Gnumoon's Stuff: Liveblogging

12:45 p.m. - I'm back again. Finally. The photographers/media must have pissed someone off last year, because we got demoted and have to park in Siberia somewhere. It's a harrowing golf cart ride down the mountain to get to the actual festival. It's like some lame-ass "let's-ride-this-because-the-line-for-the-Tennessee-Tornado-is-too-long" ride at Dollywood. I'm constantly ready to leap to safety if the brakes decide they just can't handle it.
I also just realized I left my meal card in my jeans from yesterday. That means scavenging from the artists' Get-Away tent where I'm based. Luckily they didn't specify you have to be a musical artist... here's a very lovely fingerpainting of a duck. May I have a bagel now, please?

1:15 p.m. - Just bumped into John Paul Jones. He seems very nice. Successfully resisted the urge to break into "Immigrant Song." Aeeeyaaaaaahhhhhhhhh-AH!

1:45 p.m. - Just got confirmation that Otis just finished her first half-marathon over in Nashville. Good on you, baby! Go eat a cheesecake!

2:42 p.m. - If you are a photographer or have somehow procured yourself a photo PASS, please note that the platforms are for WORKING, not for having the best possible vantage point to watch your favorite band. This belly, it is large, and it might just accidentally displace you...it's about 8 feet down. Think about it.

4:10 p.m. - The Duhks' set turned out to be pretty eventful. Evidently those of the avian persuasion prefer Nikon, because a bird crapped all over me and my new Canon.
Luckily I got it cleaned up and got back on the platform in time for special guest JPJ to come out and jam with the band for "Whole Lotta Love." Sweeeeet.
Then he was just back here in the tent and again I didn't ask him for an autograph...someday I might regret it, but I feel like such a dork doing that. There's something inherently odd about knowing more about someone else than they know about you, and I'd imagine that in reverse it gets downright creepy. You never want to be the "You're definitely the most underrated member of Zep!" guy, who I heard earlier. What an ass.

In other news, this may be my favorite picture I've ever taken. There is SO MUCH in that little girl's expression, not the least of being "Oh my god, dad, are you are going to still look like this when I'm trying to date?!":

6:57 p.m. - I've had a most enjoyable 2 hour break, wandering around the festival and eating some good food. Now it's time for tonight's home stretch... the Homecoming Jam, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, and Allison Krauss and Union Station. That'll take us through until 11 pm.