Lockn’ Festival 2018 Preview

Lockn' Festival 2018 Preview

Once again, Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia plays host to a hit jam band line-up in Lockn’, Thursday-Sunday, August 23rd-26th:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23rd

Main Stage Umphrey’s McGee, 9:45 PM The ‘progressive improvisation’ of Umphrey’s McGee (QRO photos at a festival) combines the live ways of such hippie legends as Phish and The Dead, with often-changing set lists, heavy live jam sessions, fanatic fans recording. Their more progressive-inspired music makes them a festival mainstay (QRO photos at a festival), including Lockn’ now five years in a row (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’17 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ’16 – QRO photos at Lockn’ 15 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ’14), with twice on Thursday & another on Friday (see below). Lettuce, 8:45 PM

Umphrey’s McGee, 7:30 PM Lettuce, 6:30 PM Get funky with Boston’s many-membered Lettuce (QRO photos at a festival), who play two sets on Thursday, and another late night set on Saturday (see below).

Also: Butcher Brown, 6:00 PM Erin & The Wildfire, 5:30 PM Firecracker Jam, 5:00 PM Jerry Dance Party, 4:00 PM

Relix Stage Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, 11:00 PM Furthur drummer Joe Russo teams up with Marco Benevento, Ween’s Dave Dreiwitz, and more for a third year in a row at Lockn’ (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’17 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ’16) to play the music of The Grateful Dead as Joe Russo’s Almost Dead twice (see below).

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24th

Main Stage Widespread Panic, 10:00 PM No jam act is currently working the road Widespread Panic, who play their umpteenth festival at Lockn’ (which they’ve played almost every year – QRO photos at Lockn’ ’17 – QRO photos at Lockn ’15 – QRO photos at Lockn’ 14). For this Lockn’, sitting in with them is American Made country hit Margo Price (QRO photos at Lockn’ ‘17).

George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, 8:45 PM If you don’t know who George Clinton is (QRO photos outdoors), then you should really be ashamed. One of, if not the innovator of funk, Clinton took the Motown soul sounds of the seventies and, well, funkified it. With Parliament/Funkadelic (QRO photos at a festival), he not only blew that sound up, but also blew it up on stage, introducing the kind of spectacle that all other acts still measure themselves against. “Make my funk the P. Funk / I want my funk uncut / Make my funk the P. Funk / I wants to get funked up!” (QRO photos outdoors) Clinton has announced that he’s going to retire from touring after this tour & new record Medicaid Fraud Dogg, so take the chance to get funked up one last time (QRO photos outdoors).

Umphrey’s McGee, 7:15 PM The ‘progressive improvisation’ of Umphrey’s McGee (QRO photos at a festival) combines the live ways of such hippie legends as Phish and The Dead, with often-changing set lists, heavy live jam sessions, fanatic fans recording. Their more progressive-inspired music makes them a festival mainstay (QRO photos at a festival), including Lockn’ now five years in a row (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’16 – QRO photos at Lockn’ 15 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ’14), with twice on Thursday (see below) & special Friday show with Jason Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

Toots & The Maytals, 6:00 PM Before there was reggae, there was ska. Before there was Bob Marley & The Wailers, there was Toots & The Maytals (QRO live review). The group broadened Jamaican ska into rock steady and eventually reggae – and are still going strong these many, many years later (QRO photos at a festival). They were even the musical guests when Donald Trump hosted Saturday Night Live in 2004 – and were the subject of a hilarious parody when he returned to host in 2016. They play Lockn’ with Taj Mahal.

MOON TAXI, 5:00 PM MOON TAXI (QRO photos at a festival) cross the dashed lines between indie, jam, progressive, and rock as they return to Lockn’ (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’16).

Also: Turkuaz, 4:00 PM – QRO photos at Lockn’ ‘16 Chris Harford’s Band of Changes, 3:00 PM Ghost Light, 2:00 PM Caitlyn Smith, 1:00 PM The Fuzz Band, 12:30 PM

Relix Stage Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, 12:00 AM Furthur drummer Joe Russo teams up with Marco Benevento, Ween’s Dave Dreiwitz, and more for a third year in a row at Lockn’ (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’17 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ’16) to play the music of The Grateful Dead as Joe Russo’s Almost Dead twice (see above).

