Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival Report and Photos: Day 2

Photos by Grace Gude

The biggest enemy at Wakarusa is the heat. As soon as the sun comes up each day, the inside of the tent transforms into a sauna. No matter what time you went to bed the previous night, the heat acts as a natural alarm clock locked in at 7:30 a.m. The only way to hit the snooze button is to ooze out of the tent door and grab a few extra winks on the cool grass in the shade of the cars. But that only buys so much time as the sun climbs higher and higher into the sky.

However, despite the sweltering temperatures outside, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings didn’t seem to mind breaking a sweat during their afternoon set. Dressed in full suits and ties, The Dap-Kings kicked off the performance with a warm-up before being joined by their lead singer. Being the stellar set of musicians that make up the Daptone Records house band, they probably didn’t even really need much of a warm-up. But the little intro jam was all the crowd needed to forget they were melting under a giant fireball in the sky.

The group slowly turned up the heat by bringing out the The Dapettes, the band’s backing vocalists, one at a time. After each girl got a moment to shine on stage, Sharon Jones joined the band and kicked the energy into high gear. Dressed in a black-and-white frilly dress, Jones bounced from one side of the stage to the other in total disregard of the heat outside. As sweat poured down their faces and stained their clothes, the group dealt their soul/funk one-two punch, leaving the crowd in awe.

After Ms. Jones and her Kings tore up the stage during the day, I thought it couldn’t get any better. But I was sorely mistaken. The best show of the day, and perhaps the entire festival, belonged to My Morning Jacket. There really shouldn’t be any surprise there. MMJ has developed quite a reputation for destroying festival crowds with their mammoth performances. And with a just-released new LP in their arsenal, the band certainly wasn’t holding back for their Wakarusa set.

After unveiling a couple of tracks from Circuital, the band launched into older favorites like “One Big Holiday” and “Off the Record.” Evil Urges was also well represented with tracks like “I’m Amazed” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2.” By the time the set was over, all but one of the band’s six albums had been highlighted.

However, I must be honest here. Before Wakarusa, I had never been head-over-heels for My Morning Jacket. I know. I’m a sinner. Now don’t get me wrong: I’ve always respected the band’s musicianship, but for one reason or another, their records have just never really quite done it for me. But after seeing MMJ live, I’ve seen the light.

Brothers and sisters, I have seen the face of one of America’s rock gods, and that face belongs to Jim James. I had never really questioned James’ talent before, but after witnessing his persona live, I have been converted from a life of indifference and ignorance to one of devotion and worship. The lion-maned singer is blessed with an unparalleled energy, coupled with a strange form of relatability. He somehow manages to looks simultaneously like the guitarist from a dive bar metal band, a giant teddy bear and a normal guy . . . who happens to like wearing Dracula capes.

And what’s wrong with that?

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