Last nights festivities include an amazing thunder and lightening storm that swept through the grounds towards the end of Thursday and the beginning of Friday’s festivities. Since I and at least 5k others were on the dance floor we enjoyed a first hand look the light and sound of Mother Nature’s own addition to the festivities. Have to say it was pretty fitting given that I personally saw it from the Lightning stage.
LIBers took it instride of course, as if it was just another part of the scheduled activities. It did cause a couple of short schedule suspensions during Friday's early morning activities as the LIB Pope and others checked to be certain that all the electrical and staging had survived Mom’s additions. Just shows you that I’m not the only parent, grandparent that wants to be part of the festival.
Many my self included woke up to a bit more dampness than planned, but we quickly dried out and prepared for the day. Luckily when I surfaced around 5am my mainline coffee supplier the 11th Hour Coffee Co was already supplying the magic elixir. They even had my secret stash of half and half.. none of that almond milk for me. How do you even milk and almond anyway?
Next up for me (after a shower) was the ArtClave and a session called “Art Must Be Easy: Drawing Techniques” given by Adam One. He taught a method that really freed me up… basically draw from the shoulder, let the lines be super light, and start with a big piece of paper just doodling, straight lines, circles, squares and such, without any declared intentions.
He started us with pens not pencils and had us forsake hard lines that predeclared our intention to draw something, you know a monkey, a house, whatever. Confession… I've never really started drawing without having something in mind… you know. Now I’m going to draw a dragon! Like I said it was freeing.
Wait a minute... Now I remember… as a kid I use to doodle, daydream, imagined without purpose…hmm haven’t done that in a while. Thanks Adam, thanks LIB!
Hung out a bit with my fellow campers, Drew, Trevor, Patrick Darius and Mikey..(plus about six others) if this were Big Sur Peiffer State Park we would all be considered camping in together in a single space…thats four tents, five cars, 4 easy-up tents and lots of gear, and we have one of the more spacious spots. It's all like modern version of the 50’s collegiate telephone booth shenanigans… whoops sorry guys, most of you haven’t even seen a phone booth or for that matter know what shenanigans means (think of monkeys and a barrel)
Anyway its PERFECT! We talk, share and enjoy the event together.
Right now were getting ready for tonight’s shows, they’ve been working on several of the bigger stages continuously since the festival opened and probably for several weeks before. Installing lights, sound, techno, led creations that all play a lot of bass. LIB already reverberates with the bass beat on a dozen venues so I can only imagine what tonight will be like.
A word or three about the music… BASS, BEAT, REPEAT!!!!! This is music to feel, music to dance too! For the most part it doesn’t require a band, just a DJ, Beat Master extraordinaire. We go from stage to stage and let the music do its thing, most LIBers are dressed in something between, Mardi Gras and Cos Play, playful, fun, sexy .. preferably with lots of shine baubles and led lights.A fair amount of fur, tails, cartoon characters and flesh. That being said everybody is very respectful of each others personal space. Everybody is here to have a good time and no-one wants to ruin another's enjoyment of the festival.
Surprises …
1. Almost no bands.. a few and they were good. Most music is supplied by Dj’s and amazing music it is. More frickin music than I’ve ever heard at any festival from 6am to 4am there’s beat on the grounds somwhere usually everywhere.
2. Where the Frick does all the trash go… 20k people walking and cavorting on the grounds as late as 4am, maybe later, I don’t know. I wake up and go for a walk at 5:30am and there is not a piece of trash ANYWHERE! I know they have the Green Team... I know LIBers use the tri-recepticals but come on. If they can solve this problem then global warming shouldn’t be a problem for them. After that what world peace?????
3. So far Ive seen maybe 6-8 Peace Officers walking around and never seen any security less stressed. I watch LIBers go up and thank them for showing up. The Pope came through the campgrounds and asked all LIBers to please stop bringing their private stashes into the music venues and evidently they unanimously agreed.
I can go on and on but honestly I need to take a nap and then get back on the dance floor.
Love you all
Craig