Reggae on the River 2017 Experience

The Overall experience on Reggae on the River 2017 was that of an extremely chilled out group of hippies partying away their summers on the river. Almost no fights to be seen. A dab bar in the VIP section and enough ganja to kill small cats. Plenty of food from all over the world, and the blazing hot 100 degree Humboldt sunshine.

The Vibe – (check out a video here)

The river was flowing solidly this year which was great because the sun was extremely hot. The festival takes place in a river basin so finding shade is a must to survive the hot sun of mid-day. Lots of ages, families, and diversity within the community at Reggae.

The Lineup

The Headliners slayed their sets, especially the Friday and Saturday crew including Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, J Boog, Cherine Anderson, and Sly and Robbie, who were the primary acts of the festival. Each of the artists brought their own unique vibe which is important because the reggae begins to get repetitious usually on the first day. But this only highlighted the talents of Bands like Slightly Stoopid and Stick Figure, both of whom stood out from the crowd, followed closely by J Boog and Cherine.

Cherine Anderson had a voice not soon to be forgotten…

Look for big things coming from this entertainer in the future, especially at Reggae on the River, her voice and personality were unique, provocative, and extremely fun. One of the top performers at Reggae on the River 2017

J Boog takes Hawaiian Reggae to the next level…

From love songs to songs about meeting strangers, I’d imagine that J Boog’s music is for everyone. The full band smashed on the main stage, and J Boogs voice was a fantastic, so were his back up singers.

Slightly Stoopid takes technical to the next level

From switching over basses, guitars, playing various instruments on stage seems to be the norm for these guys. Expect huge things from their performance, they are highly professional and their sound is undeniably unique and recognizably better live.

Stick Figure Blew my Mind

These guys are a band to watch. They already have some major hits from their last album including “Fire on the Horizon which I think is their best track yet.” They also have collaborations with Slightly Stoopid and Rebellution, so make sure you check these up and comers out!

Camping

Camping is all about shade and placement on hillsides. Bring your own shade and get their early to avoid getting stuck in the middle of the river bed.

After Parties and Late Night

The after party is pretty dope, but ultimately uneventful. The DJs take over the stage and the vibe is just okay really, the music on certain nights is decent, but the inability to step away from Reggae kinda hurts this part. Would be nice to hear some house music down there, or at least some more experimental bass type stuff, and a better lights show.

Conclusions

The show at Reggae is dope, but traditional. Expect the headliners to be the main party and the after party to be kind of weird. The bathrooms are typical of festivals, the food is pretty good actually, and the headliners blow up the main stage for a ton of fun. Luckily, I get to work back stage, so check out some of the pictures from the festival!

Personal Notes

I had a great time and enjoyed working the festival. But its actually really tiring to stand in the same spot for 10 hours straight. I’ve been before, but this is the first year I’ve written about it. Working kinda makes the festival less enjoyable, especially when compared to LIB in 2014. I got to see some of my favorite artists live though, so that was great!! The people there are awesome. Late night isn’t too great, so don’t expect much from it, but the music is incredible.