Reggae on the River (RAS/Sanctuary, 2004)

My first though when viewing this DVD was, "Wow, what a lot of white people!"  I mean, granted, reggae puts forth universal messages of love and unity, but Rastafarianism is still a driving force in the genre, and there are significant Afro-centered tenets within the faith.  Still, the Reggae on the River festival is held in Northern California, where the closest black person is in, say, Oakland.  So, I got over my initial impression and moved on to my third (skipping my second impression, which was James Cagney: "You dirty rat…"): "Wow, what a lot of hippies!"  Forget Lallapalooza and all these fly-by-night clusterfuck concert tours and festivals; Reggae on the River is the true reincarnation of Woodstock (much more so than the disgrace that was Woodstock 1999).  Flying under the radar of MTV and all of its big-budget, over-hyped concerts, Reggae on the River has quietly fostered a haven for unabashed love, peace and harmony for over 20 years now.  This Reggae on the River 2-DVD set chronicles the 20th anniversary concert in 2003 in exhaustive fashion.  I can't conceive of a better way to experience this world-renowned festival without actually attending.  It covers everything from the vendors to the cooks to the organizers and volunteers to the police, garbage men, and even the port-a-potty guys.  Oh yeah, and the music.  Disc 1 ("The Story") is a documentary of the festival -- its history, its organizers, its attendees -- and the power of the music, with clips of performances interspersed with interviews (not many with the artists, unfortunately; primarily Judy Mowatt and Michael Franti), while Disc 2 ("The Music") contains the full-length performances (including a few not on the first disc and not on the companion CD).  As you'd expect from a DVD, the picture and sound are crisp; it truly feels like you're at the festival walking around.  If only they could've infused the smell of ganja into the disc.  I'm not sure how much the people in the audience really know about the reggae artists -- most of the ones quoted on the documentary seem to be more into the overall atmosphere than the individual musicians -- but the film does a great job of showing how universal the sound and the message of the music are.  Besides, where else can you see 10,000 unwashed people dance off-beat for 3 days?  Depending on your personality, Reggae on the River will likely either make you want to run out and buy tickets for next year's event or be glad that you have such a vivid alternative as this DVD so that you don't have to ever go.  Either way, this release is a tremendous tool.