With clear skies and a comfortable chill in the air, All Good 13 finally kicked off last night at the Grassroots Stage, giving early-bird fans just a small taste of what is to come throughout the weekend.  Keller Williams (pictured above) seemed to be the fan favorite of the first night, which also included sets by SeepeopleS, BoomBox, and DJ Harry.  Indiana’s instrumental electronic-rockers, Lotus, closed out the evening (er, morning) with a late night performance that began well after this blogger’s bedtime.  I’m sure it was wonderful – they’re massively talented – but after a long day of setting up camp, sleep was wonderful, too.

The festival really starts off later today at 2pm when Hill Country Review finally opens up the All Good Stage at the base of the main concert hill.  The music will continue, non-stop, straight into Saturday morning, with notable performances by Jackie Greene, Galactic, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Todd Snider, Les Claypool, and Bob Weir & RatDog.

The progressive rock band, moe., will close things out, and are scheduled to play until (gasp) four in the morning!  Known for jamming longer and harder than almost any other band, they’re definitely worth staying up for.

Thus, it looks like it’s going to be a long night for Old Man Bellini.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has scotched plans for a vote on a resolution  honoring Michael Jacksonas an “accomplished contributor to the worlds of arts and entertainment” and a “global humanitarian.”

Pelosi called Jackson a “great, great performer”, but opined “I don’t think it’s necessary” to pass a resolution praising him, according to CNN Congressional producer Deirdre Walsh.

She acknowledged that opening the resolution to debate could create an unseemly spectacle with some members of the House potentially expressing “contrary views” about the entertainer.

One of those contrary views comes from Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who posted a video to YouTube denouncing Jackson as a “low-life, a “pervert” and a “pedophile.”  He had vowed to block the resolution.

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), who spoke at Jackson’s memorial service in Los Angeles Tuesday, had introduced the resolution “honoring an American legend and musical icon.”

Do you think Michael Jackson deserves a Congressional resolution in his honor?

It all started in 2007 when my buddies and I decided to skip the usual bachelor party clichés – Vegas, strip club, Disney on Ice – and, instead, head up to the mountains of West Virginia for three days of music and camping. Now, it’s become a tradition… so long as we agree to loose standards when it comes to quantifying “tradition.”

In my eyes, there are three things that separate All Good from the other big summer gatherings – three important attributes that make it worth coming back year after year to see some of the very best of improvisational rock and roots.

For starters, All Good provides no overlapping sets. With only two main stages, nestled next to each other at the bottom of the same hill, one needs only to turn his or her head from the big stage to the small stage, and vice-versa, upon the completion of each set. The next act will already be geared up and ready to go, making the experience completely stress free. You never have to choose between bands, and there’s no wasted time walking from one stage to another. Though, it is recommended that you actually get up and move around from time to time. Festival hillside bed sores are totally not rock n’ roll.

The second thing that makes All Good all good is the setting. Believe it or not, the mountains of West Virginia offer far more than just fodder for cheap Appalachian humor. Quite simply, Marvin’s Mountaintop is beautiful. And while those other festivals manage to cram a large town’s worth of people into an open field, baking everyone under a hot sun, All Good folks camp out within scenic trees and valleys, enjoying mild summer weather that even manages to get chilly at night. And the sunsets… they’re truly unbeatable.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, All Good Festival likely offers the most bang for your buck. In fact, tickets for this weekend-long event start at $109. The other big festivals start at about $250. I’ve never been good with numbers, but that’s like a $400 difference. (Was I close?) Now, I’ll grant you that the likes of Bonnaroo and Rothbury offer considerably more bands and some truly world class big acts. However, as I already mentioned, with all those overlapping sets, fans are forced to make tough decisions. Personally speaking, making tough decisions has never been my forte. I believe I still have an unfinished text vote from the second season of American Idol. It’s a rather unfortunate personality trait, and I’m fairly certain that having to make said tough decisions in the intense summer heat would likely lead to an afternoon spent crying inside my tent, curled up in the fetal position. Again, totally not rock n’ roll.

So, really, when it comes right down to it, for far less money, you end up enjoying the same amount of entertainment at All Good, but without having to miss a moment of music. Plus you get mountains.  Mmmmmm… mountains.

And with that, the music starts later this evening.  Thursday is early-bird arrival day, and Keller Williams looks to be the big act of the night. More to come from the mountaintop where, already, things are feeling all good.

