Despite a skeptic lead-in, some last minute adjustments were made and I’m fairly certain I fell in love.

As well established as Lightning in a Bottle has been for so many years, it never quite had my full attention. Even this year it didn’t conduct much of a reaction for me. But after being dragged out to the event (ugh poor me, right?), I made conscious effort to revise this predisposition.

Photo by: Louis Fisher / @FishMakesPhotos

I mean what is there to worry about? It’s a music festival…

Perhaps you’ve heard of the recurring reference for all that is opposite of these beloved camping festivals. It’s become somewhat of a touchstone or tagline and it goes something like this – “What is this Coachella?” You hear it shouted among the crowds and along bridge crossings. How else am I supposed to put it? I was sincerely concerned with the Kappas, Sigmas, Alphas, and Thetas. You follow? The apprehension soon dissipated so I cracked open some Lightning in a (Beer) Bottle and ventured head on into the storm.

Photo by: Louis Fisher / @FishMakesPhotos

This is the part where I tell you how LIB broke my heart. Don’t worry, we’ll end on a good note though!

We arrived late on Friday with one object in mind: Do not miss Dirtwire’s set! They were performing at the Grand Artique: a rugged saloon style trading post that served as a classic backdrop for the psychedelic cowboys to jam. The music was phenomenal as expected. The crowd was a major bummer. Granted it was a 2am set and the herd was coming down, but that’s no excuse in my books.

Photo by: Louis Fisher / @FishMakesPhotos

Audience participation was at a disheartening low. Now I’m not such a snob when it comes to knowing the artist on stage but it felt like there were few actual fans among us. It was bordering on disrespectful. Coincidentally I ran into David Satori (lead singer) the next night. The two of us appeared to be doing some solo exploration and I couldn’t help but express how I felt about the crowd the night before. He took it much better than I did. Nonetheless, it broke my heart to see such a stellar performance honestly ruined because of an un-invested crowd. All things considered, I can’t help but love the coincidence of running into Satori to make up for misfortune.

Photo by: Louis Fisher / @FishMakesPhotos

Let me make one thing clear. The people were not complete shit and I don’t intend to portray it as such. Regrettably, I must follow that with this. They trashed the place. LIB makes a conscious effort to promote sustainability, environmental wellness, and the simple effort of throwing your trash out. Be a little green. Instead, it feels as though some participants relied heavily on the MOOP Squad (Matter Out Of Place) and other festival conscious contributors to pick up after them. Heartbreak number two: check.

Photo by: Louis Fisher / @FishMakesPhotos

How about some love stories now?

Let’s jump right into it shall we? In water that is! What a fucking treat that was. I got spoiled with my first festival being on the water at Symbiosis. So for LIB to have a dry lake bed filled to the brim this year felt like home. But each morning there were very few hours of half-decent sleep that were brutally disrupted by blistering heat. That felt more like being waken up by a bucket of ice water…not in the good way. Thankfully, those weltered wake up calls were redeemed with a morning dip followed by some more half-assed napping under the fleeting shade. Not to mention, the lake is the all-time favorite excuse for not showering.

Photo by: Louis Fisher / @FishMakesPhotos

Moral of the story is: you don’t have to buy me dinner first if you put your festival on the water. I will love you, effective immediately.

Another deal breaker involves a little something called the Jive Joint. I fell in love a few times at LIB but not as madly as with this little gem. The full experience I had at the Jive Joint is an article of it’s own. Since words don’t do it justice, I will say that the acid sure did! Just do yourself a favor and look into these guys. They host a space where improv, music, comedy, and the weirdest most fun time you will ever have comes to life. You can participate too. I left the Jive Joint as the sun came up and endearingly became known as the “Twerk Bunny” after my participation on stage. Don’t ask. But if you find the video please send it my way!

It pains me to bring this to an end, just as it shattered my heart to leave LIB, but the time has come. Lightning in a Bottle was a wild ride. Obviously the music lineup was downright nuts. The land is breathtaking. The sunsets melted into sunrises. I briefly fell in love with so much and so many. And sure it tore me up too, but not nearly enough to discourage me from returning for years to come.

Photo by: @kphotograffitti

LIB,

Thank you so much!

Love,

Dane 🙂

547

Add to the story...