Labor Dave at the Gorge

We left our campsite Monday around 7:15am and arrived at SeaTac around 10:30am. Right after we went through security and started walking to the departure gate we saw the news on a nearby TV. Fires across Bastrop. Fires in Steiner Ranch. Fires in Spicewood. Remember the earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding on the east coast last week? All the while, Texas has been in a horrific drought, and now, our homes, forests, and ranches are burning up. Weather is viscous. Please put my friends Debbie and Natalie in your thoughts and prayers; they are directly affected by the Bastrop fires. As of Tuesday afternoon, some 600 homes have been destroyed, and the fires still aren't contained. Needless to say, that was a bit of a reality check for us coming home from a weekend of camping in the middle of Washington. And what a weekend it was. We spent just enough time in sunny Seattle to eat a bowl of chowder with Jackie, get a parking ticket, and see the fish toss in Pike's Place Market.

From there, it was right onto Chris's friend's quaint little house to grab a few camping supplies and then to the grocery store to purchase various provisions. This was the first time the four of us had camped without a fire or a grill, so we feared the lack of hot food (meat) might make us cranky. Fear not, for smoked salmon, cold-cut turkey, and summer sausage did the trick.

We made it to the Gorge by about 7:30pm Thursday evening and thus began an unforgettable weekend. The music was perfect. Dave performed three great sets, John Butler Trio had me smiling for a solid hour, and Brett Dennen, Dispatch, and the Belle Brigade were the icing on the cake. One artist in particular, Josh Ritter, captured my feelings particularly well during his Sunday afternoon set. He mentioned that he grew up in nearby Idaho and that he had been dreaming of performing at the Gorge since he was a little kid. That day was a dream come true for both him, and thousands of fans. He was smiling through his entire set, and I caught him taking pictures of the crowd while Dispatch played after him. I absolutely LOVE it when newer artists are so in awe of how far they've come. Josh reminded me of Regina Spektor during her ACL set a few years back. Does anybody else remember that? She kept saying, "There are so many of you!" It was great.

So, to summarize. The Gorge is worth it. Go there. See it. You will understand why artists love to play there, and why Josh Ritter dreamed about it as a little kid.

The Quest to the Gorge

The first time I saw Dave Matthews Band was at Austin City Limits Festival two years ago. They played Saturday night, which as you may recall, was the day the rain made Dillo Dirt.


Chris has seen DMB some half dozen times prior, so as soon as we got to the Zilker on Saturday, Chris chose to camp out at AT&T stage and reserve a spot as close up as he could. Thus leaving me alone, in the company of my umbrella and my poncho.

I’m sure I saw 4-5 other bands on my own throughout the day, but the only one I really remember was the Decemberists, who played right before DMB, on the stage immediately across from theirs. After they finished, I trudged through the dillo dirt, in the dark, between the masses to try and get as close to the stage as I could. With that many people around, as soon as I could see them clearly on the jumbotrons, I was satisfied.


And that began my first DMB concert experience. But wait! After the first few songs, when I was just beginning to appreciate what a fun show they had, I turn to my left and who is standing RIGHT BESIDE ME?!?! Jackie! Out of 20,000 others, what are the chances I’d stop walking right besides her? Unbelievable! And of course, the show was amazing. I was hooked. And I completely understood why Chris wasted his whole day waiting at the stage to be that close.

So, now that I’d joined the fan wagon, I would gladly see them play more! Last summer we journeyed to Houston for a Friday night show, and then drove all night to Dallas for the Saturday night show. Both were amazing, and it was an excellent weekend.


Which brings us to this year. Dave had announced he was not doing a traditional summer tour, but rather they would celebrate their 20 years on the road with a four stop, three day festival, in which they would headline ALL THREE NIGHTS. Thus far they’ve announced the first show in Atlantic City, NJ and the second in Chicago, IL. Naturally, rumors are quickly spreading that they will close the caravan tour over Labor Day weekend at their favorite venue, The Gorge.

The Gorge is an outdoor amphitheatre right on the Colombia River Valley in Washington State. It’s just outside of Seattle, and is their favorite place to play.


After the Atlantic City lineup was announced, I knew we had to go. If a 3 night DMB show is not enough to justify the trip, the following artists surely are:



In my opinion, it keeps getting better. So I can’t help but speculate who will join them at Gorge.
Dispatch – also touring this summer… a similar fan base. However I don’t know if the dudes are friends or not. But seriously, that would be aaaamazing.
The Decemberists?!?!?! - I doubt Colin Meloy has very many friends, so this might be a long shot, but their Stubbs show is already sold out, so I’d also love to see them
Citizen Cope? – Their style fits right in with what they’ve got. Oh please, oh please, oh please!
Mumford & Sons!!!!! – Again, they would fit in!! But they might be overseas at this point. Drat.

