|
      |
Hangout Music Festival ~ May
18-20, 2012 ~ Gulf Shores, AL
Hanging Out at Hangout 2012
As a young man, I can remember
driving to Gulf Shores and hitting the end of Highway 59 and
facing what used to be the Boardwalk and a small little
music shack named The Hangout. As time passed that
boardwalk was closed and along with it The Hangout. Years
passed and businesses opened and closed, some better than
others. But a few years back a newer and better Hangout was
created on the improved boardwalk. A venue that not only
feeds and befriends the fine folks who fly through there,
but also a music venue and a location for the whole family.
So three years ago when The Hangout Music Festival was
introduced to the world, we all thought "Can this work?"
Well, year one fought some crazy weather issues which made
some say, "How could it work on the Gulf with weather always
changing?" Year two came and went, and the common folk said
"Wow! This may be possible." So then comes year three with
more space and less tickets sold! Now we are hitting on
something. This fine fest has grown very fast to be
probably one of the top Festivals in America, and for good
reason. You can stay in a hotel or a condo. You are on the
breezy beautiful beaches with the sweet Gulf Sun shining on
your fine face. And the lineup is delightful, diverse, and
draws together a great group of music-lovers.
Day one is like most first days of
Festivals. Many people are rolling into town and getting
geared up for a great weekend of music and fun. At 2:15pm
we were pleasured by a very strong up and coming band in
Alabama Shakes. And the crowd was stoked for this show.
The advantage of a Music Festival is you get to see bands
you wanted to see, and then some that you never thought you
would see. So then the question is: how do I see these
great bands when some play at the same time? And the answer
is: pace with a little dash of patience and a little help
from your friends. So later in the day we were all blessed
with Chris Cornell who walked on stage all alone with a
black t-shirt and a row of acoustic guitars behind him.
This was going to be an experience that will keep the
chatter going all weekend. And it did; he was so smooth and
raw with songs from our Grunge 90's days. Let's remember
that it is only Friday and we still have to head to the
Letting Go Stage for Chicago's very own Umphrey's McGee.
Now Umphrey's played at 2pm last year and brought it like
it was 2am. And this year was not going to be any
different. I mean, opening with a sixteen minute "Miss
Tinkles Overture"? Who does that? Oh yeah, Umphrey's McGee
does. So from the first note we knew the Letting Go Stage
was going to get it and go. After UM we had a 9:30pm
appointment with Jack White, and a majority of the Festival
Freaks had never seen Jack and his Band before. I have seen
The White Stripes 4 or 5 times previous to this, so it was a
major priority for me to catch this show. A 9-time Grammy
Award Winner can usually bring his A game and even a B game,
a C game and a lot of other alphabets to boot. And Jack
brought all of the letters to this one, the main ones being
B.A.D.A.S.S. Let us all understand something; halfway
through the show, Jack White's all Male Band got up and left
the stage to only be replaced by all Females. Now, we the
children of the 80's remember Robert Palmer and his all
super sexy chic band. But these gals would, should and
could play, and played very well. What a great way to end
the first day of a fabulous Festival. Day 2, what do you
have in store for us? Please be gentle.
Well "Welcome Back My Friends to the
Show that Never Ends" as the boys from E.L.P put it in "Karn-Evil
#9." This Music Fest was not going to be any different. It
was day 2 and we already knew that we were going to end it
with The Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famers known by most as Red Hot
Chili Peppers. This will be a fine fest day! So let us
back pedal and start from the beginning of the day and we
will get to some Peppers later. As I always do at
Festivals, I try to arrive early on Saturday and Sunday to
really absorb the great music that has been blessed upon us.
So at 12:15pm, I was back at Letting Go for a true treat
with The Devil Makes Three. And if he did not, then we are
all going to Hell, because this good ole picking raw style
of southern bluegrass-slash-swing with a twist of soul was
the best way to start a Saturday, and glad I did. After I
was brought back to my Nashville roots I wandered to the
Chevy Stage for a man that has done so much for me and
music. Randy Newman walked out on stage to a crowd that has
known and loved his music for years. This songwriter sat
down with us on his Grand Piano and told us stories through
song, and we all sang along. Man! I was in heaven on this
hot Alabama day on the beaches of Sunny Gulf Shores. Randy
hit on all the nerves with great classic like "Short
People", "I Love L.A.", The Toy Story Favorite "You Got a
Friend in Me" and the song of slave trade "Sail Away". Love
me some Randy, and I think he liked us a hell of a lot too.
