I love music festivals

Music festivals are often the best, most fun, enjoyable, and memorable music experiences every year!  Easily the best bang for the buck for sure but that's just gravy in my mind. It's all about seeing many killer artists & musicians and getting to see bands that you otherwise might never see as well as a chance to see new, up & coming bands. I recall seeing both Goose and Billy Strings and several other bands a couple years before they were at all  popular -- both on small stages, small crowd, could be right up front without any hassles.... GOLD!  But then, the real memorable part comes from spending a few / several days & nights with good friends where nothing really matters, you can hit the long ball without any worries if you want, countless hours of hanging, gigging, laughing, listening, dancing, eating & drinking, raging, camping -- rinse & repeat -- it's just the absolute best summertime musical adventure in every way!!  Once you have that indescribable shared festival experience with people you love, one-night shows are certainly still great, but nothing like the festival multi-day experience!

How about you? Are you a fan of music festivals and are you attending any this year?<<<

With all other things being equal, I'd rather rip the roof off the top of my mouth by sitting down with a big box of Cap'n Crunch vs. always switching gears or getting stuck with Corn Flakes or Special K in a "variety pack"!   There's also the issue of paying what is effectively a "bloated" ticket price if I'm really only interested in one band at a festival.  I've become more discerning in recent years with festivals nearby, but at the same time it's relatively easy for me living near a festival mecca to see what shakes loose in terms of cheap tickets if the market shifts in such a way.  Will likely do that for Jazz Fest in Telluride in another week or so.

Still, I'm with you about festivals being a great place to get introduced to new artists.  In general, I've learned to adjust my expectations and appreciate whatever comes my way.  Heck, I've even seen "festival sets" by bands that normally play two sets (i.e. P&F) deliver in a great way that might not have happened if it were two sets.

Me too. Fest shows are as much about the people and the surrounding scene as they are about the bands. 

Sadler, I would imagine many if not most of your festival experiences come from working them. It's always been my experience that festivals are much more enjoyable with passes and access to areas not available to the masses & closer to the stage.

For me personally, beyond the massive crowds, the heat, the camping, the port-o-johns, my main issue with festivals is that there is just too much music happening. I tend to feel that my palate gets saturated after seeing three or four bands in one day. Hell, by the time I was 30 I was even tired of opening acts at shows, and usually try to avoid them.

Another downside to festivals is that groups tend to play shorter sets, more concentrated on their more popular music, and most bands are playing to some of their own fans, but also to people who don't know or care much about whatever band they're standing in front of, which can affect the energy of a set. Plus, festivals will "steal" many groups' tour stops in a region, which means losing a more intimate, longer show at an often much cheaper price.

All that being said, there is a lot to like about a good festival in a good setting, the setting being maybe the most important factor. Mostly based on it's set & setting, I've never heard a bad word said about the High Sierra Music Fest in Northern California, I've enjoyed a few Mountain Aire fests & the Furthur Fest in Angel's Camp (I had passes & access at those) and I think Golden Gate Park in SF is an amazing place for a festival, especially if it's not totally over-packed, with it's awesome connecting meadows that make for perfect natural ampitheaters.

Ultimately, I've always felt festivals are mostly a young person's thing, but either way they can be one hell of a multi-day party with friends.

I would just rather enjoy more comfortable, concentrated events in my old age.

Has anyone seen "Trainwreck:  Woodstock '99" on Netflix yet?  Is that how it really went down?

I went to Woodstock 99. I had a great time. Yes, it was hot and over priced, but a good time was to be had if you wanted it. I did not see any of the issues shown in the docs until the last evening when the chili peppers played. That is when people started lighting the pizza box piles on fire. I did not stay on site, so that may have changed my perspective, but I had a great time. It is one of the 3 largest concerts I have attended. Jazzfest and Tibetan Freedom Concert in GG Park were the others.  We had VIP for woodstock 99 which had backstage catering etc... I would go back and load my back pack with water and cokes and hand them out to people in the crowd. that was a lot of fun. I still have the notes I took during the festival. I wrote down the locations of where people were from. I partied with people from all over the US and the world. It was fun.  We stayed in a hotel with all the bands. that was really cool. I was able to meet a lot of bands in a more relaxed setting which turned into conversations that I still talk about today.  I met Ice Cube and he gave me that look he does with his face. Priceless. George Clinton and Diaper Guy were 2 others that make me smile when I think back. 

I really only hit one festival a year now due to location, money, and time contraints, but I love them for all the reasons you list. Especially seeing new music I'd otherwise not see and walking away from them a fan. Having time to truly relax for a few days with music consumption being the biggest goal.

 

At this stage of my life, I prefer single event shows, can barely even tolerate an opening act as it generally pushes the main act later and reduces their set. I get the exposure to new music thing and festy atmosphere( there was a time...) but there is more music then I'll get to in my lifetime anyway so just prefer to select and pay for only what I want to see at this point. Plus there is way too many things going on in my life to do multi day festivals anymore. Give me a full night out with a single act of my choice and life is good

and I have you guys and YouTube to highlight all the things I missed good n bad

A little festival as "local" to me as Phish in AC this weekend...

