We arrived and got hung up with our asses out in the right hand lane of US Hwy 1 tryin' to pull into the Thundergulch Campground, the location of the event. That was pretty dangerous, plus it took us twenty minutes to get off the road and through the admission gate. After payin' our $15 per person, we rode to the motorcycle only parkin area. Nice touch - thanks. We love it when venues provide motorcycle only parkin' and don't mix the cars, pick-ups and bikes.
We hooked up with Toni, our Northeast Florida moto-journalist and Robert; plus Halfbreed and Karen from the Iron Brotherhood, and went in the Black Cloud Saloon to get a cold one. What a disappointment. A White Russian - $6; a shot of tequila - $6; a Bud Light - $3; and two Miller Lites - $6. For cans. Jeez. This after payin' $15 a pop to get in. Yep, this normally biker friendly bar jacked up
their prices to take advantage of bikers for the event. And it got even worse when we walked over to the area where the vendors (and carnival rides) were set up in the ThunderGulch camping area. Boots and I hadn't eaten so while Mark "Muddy Harp" Hodgson (right) was doin' his awesome gig gettin' the crowd warmed up for later, we wandered over to the Black 
Cloud Saloon's food tent. They had a grill and fryer set up, but once again, the prices were the gougin' kind when ya got a monopoly: $3.50 for a little bitty ol' corn dog and $3.50 for about twenty french fries that were still frozen in the center. What a bummer - left a bad taste in my mouth - no pun intended.
After eatin' we wandered back over to the stage area to enjoy Blackfoot. They've been playin' quite a few dates around Florida the past couple of years and our readers always have lotsa good things to say about 'em. We saw 'em last year at Harley-Davidson of Crystal River and they just don't seem to age. They just keep crankin' it out, and they were great tonight as well. Very enjoyable, plus we'll get to see 'em again at the Starke Fall Jam on November 3 & 4. They're opening for the Charlie Daniels Band and they'll definitely get the crowd worked up.
Molly Hatchet, the evening's headliner was set to play at 9:30, but before they played they got an award from their fan group at Yahoogroups.com for the twenty years this iteration of the band's been together writin', composin' and playin' kick-ass Southern Rock. When they finally came out to play, the crowd, I'd estimate at over 5,000 went crazy - makin' lotsa noise and in the mood to rock. Molly Hatchet didn't disappoint. Mighta been
thirty years ago that they first formed, but they haven't lost their gritty, southern-rock roots formed in South Jacksonville, also the home of Lynyrd Skynrd. They haven't sold out to mainstream pop, and have continued to record new records every year or two despite no air play rotation on classic rock stations. And they're always interacting with the crowds, bein' real, not above it all. That's why we support 'em by buyin' each new CD. Yeah, right - we buy 'em cuz we love the music!These guys seriously kick ass.
Bobby Ingram's guitar licks and playin' are still second to none. He's still rockin' and played an awe-inspiring guitar solo cover of Clapton as a tribute to his wife Stephanie, who passed away 0n April 1, 2004. Obviously, she's still part of the band and on their mind and they performed Rainbow Bridge, as well. They also did a nice tribute to Danny Joe Brown, original lead singer and frontman who passed away last year.
Gator Country and Son of the South got huge responses from the audience, as expected. Shoot, we're in Florida's little portion of Dixie, after all. And of course they hadda play Flirtin' with Disaster, the original 'mainstream' hit from the late 70's. Daytona Beach native Shawn Beamer also did an awesome solo on the drums and had the crowds surging forward to the stage. Good to see a local boy kickin' serious ass on the worldwide music scene. Shoot, they're all local boys.
Great choice to the Flagler Chamber of Commerce pickin' them as the headliner for their Inaugural Music Festival.
Another thing that struck me as cool was seein' so many younger folks enjoyin' the show. They might notta come out specifically to see Molly Hatchet, but when they left they were hooked on Southern Rock instead of that rap shakalaka shit that's gloggin' the airwaves and videos nowadays. Gotta thank Molly Hatchet, and the thousands of fans that still come to their shows, for keepin' the Southern Rock tradition alive and kickin'. They ended up playin' for well over two hours and it was super high-energy all the way. If you're comin' to Daytona for Biketoberfest 2006, don't waste your money at Destination Daytona with all the yuppie-rub bikers hangin' out for some concert or another. Git yer ass on your scooter and ride six miles north to the White Eagle on October 20 and catch Molly Hatchet for free. Yep, that's right - free. You'll thank Dixie Biker for the recommendation after the show. Guaranteed that they'll knock you on your friggin' ass. . . and you'll be glad they did.
All in all the Flagler County-Bunnell Chamber of Commerce deserves a BIG tip-of-the-hat for puttin' on this weekend event. Great job for an inaugural event. Next year we'd like to see it
moved to a different venue (maybe the Fairgrounds?) and have more resonable priced beer and food. Other than that, way to go. And, we'll definitely sponsor the event again. All the volunteers and workers get a pat-on-the-back, too. They're the unsung folks doin' the behind the scenes work to make sure everyone has a good time. We had a great time and thank you for your efforts.
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