What are your best TBF memories?

[landshark]

Della Mae.

[landshark]

  Yesterday in the mail I got a gift from a Forum friend whom I never met. We tried to connect all Fest to no avail.
Just makes me so happy to have met 9999 folks that are good natured, fun loving, salt of the earth.

Thank you so very much Paul and Muff totally off the charts I am going to hang them on my Christmas Tree

[HuckinFappy]

Yesterday in the mail I got a gift from a Forum friend whom I never met. We tried to connect all Fest to no avail.
Just makes me so happy to have met 9999 folks that are good natured, fun loving, salt of the earth.

Thank you so very much Paul and Muff totally off the charts I am going to hang them on my Christmas Tree

I still like wearing mine as earrings 

[landshark]

Yesterday in the mail I got a gift from a Forum friend whom I never met. We tried to connect all Fest to no avail.
Just makes me so happy to have met 9999 folks that are good natured, fun loving, salt of the earth.

Thank you so very much Paul and Muff totally off the charts I am going to hang them on my Christmas Tree

I still like wearing mine as earrings 

Trend setter

[Mel]

On the way home this year, the car broke down on Monarch pass with me and three others (Mel, Hot Mess, and Tom). We had to get towed back to Gunnison. Instead of riding in the cab like normal people, we piled into the car on the back of the flat bed tow truck and waved at drivers and pedestrians as we passed. Their faces were priceless!!!

That was definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I don't care to repeat.  Except the part where we were finally home safe and well.

[Hot Sugar]

On the way home this year, the car broke down on Monarch pass with me and three others (Mel, Hot Mess, and Tom). We had to get towed back to Gunnison. Instead of riding in the cab like normal people, we piled into the car on the back of the flat bed tow truck and waved at drivers and pedestrians as we passed. Their faces were priceless!!!

That was definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I don't care to repeat.  Except the part where we were finally home safe and well.

I forgot about the signs you made!

[Mel]

On the way home this year, the car broke down on Monarch pass with me and three others (Mel, Hot Mess, and Tom). We had to get towed back to Gunnison. Instead of riding in the cab like normal people, we piled into the car on the back of the flat bed tow truck and waved at drivers and pedestrians as we passed. Their faces were priceless!!!

That was definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I don't care to repeat.  Except the part where we were finally home safe and well.

I forgot about the signs you made!

I left them on the truck till mid-September, when I finally took it in to get looked at.

[bob]

1997, my first year, met and camped with my terrific daughter. She was in her first year at Berkeley, and we're from Ohio. So she suggested TBF as a way to get together halfway. We were in line for breakfast at Columbia Hotel and Bela is behind us in line. He flicked an insect out of my hair (after warning me), then asked my 18 yr old daughter for feedback about his last set, she (we) were absolutely thrilled as we are both big Bela fans. Of course, we invited him to sit with us, but he was still waiting for his group. He was so personable and down to earth, terrific guy.

 Listening to: Bob Dylan

[landshark]

More then 20 years ago I was scooped up after work and thrown in a car for a ROAD TRIP! Landed in Tride and all along the way, everywhere we stopped for gas and a bite to eat, people were singing and making music. I kept thinking, whats everybody singin about

Turns out they were headed to Fest as well and the crowd was just as much as a music maker as the folks on stage. WOW CRAZY GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[landshark]

The snow, fresh and bright. Robert Plant singing to the mountains in the snow, dancing in the snow. Fresh air, warm smiles. ROBERT PLANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pickingood]

Punch Brothers show @ the Opera House, 2012. My wife and I had just been married in town on the Summer Solstice- Wednesday night (the Yonder CC show was our reception). Sometime during a lull in the Punch Brothers show on Sunday I think that we or some of our friends called out that we had just been married. There was some kind of acknowledgment from the stage or at least it seemed like there was at the time.

At encore time, only Thile, Eldridge, and Luke Bulla came out. They walked out on the floor level- through the main doors into the room from the stairs if I remember correctly- right into the crowd. Thile walked right up to where my wife and I  were standing in the crowd, just a bit back from the front, looked straight at my wife, and then turned to face Eldridge and Bulla. Then they started their encore directly in front of us, our son, and the closest members of our wedding party.

It was R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S. Surreal supreme. The crowd kept pressing in so that Thile was occasionally knocking me in the ribs with the elbow of his strumming arm and my son had to lean back so as not to get hit in the face with the end of his mando when he (Thile) turned to face different parts of the crowd surrounding him!!!

Just another one of those utterly magical moments that resides somewhere between dream and reality that IS Telluride Bluegrass.

[stmbtjenny]

I'll throw a hat in. Aside from the usual greatness a few recent musical memories that stuck with me:
-Earl Scruggs
-John Prine singing Bear Creek as the sun disappeared over the ridge
-Jewel yodeling
-Old Crow, Take 'um Away
-Wilders at fly me to the moon
-An Allison Krauss set so dark I was scared

Non musical:
-The call of Vince's Fest...eeee.....vaaaaaal!
-Epic all night croquet game
-Sister's Dumplings
-Cookie Monster playing the trumpet (well, making noise) all night... Honk..."f#@* yeah" Doodly doo...."playing into the"...Honky Doo..."Bear Box"...Doodly doo..."f#@* yeah" AAALLL NIGHT LONG! annoying at the time as I didn't sleep a wink,  but I look back at it fondly now.
-Pulling into to town in a VW bus after it took 8 too many hours to get there.
-Saving myself from heat stroke by dunking in the river.

[Sadizzler]

  Scoring two free tickets to Lake Street Dive nightgrass at Fly Me to the Moon Saloon. Thank you again to whoever you were that gave me them!! So grateful. It was amazing!   

[oddfired]

Two spectacular memories from this year:

At Firstgrass, I went up onto the chairlift platform to get some shade and a better view for some pictures.  The cop on horseback was hanging out up there looking over things, and I was pretty much next to him.  As we stood there, four late teen/early 20s kids walked by, and each one of them was smoking something and each one of them also had an open container of alcohol.  None were being rowdy, just enjoying themselves and walking by with a dog.  The cop lets out a shrill "HEY!!", and all 4 stopped and looked at the cop, who says "come on, put your damn dog on a leash".  Awesome.

During the Dusters set, I was in line for a hard lemonade when they started playing He's Gone.  That one gets me pretty good still.  I had my eyes closed and was facing the stage and jamming out with myself, old memories flooding into what was left of my brain by that time.  When the song ended, I heard a whistle, and it had obviously been my turn for a lemonade for a long time (nobody in line behind me).  I walked up to the counter apologizing, and the guy says "no worries man, some things are more important than the next drink.  I saw you were having a moment so I let you be."  That dude got a high five and  nice tip for the scholarship fund.

That stuff doesn't happen everywhere.  In fact, almost nowhere.  I love you FESTIVAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!

[landshark]

More then I can remember now, so many . I am always amazed at the unusual and unique instruments that grace the stage. Its like a learning experience each time a new sound.
Hard to not get excited each new year brings yet another beautiful musical experience. It is a part of each of my Summers that sticks with me like a long canoe ride down a slow river....feels good to know you TBF.

Each year solidifies my commitment to this ritual I love and adore...