Saturday, or as I like to call it Eric Krasno day, brought on another full day of funk. George Porter made his weekend debut early Saturday afternoon with his band the Runnin’ Pardners. Following Porter’s set, the Nigel Hall Band took the stage inside the Music Hall. This set was one of the biggest shockers of the weekend. It took place on one of the smallest stages, but had one of the most sit-ins of the weekend. All of Soulive (Eric Krasno and Neal and Alan Evans) was up onstage with Hall; however, Krasno (who usually plays guitar in Lettuce and Soulive) played bass throughout the whole set. Also, making appearances during the set were Sam Kininger, Ryan Zoidis and Adam Deitch (all three from Lettuce), Kofi Burbridge and Neil and Alan Evans.
Maceo Parker, who played saxophone with James Brown, took over the Ampitheater stage in the early evening to keep the funk going. He welcomed fellow James Brown’s horn section member Fred Wesley to the stage to accompany him on trombone.
The funkiness level dropped a little when Perpetual Groove took the stage, but the energy level stayed high. They brought the womp and kept everyone dancing during their evening set and even played a P Grooved out “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” moe. took the stage next for their two-hour set that night. The band delivered a solid set and was one of the highlights of the weekend. They opened with the rocking “The Pit,” and then welcomed Mike Dillon on percussion for the second song, “Don’t Fuck With Flo.” Sam Kininger came out for the third song, “Happy Hour Hero,” but was the last guest of the night. The rest of the set was filled with moe. classics like “Spine Of A Dog,” “Buster,” “Yodelittle,” and “Brent Black.” The band encored with the extremely energetic “Seat Of My Pants,” that got every person in the packed crowd dancing.
Following moe., Krasno took charge of the festival once again with Chapter 2. This set looked like one of the most fun of the night to play in. All of Krasno’s friends were up onstage jumping from instrument to instrument. Nigel Hall and Neal Evans dominated the keys, playing together. Also making appearances throughout the set were Pee Wee Ellis, Ryan Zoidis, George Porter, Kofi Burbridge, San Kininger, Ivan Neville and Nigel Hall’s back-up singers.
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstajam came next, which was a party on and off the stage. Pretty much every artist at large sat in at some point during the set, as well as the members of Lettuce and Nigel Hall. This set was amazing to watch as it showcased all of the awesome talent of the festival. Krasno didn’t play in the jam but sat side-stage watching with a smile, before leaving to prepare for Lettuce’s late night show, which kept festival-goers up until 3:30 am. with funky jams.
Krasno continued his reign on Sunday with the highlight of the day being Lettuce’s set. Pee Wee Ellis, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley sat in for the entire set to play lots of James Brown covers. Key moments include Fred Wesley immediately capturing and keeping the crowd’s attention and getting everyone dancing on lead vocals for “House Party,” the always favored “I Got You (I Feel Good)” that transitioned into “Shake Everything You Got,” and the finale “Super Bad.”
Other highlights of Sunday include Zach Deputy’s afternoon set down at the Ampitheater stage, where Roosevelt Collier joined him onstage, George Porter and the Runnin’ Pardners and the New Mastersounds, both of whom delivered solid second sets for the weekend, and the finale of the weekend, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk.
Overall, the weekend was a funky success. For those that missed out on this exciting weekend, do not worry, they’ve already announced a partial lineup for next year that includes Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood, the Funky Meters, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Lettuce and more!
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