Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Party Scene: Backpacker shows the G. Love

Salt Lake was smokin’ hot this year — and we’re not talking about the hot products in the show. We’re talking about the lack of air conditioning at every club we hit for post-show parties, which meant lots of hip-to-hip sweaty dancing. Hey, an industry that sweats together stays together, right?

You could almost wear the air during the Backpacker party at Elevate on Aug. 10 (to benefit the American Hiking Society). G. Love and Special Sauce (a trio from Philadelphia) fed off the feverish atmosphere and slapped the tight crowd with a gritty mix of rap, funk and blues. We snaked our way to the front of the floor as lead singer Garrett Dutton (G. Love) took a solo turn on stage, blowing mightily on his harp and wringing every ounce of energy from his guitar. The rowdy tune must have flicked a switch in the girl to our left, because she started hopping up and down and screaming like mad, and we thought she might be crazy from the heat. Maybe she was just feelin’ the G. Love.

Our crew was feeling the need for something cold, but we didn’t want to give up our turf for a beer-run to the bar. Just then, G. Love broke into a real boot-stomper about his desire for some head-freezing ice cream. “I want some ice creeaaammm!” he shouted. And man, that would’ve sure hit the spot.

We raised our hands and yelled back, “Sing it, brutha! And make ours a double scoop!”