I want to thank Larry Joe, Sherry, Zack, Leigh Ann, and Ben along with their entire staff for being such great hosts yet again. Even when things popped up like bad weather or people crashing the office trying to score credentials they handled it with grace and aplomb. They went out of their way to accommodate all of us from Galleywinter, Mandatory and several other media outlets. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to adapt to the curveballs the weather threw at me quite as easily. The weather put a wrench in my live blogging plans and gave me ideas for next year. One of those being the idea that Shayne Hollinger and I need to broadcast from the helicopter over the festival and give traffic updates on the mules, gators and golf carts.
Each year after I return home from the LJT fest, I take a couple days to compile my thoughts and give you an insider’s view on what happened over the course of the best days for Texas Music each year. It is always a long read, and for that I apologize, but I am trying to cram everything cool that happened into one article. I hope you enjoy!
Below are the memories, ramblings and stories that stick out the most from the weeklong experience.
WEDNESDAY
While most of my crew headed out first thing Wednesday morning, I was the unlucky soul who had to plug away at the day job prior to heading up to the musical nirvana that is Melody Mountain Ranch for several days each April. I hitched a ride with some neighbors of mine who were also meeting friends up there. Thankfully, I had taken my clothes, guitar, supplies and other belongings and loaded them in our RV the night before; so that basically, all I had to do was deliver myself to the festival. My buddies had gotten there early and had everything set up, which was awesome because I got there a little later than I intended.
My first stop was a trip to the office to pick up my credentials (thanks again to the Taylors and Ben!) and meander over to the Mandatory FM Compound which would be my second base of operations in addition to our campsite.
No sooner than I hop on board an ATV with Shayne and AnnaBeth Hollinger to venture backstage and scope things out for the Ragweed and Chris Knight sets, we hear a report from Zack come over Ben’s radio that says “Bad weather will be here in about five minutes…it will just be blowing through…and will be out of here in about fifteen minutes. Shouldn’t take long, we’ll be able to treat this just like a set change.” Those five minutes suddenly shrunk to 120 seconds. Just as Zack’s radio communication ended, I felt a rain drop and a burst of cool air. The skyline looked like a horror movie and lightning was everywhere. Some poor radio personality from the Ranch was directed onstage to inform the crowd about what was going on. That’s a job I would never want…telling thousands of concert-goers bad weather is about to cramp their style. As we rolled back into the Mandatory Compound we feverishly began trying to tear down the Mandatory stage to save it from the strong winds headed our way. After a few minutes in the downpour we decided that the lightning was a bit too close for comfort so we headed into an RV to wait it out.
Because, it was only going to last for about twenty minutes, right?
That forecast turned out to be completely wrong. As we sat and listened to the radio, and heard the comically timed “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” by CCR unfurl from the speakers of Mandatory’s playlist, we received a phone call that tornadoes were headed our way and to take cover or get the hell out of dodge. While all this was going on, hundreds of festival goers had been herded under the metal awnings and shelter provided by the Palo Duro Acoustic Stage area. Debauchery ensued for some, as we had streakers and flashers passing their rain-soaked time.
We loaded into the Hollinger’s vehicle like clowns in a clown car and headed for John and Pamela’s to wait it out. Despite being pounded by what seemed like bowling ball size hail on the way, we arrived at our destination no worse for wear. We drank while alternately telling stories, texting friends to check their whereabouts, and watching UFO documentaries and a Rangers game. Upon our arrival, the Rangers were only behind 9 to 6. Five minutes later they were down 18 to 6. This tragic turn of events in the game seemed to symbolize how the evening was going to be a complete waste. Unintentional comedy was found in the form of some Weather Channel meteorologists who had extremely small heads and equally strange wardrobe taste. After a couple hours and a stop at the convenience store for some heat lamp grub, we headed back to the festival grounds.
We encountered people still arriving as though nothing had happened, and their die-hard spirit seemed to signify what makes this event so unique and special. There was water and mud everywhere. Nobody was sure what was actually going to happen…would there be music or not?
