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After 1995's success with larger bands on the bill, the H.O.R.D.E. Festival swept the country in 1996, doing the festival-tour equivalent of kicking ass and taking names. H.O.R.D.E. had always operated in the shadow of other festivals such as Lollapalooza, but in 1996, the tour took on its most ambitious itinerary yet, playing over forty dates in twenty-six states.

The tour featured headliners Blues Traveler, Lenny Kravitz and Rusted Root for the entirety of the tour, and the the mixture of the three bands proved to be a perfectly complementary mix. Rusted Root would open the main stage with their percussive earth-jams and get the blood pumping quickly. Lenny Kravitz, though not one for varying his sets, put on a most impressive act, often jumping into the crowd and running up and down the aisles. His band members, especially saxophonist Harold Todd, often partook in the community vibe, sitting in with other bands dozens of times. The second stage rotated between prog-rockers King Crimson, Dave Matthews Band [their third straight year on the tour] and Natalie Merchant. King Crimson served as the long-running elder statesmen of the tour, supplanting the Allman Brothers Band. Other artists who weren't exactly spring chickens included veteran bluesman Taj Mahal - who would invite many a younger artist on stage to learn one of his classics - and Neil Young, who contributed his services to one date in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Young would later go on to headline the tour in 1997 along with newcomers Leftover Salmon. Other new artists later to be invited back included a young Agents of Good Roots, Cycomotogoat [who would later form John Popper's backing band on his solo project], and Col. Bruce Hampton's new project, Fiji Mariners. The Col. actually pulled double duty on some dates, playing his trademark chazoid with the Fijis and with Aquarium Rescue Unit on several dates.

The Music:

Headliners

  • Blues Traveler
  • Lenny Kravitz
  • Rusted Root
  • Natalie Merchant (7/7-7/14)
  • King Crimson (8/8-8/23)
  • Dave Matthews Band (7/18-8/4)
  • G-Love & Special Sauce
  • Taj Mahal (7/12, 7/28, 8/18, 8/27-9/1)
  • Neil Young (8/23)
Non-headliners/Special guests
  • Tragically Hip (Saratoga, Philly, DC)
  • Red Thunder (7/6-??)
  • Pete Droge
  • Cycomotogoat (8/25-9/1)
  • Rickie Lee Jones (7/21-8/4)
  • 16 Horsepower (8/8/-8/11)
  • Nil Lara (8/11-8/24)
  • Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello (8/8-8/25)
  • The Samples (7/10-7/15)
  • Hayden
  • Leftover Salmon (7/17-7/28)
  • Aquarium Rescue Unit (7/6-7/13)
  • Freddy Jones Band (7/15-7/19)
  • Fiji Mariners (7/6-7/14)
  • Son Volt (8/10-9/1)
  • Medeski, Martin & Wood (7/17-7/28)
  • Yothu Yindi (8/13-8/18)
  • 311 (8/24-9/1)
  • The Jeff Healey Band (7/14 &7/15)
  • Agents of Good Roots (8/23-9/1)
  • God Street Wine (7/6, 7/7, 7/13)
  • Super 8 (7/17-7/28)
  • Jono Manson (7/29-8/4)
  • Spirit of the West (Seattle/Portland)
  • Xanax 25

The memorabilia:
Promotional CD: This CD was released for every migration of the H.O.R.D.E. between 1993 and 1998. The track listing can be seen here.

Ticket Stubs:

Posters: Backstage passes:
The shows:
07/06/96 River's Edge, Somerset, WI
07/07/96 Marcus Amphitheatre, Milwaukee, WI
07/10/96 Polaris Amphitheatre, Columbus, OH
07/12/96 Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
07/13/96 World Music Theatre, Tinley Park, IL
07/14/96 Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
07/15/96 Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
07/17/96 Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, Pelham, AL
07/18/96 Mud Island, Memphis, TN
07/19/96 Texas Motor Plex, Ennis, TX
07/20/96 South Park Meadows, Austin, TX
07/21/96 Woodlands Pavilion, Woodlands, TX
07/23/96 New Mexico State Univ. Practice Field, Las Cruces, NM
07/24/96 Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ
07/26/96 Devore Stadium, Chula Vista, CA
07/27/96 Blockbuster Pavilion, Devore, CA
07/28/96 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
07/29/96 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
07/30/96 Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA
08/01/96 Wolf Mountain, Park City, UT
08/03/96 Portland Meadows, Portland, OR
08/04/96 The Gorge, George, WA
08/08/96 Sandstone Amphitheatre, Bonner Springs, KS
08/09/96 Riverport Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, MO
08/10/96 Starwood Amphitheatre, Antioch, TN
08/11/96 Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
08/13/96 Star Lake Amphitheatre, Burgettstown, PA
08/15/96 Great Woods, Mansfield, MA
08/16/96 Randall's Island, New York, NY
08/17/96 Meadows Music Center, Hartford, CT
08/18/96 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
08/20/96 Darien Lake Amphitheatre, Darien Center, NY
08/22/96 Seacoast Performing Arts Center, Old Orchard Beach, ME
08/23/96 Hershey Park Stadium, Hershey, PA
08/24/96 Blockbuster Pavilion, Camden, NJ
08/25/96 Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA
08/27/96 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Raleigh, NC
08/28/96 Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GA
08/29/96 Carrowinds Blockbuster, Charlotte, NC
08/30/96 Virginia Beach Amphitheatre, Virginia Beach, VA
09/01/96 Coral Sky Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL