H.O.R.D.E.

[Steven Maas (CUTR)]

I admit this is off-topic--but the list is slow these days, so...

I went to a H.O.R.D.E. festival (a one-day music festival tour featuring
Neil Young and Crazy Horse) last Saturday at a music park on the banks of
the Suwannee River (yes the "Swannee" that Foster never was way down
upon).  When we got there it looked kinda bleak.  The concert folks had
fenced off part of the park so that once you checked in you could never
leave--corporate sponsorship was everywhere, like worms in a rotten
apple--the only beer for sale was Bud and Bud Light (blecch).  As it got
later and the best back-up acts came on--Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Squirrel
Nut Zippers, Leftover Salmon--there were signs that maybe something
interesting was about to happen.  But all in all it still seemed a Disney
simulacrum--perhaps "Hippy Dippy Village--where you can turn on (your TV),
tune in (ABC), and drop out (into the arms of the American Dream--you'll
hardly notice one arm choking you while the other nourishes your
obsessions)."  Then NY&CH took the stage and the spirit of the
Counterforce or perhaps a blip in the universe jolted the crowd into an
altered state.  Suddenly everyone loved their neighbor (except for that
tall guy that crowded his way right in front of us) and strangers were
passing burning herbs to strangers.  Well this lasted for about an hour
and a half and then the military-industrial complex reasserted itself and
everybody went home.

	Steve Maas