Jam on the River (John's Take): I Could Do This Every Year

Well, Nate did a pretty damn good job summing up our long holiday weekend. I'm not sure if I have too much else to add, but maybe a little clarification. For those who may not know us personally, Nate hails from Lancaster county, and I, like the rest of the world, am from "outside Philadelphia."

Nate, Andy, and Myself from left to right

This was my 3rd Jam on the River in a row, and, like all things in life, it has changed over time. You might remember here when I first discussed my ambivalence towards the line-up. I had equally mixed feelings after hearing that Saturday's show was moved to Festival Pier from the usual low-key setting of Great Plaza. Festival pier is, after-all, a glorified parking lot, while Great Plaza feels like a sprawling community amphitheater amidst fountains and steps at the waterfront. Moreover, its a venue without walls or restrictions of any sort (security is a joke). It's completely conducive to the essence of "Jam."

However, the larger size of Saturday's show created an energetic vibe from an otherwise lazily stoned atmosphere. Bar none, The Flaming Lips put on the best opening to any show I have ever seen in my life. That's not to say they kept the ball (or large bubble) rolling throughout subsequent songs, but "Race For The Prize" almost felt spiritual in its jubilation. I couldn't find a quality clip from that night, but this one is nearly identical to what we saw:




Sunday was exactly how JOTR is supposed to be: good times with good friends and good local music. RJD2 killed, despite DJing his entire set offstage. Out-of-towner Deadmau5 was also unexpectedly awesome...the audio here is a little sub-par but watch the crowd explode at -0:32



And then, rightfully so, the weekend closed with Lotus -- a young band who's literally evolved from year to year on the Great Plaza stage. Their local fanbase is beginning to rival that of The Biscuits, and, dare I say, so is their light show:

Here's to next year