I love a good festival, whether it's been with my family, my boys as adults, friends, or solo. I did Delfest (GA) solo & Peach (VIP & Glamping) with my cousin this summer seeing 4-5 full sets a day and parts of others...have never had a bad experience at either. Seeing artists for the first time without expectations, Billy Strings (2015 Delfest) or Jackson Brown (2013 Telluride) are two that come to mind, can be life altering.  There is the heat, weather, & wooks , but I can avoid that at home anytime. Life slows down so does my stroll, sitting under my E-Zup during a rain delay @ Delfest with absolutely nothing to do was priceless.

Love music festivals, but for people in their 50s, there are a few basic rules that make them still doable and enjoyable:

1.  Drink lots of water.

2.  Stay in the shade (very important).

3. Overindulge mindfully and in moderation.

4.  Know you are not going to see everything.

5. Try to be in bed by 2:00 am.

That's interesting to me because I don't think I've ever gone to a festival if I was only interested in one artist. For me, I would have to like at least 3 of the artists before I would even think about going...usually more<<<

It's also interesting to look at things from the promoter's point of view.  I wonder how they look at thresholds re: number of artists liked by the average festival goer?  Maybe there is a magic number on average for those who go for the "festival experience"; and perhaps even more granular re: number per "tier" ... kind of like a strip mall with a big anchor store, yet also has numerous other lesser, but still known businesses.

Part of the issue for me in so far as focussing on one act is that living in a remote area of SW Colorado, it's almost always necessary to drive 6+ hours to a city to see someone who is able to command a large venue by themselves.   This year I've driven to the front range to see TAB, D&C, SCI, and Phish coming up at Dicks.  I couldn't see any of the above nearby (although did go to Dillon for Cheese).  So, it boils down to either driving a long distance or routing for artists on my radar to be a headliner at a festival in Telluride.   Warren @ Blues and Brews is the only one this year (although Panic, JRAD, and someone else fell through for Ride Fest).

I'd also be hard pressed to find 3 artists who I knew for sure I'd wholeheartedly be into.  I'll check out acts that are unknown to me on an individual basis; especially at the free weekly series' at home and in the region, but have a hard time putting in the time and money for a crapshoot.   Something's got to give on either time or $ for me to "jump in" for a day or more at a festival.  Having said that, the following one kind of catches my eye for the overall experience.  It's only a couple hours away and would be able to camp in my van at a relatively new venue that I've been meaning to check out, but I've seen DeadPhish Orchestra, Main Squeeze, Kitchen Dwellers and while they're all good ... none of them could pull me in on their own.

https://fourcornersjamfest.com/schedule/

^^^^^Love music festivals, but for people in their 50s, there are a few basic rules that make them still doable and enjoyable:

1.  Drink lots of water. No problem there

2.  Stay in the shade (very important). Usually there is something else I'd rather do during the day then watch music 

3. Overindulge mindfully and in moderation. I Don't drink or do drugs

4.  Know you are not going to see everything. Usually only one act I'd like to see anyway 

5. Try to be in bed by 2:00 am. Prefer to be in bed by 11

like Grassroots a few weeks ago, went into the site for one act and bailed 

> 3. Overindulge mindfully and in moderation.

Too much of anything is just enough, in other words.

I can't remember the last time I attended a festival, which is further evidence that I've gotten old. As a few have said here, seeing just one band works fine for me now, and if there's an opening act, I'll skip it, unless it's someone I really want to see.

Jazzfest has been worth it.  Water, shade, and sunblock are musts.

I have friends who really love festivals I'm talking flying to Europe to hit the ones they like kind of love. Based mostly on their enthusiasm I tried, but like opera it just isn't for me.

It's the audience crowd interaction that I'm looking for these days and as Lance said with half the crowd not into the band that is playing at that time it just doesn't work. I would rather see a mediocre band play in a venue where everybody is really into it than a really good band play in front of audience that doesn't care. The only thing worse than a festival for that is a few corporate gigs I went to. 

That said my entire festival experience is based on Outside Lands so that might have something to do with it. I realized after not having a good time with comped VIP tickets that festivals aren't for me. Give me a show at the Greek, Warfield, Fox, or even the Bill Graham Civic and I'm happy, but I also realized after the three day Furthur run at the Greek that I no longer can do multiple nights.  

gathering of the vibes 01 ......somehow it is my greatest trip ever 

....coupled with some bad memories....still the best time ive had at a concert experience :)

(minus big cypress)...but that wasn't a festival ....

festivals 

Not a big fan of festivals. I'll go to hardly Strictly every year but I come home and sleep in my own bed. Camping for/at a show? Haven't done that in 30 years.....

