The Jambulance

The Jambulance

By Sunday, the Jambulance has become a thing of legend, beginning to seem apocryphal for how often its name appears in conversation with various other press members even as it remains impossible to locate. Nestled between the back of the Yellow Stage — which is actually a tent, primarily used for the comedy acts — and some vendors, the Jambulance is an ambulance converted into a party van. Oh, and it’s Van Halen themed. Like the whole thing is painted like Eddie Van Halen’s guitar. Inside, there are strobe lights and a smoke machine and a TV playing “Welcome to the Jungle.” The owner of the Jambulance is a dude named Kelly Knapper, who ties his long dark hair back with a black paisley bandanna. “How many times are you going to have fun in an ambulance?” he says when describing his idea to make a party bus out of an emergency vehicle.

The reason the Jambulance had become a thing of legend — or so the hearsay goes, because things have become quite a bit more tame by the time I find the thing on Sunday — was because different comedians had been reserving it and throwing ridiculous backstage parties. Throughout all of Friday a thick haze hung around the van that may or may not — but definitely didn’t — have anything to do with the smoke machine as a bunch of different artists came by to hang out. The nearby cops didn’t seem to care. By way of explanation, another Jambulance employee offers up: “It’s called Fun Fest, motherfucker!”