Mile High Music Festival ::: Day 2

Gogol Bordello

A slow day that found me playing cornhole during a quiet lull before Gogol Bordello. The crowds were visibly thinner, and not so many black Tool t-shirts to be had. The irie mystic feeling was in the air, with The Wailers doing their best to keep the spirit of Marley alive. The crowd helped out by smoking their fair share of gonj, enough to resuscitate Bob. The lineup heavy on the local talent had me seeing 3OH!3 for the first time and a blues legend. Fresh off of their smaller show at the Bluebird Theater, the psych Southerners played a set heavy on the electric Kool-Aid. The best part was the crowd heavily partaking of the colored concoction. I had a chance to hear Jack’s Mannequin from afar, and they surprisingly sounded good, probably my most pleasant surprise of the day. The early afternoon set by the gypsy punks, Gogol Bordello, breathed life into the West Stage that seemed more of like a mausoleum with the small quiet crowd. Eugene galloped on stage with a half empty red wine bottle in one hand and an acoustic guitar in the other. Buddy Guy is the undisputed king of blues (sorry BB), and he showed why so many aspiring guitar players pay homage to his skills by honing in on his distinct brand of heavy blues music. The disappointing and most visible letdown was seeing a half empty tent for locals DevotchKa. The group deserved better than that, and despite the not so large crowd, the band played like as if there were a packed house. Gogol Bordello lent a hand, or in this situation, lent an accordion to the group. Thievery Corporation dropped their world class beats for a crowd eagerly anticipating the Fray. Something I didn’t know (and I don’t know if there’s any validity to this), but I overheard that the stage that the Fray is using was purchased from U2 (I didn’t stick around to see the Fray because of lost inspiration from the slow lineup, looming clouds, and dismal attendance). 3OH!3 is HUGE with the tweens and under 18 year olds. I hadn’t seen that many kids in one place since I was at Magic Mountain a couple of weeks ago. It was nice to see a local duo rocking the loudest crowd all weekend with some help from the Chain Gang of 1974 and the Young Coyotes.

Dead Confederate-The Rat [mp3]
Devotchka-How it Ends [mp3]
Bob Marley and the Wailers-Natural Mystic [mp3]
Buddy Guy-Crazy Love [mp3]
Gogol Bordello-Baro Faro [mp3]
Thievery Corporation-Shiva [mp3]
3oh!3 -Don’t Trust Me (DJ Hot to Death Remix) – [mp3]