That’s when you have to thank God for the Tejas Brothers.
Due to the amount of water that poured on instruments and equipment, everything had to be moved to the cramped confines of the Palo Duro Stage. This turned out to be a cool blessing in disguise as the night winds dried out the ground, a first-class jam session unfolded onstage. The aforementioned Tejas Bros kept the crowd entertained during the long lull of stop and go and venue changes.
Major props to the sound crew for even getting a show off the ground considering the elements.
Slowly the Tejas Bros were joined by Larry Joe himself and a little band called Cross Canadian Ragweed. Next thing you know LJT was behind a drum kit, the accordion riffs of the Tejas boys were blending with the red dirt rock of Ragweed and something amazing was definitely happening.
Sadly, Chris Knight was unable to join in due to the weather circumstances causing him to leave early so he wouldn’t miss his gig the next night.
But, for those that stayed it turned into something truly magical.
Cody mentioned onstage that they had been told the gig was cancelled because of the weather so they started partying a little harder than normal on the bus, only to find out that the gig was still in fact on in one form or another. So, he apologized if things were a little rougher around the edges than normal. Yet, I think that’s what I enjoyed about it.
The whole jam session was organic.
Everything was mostly cover songs…everyone was sharing equipment (thanks again to the Tejas Bros!) and taking this music back to its roots. The jamming and experimentation didn’t end until nearly 1AM. Normally, this is just the prime time for the infamous campfire sessions, but after all everyone had been through, most people called it a night…including me.
THURSDAY
Thursday morning brought an early rise and beautiful weather peaking through the windows of the RV. I was especially looking forward to today because the rest of our crew was arriving, including Drew Kennedy and Josh Grider. After a hot shower and a great breakfast (thanks to Dave!), I hit up the acoustic stage area to survey the damage from the night before in the daylight.
I don’t recall who was playing at the time, but I remember peeking around the corner of vendor row toward the mainstage and
hearing the “Star Spangled Banner” blaring from onstage.
Upon further inspection, it was Geoffrey Hill of the RRB inspired by the landscape of mud, tents and the crowd to pull a Hendrix. After realizing he was rocking out a little too loud and hard for sound check, he hopped offstage where Dickey and I directed him and Johnny Chops to a hearty game of washers over at Crazy Ray’s Compound. Not long after, Brady Black breezed by and decided he would defend his washers crown.
Grider was a LJT rookie, and was overwhelmed upon arrival. The throngs of music fans made him giddy. I gave him a brief lay of the land and tour of his surroundings before we headed up to watch some of the sets that day.
The first person we caught was
Richard Leigh. Guys like Richard Leigh epitomize what LJTs festival is about. He is a songwriter’s songwriter. A guy you may not know by name, but after a few song introductions of “Here’s a song I wrote back in ’78 for …….” you realize you are in the presence of musical greatness. Richard’s song credits include “Don’t It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue”, “Somewhere in My Broken Heart”, “The Greatest Man I Never Knew”, and “Life’s Highway” among others! I must mention that on top of being this incredible songwriter, Richard is the best dressed person at the festival each year. On this day, he was sporting a brown 3 piece suit, complete with a pocket watch.
He was the envy of every artist I talked to.
They all wanted his life…be able to come play cool shows like LJTs because they felt like it, not because they had to; wear nice threads and have big name artists record their tunes while they have fun doing whatever they please.
Owen Temple was up next. Owen has been a favorite of mine as long I’ve been going to this festival. I am so glad he is back down here in Texas and playing music. It was quite a delight to hear all the old favorites mixed with the fantastic new stuff off his latest record. I had heard that he would be joined by his entire band in acoustic format, but it turned out to just be Owen…and that was more than alright. Owen’s voice sounded rested and fresh; plus his vantage point of having been at this latest incarnation of the Texas Music scene from the get go provided some really cool stories and banter in between songs.
