Margo Price with Widespread Panic ©Jay Blakesberg

Since the very beginning, LOCKN’ has billed itself as an interlocking festival with bands collaborating and sets often building upon other sets.

Friday’s lineup of bands honored that tradition in a major way with groove-oriented acts handing over to rock artists and then returning to the joy of rhythm and then continuing back and forth, again and again and again. In some cases these musical elements melded together and melted minds, but, overall, they affirmed the musicians’ love of melody, rock, funk, blues and, of course, jamming.

The latter half of Friday’s schedule featured some pre-announced guest spots as well as a surprise or two.

Taj Mahal with Toots & The Maytals ©Jay Blakesberg

After an onstage injury several years ago that nearly derailed his career, folks on both sides of the stage were thrilled to see Toots Hibbert back in action on Friday afternoon and leading the Maytals. The reggae legends played “Do the Reggay” early in the set and reprised the number to close it. The musical approach on songs such as “Pressure Drop,” “Never Get Weary” and “Bam Bam” was to expand the material through extended grooves. Besides the brand new single, “A Song Call Marley,” the set also featured the legendary Taj Mahal joining in for “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Monkey Man.”

Just prior to his onstage appearance, Mahal visited Hamageddon to talk food. He fielded a few questions from fans and when asked if he is a musician or a storyteller, Taj responded, “You can’t separate them.”

Jason Bonham with Umphrey’s McGee ©Jay Blakesberg

After Toots & the Maytals performance, Umphrey’s McGee returned to follow-up on their mind-blowing two sets from Thursday. The group played another 45 minutes that combined the band’s prog and jamtronica sides, starting with “Half Delayed” and then launching into a segued section that moved from “Plunger” into “Walletsworth,” back into “Plunger” and then “The Silent Type.” From here the band charged into a series of tunes with drummer Jason Bonham, beginning with the UM original “Conduit,” followed by five Led Zeppelin numbers, including “Good Times Bad Times,” “Dancing Days” and “The Song Remains the Same.”

One surprise—Taylor Hicks sang lead on “When the Levee Breaks”—was followed by another—“The Rain Song” tease segued into “Whole Lotta Love” with guest guitarist Derek Trucks and UM drummer Kris Myers, doing his best Robert Plant imitation on lead vocals. Trucks’ appearance took place in classic LOCKN’ manner, in that it came together about 20 minutes before the set.

Making his victory lap before he retires from touring, George Clinton then stormed out with P-Funk and led them through a fierce, exhilarating performance that combined hard funk, soul, hip hop and rock. The set included “I am Gonna Make You Sick of Me,” “We Want the Funk,” “Atomic Dog,” “Cosmic Slop” and “One Nation Under a Groove” as well as the transcendent “Maggot Brain.”

Widespread Panic finally closed out the stage. The group started off with 90 minutes of powerhouse playing that offered crowd favorites such as opening “Tall Boy” as well as “Love Tractor,” “Rebirtha,” “All Time Low,” “Driving Song” and “Greta.”

Panic then welcomed Margo Price on vocals for several tunes, including songs associated with Aretha Franklin (“Rock Steady”) and Janis Joplin (“Piece of My Heart”). “Rock Steady” was enriched by the Tedeschi Trucks Band horn section of Ephraim Owens (trumpet), Elizabeth Lea (trombone) and Kebbi Williams (saxophone).

While Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closed out Friday’s music from the Relix stage at midnight, most of the band also pulled double duty earlier in the day. Tom Hamilton won plenty of new fans with his animated Ghost Light quintet, which also features LOCKN’ fan favorite Holly Bowling. They were followed by an engaging set from Chris Harford’s Band of Changes, in which Harford was backed by Russo, Scott Metzger and Dave Dreiwitz for a set of originals plus a cover of Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.”

Following Band of Changes, Turkuaz played an upbeat solid set of funk that featured a brief Sly & the Family Stone medley (“M’ Lady”> “I Want to Take You Higher”) as well as The Band’s “Don’t Do It” and material from the group’s forthcoming album, Lifetime In The City.

Moon Taxi then impressed with a solid, energizing hour in the late afternoon that ended with the band’s hit, “Two High” and included covers of Tears For Fears (“Everybody Wants to Rule the World”) and Rage Against the Machine (“Sleep Now in the Fire”).

This day of many moods and satisfying sounds eventually came to a close as JRAD picked up from Thursday night’s intense late night set by tearing through Jerry Garcia Band’s “Cats Under the Stars” and using that as the lift-off for the next two hours, which also included “Mr. Charlie” and “St. Stephen> “The Eleven.”

All told, Friday’s LOCKN’ was defined by the spirit of camaraderie, fellowship and of course, love.