One would think that Mempho Music Festival would be a
massive and crowded event considering the huge names on the bill: The Black
Keys, Widespread Panic, and Wilco. But I was surprised to find a
delightfully-sized fest in the middle of the absolutely lovely Memphis Botanical
Gardens that put all those bands on two stages that rotated bands so that each
one had equal time. You could experience everything and really enjoy your time
here. It was difficult to find an area that was not nice to look at or to
lounge in while listening to all of the great bands.
Jack Daniel's Honey was on-hand to let the attendees be the
star of their own show. You just climb aboard the bus, choose a song from the
DJ, and belt into the microphone. They even gave everyone a thumbdrive with a
video of their performance. I chose to keep my beverage options to low ABV to
ensure that I could see and hear all the music. I had to get a tall boy of local
beer to complete the experience, and my go-to choices were Wiseacre Brewing Co.'s
Tiny Bomb American Pilsner with the occasional Ananda IPA peppered in
throughout the weekend.
I cannot say enough about the Oakland, CA-based band that
played before The Black Keys' set, but I also can't explain their show fully in
words. Fantastic Negrito was indeed fantastic, and then some. They are
truly one of the best bands I've ever witnessed. It was like James Brown came
back to life in the body of the super-cool vocalist Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz,
and hired Led Zeppelin as the backing band. Fantastic Negrito's completely
original sound had elements of disco, heavy rock, funk, and things I've just
never even heard before. I loved the use of soulful organ, and the spciy hot
guitar. Fantastic Negrito was cutting into the Black Keys time, which was fine to
those of us who were transfixed until the last sweet second.
The Black Keys came out to huge applause and excitement;
their band name shone in massive letters high above the musicians. Dan Auerbach
looking cool in his sunglasses shared equal space in the middle of the stage
with his long-time musical partner Patrick Carney. Patrick's drums were at the
very front of the stage, and their rainbow colors made them impossible to fade
into the dark background. The popular bluesy rock duo played their biggest hits
and the crowd gleefully bobbed along. While no one was in a rush to leave after
The Black Keys ended their long set, there were two more days to go home and
get ready for.
Saturday was the day that I wanted to take a closer look at
the Silent Disco Dome. I'm not into silent discos, but I'm very much into fire.
The top of the dome featured real fire quietly burning the through the roof. Every
now and then between bands, the fire's operator would set off the massive
torches drawing transfixed crowds to the dome. It was especially cool when he
would set them off to the beat of the music. Honestly, I probably spent too much
time just watching fire.
The guys in the rock band Big Ass Truck are the
native sons of Memphis college rock, and it felt like a family reunion for many
in the crowd. Some people around me expressed that exact sentiment. It was easy
to tell when they started out making music; the DJ spinning the occasional hip
hop embellishment came straight out of the late 1990s. Big Ass Truck was
nostalgic for those who knew them, and their sound was nostalgic for those who
didn't. Other than their music, I loved watching the sign language interpreters
stationed at the side of the stage who danced along to the fun, upbeat rock as
they translated.
Walking around and people watching, it was evident who was
there for "Widespread." I'm pretty sure some fans were calling themselves
Widespread heads, much like Grateful Dead fans call themselves Dead Heads. In
fact, this afternoon kind of had that same feel: people are extremely loyal to
Widespread Panic because it's a ritual now much like Dead Heads religiously follow
around the Grateful Dead.
Widespread Panic may have started their show off with
thousands of people whooping and hollering, but their smooth funk jam session mellowed
everyone out. Many people were happy to sit among the trees far back from the
stage and just vibe. Those closer to the stage moved and grooved with the
biggest smiles on their face.
Sunny Sunday at Mempho Fest had one guy I was
extremely excited to see. Louisiana-born, Chicago-bred, Mississippi-living
bluesman Bobby Rush was here to add some serious old school tunes to the
mix. Though the sun was shining so bright on Bobby's gold jacket, I would swear
I was in a small, smokey juke joint in the middle of the night. Soul-bending
guitar notes, Bobby's jangling harmonica, and some Chicago-blues horns all
worked to let Bobby's voice and personality shine. He didn't just sing and play
harp, he joked, he entertained, he looked at you right in your eyes and told
you how it is. If you haven't seen Bobby before, his next show is the time. If
not this one, the next one. Get my drift?
It was awesome to see New Orleans' own Tank & The
Bangas representing in Memphis. Tank and her big, stage-filling band
clearly had some long-running fans in the crowd, and they had many intrigued
listeners who surely became fans after this set. Tank donned a cool yellow
dress with a kind of comic book art on it. As she crooned and engaged the crowd
with her gleeful banter, the band grooved on. I especially enjoyed how
prominent the keyboards were; the chill, upbeat notes set a lovely tone that
people plugged into. As always, saxophonist Albert Allenback's hot playing allowed
the chill vibe to heat up when needed.
I was too fested out to stay to the end of Widespread Panic's
closing show, but the feel and the funk was much like the night before except
for one thing. Bobby Rush rushed the staged and joined Widespread for a blues
number or two including "Bowlegged Woman." Bobby even pulled out his harmonica
for a solo. I thoroughly enjoyed the slightly darker tone of these edgy blues
songs. This felt like real Memphis music!
