In this set of fieldnotes, I have decided to focus on what makes a rock festival different from other concerts. According to Wikipedia, a rock festival is a “large-scale outdoor rock music concerts, featuring multiple acts, often spread out over several days”[1]. The festivals that I have chosen to focus on (Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, SXSW, and Coachella) all fit these criteria, but is this what defines them?
One important characteristic that separates these rock festivals from normal rock concerts are the parts that are not the music. For example, many of the festivals host comedians, speakers, and other events besides bands playing. Vendors line up and sell food and merchandise, and SXSW and Coachella include a film festival and an art festival respectively. Lots of foresight by concert planners is involved, due to the length and size of the festival. Without adequate facilities, such as food, water, and bathrooms, the concert will fail. At smaller, shorter concerts, these details do not make or break them, whereas they would at larger festivals.
Perhaps the greatest attribute of a rock festival is its ability to be separate from the real world. Due to its length, commitments such as work or school would have had to been moved or cancelled. A person immerses themselves in music and culture for several days, unattached to anything else. At several of these festivals, many people camp at the site for a few days. Physical barriers such as distance in the case of Bonnaroo, or a gate, in the case of Lollapalooza, keep the attendees of such festivals away from normal civilization.
As an example of the separation between worlds festival-goers may experience, I interviewed a friend who had been to both Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo via an instant message. He wrote: “drugs were basically legal there- it was awesome- the event staff would watch you take a hit of whatever you wanted-but do nothing about it”. This lack of law enforcement would not normally take place outside of the festival.
Furthermore, Urban Dictionary writes of a disease called “festival flu”, which is defined as: “An illness which inevitably sets in when one returns home from attending a music festival. Causes include: Between 2 and 10 hours sleep over a five day period, Living in your own dirt, Shouting and screaming a lot, Excessive consumption of both legal and illegal substances, Being too tight to buy food and hence going without for five days, Dehydration” [2] Concert-goers voluntarily experience these so-called causes of festival flu, in order to participate in the experience that being away from the rest of the world, with thousands of people who share an appreciation for music.
Talking to several people about the festivals revealed a type of “aura” these concerts exude. Although many concerts generate excitement, the mere fact that these festivals, are large-scale and spread out over several days contribute to the certain feeling many would describe when there. Being around many people whose goal is to listen to music and have a good time may be something that all concerts share, but festivals simply beat out normal concerts in sheer numbers (80,000 for Bonnaroo [3]; 225,000 for Lollapalooza[1] ; 65,000 for Austin City Limits[4]; 149,000 for SXSW[1], 50,000 for Coachella[5]). Not only is an attendee of one of these festivals surrounded by people who share similar musical preferences, but many have traveled from other states and countries to be there.
I would like to leave you with a quote taken from WBRU’s blog covering Lollapalooza 2008:
“Covered in the sweat of a thousand men and wearing a shirt that will probably never be wearable again, I exited Grant Park, this time at the same time as everyone else, as opposed to hanging around late to check out backstage, and I witnessed something remarkable. As the crowds pour out into the streets, there were random bursts of applause and cheers. I looked around to see what people for cheering for, and there’s nothing there. They’re cheering for nothing. Nothing, and everything that they just saw and experienced over the last two days. It’s exactly the feeling I would get walking between stages, the feeling of being completely ecstatic just to BE here, that I would just put my fists in the air for no apparent reason in a personal, private celebration. And here was everyone, doing the same thing, the cheers following us down streets and around corners. That’s what Lollapalooza is: un-containable excitement.” [6]
Future Work:
For my next post, I will interview Alex Korzec, along with several other attendees of various music festivals. I have already asked them permission. I have some questions planned. I want to make sure that I do not influence their viewpoints with my own.
In the next set of fieldnotes, along with questions from my interview, I would like to look at the bands that play these rock music festivals. Many bands repeat at these festivals. For example, some bands have played at Bonnaroo for several years in a row. Additionally, the Raconteurs showed up at almost all of these festivals last year (2008). What makes bands such as the Raconteurs appear again and again? What qualities do they possess that make them superior to other bands on the bill? There are interviews available with such bands about playing at these festivals that I will look at, as well as interviews of the people who enjoy the bands about why they consistently play at America’s premier rock music festivals.
Finally, I will write about my own experience of being at Lollapalooza last year.
References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_festival
2. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=festival%20flu
3. http://www.bonnaroo.com
4. http://www.aclfestival.com/
5. http://www.coachella.com/
6. http://www.wbru.com
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This topic caught my eye because it reminds me of what my friends have told me about their experiences at the Burning Man music festival in Nevada - it's more a techno festival than a rock festival, but musical differences aside, the experiences of the festival-goers are quite similar. I especially like your observation that "the greatest attribute of a rock festival is its ability to be separate from the real world." Maybe you could further elaborate on this by talking about the micro-civilizations that develop in these festivals. For instance, I've heard of barter systems and other small-scale economies being set up.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about your experiences :)
It seems like a fun topic and you have an interesting point of view as you are focusing on other things such as some different events and the atmosphere in the festival area as well as music. Actually, all those things, like staying in a tent with your friends, to start drinking in the morning, and living in your own dirt make festivals what they are. People who have the festival soul have the most fun of all, even if many others see it as a pain. It seems you are already making your way and have a good plan for the next steps. It will be interesting to follow your project. Good luck.
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