Water is Life

We don't go to a ton of concerts — more than in my previous relationship (my ex did not like them), but les than when I lived in London (which was a long time ago). And I don't think Beatrix had ever been to a "real" concert. So we were super-excited to go to the Honor the Earth: Water is Life festival in Duluth yesterday, even though it meant a long drive.

Some quick stops at Ursa Minor and Wild State before we hit the concert grounds in Bayfront Park.

We didn't have to park too far away and found a free lot.

And we found a great place to sit.

The afternoon was warm and sunny. Bayfront Park is beautiful and it was great to watch the water. I wish we had done more of it actually, we could still have heard the music. But it was nice to people watch and just listen.

We wandered the vendors and noticed the food vendors already seemed a little tapped out. Patrick got a t-shirt at the merch tent but they did not have my size in the one I wanted.

Bands played, there was am amazing hoop dancer on stage.

Plus ran into great people we knew.

The giant puppets came out.

The acts started to ramp up more at the end. Dessa had been scheduled to close the small stage, but when Allison Russell cancelled due to illness she was brought to the main one. And she ROCKED it with the best performance of the day, IMO.

Between acts, amazing leaders came to the stage and discussed the water protection movement (and a push for hemp too which Beatrix was less excited about). D'Pharoah and Quannah answered questions. I think everyone learned a lot, and people were recognized for their leadership. Lots of women leading. That was cool.

Low was ... Low-like. Patrick missed the whole set looking for food (which, along with toilet paper in the portapotties, was non-existent by then). Beatrix and I thought Low is really best experienced in someone's living room with a glass of wine.

Oh, and by then it was getting cold. "I should have brought another layer" cold (though we had extra sweaters and blankets. Amy Ray later thanking the house manager for use of a sweatshirt cold. Fog coming on off the lake and onto the stage cold. "It's fall" cold.

Ani DiFranco, one tiny woman with a guitar that would not behave at first came onto stage and dispelled a lot of that cold. She is still A Force. I've seen Ani 3x and the GenX Elder Ani might be my favorite.

The concert closed tight the Indigo Girls, in fine (closer to fine?) form and a lot of singing along.

Beatrix was so cold by that point that we packed up near the end of their (short-ish) set and watched the end of the concert from the back. 

Had we turned around, apparently we would have seen the Northern Lights (photo not mine, from Catherine Bliss on the event page). That might be my only regret of the night.

Got to the car, got some snacks, drove home. Not half bad for that kind of concert experience.