All Good Music Festival 2007

In honor of Ryan's upcoming wedding in October, Andrew and I decided that the boy needed a proper bachelor party. But strip clubs and Vegas were just a little too cliché for our liking, and besides, we could always do that next weekend.

So, being that all three of us know each other through music - Andrew and I talking tunes at CNN, Andrew meeting Ryan at a Gov't Mule show, and Ryan meeting me at an Allman Brothers concert - it only seemed fitting that we pack up the jeep, fill a few coolers with beer, and hit up the 11th annual All Good Festival at Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia.

Our other friend Ryan Silberman decided to come along for the ride, not so much because he enjoys good music, but because he likes drinking beer.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

JULY 12 - THURSDAY

The car is packed.

To split the drive over two days, we stayed with Andrew's
brother in Abingdon, Virginia. Win Iden works at a 4-H camp.

JULY 13 - FRIDAY

In West Virginia... getting closer.
When we finally arrived in Masontown, it
was no traffic... no lines... no problems.

As one Ryan prepares to ingest fluids, the other
Ryan opts to release some of his in the woods.
Note the awesome camp spot in the trees!

Concert Poster: Free with donation of twenty canned goods.
FYI: Green beans at Wal-Mart are forty-seven cents a piece.

Finally inside the concert grounds.

The Bachelor

Our first set... Yonder Mountain String Band

Ivan the Conqueror

After dinner and a nap... Bob Weir and Ratdog

Bobby on the big screen.

JULY 14 - SATURDAY

Morning in the dark hollow of our campsite.

The rare Appalachian Grizzly emerges from his cave, and
happens upon an unsuspecting camper going
through his bag of toiletries.

Ryan offers Jarrett ten bucks to put his filthy toe
in his mouth for a full thirty seconds.

Best $10 ever spent.

One of Ryan's eleven-hundred calls to his new fiancee.
Note the "I (HEART) JESUS" air freshener.

Chef Andrew cooks up some eggs and bacon.

SOJA jams some raggae.

Strange. Ryan and the carrot have the same teeth.

All I wanted was a photo with the carrot guy, but
corn man became jealous and barged into the picture.
Apparently, so did the stoned stranger behind me.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Best Set of the Weekend

Five o'clock and still going strong.

Couldn't ask for a better day for live music.

Drive-By Truckers: Biggest Letdown of the Weekend

Check out the "Greatest Band in the World" behind me. Really,
Drive-By Truckers weren't that BAD... they just weren't that GOOD.

After the afternoon sets, we settled back
into camp for BBQ chicken and tequila shot toasts.

The sun sets behind the mountains of
West By-God-Stand-Up-When-You-Say-It Virginia.

Andrew's college friend, Kasey, was going
incognito, but we found her.

On the hill for New Monsoon... Michael Franti & Spearhead
followed, and, for us, were the best surprise act of the weekend.

CocoBongos on top of the hill during Tea Leaf Green

The concert ground entrance and main drag.

The daytime sets today were rather crowd-free, perhaps
because this was going to be the late late night. As packed as
it may seem, we never felt like there were too many people.

moe. headlined Saturday night, and played a blistering set.

Atlanta's finest attorney... owns patch-work hippie pants.

The late night All Star Jam (hosted by moe.) went past
4 o'clock in the morning. Highlight: "Cortez the Killer"
with Grace Potter on flying-v and vocals.

JULY 15 - SUNDAY

Using what was left of our exhausted brains, we decided to
pack up everything after breakfast before heading to the music.
Smartest... idea... ever.

Far fewer people made it out for the earlier sets on Sunday.
Quick! Somebody control Ryan's zeal for life!

As we were sitting on the hill we discovered a small bag of coke.
So, I simply tossed it in front of us, thus creating a new
festival game: Hippie Fishing. First fish: nine minutes.
Later, we found two empty drug bags. Time to fish. We filled
one with a straw wrapper and the other with a crushed cigar.
The fish were biting. I guess some people will snort anything.

The Lee Boys started off Sunday with a heavy dose of God.

Out-rockin' the younger fans, an older lady gets down
to the Lee Boys. THIS is my kind of hippie.

Sam Bush band

Shhhh... the baby is sleeping.

Seriously, what the hell is going on at this freak show festival?

After Sam Bush, the heavens opened up during the Soulive
set. Fortunately, we were already in the picnic tent (with seats!)
when the rain and lightning became so bad that they had to stop the music.

Finally, the clouds parted for Soulive.

Andrew crowned these two: Mr. and Mrs. All Good.
Notice the matching elf ears on our king and queen.

I was trying to take a photo of crazy gut-man (who later
wandered around with a mask of leaves), but was lucky enough
to also capture crazy hula-hooping kilt man. Bonus!

Leftover Salmon was the last band to take the stage.

Not wanting to miss Leftover Salmon, the giant monsters
climbed on top of the beer tent and danced away.

Andrew's friend, Kacey, sells hoops at festivals. Ryan and I
decided to experience all the hoopla. (Thank you. I'll be here all week.)

He's no Joey Chestnut, but he still finished fifth in the
world championship of grilled cheese eating.

Toward the end of Leftover Salmon's set, the rain clouds began
moving back into the area. Alas, we had to bid farewell to Marvin's
Mountaintop and high-tail it to the car. The engine started. Then the rain.

Ryan finally finds a comfortable position for sleeping
as we drove through the night on the way back to Atlanta.
Eventually, we would stop at a motel in Virginia for a quick nap.

We slipped this note under the door after
deep, baritone vibrations started sounding from the
bathroom. I guess somebody was a little gassy from four
straight days of beer and BBQ.

JULY 16 - MONDAY

Asleep by 1am. Awake at 5am. Same clothes, but showered.

REI sleeping bags make the best pillows.
We finally arrived home just before our 11:30am target.

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