Probably the world’s most auspicious current assemblage of world reggae musicians?

Check.

More than 3,000 people comfortably ensconced at Auburn’s Regional Park and ready to get their reggae on?

Check.

Scott Holbrook, Party in the Park emcee and the event’s chief proponent, left the stage and Tosh Meets Marley – starring key Bob Marley & The Wailers guitar player Junior Marvin and Fully Fullwood, bass player with Peter Tosh – locked into a groove.

Backstage, Holbrook – who had just introduced the band – wore a satisfied smile.

“Time to relax and enjoy,” said the man who has made “Keep Smilin’” his personal mantra.

Then the music died. A balky generator would result in a couple of false starts and a keyboard problem would slow things down again.

For Holbrook, a director with event organizer Auburn Recreation District, Friday’s problems were moving toward a music meltdown. But with the vigilant work of the backstage crew and some patience from both audience and band, the songs and good vibes started flowing freely again after about an hour. And the park did party after all.

Maybe the spirit of Bob Marley was hovering over the stage area, gently reminding: “Don’t worry, ‘bout a thing/’Cos every little things gonna work out fine.”

Party in the Park survived. And so can you next year, when it returns – hopefully with another major act, at the same venue, with as accommodating a crowd as Friday’s.

Here are some tips on “How to Survive an Auburn Reggae Concert:”

- Expect the unexpected. “Stuff happens,” was the way Holbrook described the night as another stoppage was occurring. If the singer asks you to sing along to a reggae version of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” -- as reggae veteran George Kouakou did – don’t question the song selection, just roll with it.

- Bring water. Plenty of water. The drinking fountain outside the park’s Lakeside Room was not working. By about 9:30 p.m., vendors were out of everything but caffeinated beverages – not a good choice unless you’re planning to be wide awake late into the next morning. And you’re doing a body good by hydrating.

- Arrive early. Parking was hard to come by near the park as 3,000 people and 1,000 cars or more shared space. The choice spots were gone by about 6 p.m. – including the VIP parking next to the Lakeside Room.

- Walk around. Find a comfortable place to sit. Chairs aren’t too stable on the hillside facing the stage so bring a big blanket to sit on. Flatter areas are available to the sides. Use the opening act’s acoustics to find the “sweet spot” for sound. Not every location is going to provide perfect acoustics and you must search one out.

- Don’t walk around too much, if you have a low tolerance for marijuana smokers. The disc golf area behind the stage was peopled by groups having their “special time.” Also, if you’re close to the stage, expect to come out smelling like a Humboldt County forest fire.

- Wear something that says “Jamaica.” Media Life: Etc. favorites included the guy wrapped in a Jamaican flag, Marley T-shirts and those multi-colored knit hats. No jokey, fake dreadlocks, though. Keep it real.

- Think twice about sandals. The Lakeside Room’s men’s restroom was flooded by a clogged toilet at one point, upping the ‘eaww” factor considerably.

If you use the men’s restroom, expect some female company. With the line long at the adjoining women’s loo, women were dropping by throughout the evening.

- Get up. Stand up. Moving into the crowd near the front of the stage gets you closer to the heart of the music. On Friday, it was the deep, melodic lines of Fully Fullwood as he brushed his bass strings to create some dynamics only a musical master can. And it was Vince Black, formerly of Black Uhuru, riveting the audience with sonic guitar adventures that transcended reggae and took the music onto some stratospheric plain.

- Dance. Granted, it may not be for everybody but reggae allows anyone to sway a little with dignity and celebrate a warm day, good music and energy that a power problem can’t keep down.

Here’s a link to a bunch of photos from the event:

www.partyinthepark.net

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This is the fourth post in a Media Life: Etc. blog by the Auburn Journal's Gus Thomson, designed to serve as a continuum of the Media Life column that appears Fridays in the Auburn Journal. The column is also posted on the Journal Website on Thursdays. This week's column features the purchase of a sheath of sometimes-grisly Gold Rush letters and the return of Auburn's long-lost rockabilly treasure Al Hendrix. The link is: http://www.auburnjournal.com/detail/87079.html