June 23-26 – North Plains, OR
2nd year – Estimated attendance: 4,000
2011 Lineup: STS9 (3 shows plus acoustic set), Bassnectar, The Glitch Mob, Lotus, Beats Antique, Big Gigantic, Tycho, Emancipator, Break Science, ESKMO, Paper Diamond, Eliot Lipp, Pigs on the Wing (feat. David Murphy and David Phipps of STS9, Jeremy Salken of Big Gigantic and more), Little People, Up Until Now, Lynx, The Great Mundane, Keys N Krates, Inspired Flight, The Polish Ambassador, Octopus Nebula, The Malah, An-ten-nae
Festival Website: http://www.regenerationfestival.com/
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For the most part, the weather was ideal. It rained only one morning and only briefly. The mornings were temperate but not the searing heat you get as soon as the sun rises at some festivals. The afternoons were hot, but not humid. And the evenings were cool but not too frigid. It was pretty chilly at after the music stopped, but a comfortable sleeping bag and a sweatshirt remedied that fairly well (unless you came unprepared. . . like I did. . . and froze).
Five Highlights
Pigs on the Wing. STS9 bassist David Murphy's Pink Floyd cover band side-project proved to be a welcome break from all the heavy electro of the lineup. Joined by regular bandmate keyboardist David Phipps and Big Gigantic's Jeremy Salken, the super group powered through Floyd favorites like "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Comfortably Numb." It was a rocking set and you could tell the band was having a great time on stage, smiling, singing along and posing theatrically throughout.
Up Until Now with the brothers Murphy. After David was diagnosed with cancer, fans flocked to his Facebook and message boards to offer their sympathies and encouragement. Finally back on the festival circuit this summer after some intense treatment, you could tell he felt especially grateful and blessed. This was never more apparent than when he took the stage with younger brother Jay's electronic project Up Until Now. The two brothers smiled happily at each other multiple times during the set and it was truly an inspirational site to behold.
Saturday night encore. Old-school fans may bicker about STS9's more electronic direction the past half-decade, but all that stopped for this encore of "Breathe In" and "We'll Meet In Our Dreams." Two of the more uplifting and gorgeous songs in their catalog, rookies and veterans alike could be heard exalting the song choice and jumping with excitement during the breakdowns and peaks.
Acoustic "Circus." After debuting their "Axe The Cables" acoustic set during their New Year's Eve run in 2009, STS9 has played several shows in select cities, pulling from the same pool of songs as the inaugural event. Finally, fans got a taste of some newer, stripped down versions and went wild when the opening notes of "Circus" rang out. One of the most popular and well-known songs in their catalog, Murph even got up from his chair and walked over to Zach's drums, egging him on as they both played passionately. Following with "Roygbiv > Dance" – both debuts in this setting as well – also elicited some raucous cheering.
"Baraka." Closing the festival out right, STS9 encored with yet another beautiful song in "Baraka," leaving many fans embracing with tears streaming down their faces. Perfect ending to an emotional and awesome weekend. Not many festivals end like that.
Other than me being freezing at night (which was really my own fault), there wasn't much bad about this festival. Security could be a bit . . . creepy at times, scouring the audience and hovering over your shoulder looking for anyone drinking outside liquor or smoking anything, but they weren't heavy-handed and though policies seemed to change day-to-day, they were very upfront about it.
It sucked that music couldn't go past 1:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10:00 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday, but only Bob Horning's neighbors are to blame for that one.
Three Surprises
Glitch Mob dancer. At first, I really thought some chick jumped the guard rail and hopped on stage to dance along to the music. It wouldn't have been that hard to do. But when the long cloth was lowered from the ceiling and she began doing acrobatics 30 feet off the ground, I was mesmerized. Amazing stuff. And completely unexpected. Glad she came back for the encore.
Inspired Flight. Often, the small acts at a festival are either "meh" or "extremely meh," so I was really thrilled when Inspired Flight hit the stage. Admittedly, I'd never heard them, but the juxtaposition of indie rock guitar, old-school DJ scratching, electronic beats and an angelic-voiced female singer made for a really unique composition that incorporated numerous genres and styles. Loved their flow, their swagger and their passion.
STS9's patience. Though they didn't bust out a ton of old tracks, they played every song with real purpose and patience. A lot of people expected them to throw down with songs not heard since 2006, but the truth is, I'd rather hear tight, deliberate versions of newer songs they're really digging than sloppy, half-assed versions of old songs just to feel some nostalgia. Seeing the band enjoying themselves on stage heightened my enjoyment of the event.
A real mix of old-school STS9 fans, new-school STS9 fans and a bevy of Northwesterners looking to party. The crowd was fairly well behaved as a whole. During some shows, the atmosphere was electric and the familial essence of the Tribe community really shined through. Especially after the "Baraka."
Security was a bit tight, but they made it clear what would and wouldn't be tolerated. The staff at the gate was always very friendly as were most of the festivalgoers. Members of STS9 walked around the grounds frequently, meeting and hobnobbing with fans. It was an intimate festival and felt even smaller than it was because of how chill everyone acted.
Best Pictures
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| The Glitch Mob - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Horning's Peacock - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Pigs on the Wing - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Bassnectar - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Lotus - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| STS9 - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| STS9 - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Up Until Now - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Inspired Flight - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| STS9 Acoustic - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| STS9 Acoustic - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| ESKMO - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| STS9 - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| STS9 - Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
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| Photo Credit: Nick Rhodes |
"This is a great set. Do you have any more Ketamine?" – Some random dude directly after acoustic "Circus" at 3:45 in the afternoon.
"Murph, I wrote you a note!" – A spun chick in the front row just after throwing a crumbled up note at his feet.
"Re:Generation make some fucking noise if you're living the high life in this motherfucker." – Big Gigantic's Dom Lalli who apparently has a new promotional deal with Miller Brewing Company or something.
"Dude with the airhorn, this is where you drop it." – Bassnectar to an over-zealous fan who brought a prop to the set and used it during a rare lull. BN then proceeded to hit him with some really heavy bass. Owned.
"I love you all." – Murph's message during a particularly emotional and heartfelt break in the music.
"You win a ticket to Red Rocks." – STS9's Zach Velmer to a fan who answered an "STS9 trivia" question correctly. Zach was apparently quizzing people and giving out free tickets. Pretty sweet.
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Check out links to our day-by-day complete coverage of Re:Generation here.
What did you think of Re:Generation? Let us know in the comments below.