Soon after Owen was finished, we rambled over to the Coca Cola mainstage to find it cranked up in full effect for the first time with
Johnny Cooper. This kid is more impressive each time I hear him. His backing band of hired guns seemed to enjoy playing for such a large crowd, and Johnny didn’t let the big stage intimidate him. His voice was good and the grooves were rolling…he got so caught up in the moment, that at one pointed he ripped his aviators off his head and chunked them into the rocking crowd below.
After this short set, we ventured around to see who we would run into…low and behold I found Randy Rogers and Dan McDonald. We hung out for quite a while in the bus, discussing the Pacman Jones trade and Randy’s new album. Over the last few months, I’ve heard the cuts live many times, several of the rough mixes and then finally out at LJTs I got to hear some of the final drafts as it were.
Randy, Jason Boland and I began discussing festivals and how cool this one really and truly is. From the dedication of the attendees to the organization of the promoters. Soon thereafter, it was about time for everyone to start getting their game faces on…so I headed up the ramp to side stage left to catch what was left of Brandon Rhyder’s set and settle in for Boland and Randy.
As Rhyder closed out his set,
I remember remarking to myself that I’d never heard that large of a crowd hold notes out for that long as they sang along with Rhyder’s soaring voice.
Jason Boland bounded up the ramp and onto the stage to join
The Stragglers with more conviction and confidence than I’ve seen from him in years. The best honky tonk band in America managed to yet again translate their style and unleash their sounds on a large crowd. The set was full of the familiar, and it was refreshing to see them blast right through hit after hit and have so much fun while doing it. The energy coming off the crowd at this point was amazing, and it all seemed to be building toward the evening’s climax of
Randy Rogers Band.
The guys of the RRB are now LJTs veterans. After spending the day taking it all in via ATVs and walking around, the guys were primed by showtime. With Randy donning a Rangers jersey reminiscent of Bleu Edmondson at the ’02 festival when he jammed with Ragweed, the boys tore through a classic RRB set. Gigging so much over the past few years has added incredible strength to Randy’s vocals…and the band is an incredibly well-oiled machine. The set mixed in brand new with the slightly new.
But,
the highlight for me was seeing that the band’s cover of Toadies’ “Tyler” made its way into the set. This is one of the greatest rock songs to ever come out of Texas, by a band that Randy, myself and many of the concert goers in our generation share an affinity for. The band has been playing it sporadically, but it fit right at home bouncing off the fields of Melody Mountain Ranch.
By the time the RRB guys had loaded off stage, it was time for the first group of Mandatory FM Stage Acoustic sets to begin. The weather had cancelled Wednesday night’s show, and the Hollinger’s had a stacked deck of eager musicians ready to jam…organic and completely unplugged.
This is the ultimate listening room.
Buzz Cason kicked things off by filming two songs for a tv show he was producing. Like Richard Leigh, you may not know the name
Buzz Cason, but you certainly know his songs. These include “Soldier of Love” which has been covered by both the Beatles and Pearl Jam, “Love’s the Only House” made famous by Martina McBride and many others. After Buzz finished his two tunes to the delight of the rather large crowd it was time for one of the musical highlights of my LJTs 2008 experience.
The fivesome that would lead to what Josh Grider would term a
“harmony explosion” hopped onstage.
This group consisted of Grider, Drew Kennedy, Joey Green, Owen Temple and James Hertless from Brandon Rhyder’s band. After a couple rounds through, DK played a new tune called “Caroline” that was one of the best things he’s ever written. I’ll spare you the details of the song, and let him explain it himself at the next show of his you hit up. Grider had fun tooling around with some new stuff. Owen played some of the older tunes he didn’t get to earlier in the day. And, Hertless provided stellar high harmony work for each artist. There were cover songs of all kind including gospel, country and rock. Inspired by intoxication or the moment, I’m still not sure which…Grider decided they should do an accapella version of “Seven Bridges Road”…but make it awesome unlike 99% of the versions of that song you hear at karaoke bars. It was goosebump inducingly good. Afterwards, Drew said he felt like he was the bass singer in Oak Ridge Boys.
As the Mandatory Stage wound down, we found our way over to Crazy Ray’s, a path we would repeat throughout the week.
