Franti in Vermont-y

For weeks I had been wanting to get tickets to see Michael Franti and Spearhead but it wasn't until the day of the show that I got it togetha. It was an outdoor concert at Shelburne Farms and part of what held me back from buying tickets was the fear of thunderstorms rollin' in (as is is customary in the afternoon/evening round these parts as of late). On Friday I checked the weather report and there was no sign of storms, so I made a half-hearted attempt at getting my friend Sherri to come, writing: "I prolly shouldn't go anyway, I have a lot of work to finish for tomorrow but it would be fun". To my surprise, she was up for it. Then I had to decide - was I? Did I really want to fork over the duckets? Did I really want to sit in a field, with bugs, and hundreds of people... and use a porta-potty (eek!)? More importantly, could I really finish all the jewelry that was very close to being done for the Market, pack up, doll up and drive there in time? I guess the answer was YES!!! Just as we decided we would go, they stopped selling the tickets online, so Sherri went all the way there to buy tickets (we thought they might sell out).

Being at a concert in a field took me back to my college days, I think the last such event I attended was - (yikes) 8 years ago! We snagged a spot right up close. We caught a bit of the Bread and Puppet show, then walked around, ate burritos and ran into lots of friends. Neither of us had ever seen Michael Franti and Spearhead before and they were just amazing. So soulful and so full of positive vibes. We danced our butts off and boy was it hot out and sooooo humid but that didn't stop us! While dancing, my friend Meghan (McCormick) took this sublime photo of Michael with my camera. Since this was an early show (6-9:30) there were children and families all around. People were dancing and eating and hoola-hooping and smiling and... enjoying life. The setting sun provided a lovely backdrop to this already ethereal scene. The whole experience just felt so wholesome and nourishing and Vermont-y. This is why I live here.

We even had a "My Blue Heaven" moment. I had recently watched that movie (for the, I don't know, 100th time) and I love the scene where Joan Cusack just lets loose dancing to the Meringue at dusk. Once the sun went down, it felt easier to dance and Sherri and I went skipping and spinning through the fields. And to think I almost missed this.