SouthFlorida.com | City Link Magazine

Like Jacksonville swamp-funk combo Mofro (see story) and Miami DJ Le Spam, I have attended the Langerado Music Festival all three years of its existence and will be heading to the fourth one this weekend. The festival has only gotten better with every passing year. The first Langerado was a singular labor of love on the part of promoter Ethan Schwartz, and by the time Moe closed out the night, Schwartz had the sort of blissed-out, done-in look that is usually only seen in people at the tail end of an ecstasy binge.

The second year's expanded lineup reached beyond the jam-band base of the first, with acts such as Cracker and Cake. Cracker's set, in fact, presaged the reunion of Camper Van Beethoven, by including a stellar rendition of "Take the Skinheads Bowling."

Last year, Langerado expanded to two days and moved west to a much larger venue, Markham Park. It will return there this weekend, marking the first time the festival has appeared in the same venue twice. Each successive year, then, has built upon the last, with the festival growing bigger, more musically diverse and offering more bells and whistles, including vendors and VIP tents. So it comes as no surprise that this weekend's Langerado will expand upon all those areas. The crowd will likely be the largest yet, and the lineup is the most eclectic one the show has ever seen, including reggae by Burning Spear, funk by The Meters and a great rock representation with bands such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Wilco and The Flaming Lips (see story). Of course, jam bands are still widely represented by acts such as Umphrey's McGee, The Disco Biscuits and headliners Ben Harper and The Black Crowes.

Also new this year is the pseudo third day of the show, the Friday Night Sound Check, which, for an additional $20, will include performances by regional jam-band favorite Perpetual Groove, guitar wizard Buckethead and a few others. The late-night performances have also been expanded, with shows at Revolution and the Culture Room on Friday and Saturday, plus a final show at the Culture Room Sunday night. Add the very much appreciated Florida Native Stage, featuring the best in local music, and Langerado isn't just better than previous years; it is the pre-eminent rock festival in the state, if not the Southeast -- unless, you count Tennessee in that area, of course. Langerado is not yet Bonnaroo. But give it time.