We arrived to find The Stragglers in the middle of a bluegrass jam.
Unable to not participate, Grider picked up a guitar from a bystander and joined in to lead a blistering version of
“Foggy Mountain Breakdown”.
After a few moments taking all this in, we all hopped in an ATV to find the hayride that the Randy Rogers Band was jamming on. Not far down the road, we crossed paths with the hayride. We noticed Brady and others on the trailer with instruments in hand…but strangely missing was Randy himself.
Shayne made a quick u-turn to follow the hayride when all of a sudden out of the shadows,
Randy shot out on a bicycle. As he chased us and made the caboose on our music caravan of tractor, trailer, ATV and now bicycle…he looked like the witch in
Wizard of Oz pedaling frantically to keep up. Once we got to a stopping point, we all took turns recreating the movie
Rad on a gravel road that led back to Crazy Ray’s.
The span from RRB exiting the stage and going to bed at around 5AM was one of the best times I’ve ever had out at LJTs or anywhere. Lots of laughter and great music…two of my favorite things.
FRIDAY
One thing we failed to realize at 5AM as we were winding down a night of epic LJT fun, was that Grider’s official festival set was at the unspeakably early hour of noon on the acoustic stage. I seemed to realize this about 9AM after just a couple hours of shuteye, and stumbled out of the RV to find most everyone beginning to stir except Mr. Grider. We all decided it would be best to let him sleep for a while and then wake him up by 10:30AM if he was still snoozing. The appointed time rolled around, and I had already showered and eaten breakfast. By now Josh was stirring and contemplating how he was going to pull off a show at noon after singing and playing all night long.
His voice was strained and his guitar was out of tune from thinking he was Bill Monroe at 3AM. Yet, as our entire group sat there and discussed the events of the previous day, I could tell that Josh was getting into show mode. He kept chugging water and clearing his throat. About the time we decided it was time to head to the stage, we started walking up there with guitars and pedal box in hand. About half way I asked him if he had brought any cd’s to sell. He was like “Can I sell those here? I only brought one box, I think.” After setting him straight on the fact that not only could he sell them, but that he probably would, I went back to the van to retrieve them. After finding out where to deliver the cd’s at the merch tent, we settled in for what we still weren’t sure would be the best Grider show we’d ever seen.
But, man, did
Josh Grider ever prove us wrong. Josh has been a good friend and I’ve loved his music for many years, yet I’ve never been prouder of him than I was on this day. I don’t ever recall as quiet or big of a crowd at the noon LJT shows. Josh had them from the first note, and despite the fact that he was having to tune his beat up Gibson Songwriter after each song, you’d never had known about the musical journey he’d had in the last 12 hours.
By the time Josh got to “Crazy Like You” and invited Drew up to sing harmony with him, the entire crowd was in his hand. Hearing hundreds of people sing along gave me goosebumps and feel like I was watching my child take their first steps or ride a bike for the first time.
Before Josh could even finish his set, there was a line snaking around the merch tent to buy his record. After wrapping up his set, Josh received a standing ovation and got called out for an encore. Something that does not happen very often at this stage. The people who attend the shows on the Palo Duro Acoustic Stage are serious music fans that have seen a lot and know how to weed through crap. Despite 80% of them probably never even having heard of Josh, they were singing along by the end of the show.
As
Susan Gibson began a great set, Josh was still over at the merch tent signing autographs and taking pictures…he did that until they sold out of all of his cd’s. The one box he had brought was sold out in a matter of minutes.
Josh was the hit of the festival and talk of it for the rest of the weekend.
I was running on empty so I headed to my friend Adam’s RV that we nicknamed the cave because the air conditioning kept it so cold and perfect for sleeping. My plan was to make it back to the acoustic stage in time for
South Austin Jug Band, but I drifted off for a couple hours, only to awake to the sounds of fiddles and realize that I’d missed their set. I heard from more than one person that it was one of the coolest shows all weekend, and I’m upset I missed it.
