Photos and Review by Stephen Bloch
In the 1982 classic, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Jeff Spicoli (played by Sean Penn), declared that “all I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine”. While Mundelein, IL doesn’t have any tasty waves last weekend, it did offer some tasty tunes and an abundance of buzz (not for me, promise) in the form of the inaugural Miracle in Mundelein, a two day cannabis infused music festival. That was all that patrons needed to be “fine”.
Miracle in Mundelein was hosted by RISE Dispensary and parent company Green Thumb Industries. By all accounts, this festival was an immense success and will surely be a model for future events. Yes, there were plenty of extracurricular activities taking place including a myriad of smoking contraptions, freely distributed cannabis, rolling stations, etc… but for some, it was all about the tunes. Saturday had more of a hip hop/jah vibe (which I did not attend) while Sunday leaned more towards the jamband/funk/improv groove. Sunday consisted of a high-energy opening set from Karina Rykman who just dropped her debut album, Joyride. Her performance, which included a drop-in from good buddy and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead keyboardist, Marco Benevento, was a free form mix of psychedelic pop, jam, and indie. Great start to the day. People gathered early and got in the mood quickly, maybe with a little help from a friend.
Lettuce took the midday slot with a robust set of jams. This band has a deep funk pedigree, drawing from Rick James, James Brown, but doesn’t shy away from cosmic improvisation. This was a perfect way to get everyone in the mood for a Sunday evening.
The headliner for Sunday was none other than Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD), who many feel are the heir apparent to The Grateful Dead/Dead and Company catalog. The crowd for this was both electric and eclectic. There is and always will be an insatiable appetite for the timeless jams of The Grateful Dead. Thank God for JRAD. After an opening jam that seemed to tease the whole Dead catalog, they settled into a fiery “Eyes of the World” (heard the tease about halfway through the jam). “Dancing in the Street” followed as 5,500 fans all screamed “they’re dancing in Chicago, down in New Orleans, in New York City” in unison. The first set lasted a little over an hour, capped by a killer “Truckin”. Expect the unexpected with JRAD. They kicked off the second set with a fully jammed out version of “Jack Straw” before transitioning into a bit of a rarity, “Foolish Heart”. They closed out the weekend with “Terrapin Station”.
This festival was all about having a good time and community. There seemed to be an immense amount of respect each other and the musicians happening in Mundelein. When it was all said and done, there was nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile. Even though I didn’t partake, this fest has set the bar “high” for what festivals could look like in the future.
