Saturday, May 1, 2010

Merlefest 2010 - Friday

How can there be anything but good music on a sunny, warm day that began with the Snyder family playing at the gate as well as a touch of Doc Watson in the Traditional tent and ended, for us, with a Sam Busy set as good as any he's played in several years?  With the exception of one tasteless country duo on the Cabin Stage in the evening, the day was filled with fine music and  happy reunions.  Again, I'll post pictures to try to provide an overview, without too much text or analysis.  Enjoy the experience and we'll all try to process it in the weeks and months to come.

At the Gate

The Snyder Family Band

The audience packed the Traditional Tent for a Doc Watson set.  They spilled out of the tent and onto the lawn at every entrance.  Doc's still a Watson Stage attraction at any time of day.
 
The Traditional Tent for Doc Watson
 

Doc Watson with David Holt and Josh Goforth
 
Doc
The Sculpture Progresses
 

Ann and Pete Sibley at Americana

Missy Raines and the New Hip at Watson
 
Missy Raines
 

The Gibson Brothers at Walker Center
 

Joe Walsh and Mike Barber
 
Clayton Campbell
 



Tut Taylor Hosts the Plaza Stage
 
Tut at 87
 

Banjo Workshop at the Mayes Pit
Jens Kruger, Laura Boosinger, Pete Wernick, and Leanard Podolack



The Gibson Brothers at Creekside

The Kruger Brothers at the Cabin Stage

Daily and Vincent on Watson Stage
Darrin Vincent

Jamie Dailey
Jeff Parker
 

Dierks Bentley and the Travelin' McCourys with Sam
 

This bluegrass-country fusion is extremely pleasing.  Bentley's voice, while clearly developed in the direction of country music fits very well with Ron McCoury who sounds increasingly like his father.  Their set was first rate, and I'm eager to see their show.
Dierks Bentley
 

Ron McCoury
 

Rob McCoury
 

Jason Carter
 

Joey and Rory

In the years we've been coming to Merlefest we've never been assaulted by the combination of tasteless obscenity and profanity offered by this group.  They might work fine in a Texas honky-tonk, but pushed the envelope way to far to be an appropriate Merlefest act.  Let's keep Merlefest classy.

Sam Bush
 

Byron House
 

Chris Brown
 

Stephen Mougin
 

Scott Vestal



Dierks Bentley & Brian Simpson Watching Sam
 


1 comment:

  1. I agree with your Joey and Rory comment and although
    I am not a prude they struck me as crass and commercial to the point of of being an annoyance.
    I was surprised to see that someone else felt the same way.

    karen

    ReplyDelete