Rothbury 2008: Day 4

First up on Sunday’s bill was Ingrid Michaelson, a young songwriter whose handclapped single, “The Way I Am,” helped orchestrate a recent Old Navy commercial. Michaelson has a bright future ahead of her (one that does not involve discounted jeans and stylish sweaters), and she concluded her early summer tour with a set of quirky, coffeehouse pop/rock. Kudos go to two members of her band, especially the versatile Allie Moss, as well as Miss Michaelson herself, who raps a mean version of the Fresh Prince theme.

We caught a few minutes of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s furious guitar strumming before heading off to the forest, where two gongs had been erected around a massage chair. People would take turns lying in the chair while the nearby gongs were rattled, which energizes and motivates water molecules inside the human body. We got gonged and headed back to the main stage for Trey Anastasio’s set, where a cameo appearance by Mike Gordon drove Phish nuts into hysterics.

Over at the Sherwood Court stage, Beth Orton was doing her best to battle the noise coming from the Anastasio-Gordon reunion. She joked with the audience and sang in a tremulous voice, looking both amused and terrified to be onstage. Most of the setlist emphasized her recent move toward folk-oriented acoustic tunes, which seemed to be the theme throughout Sunday afternoon.

Perhaps the polar opposite of Beth Orton was Colbie Caillat, who sashayed onto the Ranch Arena stage looking like someone from an American Eagle advertisement. Surprisingly, she only played guitar during the “Bubbly” encore; all other songs were handled by her pack of instrument-wielding pretty boys, with guitarist Justin Young standing out as the most multitalented of the bunch. Caillat was a sight for sore eyes after three days of camping amongst 40,000 sweaty festivalgoers, but her smooth, Top 40 pop didn't quite suit the festival.

John Mayer closed out the stage with 90 minutes of guitar heroics and amusing O-faces. “Bigger Than My Body,” “Why Georgia,” “Gravity” and “Say” peppered the greatest-hits set list, which also included a bluesy cover of Duffy’s “Mercy” (which, incidentally, very few people seemed to recognize). Meanwhile, girlfriend Jennifer Aniston watched from the stage wings, prompting several girls in my vicinity to squeal and recount funny episodes of Friends.

Cars were packed and tents taken down as Phil Lesh played the festival’s final show. Warren Haynes, Steve Molitz, Jackie Green, John Molo, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams all made cameo appearances, turning Rothbury’s final moments into an all-star jam session.