MUSIC REVIEW - ROTHBURY FESTIVAL- Rothbury, Michigan, July 3rd – 6th, 2008

By David Bienenstock

Trey Anastasio emerged from exile with nothing but an acoustic guitar to hide behind. The once (and future?) Phish frontman returned to action at the inaugural Rothbury Festival to play a set mainly stocked with old, familiar songs, thrilling the huge crowd that gathered to witness the resurfacing of one of the jam scene’s biggest names.

Largely invisible since a December 2006 drug arrest in upstate New York, Anastasio opened his first true public performance in well over a year with a shy smile and a string of Phish songs, including “Sample in a Jar,” “Farmhouse,” and “Waste.” Coming on the heels of increasingly credible hints and rumors about a reunion of the venerable Vermont quartet, the previously unannounced arrival of bassist Mike Gordon, midway through the one-hour show, brought thunderous applause, and a few tears of joy, to the faithful.

“If only we could find a drummer and keyboard player," Trey joked, significantly, then added, “but it’s got to start with the songs, so you can be our test audience.”

The duo ably performed two new compositions, drawing raves, and further heightening speculation about a reunion. An hour later, Anastasio returned the favor, joining Gordon’s band on electric guitar for a few numbers, including a cover of The Beatles “She said, She Said” that lured Phish drummer Jon Fishman to the kit.

With an old-school Phish flag waving in the crowd, and three-fourths of the band rocking away on stage, it appeared to be a question of when, and not if, Phish will return. The moment also served as an apt metaphor for the Rothbury experience as a whole.

So while Bonnaroo again moved towards the mainstream this summer, with headliners Metallica and Pearl Jam, Rothbury played to its base, offering up highly anticipated performances from Dave Matthews Band, Government Mule, Widespread Panic, Primus, and other well-established, noodle-friendly heavy hitters, including Phil Lesh and Micky Heart from original-jammers the Grateful Dead.

Rothbury also looked to the future, not just in booking breaking acts like The Black Keys, Lotus, Thievery Corporation and Slightly Stoopid—but also in making environmentalism an integral part of the festival. And not just in “spirit.”

A massive, concerted, well-coordinated effort aimed at reducing waste, recycling materials, composting everything in sight—including corn-based cups, plates, knives and forks—donating items left behind to charity, offsetting carbon emissions, contracting with local vendors and using renewable energy sources, including solar, made Rothbury easily the most “green” major rock festival in history, and also a model of how all others can improve.

Drawing the kind of a tight-knit crowd that once flocked to Phish’s annual multi-day camping experiences, Rothbury relied on good vibes and an army of volunteers to keep it green across four main stages and an amazing, sprawling fairgrounds that included elaborate art installations, a farmer’s market, lake swimming, disco domes, and the consistently enchanted Sherwood Forest, an oasis of soaring pine trees at the center of the Rothbury universe.

Shading the sun-weary during the day, while providing ample cover for the pot smoking masses, Sherwood forest turned electric at night, with colored lights, hanging sculptures, roaming circus performers and glowing reflectors providing an ideal backdrop for any and all psychedelic experiences. With late-night shows from Disco Biscuits, STS9, A3, and Bassnectar extending into the early hours of morning, Sherwood also provided the ideal place to stop, rest, toke and recover from the latest wave of musical overload before heading back for more.

And oh yeah, Snoop Dogg kicked off a special Rothbury Fouth of July 4:20 that ended in blunt-smoking mayhem. English singer-songwriter Beth Orton stopped her intimate, acoustic performance to ask if anyone in the crowd could gift her some hash (someone did). And there was this one sculpture with a bunch of hanging monkeys and crazy strobe lights and when you got stoned and looked at it….

Well, the Monkey thing was too much to believe, never mind explain. Better see it for yourself next year. In the meantime, rest assured that Jamband Nation has a brand-new, indispensable festival, and may soon have it’s biggest band back too.

Next stop: Phish tour 2009?