After cleaning up and eating, I headed back to the Coca Cola mainstage area to hear
Band of Heathens kick off the show. They played our Galleywinter SXSW Showcase and are one of the most buzzed about bands in our scene right now along with Ryan Bingham and Adam Hood. I was glad to see them on the bill. They didn’t disappoint, and I think they earned themselves several new fans. Their set was a throwback to the 70’s and was a perfect complement to the festival.
Following them was the double whammy of No Justice and Bart Crow. Much like myself, Bart Crow has been attending the festival for years prior to be invited onto the mainstage bill. I’ll never perform on a mainstage anywhere, but I could totally feel and understand where Bart was coming from. He was so excited to be up there that it was infectious, like his music. I’ve heard musical snobs harp on Bart for making music that is too simple…but sometimes that’s the point. If it gets people singing and they remember it, then it is a good song.
While Bart was playing, I ran into
Wade Bowen. He too has been to LJTs to hang out, but never to officially perform. He said he had a rough night the night before at Calf Fry in Stillwater, but that the adrenaline of just being at LJTs was amping him up to put on a memorable show. And memorable it was. When WB and the boys hit the stage, they put the hammer down from the first note.
I knew from the moment I glanced at the set list that it was going to be a good show…and it was fantastic.
Wade had, what I think was, the best set of the festival on the mainstage. The timing was right, the weather was perfect, and the crowd was in full participation. Everything seemed to line up right for him, and I was glad he got to experience it.
While waiting for Stoney to start, we hung out on Wade’s bus and talked about how cool his set had been. We were joined by
Steve Rice from No Justice, who I hadn’t ever spent much time around previously other than watching him perform and interviewing him one time. But after just five minutes around him, I’m convinced he is the funniest guy in the Texas/Red Dirt scene. Most of our conversation is not fit to print, but he definitely added to my LJTs enjoyment.
Stoney LaRue was now locked and loaded with his Arsenals, including Jeremey Watkins back on the fiddle. It had been a while since I’d seen a Stoney show, and not much has changed. Stoney is still a masterful singer and guitar player who knows how to put the crowd on his back and take them to places they didn’t know they’d like to visit.
On top of how cool it was to see Stoney mastering the big stage, he pulled out
one of the classiest moves I’ve ever seen a musician in our scene do. He called up the gravely ill Rusty Wier to do a song with him. Despite having to be helped onstage, once Rusty got there and felt the energy of the crowd, he was able to turn that switch on and become the ultimate showman he has been for over forty years. They did “Can’t You See” and I think the side ramp leading to the stage was the most crowded it was all week as every single person that had backstage access quit whatever b.s.-ing or joke telling they were doing so that they could take in the history being made on that stage. Rusty got stronger as he went, and the smile on Stoney’s face reminded me of the first time I saw him play about six years ago. He was just another fan basking in the glow of Rusty Wier, and it was wonderful.
It is a good thing that
Reckless Kelly is probably one of the best bands working in the world today, because they are about the only group I know that could have followed the emotion-charged Rusty/Stoney set and make something memorable happen in their own right. However, that’s exactly what they did. They played a few new tunes and every one of the songs you would expect to hear.
RK always seems to pull out something special for LJTs, and this year was no exception as they jammed right through stage curfew and close to 1AM. They are so incredibly consistent and good that it is hard to say anything other than they are the standard that every band in this scene is trying to reach.
By the time Reckless Kelly finally finished up, the Mandatory FM stage was getting ready to get going again. Tonight’s first set was one that had been the buzz of the backstage area all afternoon. It would feature
Drew Kennedy along with Joe Churchill and Kristen Kelly from the
Modern Day Drifters.
There is nobody more at home in an acoustic songswap that Drew Kennedy. Drew knows how to shine the light on himself and then turn around to shine the light brighter on his set mates. His gracious hosting skills and booming voice lend itself to a great fit for any stage…yet he seems to be perfect for LJTs. I’m hoping he lands a spot on the Palo Duro Stage next year. He played even more new songs than he had the night before and included a rousing version of “Folsom Prison”…a song that has been covered so many times it is weak in the wrong hands and more powerful than ever in the hands, or voice as it were, of an artist like Drew Kennedy.
