Delayed Strawberry Fall coverage

I had a busy schedule last week after returning from Strawberry on Labor Day, so apologies are in order for my delayed coverage. I have a lot of material that I hope to post a bit at a time all this week.

For now, some overall impressions (and a couple of photos). Going in, I thought this might not be the strongest lineup, despite the obvious intent to program many festival favorites for the 25th anniversary event. I was wrong. With headliners Sam Bush, Marty Stuart, and Rodney Crowell/Rosanne Cash supported by acts such as Rhonda Vincent and the combo Cowan, Flynn & Scott , there was plenty of star power. Laurie Lewis, Peter Ostroushko, Tom Ball & Kenny Sutton, Incendio, and Big Sandy added very solid sets. Wolfstone and Grupo Fantasmo put out high-energy sets for the dance crowd. Nostalgic throwbacks Way Out West and Fiddlestix entertained, while newcomers Blame Sally, Harry Manx, Blue Shoes and That 1 Guy all impressed.

I'll have more to say about many of these in the posts ahead. For now, I'll just congratulate Charlie Cran and company for 25 wonderful years and 45 wonderful festivals. By my calculation, if all the festivals ran back to back, it would total about 180 days of music, or roughly six months. People like to talk about how the Strawberry community resembles a city that sets up shop for two weekends a year with its own culture and customs. Imagine if it were a full-time metropolis. We'd just be beginning our second six months, but it would already be a well established utopia.