Music Festivals, or Sitting Through Mostly Bands You've Never Heard

So, music festivals! They exist!

Any you're particularly excited about? I wanted to go to Bamboozle, but the tickets are too expensive for me.

Also, here's a biting piece about music festivals from (of all places) the Vitamin String Quartet blog: http://www.vitaminstringquartet.com/blog/2012/03/the-list-of-music-festival-essentials/

WWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAACKENNNNNNNNNNNN!!!

The line-up is nowhere near as awesome as last year, but still...

There's one near DC coming up soon with Kid Cudi, The Shins, Avicii, and ASAP Rocky coming at the end of the month that I'm debating going to. Getting to it requires a car, which I neither have nor know how to drive, unfortunately.

I went to CMA Music Fest in 2010. In fact, I worked a table there. Got to see some good concerts for free (the first day alone, I saw Tim Mc Graw, Lady Antebellum, Alan Jackson — would've stayed for Carrie Underwood but I was getting sleepy).

By the way, for anyone who goes there — bring food. There are almost no major restaurants close to Nashville's convention center. I had to settle for a Sbarro's that closed at 6.

Why would a pizza place close at 6?

I volunteer at two every year. I saw so many good acts! And they were free because, hey, volunteering is awesome.

Iron Maiden, Metric, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant, Victor Wooten, kd lang, Rush, John Fogerty, Joan Jett...

The lineups haven't been announced this year yet, but there's always a few good acts.

If those are who appear at blues and jazz festivals, I clearly need to start going to blues and jazz festivals.

I dunno, probably because it was on the ground floor of an office complex. Another complex nearby had a Chick-Fil-A only open from noon to 3. I was pissed because I've made 3 trips to the south in the past 3 years and have always wanted to try Chick-Fil-A, but was never in close enough proximity to one during mealtimes.

I live in suburban eastern Pennsylvania and we have Chick-Fil-A...

Ever stopping by Philadelphia?

On-topic: My few festival experiences have been... meh. Having Yeasayer be the most interesting thing about the first five hours of an event is never a good thing (and I don't even dislike Yeasayer).

edited 4th Apr '12 5:00:45 AM by JHM

I'm going to the Beale St. Music Festival in early May, mainly to see Megadeth, although there's several other acts that I'd like to catch.

Noon to 3?!?? That's insane.

The only Chick-Fil-A in Michigan is on a college campus 4 hours from here. I live in Northern Michigan, so it's a long drive just to leave the state. And I don't often have lots of reasons to leave the county, much less the state.

I'm thinking of going to HOPSCOTCH festival in Raleigh in September if the line up is good. Not many music festivals come to NC, unless you like bluegrass.

Understood.

I'll admit that my knowledge of the central portion of the US is pretty limited; I've lived in the North, the South and whatever the Virginia/West Virginia border qualifies as, but I've really never been that far westward.

I hit Mayhem Fest a few years back. It was pretty cool; got to hang out with Walls Of Jehrico, shot the breeze with Black Tide, saw some toxically bad metal wannabees that I could mock, watched some stoned girls flash their tits at Dragonforce, etc.

I would have stayed for Disturbed, but my wife was being whiny.

Anyhow, I like the idea of music festivals, I just don't have the money to attend them.

@0dd1: None of the festivals here actually showcase the kind of music they claim to My friends suggested that Folkfest be renamed "Aging Punk Rockers Fest" last year.

At CMA Music Fest, I was behind the booth most of the 3 days, so I got to interact with some artists. There weren't many big-ish names at our booth, but the next booth over had Jason Aldean. Still, I got to buy one singer a beer, and interviewed a semi-retired 1980s singer on the final day. He was really friendly, and was willing to wait while my mom got my laptop so I could fire up Audacity and conduct the interview that way.

I still have the interview on the old laptop, but my editor never posted it for some reason.

Our Folkfest around here is pretty diverse (i.e. huge), but never completely false advertising. On the other hand, some of the non-music events, say the Punk Rock Flea Market... so many hipsters. So. Very. Many.

Sounds like my kind of place, I'd fit right in.

Not the good kind, though. I'm talking the Plaidshirt Army kind.

Like the pretentious, "acts quirky for the sake of being quirky" type?

While acting precisely the same.

Seriously, I know that I'm a classic musical hipster and I don't act like that. They actually scared my friend off of self-identifying as a hipster. It's amazing.

Also, my clothing is nicer than theirs, and I didn't pay half as much. Frickin' poseurs.

edited 6th Apr '12 6:14:31 PM by JHM

Oh, I know exactly the kind. Oddly enough, most of the theater kids in my old high school were this. The closest thing to that I've met in college thus far though is a guy who dresses like an unwashed hipster and acts like a troll (and self-identifies as one).

Regarding on-topic stuff ^_^;; There's so many music festivals that happen near my area (since I live in NJ and can easily travel to Manhattan), but I can't really afford the tickets. C'est la vie.

edited 6th Apr '12 6:23:32 PM by 0dd1

People rag on New Jersey too much. It's a pretty state in parts, and frankly aces if you want to go anywhere else for any reason. Also, Hoboken, which seems to be big with very strange musicians.

In my experience, music central in NJ is anywhere near the shore of central NJ or Asbury Park (home to the one and only Stone Pony, which is pretty much like any other rock club except Bruce Springsteen played there early in his career, thus giving it a major boost).

Though yeah, NJ is pretty much the best place to live if you want to go anywhere art or music related, what with it bisecting Pennsylvania and New York.