High Sierra: Ten thoughts from the guy who hates festivals

Day 1 Overview: 10 thoughts from the guy who hates festivals:

• This is the first time in three years I’ve shown up at High Sierra and not immediately said “aw fuck” at how hot it was. It stayed between 85 and 90 degrees all day — as Trump would say, “Nice!”
• Jam bands are just EDM DJs for people who shop at Patagonia.
• With the Fourth of July falling on a Tuesday this year, the Day 1 club was smaller than usual and was comprised of mostly die-hard High Sierra fans hungry to get a jump start on their weekend.
• Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen three to four articles on how the electric guitar is dying; while that may be true in modern pop music the High Sierra Day 1 lineup was full of guitarists poised to carry the torch of emotive, imaginative playing. White Denim’s James Petralli, Australian blues artist Hamish Anderson, and Benjamin Andrews of Con Brio led the pack.
• The crowd, while small, was fresh-faced and hangover-free as fans packed the Vaudeville Tent for the first act of the entire festival Tank & The Bangas. We’ll see how they hold up.
• I walked away from Day 1 without a sunburn. That’s a big win for this pasty dumbass.
• After three years I still can’t figure out who I dislike more — the phony hippies who are obviously steadily employed yuppies who like to play dress-up a couple times a year or the legitimate hippies who sit outside the gates with all the crystals and shit who smell bad and talk to you like they know you.
• Toe rings are gross.
• As much as I generally dislike what people wear — or not wear — to festivals, whenever I see a big guy with his shirt off I want to give him a high five and say “Hell yeah, let’s go roll a couple skinny dudes with dreadlocks.”
• All in all, day 1 was one of the most pleasant days of High Sierra I’ve experienced so far. Tank and The Bangas, Hamish Anderson, White Denim, and Con Brio were the highlights for me. Catch Con Brio playing again today at 1:15 p.m. at the Vaudeville Tent, Tank and The Bangas at 1:50 p.m. at Big Meadow, and White Denim at 3:45 p.m. at Big Meadow.

                                                                                                — Spencer Kilpatrick

Sweet Crude nearly cancels tour after burglary, opens festival.

Ten more thoughts from Day 2.