{"id":954,"date":"2012-10-18T15:10:23","date_gmt":"2012-10-18T19:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~travelwriting\/?page_id=954"},"modified":"2013-09-24T15:23:02","modified_gmt":"2013-09-24T19:23:02","slug":"good-music-vibes-found-at-annual-connecticut-music-festival","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=954","title":{"rendered":"Good music vibes found at annual Connecticut seaside music festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted Oct. 18, 2012<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By ROBERT PURSELL<\/p>\n

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — It\u2019s not something you\u2019ll read about it big magazines. Heck, it\u2019s not something you\u2019d know about if you didn\u2019t actively search it out. But every year on July 19 here at Seaside Park something magical happens.<\/p>\n

The four remaining members of the Grateful Dead all come together, each with their own individual bands that they\u2019ve started since the Dead broke up, and play music.<\/p>\n

For four days straight.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s called the Gathering of The Vibes and it is without a doubt, one of the most unique music festivals in the country today.<\/p>\n

The Gathering of the Vibes was an idea pitched around between Sally Ansorge Mulvey, John Dwork, and Ken Hays, students at SUNY Purchase. In 1996, they decided to throw a memorial party on campus for Jerry Garcia, the iconic front man of the Dead who had died just a few months earlier in California. It lasted for an entire weekend, with people from far and wide showing up to celebrate the music and spirituality that had defined the Grateful Dead for so long.<\/p>\n

They decided to call it The Gathering of the Tribe. After moving around for a few years between different sites, one in Croton Park, N.Y., another in Plattsburgh, N.Y., the festival found what was a natural home at the beach on Seaside Park in Bridgeport. The rest, as they say is history.<\/p>\n

In the time that has passed since it first came to Connecticut, the Gathering of The Vibes has gained notoriety in the area and amongst music fans across the Northeast for its dedication to promoting local bands as well as many of the old bands that had toured with the dead in the past (the Allman Brothers Band stopped by in 2003) as well as eco-friendliness and, as the name suggests, good vibes. To say it has been a success would be an understatement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always bring my whole family to the Vibes every year.\u201d said Chris Fleming, a local contractor based out of Fairfield, Conn., \u201cIt\u2019s just such a good communal feeling. Growing up all I listened to was the Dead, and when I went off to college in Vermont it was the same thing. It was always about the music and the positive messages it conveyed. I\u2019m glad they\u2019ve been able to recreate that here, and that it\u2019s something that I\u2019m now able to share with my children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bob<\/a>

Bob Weir performing at the Vibes 2012 (Photo by Rob Pursell).<\/p><\/div>\n

The festival started off small, with mostly regional acts and a few nationally known acts.<\/p>\n

All of that changed when Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, showed up to the festival 2000 to play with his band RatDog, and in a memorable performance, he sat in and jammed with internationally known bass virtuoso Les Claypool. After that things really began to take off.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat performance by Bob Weir changed everything,\u201d said local business owner Robert Callahan. \u201cIt was incredible seeing him back on stage. It definitely caught people\u2019s attention. Now it seems like every year the festival is drawing bigger acts in. Yet despite how big it has gotten its never lost that sense of community. That\u2019s what I think is so special about this festival; it has remained true to it\u2019s roots.\u201d<\/p>\n

The festival has evolved over the years to include rides and an arts and crafts tent for children to play in. It has expanded to having multiple stages throughout the four days, most recently adding a stage known as the \u201cGreen Vibes Stage\u201d that showcases Northeastern bands.<\/p>\n

One of the things though that it is best known for, is the Craft Vendors Row, called \u201cShakedown Street\u201d affectionately by those who frequent the festival. It is a row of vendors and non-for-profit organizations that set up every year to sell handcrafted t-shirts, jewelry, and other merchandise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the whole vendors row is pretty cool. It helps spotlight a lot of local small businesses and raises money for charities like the Rex Foundation and the ACLU,\u201d said Mike Dempsey, a local electrician. \u201cIt really is a pretty noble cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another feature that locals like is it\u2019s seaside location.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always go on my boat, or on a friend\u2019s boat,\u201d said Fleming, \u201cIt\u2019s definitely the best experience to go right up to the dock. You can listen to the music into the night and watch the sunset over the Long Island Sound. If you can find a boat, that\u2019s definitely the best way to experience it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the years since Bob Weir performed there have been many a memorable performance. Damien Marley and Nas came through in 2010 as part of a memorable collaboration tour.<\/p>\n

The Vibes has seen icons like Jimmy Cliff, Elvis Costello and Buddy Guy come through as well as performances in recent years by bands like the Black Crowes, Jane\u2019s Addiction, The John Butler Trio and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. And while all of these acts have rocked the stage, the thing that most like most, is seeing the remaining members of the Dead back together.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The crowd on the opening night of the Vibes (Photo by Rob Pursell).<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMy favorite performance was definitely seeing the John Butler Trio.\u201d said David Palmer, a local teacher and festival regular.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were one of the best live bands I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d
\nSean Slain, another festival regular, remembers the first time he went to the festival.<\/p>\n

“I had always been a huge Dead Head growing up, and getting the opportunity to see Bob Weir that close and personal is something I’ll never forget.” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really is special,\u201d said Joe Gaetano a local record store owner, \u201cI mean seeing Bob, Phil, Billy (Kreutzmann), and Mickey (Hart) on stage is what does it for me. The fact that after all these years the guys can still jam, the fact they can keep the good feelings going, that\u2019s what is so special about Vibes.\u201d<\/p>\n

So string some flowers in your hair, and head down to Seaside Park this July for a weekend of peace, love, and good vibrations.<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO<\/strong><\/p>\n