill him, but to each their own, that’s what these festivals are about.

After only a couple hours of jazz backgrounded sleep, I awoke with a feeling of having to use the bathroom, so off I went. However, over night, the heavens had opened and drenched everything and now the air was filled with a constant mist. I walked over to the port-a-potty but the stench emanating from that disease trap was gut wrenching, so I trailed off into the woods.

When I returned to the car, there was a collective hum that we were going to be entering the festival and I couldn’t have been more excited to leave the parking lot and finally set up camp and sleep. I was done! Read Less

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Day 3 - Here Comes The Sun

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Waking up on that third day, I was hoping for warm air and a nice breeze to help my core temperature warm up. But, Mother Nature had a different plan for me. I opened my tent door and was greeted by yet more mist and damp air. Thinking this was some sort of joke, I went off with my girlfriend to the food court for hot coffee and tea. There is nothing more enjoyable than knocking back a hot tea when you are freezing. When we got back to the tent, our friends were awake and the sun seemed to be creeping in from behind the clouds. The second that that the sun hit me, I immediately felt warmer and the day was starting off on the right foot. After a quick brushing of our teeth, we all headed off fo...Read More

Waking up on that third day, I was hoping for warm air and a nice breeze to help my core temperature warm up. But, Mother Nature had a different plan for me. I opened my tent door and was greeted by yet more mist and damp air. Thinking this was some sort of joke, I went off with my girlfriend to the food court for hot coffee and tea. There is nothing more enjoyable than knocking back a hot tea when you are freezing.

When we got back to the tent, our friends were awake and the sun seemed to be creeping in from behind the clouds. The second that that the sun hit me, I immediately felt warmer and the day was starting off on the right foot. After a quick brushing of our teeth, we all headed off for some breakfast sandwiches at a place we had heard about that was just outside the festival campsite site. We got the info for this place from one of the vendors inside the food court and it seemed like a great idea. Unfortunately, when we got there, we immediately regretted our decision. Although we had already ordered three egg sandwiches, we felt as if this place was not really for us. On the shelves, there were boxes of food that had expired in 2004 and even one that expired in 1999. The place seemed stuck in the past with an air of sketchiness to it. We brought our egg sandwiches back to the tent and devoured them as if they were the last piece of food we were to ever see. Although the sandwich was a little dry, the food was great, or at least great with our hang over.

We then decided to clean up our area and get prepared for the afternoon which had an amazing line-up. The first show that we wanted to see that day was Donna Jean & The Tricksters. Donna Jean Godchaux, the once female singer of the Grateful Dead, had gotten together with the Zen Tricksters, a premier Grateful Dead cover band and formed this fun collective of musicians. However, we headed down a little early and caught the end of the Strangefolk show which was rather enjoyable.

We then parked ourselves in a rather close spot near the stage, but also near a trash can so we could discard our empty beer cans. The show erupted into an explosion of jams and rocking tunes. We were caught up in the collective groove that the audience had, which was basically influenced by illegal substances. You could see smoke puffing up every few feet like smoke signals of enjoyment. As the show roared to a close, we started to make our way back for some lunch and to reload our stash of beer.

After a quick bit, I wanted to head down to the field again to catch the end of the Assembly of Dust show and watch the Keller Williams show. However, no one really seemed stoked about going with me, so Chris, my buddy, came with while the ladies stayed back to relax. Now if you have never seen Keller Williams, I would strongly suggest it because he is just a genius with his guitar. He can plan three rhythms at once with is such a cool thing. Unfortunately, for me, the show blew past really fast and before I knew it, we were leaving the field and heading back.
When we got back to the tents, the sounds of Les Claypool slapping away at his bass was so strong that I could feel it in my chest as we greeted the girls. They had the dinner stuff prepared for us and were ready to play some drinking games (beer pong) and then head down for the Ratdog show. When we finally stumbled down to the field again, all of the attendees of the festival had descended upon the field, making less of a concert field and more a sea of people. Navigating through the madness was too much for us, so we headed over to the water and relaxed there while the music played in the background, kind of like our own personal soundtrack.

Unfortunately, the prolonged use of alcohol all day had taken its toll on us and we were ready for bed, so we headed back to the tents again and prepared to rest for the last night of the Vibes. There is nothing more relaxing than passing out to great music. What a day! Read Less

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Day 4 - This Is The End

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There is nothing more terrible than waking up knowing that you are leaving from the place where you are vacationing. As we all awoke, surprisingly all at the same time, breakfast was a top priority on everyone’s list; hangovers are a bitch. So we all walked over to veggie stand that was doing an amazing breakfast wrap. Unfortunately the line for this breakfast haven was longer than the DMV’s. So we prepped ourselves for a long wait and got ourselves a nice suntan in the mean time. After a long wait and no real organization on behalf of the veggie tent, we finally got our amazing wraps and headed back for some relaxation. I was very keen on going to see the Dirty Dozen Brass Band play beca...Read More

There is nothing more terrible than waking up knowing that you are leaving from the place where you are vacationing. As we all awoke, surprisingly all at the same time, breakfast was a top priority on everyone’s list; hangovers are a bitch. So we all walked over to veggie stand that was doing an amazing breakfast wrap. Unfortunately the line for this breakfast haven was longer than the DMV’s. So we prepped ourselves for a long wait and got ourselves a nice suntan in the mean time.

After a long wait and no real organization on behalf of the veggie tent, we finally got our amazing wraps and headed back for some relaxation. I was very keen on going to see the Dirty Dozen Brass Band play because there was going to be a Mardi Gras celebration, however, my traveling buddies were less enthusiastic about staying any longer. After four days of no showers, they all wanted to just get home and be clean.

I can’t say that I didn’t agree with them, but we were heading home that day regardless, the shows were over at 6pm and we were only an hour and half driving time from home. But my persuasion to see the most amount of the show prevailed and off we set for the festival grounds once again. Upon walking down there, the explosion of brass instruments started and the Mardi Gras party began. As we entered the venue grounds, there were men on stilts, dressed in Mardi Gras garb, people throwing beads every which way and a collective, semi hung-over, semi drunk dance off happening.

We did just a bit of tooling around and Danielle, one of the girls that I was with, was in dire need of something for her parents, a little trinket or something, so off we went. The stuff we had seen the previous days seemed to have lost its luster. That’s why you don’t get drunk and shop. How many times have you gone to a concert, sports games, or anything like that and gotten drunk, bought something and in the morning say, “why did I buy this?” So after a depressing tent shopping adventure (it would have been window shopping, but…) we decided that heading home was a really good idea.

As we got back to our campsite, with everything packed away and half of our neighbors gone or packing up, the feeling of the festival was gone. There was no more collective group working with each other to enjoy the music, but a bunch of smelly people worry about work on Monday morning. It’s a great example of how the Summer of Love died away; it's fun at first and everyone loves it, but sooner or later, reality catches you by the shorts ones and you're back. But the festival was a lot of fun and I can’t wait for next year’s one. Read Less

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