This year, the name Sunshine Music Festival was a bitter tinge of irony on an uncharacteristically cold Florida Saturday afternoon and evening. A grey, woolen blanket of cloud cover hung over the sky for what should have been a majority of the daylight hours. Though one might assume a longer summer day would be more suitable for the name Sunshine.
But regardless of the frigid irony, spirits were high in St. Pete’s beautiful Vinoy Park. Live Nation brought Sunshine’s trademark tag teaming stages back, causing flocks of mini, folding chair camps to be temporarily abandoned while the other stage was playing. We got through the gates as Galactic began its set on the “Second Stage.”
SUNSHINE 2017
Deadheads, gorgeous weather both flock to Vinoy Park for Sunshine Music Festival
While people weren’t dressed as comfortably as they were able to last year, the heavily bundled crowd smiled and rocked along to Galactic’s New Orleans jam stylings while wind whipped against their backs. Somewhere during the set, I wrote “trumpet stank” in my notepad, which I guess was in reference to the stanky trumpet newly added trumpeter Shamarr Allen was laying down on stage.
No one was happier than the vendors at the festival who sold jackets. I talked to multiple vendors who had sold out of all of their jackets and most of their boho blankets. But as the night continued, it only got colder and colder; fingers grew numb outside of pockets and toes did the same from inside their shoes. Last year it seemed like nearly everyone was sporting one of the $10-$13 beers the festival gets thirsty patrons to spring for, but perhaps this year was too cold for beer. More popular this year was wine in a tall, bong shaped glass.
It seems this year was too cold for the boats that basked along the parks seawall, with only one or two vessels sticking around at a given moment. The cold didn’t stop festival goers from dangling their feet over the edge though, and a hand full of us were so lucky as to watch a dolphin hunt and pin a mullet to the wall right below our hanging legs. Just off to the right of the view were cranes wading in the bay, not like the stoic bird, but the large machines building the new and really expensive St. Pete pier.
Mike Gordon did a pleasant mix of jam, funk and rock with a pair of each instrument: two drummers, two synths, and two guitars. It was like the Noah’s Ark of jam bands. Many of you may know Mike Gordon as the bass player of Phish, and you know he played some classic Phish tunes for this nostalgic crowd.
Gordon was followed by Hot Tuna, which is an incredible name for a blues band. While the members in the band are somewhat fluid, the band name generally refers to the collaboration of former Jefferson Airplane bassist and guitarist, Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen respectively. It was a wide ranging set in terms of style and feel throughout, with the band even playing a few Jefferson Airplane songs to the crowd’s delight.
Closing out the night was legendary Jacksonville blues rock group Tedeschi Trucks Band, back from last year’s Sunshine Music Fest. Derek Trucks, former Allman Brother, had a tough year of loss in 2017, losing his uncle and former band member Butch Trucks, as well as band member Greg Allman, and mentor Col. Bruce Hampton. CL music editor Ray Roa spoke with Derek about this and his current band’s busy schedule before the show in an interview you can read here. Despite the loss and possible fatigue, Butch and his wife Susan Tedeschi put on an incredibly soulful and heartwarming show, even as the increasing cold of the night may or may not have left some confused.
While [CL photographer] Kaylee Lopresto was up in the pit taking photos, a security guard that had been eyeing me for a while approached me and asked, “Is that the lady from Fleetwood Mac?”
“That’s Susan Tedeschi,” I said.
“Is she the lady from Fleetwood Mac?” he asked again.
“Stevie Nicks,” I replied.
“Ah.” He then returned to his post.