But all day the buzz around the Festival was that a young
guitar player was going to be playing at 3:15pm on the
Hangout Stage and he was not to be missed. Well folks, they
were right because when Gary Clark Jr. strummed his string
the sands turned to glass and the seas opened up for a
symphony of sound. He was amazing, and I can say if it was
not for him being at Hangout Music Festival, I may have
never been blessed with this guitar giant. After Gary Clark
Jr. we stood our ground for the reunion of Dispatch on the
main stage. People! They were amazing and have not lost a
step in many years. This band has built themselves on self
promotion and allowing the fans to direct the future of
their fame. Now it is time to move and shake back to the
Chevy Stage for the Colorado Kids known as String Cheese
Incident, aka The Cheese or SCI. And right from the get-go
they wanted to give us a fine show with fine sounds. It was
like a dance party right from the beginning with the nice
techno sounds of "Rosie" all the way to an Acoustic Set that
included the Traditional tune done so well by the Grateful
Dead "I Know You Rider". I have seen The Dead perform it,
but never SCI. So this was a fine treat for me and many
other old and young DeadHeads. Ok, so it is turning dark
and the crowd starts to shimmy through the sand to get back
to the Hangout Stage for the Kings of California Rock. I
really do not know what to tell you about the Chili Peppers,
but that they are in their prime and bad to the bone. I
mean these guys are tapping on the door of 50 and are in
better shape than I was at 20. They knew we have wanted all
day for this show and they hit us with all the great hits.
"Scar Tissue" was sick; we also got a classic "Blood, Sugar,
Sex, Magic" and a very popular "Under the Bridge", By The
Way" and "Give it Away". These guys are amazing to see and
have not lost a step in many of those crazy years. And is
this the way we are to end day 2? Is it possible that we
can even have another day? Well we do, and it is very
little sleep away.
Welcome to Day 3 and the final day
of what may easily become one of America’s favorite annual
festivals. Well, we made another early arrival to the venue
that will bring us some of the best music for 500 miles. So
we know that this day will end with the Concert Leader, Dave
Matthews. But do not worry your little sunburned head. We
will get there soon enough, but we have plenty of great
music to see first. Being the third day and learning my
lesson last year, I will stay in the shade with some sipping
suds. So I parked under the canvases that were built for a
nice shady spot. Like Shady Grove, I felt it was time to
chill. It was so nice sitting and soaking up the sounds of
Greyboy Allstars featuring Karl Denson who played with his
band the previous year. But Greyboy's are classic Karl and
this was going to be a great Sunday early afternoon show.
And boy it really was, with Karl singing and blowing all
wood reed instruments; amazing! As soon as they end I can
hear the real raw soul sound of Ms Mavis Staples doing great
tunes like "The Weight" that was made popular by The Band
and The Staple Singers at The Last Waltz Show. She was so
smooth and I was still solid in the sand and shade. But now
it is time to get in gear because Michael Franti is back for
a third year. As always, Mr. Franti gives the crowd a
reason to dance, sing and love. And we love you Michael!
And so does the Mayor of Gulf Shores. See, the rumor train
said that Hangout made a rule that no Band or Artist would
get to perform 2 years in a row, let alone 3. Well, the
rumor choo-choo said that the Mayor of this fine Gulf Coast
Town wanted Franti back. Now, is that exactly the way it
happened? I do not know, but the Mayor did give Michael
Franti the Key to the City during his performance on the Kid
Stage. And if you give it a few minutes of thought, he has
been so supportive of the Gulf and all the BP issues and The
Hangout Festival. And his latest album has him pictured on
the Stage at Hangout the previous year. He really is a
great person and a fine entertainer. Thank you, Mr. Franti,
for loving us so much. Now time to head back to the amazing
Media Area that Hangout majorly upgraded this year, on the
second floor of The Phoenix's parking garage that had a
constant strong breeze blowing through. Whoever decided the
design of the area did a great job; it was super-duper to
say the least. So I am at the Media Area waiting for Mr.
Traffic, Mr. Blind Faith, Mr. Piano, Mr. Guitar, and Mr.
about 10 other instruments: Steve Winwood. And what we
need to understand about these old timers is that they bring
some of the most talented musicians in the world. Steve
Winwood had a great band and a solid guitar player that
looked to be maybe 20, if that. I wouldn't sell him a beer
if that tells you anything. So we got all the greats, "Low
Spark", "Light Up", "Higher Love" and then Steve gets up
from the comforts of the keys and straps on his Fender to
bring us "Dear Mr. Fantasy". What a great show from a great
showman. Now me and The Jams Plus Media Team have to kick
down the boardwalk to get to the many members of Edward
Sharp and the Magnetic Zero who actually were called out on
stage with Michael Franti, along with Mobile Alabama's very
own and last year's opening act Kristy Lee. And as always
Edward and his Zero bring the sweet sounds to our small
hearts that grow with each note. It is time to run all the
way back to the Chevy Stage for some Pink Floyd, Flaming
Lips style. So I am seriously telling you that this was a
spot on show for us Floyd Fans. This band nailed every
note, every octave, every emotion we ever felt with the
album "Dark Side of the Moon". And as the sun dropped on
this Floyd-ish show it was time for the King of Concerts in
Matthews and his Band. This being the final flourish in the
musical fanfare, we all wanted to go out with a bang. And
Dave Matthews gave us just the spark we needed. Hangout
Festival knew how to end this great weekend and we wanted it
in all of its glory. Thank you for a great weekend. I know
the whole Jams Plus Media Family is very happy and proud of
what you guys have done in three years and look forward to
another three plus years to really show the world the way we
do it here on The Glorious Gulf of Mexico way down south in
Alabama, The Heart of Dixie.
MORE PHOTOS HERE
&
HERE
Review by: Dale Taylor
Edited by: Rosemary A.W.
Roberts
Photos by: Clayton Roberts |
        |
