SunFest Review 2011 – Part 2

SunFest – April 27^th-May 1^st, 2011 – Downtown West Palm Beach, FL – Part 2

Words & Photos by Adam E. Smith

Day 4

An early afternoon of gathering my wits and temporarily relaxing organs that may or may not be stressed in the oxidization of alcohol ended abruptly when confirmation came that I had hit the SunFest jackpot. Local alternative radio station The Buzz 103.1 paired with sponsor Captain Morgan rum to put on a pirate style booze cruise. Count me in! I made it to downtown West Palm in record time and pulled a miracle getting a parking space. Ziggy Marley played the soundtrack for my walk through the concert grounds before reaching the north dock. No better way to get right back into the festival vibe than a man cut from a reggae king’s cloth.

El Toro

Strangely enough, the promoters for the cruise required me to sign a waiver before being greeted by a gang of partying promo girls and the swashbuckler of spirits himself.  I willing came aboard the pirate ship El Toro wondering what had gotten myself into. Like clockwork, the boat pushed off and booze started flowing to club beats.  Two hours later my dose of spring break partying for the weekend came to an unfortunate end. My sea legs proved they aren’t what they used to be, but that could also be attributed to the stout mix drinks.

Panic Bomber caught the attention of the newly formed gang of buccaneers and the inebriation was apparent in the gyrations. This group was far more drunk than anyone else. Plotting my escape was made easy when spotting some of the BLP Krewe by the Hope For Harrison Blue Moon beer tent. We caught up on the event so far before heading over to get a better listen of the DJ and his horn section. The decision to stake out a spot on the railing for some choice photo ops seemed like a good idea. Little did I know it would be a great idea. The midday heat kept the crowds at bay and Steel Train’s grooving rock descended on a relaxed crowd of youth smoking cigarettes and bantering playfully.

Jealous Crowd

In between taking photos I felt an awkward tap on my back shoulder. My immediate reaction was to jump the rail and run from the security about to confiscate my camera. I made a risky in-the-moment decision, based mainly on the police officer present in front of me, that I would play it cool and try to talk my way out of it. Surprisingly enough it wasn’t what I thought. An older man in a tie-dye shirt looked me over and asked me if I was a fan of MGMT. Unsure of his motives, I hesitantly confirmed that I was. The anonymous older fella then asked if I was here alone – another odd question. The people surrounding me were now paying attention so I figured it was safe to answer that I was. He smiled, pulled two tickets out of his pocket and mentioned something about my camera and that I had better find a friend. I glanced at the pair of tickets and my eyes grew wide when I realized they were row two of the reserved section. I looked up to thank the man but he was already gone.

I dodged out of the crowd as the young girls surrounding me jealously chastised me. One even said she should get the tickets because of her ring tone. I could not help but laugh at her and my good fortune. I pulled out my phone to call a friend I knew was at the festival but before I could send the call I physically run right into him. What are the odds of that at a 40,000 person event? We shook hands and I decided to play it cool. I knew he liked the band but gave him the set up asking “do you like this band playing tonight?” He responded positively. Pulling out the passes, I presented the scenario of catching them from a more up close and personal perspective. Elated and still a bit in shock we went directly to the nearest bar for some shots. A short appearance at the over-packed Styx set was plenty before taking our place with the spoiled reserved seaters.

MGMT

The MGMT set was unparalleled and stole the blue ribbon for the weekend. Capacity was reached for the Bank of America field and the energy was potent. Sweeping psychedelic breaks were woven into high-energy electro-pop hits. A sense of humility comes from their lyrical prowess and how well they are able to adapt the layered sound to the live setting. After “Time To Pretend,” the band’s back screen actually ripped off completely. It seemed fitting at the time because the music didn’t need any gimmicks or distractions. Our new dance partners up front were completely in tune with the band and the feeling felt mutual. The set progressed to a particularly hallucinatory “Siberian Breaks” before all hell broke lose as the first notes to “Kids” overwhelmed the audience. Everyone was jumping and dancing in unison. A necessary come down came from well-executed version of “Congratulations” and “Brian Eno” as the encore.

Day 5

Jeff Beck

I do not think it is the intention of the SunFest organizers to have people attend all five days. Not one to allow any jaded sentiments affect my mission I made my last rounds on Sunday. Legendary guitar prodigy Jeff Beck put down what has to be one of the best daytime performances in the festival’s history. He might consider changing his band name because the cats he hand picked to sit in with him were rock solid. Beck modestly passed the solo reigns whenever it felt right. The bass and drum solos would be the high light of any other band’s set but were merely an added texture to the jaw dropping guitar work I was lucky enough to witness.

Earth, Wind & Fire

I migrated to Earth, Wind & Fire with some BLPers for a round of old school rhythm and blues that was a horn section filled journey through elements of lively funky, good disco and smooth baby making music. Having done this for 40 years, all the right elements were in place for a well rehearsed and solid showing uncharacteristic of what many would consider a nostalgia act. There was no better way to close out an amazing odyssey of music, art and community than with a troop of veterans showing us where we came from and why we’re here. I left before the fireworks that evening because I had already seen them over and over in my head the five days previous. My SunFest 2011 saga ends here, but the legacy of its reputation as a premiere music event continues on.