Riverbend is over.
There are plenty of signs this is incontrovertibly true. The sudden disappearance of chicken-on-a-stick vendors, for instance, or the fact that the fireworks and music ended days ago. Then again, maybe subtle hints are more your style.
It may have ended, but Riverbend is such a defining event on the music calendar that I inevitably find myself thinking about the experience for at least a couple of weeks after it’s over.
Since there is far too much going on at Riverbend for anyone to say that they were able to do or see it all, everyone walks away with a different patchwork quilt of memories.
For example, I wasn’t present to hear John Stamos – of “Full House” fame – perform with The Beach Boys, but I was told it was borderline magical.
Of the thousands who saw Stamos, however, most probably missed hearing “Schoolhouse Rocks!” composer Bob Dorough perform a song about the preamble to the Constitution or a jazzed-up version of “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Unfortunately, some people also missed Miranda Lambert’s highly anticipated performance.
After a line of storms peppered the area with lightning Wednesday, the country songstress was delayed to the point that many left for drier, safer ground rather than wait her out.
While I won’t fault the wisdom of seeking shelter from a storm, those who stuck around know that, for all its brevity, her show was a six-song knockout. Even I, a staunch critic of modern country music, had to admit it was pretty great.
Fortunately for those who missed her, Friends of the Festival talent and production coordinator Joe “Dixie” Fuller confirmed she intends to play at Riverbend again, although he assured me it won’t be next year.
From watching lumberjacks climb and descend 40-foot poles in under 12 seconds to seeing a man inexplicably dressed in a Carrot Top T-shirt jamming out to Uriah Heep, there were many things I’ll remember from this year.
As I look back on the total experience (my version of it, anyway), there was less that stands out than I might have expected of an event’s 30th anniversary.
The main-stage acts were a hit with their intended audience, but there was nothing that left me in awe. Even The Machine, who I fully expected to blow my mind, left me underwhelmed (the symphony was good, as usual). Side-stage acts such as Jeff Coffin and Acoustic Syndicate were uniformly great, but nothing, even the eardrum-bursting Uriah Heep show, exceeded my expectations.
For a milestone year, I expect more. I expect my socks to be knocked off. I expect to be talking about what I heard for weeks on end.
This year, that didn’t happen. Many people remember the storm, but the overall post-festival buzz I’ve heard has been more of a dull drone.
Undoubtedly, many people will disagree with my assessment, and I heartily congratulate them on enjoying themselves. Perhaps, I sewed my quilt from the wrong patches, but it’s my quilt, and I have to sleep under it.