People lounged in multi-colored hammocks strung between oak and pine trees, sucking on bowls, sipping over-priced beer and nodding their heads to a reggae beat.
Closer to the stage, mud-covered fans packed a clearing, shouting "No Woman, No Cry" along with a Bob Marley stand-in, backed by The Wailers.
The performance was the closing act of the four-day Wanee Fest held in Live Oak Thursday through Sunday about an hour north of Gainesville.
The festival included classic rock acts such as The Allman Brothers Band and The Doobie Brothers in addition to the southern-styled Drive-by Truckers, reggae legends The Wailers and numerous funk and jam bands, such as Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk and The Derek Trucks Band.
As early as Thursday, haggard hippies, country folk and music junkies scoured the 700-acre Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park for the perfect place to unpack their tents or motor homes and warmly greet their new neighbors. Many brought guitars, Hula-Hoops and Frisbees.
The clouds and wind kept the crowds cool, and afternoon thundershowers turned the dirt field in front of the main stage into a sandal-sucking bog.
People took off their shoes or slowly picked their way through the mud to get to stands selling beer, ice cream, chicken on a stick and fried pickles.
To a live soundtrack of Doobie Brothers' hits such as "Listen to the Music" and "Long Train Running," two teenagers played Frisbee, sliding in for catches like baseball runners on home.
"I've gotta rinse off a little bit. At least rinse off in the river," said Tanner Dafoe, gesturing to his once-white shorts and baseball cap.
Musicians jammed all day Friday and Saturday, with sets starting at noon and leading up to The Allman Brothers Band prime time performances from 9 p.m. to midnight on both nights.
The double performance was billed as a celebration of the band's 40th anniversary.
Two festival-goers said they trekked from New Jersey to see The Allman Brothers Band.
"I saw them one time inside of a stadium, and I didn't enjoy it as much," Mark Joyce said.
Joyce said he was reserving his dance moves for The Allman Brother's performance that was scheduled later that day.
The Derek Trucks Band capped Friday with a midnight to 2 a.m. performance and The Wailers followed suit on Saturday.
The shows took place at the Mushroom Stage, an amphitheater worked into the forest with over 60 hammocks replacing stadium seating.
Pink and green ribbon chandeliers and strings of lights passed through branches over the amphitheater's dirt dance floor.
Festival organizers said this year's Wanee attracted more people than ever before, although they didn't share exact numbers.
Brittany Mennen, a UF business marketing graduate, who wore a blue poncho dotted with orange gator logos, said this was her fourth visit to Wanee, and crowds were the largest she's ever seen.
She has also attended Langerado and Bonnaroo.
"Festivals are really picking up," Mennen said.
