For more than a decade, the Gathering of the Vibes has been one of the highlights of the summer festival season. It started in 1996 as a Jerry Garcia memorial event called "Deadhead Heaven," and has been growing in size and reputation ever since. Many musicians number the Vibes, as it's called for short, among their very favorite events to play, and audiences feel much the same.
On August 9-12, the Vibes will return, after several years in upstate New York, to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT, a gorgeous 370 acre space on the shore of Long Island Sound that hosted memorable editions of the festival in 1999 and 2000.
This year's Vibes will live up to the event's original "Deadhead Heaven" heritage in a big way, with several members in good standing of the Grateful Dead alumni association providing some of the musical thrills: Bob Weir and Ratdog make their third consecutive appearance; the Mickey Hart Band will feature a very special lineup of players, including Steve Kimock, George Porter, Jr., John Molo, Jen Durkin and Sikiru Adepoju; Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay will be on hand with her new band, Donna Jean and The Tricksters, and also is slated to sit in with Zero.
There will be plenty of friends of the GD family to be seen and heard as well, including Dark Star Orchestra, Los Lobos, Buddy Guy, George Clinton & P-Funk, The Wailers, Dickey Betts and the Great Southern, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, David Gans and many others on three stages. Also: an area hosting a variety of vitally important non-profit organizations, a "kids' corner," and much more.
For full details and schedule, visit the official website.