Ah, the anticipation is killing me. Based on how confident the rumors are, Chris and I very close to just booking our airfare to Seattle for Labor Day Weekend. Plane tickets are already ridiculously expensive but they are only going to go up. And I really really want to go!!!!

My Concert Resume

Taken from Austin's facebook note. and embellished.

-BEN FOLDS/Rufus Wainwright/Ben Lee: August 13, 2005, City Market, Kansas City, MO.
Attended with Laura June Ponath and Blair Miller
-SCHOOL OF ROCK AUSTIN: January 20, 2006, Redrum, Austin, TX.
Attended with Lauren Kessler, Justine Shaw, and perhaps other girls from Blanton Four.

-BEACH BOYS: February 17, 2007, AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Attended with Austin and Kerry.

-LITTLE RICHARD: March 24, 2007, University of Texas West Mall, Austin, TX
Attended with Lauren Kessler, Justine Shaw, and Austin.

-ALICE COOPER/Blue Oyster Cult: August 11, 2007, Sedalia Fairgrounds, Sedalia, MO (Missouri State Fair)
Attended with Austin, and (I think) Alex Bergman, Michael Hogan, and Eric Thomas.

-BLUE OYSTER CULT/Rockus Circus/The Krayolas: August 25, 2007, Sunken Gardens Amphitheater, San Antonio, TX
Attended with Austin.

-AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL: September 16, 2007, Zilker Park, Austin, TX.
Bob Dylan, Wilco, The Decemberists, Regina Spektor, Stephen/Ziggy Marley, Devotchka, The School of Rock All Stars.
Attended with Hank mostly.

-RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: March 5, 2008, Bovard Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
Attended with Richard Fletcher.

-FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: April 24, 2008, Amoeba Records, Los Angeles, CA
Attended with Alex Yeh, Jon Cronson, and Richard Fletcher.

-NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, April 29, 2008, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Attended with the entire UTLA crew.

-THE WHO, PEARL JAM, INCUBUS, FOO FIGHTERS, THE FLAMING LIPS, TENACIOUS D: July 15, 2008, Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA.
Attended with Elliot Smith.

-HARRY AND THE POTTERS: Summer 2008, Lawrence, KS
Attended with Jonas Davidow, Colleen VanBuskirk, Ethan Miller, Kuran Bricker, and Austin and Alex Johnston. Hopefully I didn't forget anyone.

-AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL: September 26-28, 2008, Zilker Park, Austin TX.
The Foo Fighters, Beck, The Raconteurs, The Mars Volta, Conor Oberst, Erykah Badu, G. Love & Special Sauce, Band of Horses, Silversun Pickups, Gogol Bordello, Vampire Weekend, Slightly Stoopid, Fleet Foxes, MGMT, What Made Milwaukee Famous, M. Ward, Octopus Project, White Denim, School of Rock All Stars.
Attended with James Stevens.

-MATISYAHU: November 11, 2008, Stubbs BBQ, Austin, TX
Attended with Chris.

-GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY: November 14, 2008, Stubbs BBQ, Austin, TX
Attended with Chris.

-GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY: January 30, 2009, Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX
Attended with Chris.

-BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: January 31, 2009, Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX.
Attended with Chris.

-CAKE: April 28, 2009. Stubbs, Austin, TX
Attended with Chris.

-BRYAN ADAMS: June 2, 2009. Paramount Theatre, Austin, TX
Attended with Chris.

-GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY: July 17, 2009. Whitewater Rocks Amphitheatre, New Braufels, TX
Attended with Chris.

-COUNTING CROWS/Augustana: August 3, 2009, Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX.
Attended with Chris.

-JOURNEY: September 29, 2009, The Frank Erwin Center, Austin, TX.
Attended with Chris.

-AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL: October 2-4, 2009, Zilker Park, Austin, TX.
Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, The Decemberists, The B-52s, Coheed and Cambria, Andrew Bird, Flogging Molly, Citizen Cope, Phoenix, Bassnectar, Brett Dennen, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Girl talk, Passion Pit, White Lies.
Attended with Chris.

-GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY: July 17, 2010, Whitewater Rocks Ampitheatre, New Braufels, TX
Attended with Chris, James Rexroth, Jaime Geil, Natalie Navar, Joseph Mattingly, The Woodards, The Wolfes, Hector, Mia, David Fajardo, Nick Salinas, and I'm sure there are others.

-DAVE MATTHEWS BAND: September 10, 2010, Houston, TX
Attended with Chris, Eric Weiss, Matt Probstfeld, and Monica Robb.

-DAVE MATTHEWS BAND: September 11, 2010, Dallas, TX

Attended with Chris, Eric Weiss, Matt Probstfeld, Mae Sattam, Mark Brennan, and Jessica Bush.