Some festivals are better than others re: camping.  Not a fan of cramming onto a giant soccer field with lights like Phish @ Dicks, but SCI @ Horning's was essentially a festival with some of the best camping you'll find in a forested area (with choice of a "scene" or more of a isolated experience).

As much as festivals still aren't on the same plane as a "real show" for me, building a conversion van last year was a game changer both locally and on the road.  Living 20 minutes from town, it's always been close enough to make two trips in a day if there's an early act of interest and I wasn't willing or prepared to stick out at the venue for the whole day to see final headliners.  Now, it's far easier to chill, take a nap, or sleep overnight if need be.

Venue is a critical, perhaps the most critical, part of a festival. (Obviously the bands playing are also critical). Even though it was big, yes, GOTV was absolutely amazing. Find yourself a smaller, low-key festival in a nice rural setting, a solid band line-up, get a handful of good friends together, pack up all the camp comfort necessities, protection from rain in your hang-out zone, a place to wallow or swim is a major plus, good food and cooking supplies, plenty of GOODIES, and you will generate some of your most memorable music memories ever!!

In the rear view mirror for the likes of me.

Did enjoy the TTB/Los Lobos stream last weekend.

i'm catching TTB and Los Lobos in a couple of weeks. That's an opening act I'll arrive early for.

Overall, I fall on the "An Evening With..." end of the spectrum.  

If you can call camping for GD with 2 openers at Laguna Seca or Angels Camp a "festival", those were fun.  Furthur at Angels Camp was a total blast, but I was very glad to leave misbehaving campers behind and sleep offsite with a shower and a bed in a dark, quiet room.  Camping would not have been as enjoyable.

Festivals with all-day music are way too much of a good thing, especially when they're GD-related.  Went to Days Between last year, letting it go this year.  Followed the streams for Skull and Roses in April, laughing at estimating the over/under on number of Berthas or Sugar Mags.

>>Has anyone seen "Trainwreck:  Woodstock '99" on Netflix yet?  Is that how it really went down?

I watched this over the weekend. They sure made it look terrible. The heat, port o johns and trash were an issue for sure, but they really focused on the negative side. There were a few hundred thousand people that had a really good time and they did not seem to mention any of that. They also barely talked about how great the music was. To this day, that is one of the best sounding festivals I have been too. It was crazy how good the sound was like half a mile from the stage. There was a lot of non aggressive music as well.  Either way, my friends and I had a great time and still talk about it frequently. I still go to festivals and I still think about this one. Maybe one day a documentary will be made that shows the fun side of Woodstock 99? I am glad that most of the video footage of the bands has made its way to youtube. 

 Furthur at Angels Camp was a total blast, but I was very glad to leave misbehaving campers behind and sleep offsite with a shower and a bed in a dark, quiet room.  Camping would not have been as enjoyable<<<

Furthur Fest at Angel's Camp was one of the most memorable post Jerry events I've attended; even in spite of camping in the midst of the craziness that included someone slashing themself with a knife right outside my tent (while I was inside the show) and bass-heavy music blasting until 5am.   Not sure I'd jump into the wild west fray now, but definitely dug the whole Furthur as the centerpiece sort of thing ... along with various related supporting acts.    Wandering in to see Bobby play with Jorma in an aftershow at an indoor "side stage" was magical.   I was skeptical of the "albums" concept at the start, but was easily sold once they got going.

Having said that, the Skull & Roses festival this year just didn't hit the mark for me to make the journey and spend the $$.  It was not enough Phil / actual GD remnants vs. outer rings of collaborators; even in light of the location and camping scene being attractive.  However, I'd still lean toward a S&R of it being more of a homogenous GD-related lineup vs. just about any other festival recipe of artists.

3. Overindulge mindfully and in moderation. >>>>>>>>

I don't drink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJaoCoWxQaY

I doubt we would see Biden or Trump at one:

Since the Telluride Jazz Festival is considered a "minor" festival by the Town of Telluride (quantitative classification of something like < 3k people), they only fence off 1/4 of the entire town park ... so you can walk up and listen.  I did this a little bit each day and it was cool to hang out and not be in the middle of the crowd, but I did stumble into two free RFID wristbands for Sunday from some random guy who was about to leave early in the afternoon.  I wasn't totally sure if he just had extras or maybe they had already used them and simply had them on very loosely.  In any event, it was easy enough for me to get in.

However, I couldn't help but wonder afterwards how long it'll be before these RFID systems are paired with facial recognition technology in order to enforce any terms regarding wristbands being non-transferrable?  If this sort of thing was in place if I had used a "recycled" wristband, my facial scan wouldn't match the scan paired with the original entry of said wristband; alerting the staff at the gate and elsewhere within the venue; perhaps also automatically dispatching a drone to survey the scene to gather evidence to mount a legal case.

Yep, it's all coming soon. Theft of services, trespassing, fraud, etc. Be careful at those self-check stands at grocery stores too - stores like Walmart are quite unforgiving in their pursuit of "shoplifters" and won't be too sympathetic to user errors either.