Everything I Hoped It Could Be I spent the weekend basking in the sunny, cloudless skies of Lawrence, Kansas at the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival.

That's right, kids. A big, fat, long jam laden, hippie music fest.

It was bliss.

First (and best) I got to hang the whole weekend with my two younger brothers, Brad and Chris, a feat that in our busy adult lives is harder than I ever thought it would be.

Second, I got to indoctrinate two of my close friends Rob and JJ into the fray. They passed with flying colors and sometime during Mofro's set on Saturday, JJ -- who never really got what I liked about the jam scene -- looked at me and simply said, "I get it."

And Rob, well, old hard rock guy Rob got two killer bands --Gov't Mule and Rosehill Drive and two killer old school rock covers. Mule did Zep's "No Quarter" and Rosehill took on Sabbath's "Faeries in Boots." You're not gonna hear either of those songs at a Matchbox 20 show, kids.

All in all, it was the music that brought us together and we got the sun and the beers and the camping as ancillary gifts. It was me, Rob, JJ, Brad, Chris and Kristy -- and approximately 50,000 people who spent an entire weekend sharing the groove.

And, in my life, at 35, I'd rather have someone to share the groove with than to listen to my iPod all by myself.

Tug's Waka 5:
1. Gov't Mule -- 2 1/2 hour set of face-melting blues rock. Thanks Warren.

2. MOFRO -- Florida swamp (whatever that is) that took us all up a tree, threw rocks at us for a hour and then helped us down and gave us a pull off their whiskey bottle.

3. North Mississippi All-Stars -- I heard their record a few years ago and wasn't down. After this, I am. Go see live music, people. All the time.

4. Moonshine Still -- Thought they were acoustic bluegrass. Was I wrong. That 9-minute "Bullet the Blue Sky" was shocking. So much so that I bought the CD of the set right after the show.

5. Rosehill Drive -- a trio of early 20s lads that were the toast of the festival. For very good reason. They have a hard-rocking sound that brings 70s era Rush to mind. They're the ones that covered Sabbath.

Honorable Mention -- Particle. A ton of energy in their instrumental jams. And Axel F? Who would have ever thought someone would cover Harold Faltermeyer's Axel F?

Approximately 360 days till next year's fest. Wonder when tickets go on sale?
  ¶ 11:25 PM