As has been the case in past years, dulcimer virtuosos Robert Force and Bing Futch got really jazzed, having a great time, inviting the other performers to join them for onstage jams. As usual, the audience loves it when the talent is fired up and having a great time. It's absolutely infectious, and this crew took "Sloop John B." to places that bucket never sailed before!!!
Tom Ivey was sick as a dog, fighting some bronchial pneumonia ailment, but performing in spite of it. It goes without saying that he certainly earned the title of "trooper," but that isn't why I mention him. Tom introduced a John McCutcheon song, "Sara Tucholsky," and I have rarely been so moved by a song. A great song reaches inside you with its energy; sometimes that energy fills you with excitement or joy, sometimes it tears away at you inside. What makes it great is the intensity it brings to whatever it makes you feel. Like I said, it's been a long time since I was so moved.
I was at my usual post, tending the sales of CDs and some other products. Some people did ask after Bob and "that funny guy with the drum on his back." I passed along Bob's web site and contact information. I suppose if I can check if & when Bob plays at other venues close by and convenient to my schedule, other people can do that, too.
I found myself recognizing familiar faces in the crowd, even though I have no names to accompany them. It was good to meet old chums I only see every year at this time, like Zach Kaplan, but I missed the likes of Josh Fuller, Dave Batti and others.
Like I said in an earlier post, it wasn't the same as the years Bob participated, but nothing ever stays the same; I suppose the lesson to be learned here is the whole seize the day / savor the moment picture, because every moment is unique then gone forever.
I'm sliding into a philosophical mood, ready to wax on about how you can't undo the past or predict the future, so I probably should close here. I don't know what next year's fest will hold, but music, however wherever you find it, has a magic all its own. That's why this festival means so much to me.
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