BY YVONNE ZUSEL
The second day of Sweetwater 420 Festival might have seen only a few drizzles of rain, but the damage was already done -- Centennial Olympic Park turned into a giant mud pit after nearly non-stop rain on Day 1.
The space in front of the main stage was particularly messy, and festivalgoers seemed to split themselves into two groups -- those who crowded onto to the pavement on the perimeter of the grazzy-turned-muddy area so as not to get filthy, and those who braved the mud -- and, in some cases, embraced it. The pavement dwellers entertained themselves between bands by watching a brave crazy few turn the mud pit into their personal Slip 'N Slide.
Read: Sweetwater 420 Fest Day 1 recap | Photos
Read: Everything you need to know about Sweetwater 420 Fest
It was the same, "If you can't change it, then you might as well enjoy it" attitude that people used on Friday during the downpour. They certainly didn't let it stop them from enjoying the eclectic Day 2 lineup, which included Stokeswood, Marc Broussard, The Wood Brothers, Marchfourth Marching Band, Anders Osborne, Gov't Mule, The Floozies, Primus and Cage the Elephant.
Some musical highlights:
Gov't Mule -- Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of their eponymous debut album, Gov't Mule -- led by frontman Warren Haynes, also known as the lead guitarist for The Allman Brothers Band -- proved why they have such staying power by delivering tightly-played but freewheeling versions of classics including "Thorazine Shuffle" and "Rocking Horse," as well as the John Scofield tune "Wabash," a nod to the Sco-Mule joint tour the band played with Scofield earlier this year. it was perfect music to get muddy to.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Primus -- Another band with some serious staying power, Primus has been serving up quirky, experimental hard rock since the mid-'80s. Even if you're not familiar with their whole catalog, there was no escaping the insane video for "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" in the mid-'90s (a woman reportedly shot her TV this year when she caught her kids watching an unnamed Primus video, which Claypool mentioned during the set). Frontman and bassist Les Claypool led Larry "Lar" LaLonde and Tim "Herb" Alexander powered through tunes including "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," "My Name Is Mud" and the aforementioned "Beaver," and even gave a little teaser of the "South Park" theme song that they played for the show. The sound from The Floozies set at the Planet 420 Stage sometimes bled over into the mainstage area, making it difficult to hear Primus at the beginning of their performance, but they managed to overcome it with a hard-rocking, if slightly anemic, set punctuated by Claypool's mumbly vocals and his virtuosic bass playing.
Cage the Elephant -- God only knows where Cage the Elephant lead singer Matt Shultz gets his energy from, but it was a welcome arrival at the end of a long day. Sporting a tuxedo bowtie over his T-shirt, Shultz shuffled and jumped through a thrilling hour-ish set that included hits "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" from the band's 2008 self-titled debut and "Cigarette Daydream" and "Come A Little Closer" from their 2013 release, "Melophobia."
On tap for Day 3 of Sweetwater 402 Fest: Red Wanting Blue, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, The Rivivalists, Delta Rae, The London Souls, Slightly Stoopid, Moe., The Wailers and 311.
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