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Ben Harper performs on day 2 of 80/35 (Lance Rafdal)
As stated in the previous article, Day 1 at 80/35 was a great way to kick things off. The appetizer to Saturday's main course if you will. Admittedly, I got off to a late start on Saturday (the first bands got going at noon), but not from the hangover that most two day attendees suffered from.
Sheer exhaustion required a little more sack time for me. I made sure to make it in time for the set of one of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing; Audrye Sessions. They are a band from Oakland, that honestly had never heard of before the announcement they were performing. In preparation for the festival I found some of their music on the web, and was immediately drawn to them. Luckily for me, they did not disappoint. The performance was breathtaking, in its emotion, power and pure musicality. I actually felt a little bad for the Josh Davis Band for having to follow Audrye Sessions, but was glad that JDB did wonderfully themselves.
Girl In a Coma were a very pleasant surprise as I happened upon the west stage and was blown away by the punk based rock of this female trio from Texas. These three ladies really know how to bring it, and are far from comatose.
The main stage held my attention for pretty much the rest of the day. Beginning with Man Man and their performance/art rock and theater. I really wasn't sure what to expect from them, based on my prep, because the web doesn't do them justice. You really have to see them to believe them. They are out there, and not everyone's cup of tea I'm sure but, they are something I think every music fan should experience at least once. Props, crazed energy, facepaint, and the fact that these guys are really good musicians all pull it together; think Stomp, meets Yes, on speed.
G. Love and Special Sauce mellowed things out after Man Man, but blew me away again in their talent. I had heard a little of their music, but hearing it live (with a very enthusiastic crowd) brought it to a whole new level. Somehow they have mixed blues and funk, with straight up rap and hip hop. No sample, tracks or DJ's in their music. It is all live instrumentation, which really brings it to a whole new level. The lyrics are a little goofy at times, and often ask "Who Got's the Weed", but as long as you're not offended it is a really great performance.
The headliner for the weekend however, was the one I was really waiting for. Ben Harper and Relentless7 took stage around 9:00 Saturday night, and would have blown the roof off, if there was one. From tracks from the recently released "White Lies for Dark Times" to a couple of covers they couldn't have sounded better. The covers were a perfect choice and both really excited the large crowd. "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen is one that I knew they had been performing in concert, so that wasn't a surprise, but it still sounded fantastic. The surprise for me was the cover of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times." It can be almost impossible to cover a band as popular and important as Led Zeppelin, but R7 performed it flawlessly. They combination of blues and soul, as well as the rock and attitude that all four posses, to accompany their tremendous musical talent really allowed them to capture that song and, of course the crowd.
This years 80/35 was a rousing success from my vantage point, and I hope that financially it was as well. Des Moines really needs an event like this to continue and keep us on the map as a music destination for fans, and even more importantly bands. Congratulations to the organizers for a near perfect festival. From the show times, to the toilets everything seemed to run like clockwork. Big thank you to the volunteers who worked hard over the two days to make everything go as the organizers planed. And a big thank you again to the organizers for letting me into the press contingency and allowing me to capture the images and hopefully allowing me to communicate the music for those unable to attend. See you next year!
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