On the sixth annual migration of the Great American H.O.R.D.E., and after
what would prove to be the most successful in the tour's history, tour
founders Blues Traveler decided to leave their baby stateside and embark
instead on a three-week tour of Europe. Except for three dates in mid-August,
the tour would not have a single band on it that had been on the original
"migration" five years hence. Instead, Blues Traveler decided to pass
the torch to one of last year's surprise guests, Neil Young. Despite his
firm anti-taping policy at his lone appearance on the 1996 H.O.R.D.E.,
the veteran of the road softened his stance when approached by the tour
organizers and ended up headlining all thirty dates.
There would have been another founding member of H.O.R.D.E. on the
festival had it not been for Widespread Panic pulling out in mid-May,
reportedly due to a desire to play the main stage. Instead, Beck was
slated for a first-stage spot for nine dates in mid-tour, with Panic
bumped to the second stage. Perhaps understandably miffed at their
demotion from what used to be a lock on a main stage performance, the
band removed itself from the tour altogether.
At the same time that veteran bands were departing the tour, many newer
acts were finding themselves exposed to scores and scores of fans. One
of the most successful methods of getting local bands the attention they
so sorely needed was by the "Battle of the Bands" competitions. In these,
three or four regional bands would compete at a local club by playing a
brief, 45-minute set. The attendees would vote on their favorite band at
the end of the night, and the winning band would then go on to get a
spot on three showings of the H.O.R.D.E., often in an early slot.
Among bands who won "Battle of the Bands" spots and then gained national
exposure are Day By the River, The Big Wu and Chief Broom in 1997. The
Battle resulted so popular that it was brought back in 1998 for virtually
each city of the tour.
The H.O.R.D.E. website shifted from Philips to the now-defunct
www.hordefestival.com [the site has been preserved by its designer at
http://www.spacelab.net/~horde/]
and began offering multimedia clips such as audio and video, photos
and other useful info like venue capacity, directions, policies and
more. Dave Mallick's [aka The Green One] fan site
got several thousand hits a week after its kickoff in early April and
broke a few news stories ahead of the official site and hotline. A few
shifts of venue and Neil Young slicing his finger cutting a ham sandwich
did not impact the tour's popularity at all, although murmurs began
circulating that it had strayed too far afield from its original
"jam-band" mindset, with such additions as Primus, Squirrel Nut Zippers,
Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Beck.
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The Music:
Headliners
- Beck
- Ben Folds Five
- Big Head Todd and the Monsters
- Blues Traveler
Non-headliners
- Cake Like
- Chrysalids
- The Fool
- Kula Shaker
- Leftover Salmon
- Medeski, Martin and Wood
- The Michael Parrish Band
- Mighty Mighty Bosstones
- Morphine
- Neil Young and Crazy Horse
- Ozomatli
- Primus
- Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies
- Soul Coughing
- Spiritualized
- Squirrel Nut Zippers
- Taj Mahal & Phantom Blues
- Toad the Wet Sprocket
- To the Moon Alice
- Ween
Battle of the Bands winners
- The Big Wu
- Breedlove
- Chief Broom
- Day by the River
- Domestic Problems
- Haale
- The Mudhens
- New Brown Hat
- Push Down & Turn
- Sky Cries Mary
- Zoo People
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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.
HORDE Boxcar:
Neil Young is a part-owner of Lionel trains, and as a result, the tour
was very train-oriented, as can be seen from the handbills, passes and
the promo CD. One rare promo item was a HORDE boxcar
which is now quite prized among collectors, selling upwards of $100!
Ticket Stubs:
Posters:
Backstage passes:
The shows:
8/15/97 Blockbuster Pavilion,
Charlotte, NC (H.O.R.D.E.)
8/16/97 Nissan Pavilion,
Bristow, VA (H.O.R.D.E.)
8/17/97 Blockbuster E-Center,
Camden, NJ (H.O.R.D.E.)
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