The third day of the String Cheese Incident’s Horning’s Hideout Festival saw guest appearances and plenty of spectacle. The main stage music kicked off mid-afternoon with Toubab Krewe, who invited both Chris Berry and Jason Hann to sit in and changed things up a bit by delivering a traditional country song during their set which otherwise focused on African rhythms (later in the day, Toubab Krewe played a surprise mini set at the Relix booth that will appear on Relix.com in the coming weeks- the backdrop was the classic Furthur bus which is parked on site). Bill Frisell followed with a trio that also featured Steve Moore and Rudy Royston, while Michael Kang watched from the side of the stage and before the encore described Frisell as his favorite guitarist. Also during the afternoon, Matt Butler led a version of the Everyone Orchestra at the Sawmill Stage that included Berry, Jamie Janover, members of the Motet and other festival performers. After this, the Travelin’ McCourys led a discussion called “Where’s Del?” describing their musical efforts in the occasional absence of patriarch Del McCoury.

The String Cheese Incident performance had been slated for an additional half hour than the previous day as the band had plans in store for the evening. First up though was a set that opened with a run from “Black Clouds” into “Rhum ‘n’ Zouc.” A bit later Bill Frisell emerged to lend guitar to “County Road Blues” and “Freedom Jazz Dance.” The set later concluded with a move from “Ring of Fire” into “Black Clouds” but before the band departed, Michael Travis asked the audience to clear the concert field bowl for the band’s annual Horning’s Ritual Set. When SCI returned, it performed an extended “Rivertrance,” accompanied by a variety of performers who appeared in the cleared field, including fire dancers, hula hoopers, a burning peacock inspired by Burning Man, a Saturn spaceship that floated over the crowd, acrobats attached to hot air balloons and other eye candy. A bit later at the close of their set, as midnight approached and with it August 1, Jerry Garcia’s birthday, the group performed “I Know You Rider.”

Later that evening during the Caldera Fire jam, which featured a variety of performance artists, fire dancers and fire hoopers, Chris Berry performed with an ad hoc band that included three members of Toubab Krewe and Jans Ingber from the Motet.

The Horning’s Hideout festivities conclude today.