Back in 1969, The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was billed as “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music,” taking place on Max Yasgur’s farm in the Catskill Mountains. It was groundbreaking at the time, housing around 500,000 young people and hosting 32 incredible acts on one outdoor stage. The festival was proof that an enormous sum of people could successfully come together and appreciate music, peacefully, side by side. It was as simple as that. 46 years later, Mountain Jam has accomplished a similar vibe.
Nestled in the beautiful Catskill Mountains, the festival is set up at the base of Hunter Mountain, one of the Northeast’s most pristine natural amphitheaters. 2015 performers included Alabama Shakes, Robert Plant, The Black Keys, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Lake Street Dive, Grace Potter, moe., Gov’t Mule, Budos Band, Big Gigantic, The Wailers, Rebelution, Shakey Graves, Hurray for the Riff Raff and many more. Between the two outdoor stages there was continuous music all day and night, timed so beautifully that hardly a moment went by without hearing live music. With no two acts overlapping each other, the setup allowed the audience to be fully present with the performer, giving both the listener and the artist a chance to really appreciate the magic occurring in front of their very eyes.
“There are some good vibes out there today,” said Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, just moments before beginning her set. “I wonder what would happen if we took it a little further…” she said slowly, eying the audience. She proceeded to break into “Rise To the Sun,” slaying it per usual. The moment she opened her mouth and began to sing, there was a palpable feeling that the music we were hearing was special. It is different from the “popular” music of today, yet it’s vital to our current existence because it is real, it makes you feel things, and it reaches all people, young and old. It felt like something epic was happening, like what we were witnessing could eventually go down in history as one of the best shows and events of our lifetime, and that maybe this is what it felt like at Woodstock all those years ago, when a young Grace Slick appeared with Jefferson Airplane. When something is that good you recognize it instantly. No cell phone or video footage can do it justice. You have to be there to truly understand.
Watching young bands like Alabama Shakes and Lake Street Dive alongside classics like Robert Plant makes you realize that Rock and Roll is not dead. The energy and the passion for it is still very much alive. The thousands of Mountain Jam attendees, young and old, can certainly attest to that. Even when it was pouring rain Friday night, it didn’t stop the youthful and the not-so-youthful from getting down to Grace Potter. It didn’t stop the crowd from standing in the mud to see Robert Plant, and then to eventually see one of the highlights of the weekend, Gov’t Mule covering Pink Floyd dubbed Dark Side of the Mule (Listen to the set here). If anything it just gave the festival a little twist. Something to laugh about.
There is no doubt that the music brought everyone together for a very special mountain jam this year. One that was peaceful, with a spectacularly lively audience, and stacked with some incredible talents of a lifetime. One that will certainly not be forgotten.
Words by Katie Pearlman, Photos by Greg Horowitz. Full gallery at the bottom