The Drifters are another band that is starting to make considerable noise in the Texas Music scene. The notion of shared male and female vocals is not something that has been done a lot in this scene, and probably not with this much passion. Kristen Kelly’s voice gets better each time I hear it. She and Joe played the Mandatory stage last year in the same slot and blew everyone away…only to top themselves this year. The highlight of their set for me was their cover version of “Angel From Montgomery”. A John Prine tune covered by a few other artists that Kelly’s vocals wrap around so powerfully that they included it on their debut album.
It is hard to make a listening room type audience quieter than silent, but I think that’s what happened when Kristen reached the song’s finale and blew everyone away. I happened to be standing by Wade Bowen and Deryl Dodd (who were playing on the stage next) when she was belting and they were blown away. They both mentioned it was the best version of that song they’d ever heard. High praise, especially from Dodd, who used to play for Martina McBride. Keep your eyes and ears out for Modern Day Drifters…they too could be on the mainstages next year.
Wade Bowen continued his maiden voyage through LJTs as a performer by playing on the Mandatory Stage with Deryl Dodd. While Dodd took requests and generally proved himself to be
the week’s MVP for staying for the duration and playing well with so many people in so many settings, it was Bowen again who took my attention. Wade played “Ghost”, and some other tracks off his forthcoming album. The new tunes are the best sounding of his career, and if the response he got at the Mandatory stage was any indication, it could be a really big year for Wade.
Once things wound down in Mandatory land again, it was time for another trip over to Crazy Ray’s where we ran into Jesse Fritz and Jeremy Watkins from Stoney’s band. Yet another jam session ensued with people trading licks, vocals and stories until nearly sunrise. I called it a night around 4AM and many people were still taking it all in over at the Crazy Ray Compound.
As we stumbled back to our own compound we saw several people up still partying. They had my guitar out, so Drew got his out and we continued playing. Around this time, someone in our area set off some fireworks. You know, the kind that are banned at the festival. Despite it being against the rules, it was one of the funniest practical jokes I witnessed out there all weekend.
SATURDAY
The very first LJTs I ever attended featured
Terri Hendrix and
Lloyd Maines. As a fellow (Southwest) Texas State Alumni, I have always kept a keen eye on Terri’s career. I don’t get to see her play very often, but when I do it is always a treat. Lloyd Maines is a legend in this scene both for his guitar playing and his production work. He has produced quite a number of the artists that were performing in one capacity or another over the course of the week, and his show with Terri was one of the best of the festival.
After catching a little bit of Davin James, being out there since Wednesday was starting to catch up with me. I’d been on my feet watching music in different forms for nearly 4 days straight. So, I decided to head back to camp and hang out with my friends until Rusty Wier’s performance.
Sitting under shade tents, listening to music and talking is always one of my favorite parts of the festival. It is a time for fellowship and bonding among some people you may only see this one time each year.
Around 3:45PM we decided to load up and walk up to the stage for Rusty’s performance. Based on the last few months with his health battles and what we’d seen the night before with Stoney, we knew it would be a very emotional show…just how emotional, I don’t know anyone knew. Even though I have backstage access and the luxury of seeing the show from the big timers point of view, there are certain shows I never miss from the crowd.
Rusty Wier is one of those…and this was one time I was damn glad to be out front and rocking along.
I’ve had my fair share of magic via music. It has caused happy and sad tears in my life…gotten me through tough times, reminded me of the best times and given me hope for the future.
I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced something that managed to do all that at once.
Rusty’s band was plugged in and ready to go as one of my musical heroes struggled to make it to the mic. After a rousing introduction courtesy of John Hollinger, Rusty hit the stage. And just like the night before, you could tell the energy from the crowd was going to be what kept him going.
Cancer is a terrible disease that effects too many in too many ways.