Rev. Al Sharpton called for a commemorative Michael Jackson stamp, online petitions are circulating to make Jackson’s birthday a national holiday (August 29), and Facebook users want June 25 to be “Michael Jackson Remembrance Day.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas said at Jackson’s memorial that a resolution promising to honor Michael Jackson as an international humanitarian is on the House floor. For that promise to materialize, however, it first has to get past political critics.

Similarly, the likelihood of Jackson’s image being affixed to your mail won’t be known anytime soon, because the United States Postal Service doesn’t evaluate commemorative stamps until five years after an individual’s death.

As far as a holiday, no government representatives have touched the issue. But fans are already making promises to annually remember the pop icon, federal approval or not.

– Writer/Producer Intern Breeana Hare

Michael Jackson sang it at age 10. Then Shaheen Jafargholi did at age 12. Isn’t it funny that the song “Who’s Loving You?” about love and loss can be sung so well by kids?

When the “Britain’s Got Talent” finalist took the stage on Tuesday, few viewers and attendees knew the power of his pipes. After his performance, it seemed as if everyone’s immediate question was: Who is this kid?

The Welsh-Iranian miniature crooner first sang the Jackson 5 hit “Who’s Loving You” for the U.K. television show and even managed to wow the stoic judge Simon Cowell on the show. Cowell had told Jafargholi, “This may be the start of something special for you, young man.”

Indeed it was. Jafargholi’s performance was so strong that once Michael Jackson saw it, he offered Jafargholi to join him on his 50-concert tour in London, according to news reports. The Jackson family personally invited Jafargholi to perform at the memorial.

The singer received a standing O after his performance at the ceremony. Jafargholi then gave a shout-out to the late King of Pop, “I want to thank him so much for blessing me and every individual on this earth with his music.”

– Writer/Producer Intern Breeana Hare

From Berlin to Tokyo, Michael Jackson fans are in mourning and are reacting to his death. One fan said that while she had hoped to see the previously planned Jackson concerts in person, she watching the memorial would allow her “to see something of Jackson.”

iReporter Sherri Hardin of Los Angeles takes viewers on her Michael Jackson memorial service journey, from picking her friend up in his underwear to her loss-for-words moment at the ceremony. Watch her story:

Outside the Staples Center, entrepreneurs set up shop on Tuesday. They knew loyal fans had come to say goodbye to one of their favorite pop icons and that many would want to take a piece of it home with them. Buttons, T-shirts, posters, glitter gloves, whatever material that could be used to commemorate Michael Jackson, it seemed that someone had thought of it. Take a look:

The media are now in full force asking, did this memorial service say the right kind of goodbye to Jackson? The overwhelming response, we are hearing, is yes.

It was entertaining in the most somber sense. It was a concert. It was a who-is-that-and-how-do-they-know Jackson event. It was a tribute album waiting to happen.

It was a first for fans to hear Jackson’s 11-year-old daughter Paris Katherine Jackson speak, live. She tearfully closed out the ceremony with telling millions that he was “the best father you could ever imagine.” And Janet Jackson comforted her.  There was a feeling that this family sticks through everything.

Fans left feeling more moved than when they started watching the service.

Says Mary Strickler, from Virginia: “Words are really hard to describe right now. I felt like I knew the man, the person. There’s nothing like going to a funeral with all of your best friends.”

For those who grew up post-Michael Jackson’s peak, this service showed how Jackson was adored. It’s hard for Millennials to think of an entertainer, in their lifetime, who would yield that kind of emotion from so many different walks of life.

What was your most memorable moment of the service?

Even though Michael Jackson’s golden casket stood, spotlighted with flowers resting atop, it was still difficult for many at his memorial to grasp the reality.

The King of Pop is gone.

Inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the respectful quiet was often broken by shouts of support.

Fans yelled things like “You’re leading the choir in heaven now, Michael” and “Thank you, Michael” to express their overwhelming love for the man who gave the majority of his life to thrill and entertain them.

But now he would do so no more. There was a palpable feeling of sadness.

While I expected sorrow, and even a few laughs at the memorial, I didn’t expect the overwhelming intimacy I felt inside the venue as fans bid farewell to one of the most famous people in the world.

People consoled one another, and there was a sense of respecting the fact that they were being allowed to say a final goodbye. The Jackson family, which had shared their son, brother, father, and uncle with the world, was now inviting that world in to glimpse their mourning and share in just a small portion of their pain.

It was an honor to be there, and it was obvious that many who were there understood and cherished that.

–Lisa Respers France, CNN.com writer