PlayinDead Concert Photography

Wanee Festival 2008

My first trip down to Live Oak, FL was certainly a memorable one. Two days of nearly flawless weather, outstanding music, and great people. On this journey I was fortunate enough to have my girlfriend by my side who had not yet experienced the power of a Government Mule show. Robyn who has a passion for old fashioned blues music was truly blown away by the likes of Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, and Larry McCray.

For me, I have seen many of these bands perform before, but was still astonished by the power and emotion that each act brought to this festival. Warren said it best, “We were given a lemon and we’re just trying to make lemonade”. I cannot agree more, every band was playing their heart out in hopes of compensating for the missing Gregg Allman. Some stand out acts for me were Papa Mali, Tinsley Ellis, Ratdog, and Greyboy Allstars.

The ultimate blowout of the two days had to be the Wanee Family Jam. A mixture of Allman Brother’s classics and historically profound cover songs, this was the show to see. Warren made sure that this would be the ultimate crowd pleaser as he called upon guest after guest to join him on stage. It seemed that nearly everyone who played at Wanee joined in on the family jam putting thier own spin on songs like Sugaree, All Along the Watchtower, Dazed and Confused, and The Sky is Crying.

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