Telluride Bluegrass 2011

My roommates and I went to Colorado to experience the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.  I had been wanting to go for a while, since I heard about it the first time I was living in Colorado.  This year, one of my favorite bands, The Decemberists, were there along with 4 days worth of incredible acts; we decided to pack up and make the trek!  

We drove from Vermont and took all the choicest toll roads along the way.  Faye wanted to amp up the epic story quotient so left her wallet on top of the car in Cleveland (we think).  We ate at roadside style restaurants in order to supplement our diet of homemade/Fayemade cookies, trail mix and gummies.  We sampled gasoline in many states.  We heard all the podcasts.  In the final stretch, we came through the high plains and started to wonder if the topography we were expecting would really be there in Telluride.

Thankfully, it was.  We celebrated our arrival with locally made ice cream then beers at what would become our bar for the long weekend.  I, of course, had a 90 Shilling.  Finally!

Our first morning, we didn't quite know what to expect, but we were excited and welcomed the day Colorado style.

Thursday's lineup featured one of Abby and Faye's favorite bands, The Head and the Heart, and they played a really nice show.  I thought it was better than when we saw them here in Burlington.  They were so good, I even survived the crazy sunshine... or maybe it was the 4 applications of sunscreen and ridiculous hat...

Ghosts, The Head and the Heart

Later that night, Abby and I were looking mischievous...

while Faye was looking more than adorable :)

On Friday, I made one of my favorite musical discoveries of the weekend: Michael Daves.  He and Chris Thile have an amazing duet act going, and it's hard to imagine anything better in the whole universe!

Chris here on the right, Michael on the left.  Awesome everywhere.

From there, I am not exactly sure how things went, because there was a lot of dust in the air that was making my eyeballs go crazy.  I went "home" to the tent to close my eyes and wish for more toughness.  At least it was a pretty walk.

So, after Friday comes Saturday, which was the BIG EXCITING LINEUP DAY!  Truly virtuosic incredibleness from every angle!!  Tim O'Brien was as fantastic as I expected and even played an electronic keyboard shirt.

This song was my favorite from the stuff that I hadn't heard before.

Then, Yonder Mountain String Band!  Later, The Decemberists!  They were so good, but I missed Jenny.  Colin had a big beard and seemed to be having a really fun time with the crowd instead of being super cool like he was in Montreal (even though I did like that set better).  We got to be up nice and close to the stage, in a press of people.  People who were kicking up dirt.  I was suffering and cried my face off through the whole show, then went to the med tent to get my eyes washed out afterward.  It was still worth it!  

I'm not so clear on how the next act, Sam Bush Band, was because I was having a pretty rough time of things, but I was recovered and the dust settled a bit for Old Crow Medicine Show.  They rocked my socks off!!  (Thankfully not really since it was COLD).

Watching Old Crow just made ya do this:

By Sunday we were really tired, and couldn't muster to get to the morning shows.  We set our sights on Punch Brothers and did other things in the meantime.  I went into town and got and amazing tea from The Steaming Bean which had become one of my favorite Telluride places over the course of the weekend.  The have unique blends of tea (I got some souvenirs) and play really good music, as well as hosting some live bands, though I didn't get to see any of that.  Plus, the baristas just seem SO COOL and they know how to make a tea latte!!  Indeed, diamonds in the rough.  I walked around town, chatted with our favorite pharmacist/local who we had met earlier at the bar, and ended up at a coffee cart that had ice cream.  Fig ricotta, very well done :)  Then, I met up with the ladies and we all rode the gondola together before buying winter hats because I had learned in my wanderings that the weather forecast included snow 0_0.

As expected, the Punch Brothers were fantastic!  All their material is delightful, and as we had experienced before, they picked the perfect songs to cover.  They gave us everything we could ever want (that is possible to give from afar).

Then it started to get COLD and rain.  We steeled ourselves in order to see Mumford and Sons, who we'd heard really good things about.  I'm happy to report that the rumors were true.  I am now a fan... even though their keyboardist looked like an overenthusiastic hair model audition attendee.

The rest of Sunday is less clear, and the next thing you know, we're waking up in the snow and driving home!

Many healthful meals were had along the way...

And now were back home in the Cocoon of Coolness, drying out our tents and finding the first tomato of the garden!

finally using all that big living room space! 

(Green Zebra, I'm so excited!)