SATURDAY, AUGUST 25th

Main Stage Dead & Company, 9:15 PM It’s about damn time that Dead & Company came to Lockn’! The successor to the famed, late Grateful Dead, Dead & Co. feature not just Deadheads like Bob Weir (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’17), Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann, but modern artists like the big-name John Mayer! Oh, and they play two sets on Saturday – and two sets on Sunday (see below)!

Tedeschi Trucks Band, 7:05 PM Husband-and-wife duo Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi front the Tedeschi Trucks Band (QRO photos), a rare male-female duo where the woman gets first billing. The Grammy Award-winning blues-rock outfit have played Lockn’ practically every year it’s been around (QRO photos at Lockn’ 15 – QRO photos at Lockn’ 14), and play both Saturday and Sunday (see below).

Foundation of Funk, 6:05 PM It’s a celebration of 50 years of The Meters, with George Porter Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, Cyril Neville, Ivan Neville, Tony Hall & more.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, 5:05 PM Catch the Baltimore funk of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (QRO photos), road warriors who do something like 200 shows a year, as they return to Lockn’.

Keller & The Keels, 4:05 PM For every Lockn’ Festival, there has been “one-man jam-band” Keller Williams (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’17 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ‘16 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ’15), who is a regular at many other festivals (QRO photos at a festival). And he also does his morning Keller Williams’ Grateful Gospel on Sunday (see below).

Also: Big Something, 3:05 PM Agents of Good Roots, 2:05 PM The Suffers, 1:35 PM – QRO photos Southern Avenue, 1:05 PM People’s Blues of Richmond, 12:35 PM Disco Risque, 12:05 PM

Relix Stage Lettuce, 12:00 AM Get funky with Boston’s many-membered Lettuce (QRO photos at Lockn’ ‘16), who play two sets on Thursday (see above), and another late night set on Saturday, this time celebrate JGB with Eric Krasno.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 26th

Main Stage Dead & Company, 8:45 PM It’s about damn time that Dead & Company came to Lockn’! The successor to the famed, late Grateful Dead, Dead & Co. feature not just Deadheads like Bob Weir (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’17), Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann, but modern artists like the big-name John Mayer! Oh, and after playing two sets on Saturday (see above), they do two sets on Sunday, with jazz legend Branford Marsalis.

Tedeschi Trucks Band, 6:35 PM Husband-and-wife duo Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi front the Tedeschi Trucks Band (QRO photos), a rare male-female duo where the woman gets first billing. The Grammy Award-winning blues-rock outfit have played Lockn’ practically every year it’s been around (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’16 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ‘15 – QRO photos at Lockn’ ‘14), and play both Saturday (see above) and Sunday.

Sheryl Crow, 5:25 PM You already know hit songstress Sheryl Crow (QRO photos outdoors). She’s mixed country, pop, and rock to become a Top 40 mainstay for far more years than most women in music are allowed. She’s racked up Grammy nominations & wins, appeared on everything from Cougar Town to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Kid Rock. She (QRO photos outdoors) comes to Lockn’ behind last year’s Be Myself.

Blues Traveler, 4:15 PM Princeton, New Jersey knows how to bring the jam, from Phish frontman Trey Anastasio to all of the Blues-rock Blues Traveler, who hit it big back in 1994 for fourth album Four. The drug overdose of bassist Bobby Sheehan & singer John Popper’s (QRO photos at Lockn’ ’15) weight struggles caused struggles for the band, who were dropped from their major label at the start of this millennium/century, but that only opened the door for an independent road, including the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival). They come to Lockn’ in the run-up to October’s release of Hurry Up and Hang Around.

Matisyahu, 3:15 PM Everyone’s favorite Jewish reggae/alternative/hip-hop artist (QRO photos) will also provide plenty of moments for dancing (QRO photos at a festival), but these moments are more of the lets all hold hands and sway back and forth (QRO live review) because if this very Jewish man (QRO photos on Hanukah) can make reggae sound this good (QRO photos at a festival), then anything is possible (QRO photos at a festival).

Also: Spafford, 2:15 PM The Judy Chops, 1:45 PM Keller Williams’ Grateful Gospel, 12:30 PM – QRO photos at Lockn’ ’17