Photo: Kristopher Marx

Generally celebrated for class trips and patriotic tourism, the National Mall doesn't generate much excitement in the DC area on a regular basis.  So when word got around that DC would host the flagship of the 3rd annual Green Apple Festival, the city's denizens prepared to loosen up their neck-ties and unearth their Birkenstocks for a long day of free Earth saving performances.  With line up changes occurring up until just days before, it was tough to wrap one’s head around specifics beyond live music by The Roots, O.A.R., Umphrey's McGee, Warren Haynes and a smattering of notable guest appearances.           

The organizers of the event went to great length to ensure that the event was as Green as possible – going so far as employing bike valets, hundreds of groovy garbage receptacles and plenty of clean earth information for the tens of thousands estimated to show up.  The only attendee they couldn't account for was Mother Nature herself.

Eddie Vedder’s west coast solo tour swung by the City of Angels on April 12th and 13th for a two-night stint at the historic Wiltern Theater near downtown LA (dubbed "The Wiltern" due to its location on the corner of Wilshire & Western Boulevard).  The venue was flanked with dedicated fans hours before the show as crowds lined the sidewalk in hopes of scoring what was quite possibly the hardest ticket in Los Angeles, even for well-connected industry folks.  Inside, the theatre bustled with loud, rambunctious fans, eager to see the Pearl Jam front-man take the stage.

As Vedder appeared from behind the curtain to screams of “I Love you, Eddie!” he proceeded to settle in to his intimate stage setup, consisting of a reel-to-reel tape player, road cases, and a large amplifier. Vedder opened both performances with the Daniel Johnston cover “Walking the dog”, and although Saturday and Sunday’s set-lists contained mostly the same songs, he was able to create two totally different musical experiences on back-to-back nights.

Victor Wooten was welcomed home by a near capacity crowd at the State Theater in Falls Church, Virginia on Friday, March 28. The Hampton Roads area native allowed the incoming crowd to warm up under the cover of smooth jazz at the venue’s surplus of bars, though in about two beers time he bagged the leisure and turned up the funk.        

Chemistry was the word of the night as the band ripped through a high energy set outfitted with a few sluggish numbers featuring Saundra Williams (a.k.a "The Voice") giving everyone a soulful break.  Although Wooten has earned four Grammy Awards, he shared the stage as if he wasn't the billboard draw. Supported by a group of gifted and enthusiastic musicians, The Victor Wooten Band ran the show more like The Victor Wooten Circus.

Photo: Sam Freidman