Fans hail music at Telluride fest

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 19, 2004 by J. ADRIAN STANLEY THE GAZETTE

TELLURIDE - It's midday in this mountain town and the Grinch has stolen the sunshine.

Josh Davis of Steppin' In It pauses mid-act to remind the audience of the 31st annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, which runs through Sunday, that, "It's just a little hail!"

The crowd has noticed.

Across the great patchwork of tarps, festival-goers huddle under ponchos, umbrellas and raincoats on this gray Thursday.

As a man in the crowd greets friends near the stage, a large lizard squirms deeper in his backpack, it's green tail whipping back and forth.

It seems to keep time with the music at this, the biggest music festival in the West, a place that was fiddling around with roots music and endless jams before they became the rage.

The Telluride Bluegrass Festival has grown into a kind of modern Woodstock, a place where neo-hippies and old-school-hippies- turnedyuppies groove out together on the grass and get down to such festival faves as Sam Bush and fun guests, including Ani DiFranco.

The sound on this chilly Thursday afternoon is warm and joyful. As the hail turns to rain, it becomes apparent that the faces peeping from under tent fabric and plastic hoods are smiling.

Barefoot children dance in the wet grass. On a baseball diamond, a few people play with Hula Hoops. Babies' heads emerge from their mothers' fleecy chests.

Much like Dr. Seuss' Whos from Whoville, joined in song minus their Christmas goodies, the folks here -- young and old, tall and small -- are dancing without any sunshine at all.

As they sway and wiggle -- dreadlocks shaking, long skirts flapping in the wind -- the sun peeks through, illuminating the craggy peaks, waterfalls and vibrant hills overlooking the tiny town.

Later in the day, Jorma Kaukonen will play some mellow-time music that's smooth as butter. Natalie Mac-Master will take the stage with more energy than a 3-year-old on a sugar high, and show the audience the masterful fiddle playing and traditional step dancing she learned from her Scottish family in Canada.

Later still, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Guy Clark and Joe Ely will take the stage and play like old friends enjoying an evening on a back porch.

They will be joined by Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle for a rendition of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land."

But that is all later. For now the crowd is content to emerge from makeshift coverings and greet the sun and sounds of Telluride.

THE DETAILS

The 31st annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival

When: Today and Sunday

Where: Telluride Town Park

Tickets: $55 per day (at press time, Saturday was sold out, but tickets were available for Sunday; go online to www.planetbluegrass.com for more details.)