Rock The Garden 2009 review and videos

This year's Rock the Garden, featuring musical acts Solid Gold, Calexico, Yeasayer and The Decemberists was one of the most enjoyable outdoor festivals I have attended in America in many years. And it wasn't just because the music was consistently great.

This year the Rock the Garden planners wisely rotated the stage 90 degrees clockwise to face the hill where the old Guthrie used to sit (and where most people chose to sit last year anyway, even if they faced the side of the stage instead of the front.) As outdoor concert venues go, it's really quite a lovely natural amphitheater, and I hope it all worked out well with the neighbors living in the nearby homes and they'll be able to set up again like this for future festivals.

Good times, good friends, good beer, and a crowd estimated at at least 8,000 filled the afternoon from 3PM until the sun went down.

If you were there on Saturday, you may never forget the closing number of the night, The Decemberists covering Heart's "Crazy on You." Kyle Matteson quipped on Twitter that it's "Not a good sign when a cover far and away eclipses your entire set," but nonetheless it was both a definite WTF as well as cool as hell moment for those of us who were there.

Here are a few video highlights we captured including both "The Engine Driver" and the "Crazy On You" set closer. A full photo set by Jenn Barnett will be posted shortly on the main site.

Excerpted clips from the Decemberists' Set


The Engine Driver


Crazy on You, Heart Cover & closing number