Turns out, pretty hard and pretty long. The skies opened around 7:30 p.m. as Fall on Purpose were doing their all-hands-on-stage party music. The courtyard got pelted for a good hour (excuse me if I’m a little off; I didn’t check my watch).
But here was the coolest thing: Hardly anybody left. Most folks sought shelter under the stage canopy or along the sides under whatever overhangs they could find (and made good use of the many bars available). The people on the balcony were fine. My favorite bunch were the ones who said rain-be-damned and didn’t run for cover, but instead just kept dancing.
Rusted Root took the stage around 9 — with the rain on hiatus — and I must say it was a grand site. The stage looked great, the sound was excellent and Rusted Root dug into their set with plenty of gusto. I’m sure quite a few ticketholders decided to stay home based on the threat of rain, and that’s too bad — because the ones who showed up (and stayed) were treated to a helluva night. (So nah-nah na-na-nah to those who opted to stay dry in front of their TV sets.)
Bathed from a good soaking, the courtyard oozed good vibes. Rob Douglas, JL staffer and the show’s production manager — a guy not known for his sunny disposition on show days — surveyed the scene around 10 and said, “The vibe is really good in here.” High praise from him. So there.
Rusted Root played their feel-good mix of folk, rock, jam and world music for two hours, right up until the 11 p.m. curfew. They left the stage tired and smiling … to an extended wash of cheers.
As I drove home down 4th Street just before midnight, raindrops started spritzing my window. By the time I hit the bed a little while later, it was pouring again. So in the end, we got a bad break, but we caught a good break too, ’cause the rain stayed away during Rusted Root’s whole show.
Out of a potential calamity (I almost wrote “disaster,” but lately we’ve come to know what real disasters are) emerged a very fulfilling night. Perhaps not the blockbuster we’d hoped for, but a very successful event that made me proud of what the venue has become, and proud of the many, many diehards who stuck around.
We’d love to hear your take on the night.
—Eric Snider
15 Comments
We had a blast!!! Thanks to everyone for the opportunity to play and to open up for a great band, and playing in such an awesome venue. And Thank You to everyone who toughed out the rain in the front of the stage and braved the elements in the courtyard and danced the rain away! The energy was amazing!!! Bleu Gravy had an extraordinary set and sounded great! And RR had a killer show as always! We hope everyone enjoyed the show as much as we did!
FoP
Merk
you guys were the ultimate troopers, rain didn’t phase you at all. Thanks for your commitment to entertain the drowning hordes.
Thanks Janus Landing! We had a blast too! The place looked great and the show was unbelievable. Im a local and I was so impressed with Fall On Purpose & Bleu Gravy. It was my 1st time hearing them and it won’t be my last. They were great! Yeah, we got soaked but that didn’t stop us from dancin and havin a blast. Rusted Root was the bomb! Unbelievable sound effects made the music move right thru your body all night. What a awesome energy the whole crowd had. We were with a family member in a wheelchair and she had a blast too. The facilities were VERY wheelchair accessable and the security team actually came and checked on us to ask if we were ok. Pretty Cool staff!!! All around great night, great jams, great vibes…. AND IT WAS FREE!!! We will be back:)
Awesome, awesome show. I was really impressed with Bleu Gravy. These guys not only put out a stellar set, they also were responsive to the crowd! I would travel the world to see Bleu Gravy again. I was on Facebook and found their page. Good stuff! Please bring back Bleu Gravy!!!!!
That was an amazing night! Bleu Gravy rocked with psychedelic/reggae jams! Funkengrooven! It was just surreal! Would love to see them again! Too fun! Then came the rain and Fall on purpose, I was huddled up and tried to get down to the festive jams, I couldn’t find myself being a trooper in the rain like a lot of people were, but I loved the band! Great Bass solo too by the neon green girl!
I came here to hear Rusted Root and the openers were the icing on the cake! They held down the place for ppl waiting too see Rusted Root! RR came on stage and for a band I thought was all raw, no effects. They had some amazing but subtle effects that were a nice treat! Over all a great night! Thanks Jannus Live!
The night was truly amazing. Bleu Gravy was amazing. Their energy was amazing! Please bring them back! I loved that song, “One Drop”! Bleu Gravy: You’re awesome!!!!
Wow! What a great show! We had a blast. We loved Bleu Gravy!! Where have they been? They are a dynamite group, and the lead singer’s voice was amazing – I’ve never heard a better rendition of White Rabbit besides the original and the original songs were great, too. Thanks for giving this local band a chance to open in a great all-around Rusted Root show.
What a great night!! So much fun. Bleu Gravy was a great band, and sounded awesome. Fall on Purpose was one of the most entertaining bands. They had the funk and groove that held everyone. The Bass Player was awesome, the dancing girls were Hot! They have the makings to give George Clinton a run for the money! And it was so awesome to see the hand drummer come back up on stage to play a song with R.R. Such a wonderful night. Can’t wait to see Bleu Gravy and Fall on Purpose play more openers there for other bands!!!!
AMAZING EVENING!!! Bleu Gravy and Fall On Purpose rocked that stage! I can’t wait to see more of them! I think the rain amplified the experience, and I’m looking foward to more nights like Sunday!
What an awesome event! Bleu Gravy sounded amazing on stage and really got the vibe started. Fall on Purpose did a great job of keeping the crowd going through the rain. Both bands were so good I almost forgot Rusted Root was still coming up. I was still sore two days later from dancing to Rusted Root, who I’ve always seen a stellar performance from. Overall the vibe of the bands and the staff at Jannus was just simply amazing. I hope to see Bleu Gravy and Fall on Purpose there more often. They blew my mind hearing them for my first time at your venue. Thanks for such an amazing event!!
Thank you Jannus Live for the Rusted Root show. I’ve never seen this group perform and to see them for free was the utmost treat.
I got there early to get a good spot and was blown away by the 1st act Blue Gravy. There original music was so good i was hoping to hear more, the crowd seemed to love it too. They really get you moving.
Fall on purpose was phenominal. To see that many people on stage performing was indeed a show.
I love what you have done with this wonderful downtown outdoor music venue, i will be back. Thanx again
Everything about that night was great! I especially enjoyed the vibrant (much like the weather during their set) and incredibly talented opening act, Bleu Gravy. Simply amazing performance and very responsive to and connected with the audience. Bravo!
I forgot to mention how impressed I was with the new Janus and the staff! Top notch!
Great show. I drove through a thunderstorm to get there in time for RR to go on. And miraculously the rain stopped just in time for a great show. The stage…sound…Stella beer are all improvements to Jannus and I look forward to seeing a lot more shows there. The sound was amazing. Kudows to the engineers. Can’t wait for the Flaming Lips in October…
What a killer show! I was truly impressed with the 2 opening bands. Bleu Gravy really set the tone and you would be foolish not to invite them back. I’ve seen them a few times and it’s never the same show twice. They have a certain addicting energy to them which spreads throughout the crowd. The renovations are top notch and I will be back for more shows!