Life is an Ever Changing Journey: Southern Ground

It has now been a full year since my emergency hospital visit in South Lake Tahoe requiring me to be zapped a few times to keep me alive. Like I mentioned in the previous post, I have been feeling much more stable, and haven't had any cardiac episodes since my last surgery in July. I have spent the past couple months taking advantage of my new health by visiting friends and attending multiple concerts. My last trip, that I just returned from, was a trip to Charleston where I stayed with my brother for a few nights so I could attend the Southern Ground Music & Food Festival at the Blackbaud soccer stadium. I went primarily to see one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Brett Dennen. I wanted to see him in Athens,GA a couple weeks prior but he happened to be playing the same night as the Fleet Foxes, whom I had already bought tickets for. So, I discovered Brett Dennen was playing in Charleston and was accompanied by a few other bands that I'm a pretty big fan of, such as The Wood Brothers (from Martin, Medeski, and Wood), Fitz and The Tantrums, and Blind Pilot. Also playing was a reggae band called Steel Pulse, five other smaller bands, Train, and the Zac Brown Band. However, I did not stay for Train and the Zac Brown Band. I had already been there for eight hours, and it went from an empty stadium all day to a packed house right before Train took the stage. The doors opened at 11 but most people didn't show till a little after 5 (they missed some great music). I had also already seen Zac Brown Band perform when he played for free in Five Points in Columbia. The day was perfect, weather and all, and I was able to see the bands I desired amongst a small crowd, so I decided to call it quits and spend the rest of the night with my brother. All in all, the trip was wonderful. I was able to stop in Columbia for a couple nights and see some friends, I got to hang out with my brother for a few days, I saw some great musicians, ate some delicious food, and soaked up some warm rays, and caught a beautiful sunset on the Ashley River. I still have more shows coming up this month. Todd Snider in Asheville, Lykke Li in Asheville, and String Cheese in Atlanta. I can't wait. Good Times now and Good Times ahead!!!

Below are some pictures and videos of my weekend in Chucktown.

This is the wing on the right side of the stage for VIP's who were served food during the performances by top chefs. Sadly, no one showed up until the end of the day when Train was about to perform.

This is the VIP section, that allows people to be close to the stage. I was standing behind the gate, they used to keep us non-special people out of that area. As you can see, there was hardly anyone there all day, but by nightfall, the VIP pit was filled as well as the wings of the stage.

This was the gate that kept us out, it may seem deceptive, but I was behind this gate. The stage also had a long catwalk protruding from it, that many of the artists kept making fun of. You can see it in the left of the picture.

Just hanging out, listening to the Wood Brothers. I couldn't believe people would pay hundreds of dollars for the VIP tickets and choose not to show up all day. They had no idea what amazing music they were missing.

This is towards the end of Fitz and The Tantrums. Train would be getting on stage about 40 min after this picture was taken.

Fitz and The Tantrums put on a good show as I knew they would, but they pissed the Charlestonians off when they called the city Charlotte twice. But the crowd sucked anyways, they wouldn't dance, clap, or anything. The lead singer started calling people out individually which was hilarious. They were not the only band to get annoyed at the lack of enthusiasm amongst the crowd.

All these people magically showed up right before Train was about to hit the Stage. This field was empty about 45 minutes earlier.

I had to move into the bleachers because the bass for Steel Pulse and Fitz and The Tantrums was too much for me. I could literally feel the bass pulsing within me, and I was afraid it might set off my defibrillator. So I played it safe. I've been to many shows, but I have never heard bass as loud as this, ever.

This is Fitz meeting and greeting people after his performance. I think he did it because he pissed off the crowd thinking he was in Charlotte. He was the only one to do this.

The following pictures captured my last night in Charleston. My brother lives right beside the Ashley River, and this dock that lies on his street is open to the public. There, you can catch pretty consistent gorgeous sunsets. And that's exactly what I did.

Below are videos of the three artists I mainly wanted to see at the festival. They are in the order in which they appeared. Each act was followed by a smaller band on a smaller stage that performed for 30 minutes each, while the main acts each played for an hour. The videos are not entire recordings of their songs, but long enough for you to hear their sound. If you like them, make sure to check out better quality videos on YouTube.

The Wood Brothers