Uh, does this mean no Phil?

Nope, doesn't mean anything

It was the post on FB too.

You are probably right. And I'm ok with that.

Honestly, I think "no Phil" is exactly what this letter is saying, in the sun-shiniest way possible. I think two possible letters were drafted, and Marketing decided to go with the one that was posted. The other went something like this:

Hey Lockn' Faithfuls,

Remember last year when we had Phil, Bob, Mickey and Billy all present at the fest? Yeah, that was awesome. We all had a blast.

Here's the thing. Due to circumstances beyond our control, none of the boys are able to make it this year. Trust me, we want them here as badly as you do, but life just ain't working out that way this time around.

Our big objective this year was to get Phish, and by golly, we made it happen. Thank you very much. We know a lot of people are thrilled about this, and some not so much, particularly since regulars like Panic and String Cheese will also be absent this year. Sometimes you have to sacrifice certain things to gain others. It's the nature of business--it's the very fabric of life itself.

Besides, we've taken every step possible to ensure you won't leave here without your ears being saturated by the precious Dead tunes you all want to hear. We have a crapload of sets from top notch tribute bands that in all honesty will deliver better, tighter versions of these songs than any of the geezers that played in the original band are capable of anymore. We even have the set-break music from Fare Thee Well being performed live. Yeah, totally random I know, but you all loved that music so we're rolling with it. Boom--another Lockn' original that you can tell the grandkids about.

And if all that doesn't do it for you, we even have recordings of Garcia being blasted all day and night way back in the forest, for crying out loud. Bottom line, if you leave Lockn' without hearing any Dead-related music it's your own damn fault.

In closing, we're giving you a pretty solid festival. Phish, Chris Robinson, JRAD, Tedeschi Trucks, Charles Bradley, Gary Clark, Umphrey's, Hard Working Americans, etc. I mean, come on. That's a solid line-up. And I'll tell you what, if any of you are able to put together a festival and get all the Dead members to play, then I'll be first in line to buy a VIP ticket.

Other than that, see you all in August. Come ready to boogie.

Love,

The Lockn' Festival

Phish always comes at the expense of all things good and decent. Always.

Look, I could almost get on board with this if they hadn't counted Garcia's. A sock hop in a tent is not a reasonable substitution for live music. It just isn't.

I fully concur. Garcia's is not my cup of tea and certainly not anything I plan to visit this year. In fact the only reason I went last year is because it was the one place that provided shelter from the downpour that occurred towards the end of Umphrey's late night set. Even that time of night it was packed. I can't say whether most of the people were there just trying to stay dry as well, but some seemed to legitimately be enjoying the experience. To each his/her own, I guess. As for me, I'll be watching the live stuff.

I had forgotten about that wink. He was definitely told to do that, so.....time will tell.

And I would bet that another band is between Phish sets as well.

If my memory serves me correctly, Dave said something like, there was no comment at this time on Phil playing or not at Lockn this yr.