But on Saturday April 26 about 4PM in that field in Stephenville, it was not going to get Rusty Wier down. As he leaned into the mic for the first time he said, with tears rolling down his face, “Three months ago they told me I had one month to live…and I’m still here…thank God for angels, Jesus, and you all for being here.” The first song he kicked into was “Mama, I Don’t Wanna Lay This Guitar Down”. The lyrics foreshadowed the set.
No Rusty’s voice wasn’t as strong as it had been in years past. The bottle of tequila wasn’t present for “Quervo’s Gold”…but his smile and his spirit, two things he always took with him everywhere, were undeterred. As he tore through the songs and jokes we’d all heard a thousand times before, everyone began to realize just how special what we were witnessing was.
Normally, at these big festival shows, all the other artists are too busy or consider themselves too important to watch the other acts. Just as the night before, everyone dropped whatever they were doing and one glance at the sidestage proved that it was full of artists watching one of their heroes one last time. By the time he reached his signature song, “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance?” there was no long winded intro about Chris LeDoux and Bonnie Rait, just a knowing smile.
As the song reached its climax there were people everywhere just clapping, smiling, crying and doffing their hats to the man that has influenced so many and paved so many of the roads that all of the acts we dig so much travel down today.
As the last note drifted out of the speakers, and Rusty was being helped off stage a large chant of “Rusty! Rusty!” erupted across the thousands of outstretched arms and faces in attendance. Rusty spun around, sunk his head, soaked up the last bit of energy he had and worked his way back to center stage. He leaned back into the mic and repeated his desire that we thank God and angels for his being there…and then showcasing his signature sense of humor, he grinned while saying “Oh, and Larry Joe Taylor too.”
It was then that he launched into his gospel tinged “I Stood Up”, and caused there not to be a dry eye anywhere. As he reached the second chorus, he was surrounded by all the artists who had been standing sidestage…they sang harmony and hugged Rusty as they sang a refrain of “I stood up…I stood with Jesus”.
Rusty Wier LJT's Music Festival 2008
Oftentimes in this scene we use the analogy that we’re going to church when referencing a certain artist or show. However,
this was by far the most powerful musical experience I’ve ever been a part of.
We all wanted him to stay on that stage forever that afternoon…we didn’t want to admit that it was over. But, after the tears dried away, I remembered that he’ll always live on.
And
I’ll always remember this show.
After Rusty’s set was over and the task of announcing chili-winners commenced, we headed back to our campsites to begin tearing down and preparing for the cold front we’d heard was on the way and bringing a 90% chance of precipitation.
Once that was done, it was time to venture back up to the stage for
Ray Wylie Hubbard and
Mike McClure. These guys are acts that make the LJT festival special for me each year. They seem to put on their best performances here. RWH because he has been playing the festival from the get go and McClure because he’s had such strong roots in the Stephenville area going back to his days with the Great Divide. Once they were done, it was time for the man that started all this. I have no idea how
Larry Joe Taylor is still functioning properly at this point each year after all the energy he and his family put into the festival, but he always manages to put on a fun show.
As I began to feel the cold winds blow and rains come in, I headed back to our RV to batten down the hatches and ride it out. We crammed about seven people inside, grabbed a cooler and my guitar and entertained ourselves until nearly 3AM. That was about the time we realized this nasty weather was not going to halt.
Being the gentleman that my mother and wife have molded me to be, I climbed into the cab of our RV and surrendered my bed to some girls who had been camping with us in tents. Sleeping in the cab of an RV in the middle of cold rains is not the most comfortable sleeping arrangement I’ve ever had, but I made do.
As I was beginning to awake, I noticed many folks that had been camping in our section had already bailed out. I woke everyone else up, got packed up, and we were ready to head home to our families, beds and hot showers. There was just one problem. The battery on our RV was dead and we had to get jumped off. Once we got the rig cranked we sat in line for nearly an hour trying to get out…three of us crammed in the cab in silence realizing that it would be another 360 days until we could do it all again.
All in all, this was one of my favorite LJT fests ever…I met so many brilliant artists, wonderful music fans and cool people…and I’m already making my plans for next year…I hope you’ll join us.
Photo credits: Renee Meaux, Joni Beard, Heather Jank
