U.S. Destination Rock Festivals: “It’s about the Experience.”

“It was hot, there were palm trees, and a lot of great haircuts and sunglasses. I can’t wait to go back.” –Scott Avett of the Avett Brothers on Coachella (Brant 2008: 243)

The Question:

They're hot. They're crowded. There can be mud. There can be fires and riots. And people love them. Rolling Stone has put both Bonnaroo and Woodstock in the top 50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll. What makes the experience of a destination rock festival so different from normal concerts? And why are they important to rock?

The Crowds at Lollapalooza 2008 (Credit- Me):




The Disclaimer:

When I first set out to look into the topic of music festivals, I was unsure as to what direction I would head. The topic appeared too broad but I dove headfirst in, a little hesitant of what to expect but excited nonetheless. There were cool bands and people who loved music involved; what is there not to like? Although the experience of researching has lasted longer than the three days of Lollapalooza 2008, my first on what I hope will become a long list of festivals attended, it too has left me more knowledgeable and more excited about the music than ever before. I only hope that my great enthusiasm about these experiences has not completely tainted my views, but I include this paragraph in hopes that the reader knows to perhaps take my research with a grain of salt: I loved my (limited) experience with the destination rock festival, but not every person agrees with me.

The Definition:

In order to move forward, it is necessary to first define the terms. A destination rock festival must fall under Getz’s definition of a special event as “a onetime or infrequently occurring event outside the normal program or activities of the sponsoring or organizing body. To the customer, a special event is an opportunity for a leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday experience” (1991: 44). These cannot be an average, everyday happening.

In my first set of field notes, I further separate destination rock festivals from normal concerts in terms of size, physical barriers, and amount of planning involved. Additionally, these festivals must be at a certain destination and people have to take time out of their lives in order to attend.

In a personal interview, Alex, a 20-year old self-described festival-lover, defines festivals as being “a once a year thing” removing events such as the Vans Warped Tour from this definition. He further comments that “multiple days” are key to a fitting the definition of a rock festival.

And finally, a destination rock festival must include rock music, as defined by the listeners. Although all of the destination rock festivals include music genres and festivities other than rock, to not include this qualifier however obvious, would be impractical.

Brant defines Bonnaroo and Coachella as America’s current premier destination festivals (2008: xiii). From my research, these two, along with Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, and South by Southwest also fit this definition. Although there may be other festivals that sound close to my definition termed here, the rest of this paper will focus on these five festivals.

The History:

One cannot write about US destination rock festivals without first mentioning both the three-day Monterey International Pop Music Festival in 1967 and Woodstock two years later (Brant 2008: xi). An estimated 200,000 people attended Monterey, held in California, with appearances by Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janie Joplin, and Otis Redding. On the other side of the country in New York, artists such as Ravi Shankar, Santana, Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Band, Jefferson Airplane, and Hendrix played to almost 500,000 people at Woodstock. Rolling Stone calls 1969 Woodstock one of the top 50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll. Both festivals promoted the concept of the “hippie era”, Woodstock even carrying the motto of “3 days of peach and music”. Both mixed folk, blue, jazz, soul, rock, and other genres for a large crowd, clearly fitting the definition of a destination rock festival.

Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock '69 (Credit: Vladimir):


Jefferson Airplane at Woodstock '69 (Credit: Phil):
Jefferson Airplane - Somebody To Love (Live Woodstock)


A revival of the original Woodstock was attempted in both 1994 and 1999. Although ‘94 went by without any major occurrence, Woodstock ’99 is best known for the violence that occurred, including rapes and fires. Concert organizers charged a very high price for the festival, and then overcharged attendees for beer, water, and food. Furthermore, the show was held on tarmac, which made the already hot weather seem even hotter. Tempers rose, and on the Saturday of the show, people started setting fires. The event quickly became so unsafe that it had to be cancelled, as many were hospitalized or arrested. Clearly, this is an example of what can go wrong at a festival.

Red Hot Chili Pepper's Set Interrupted by Fire at Woodstock '99 (Credit: mklemp92):


The Bands’ Experiences:

In my second set of field notes, I looked at interviews of bands that had played at several of these current festivals, noting what made music festivals different from normal concerts. The major factor that came up again and again was the schedule, which can determine how many people see them, depending on who is playing at the same time as them, before them, or after them. Each of these can cause both negative and positive factors. Festival organizers have to be extremely careful when setting up a schedule.

At festivals, the bands are unable to create a unique experience that they may be able to on tour, and may have to change their sets in order to both appeal to the different demographics at a festival, and make themselves feel comfortable in front of large crowds. Furthermore, many bands experience problems with the equipment and the weather at festivals (Brant 2008: 241). This can deter bands from wanting to perform at festivals, or as Tegan and Sara put it: “we’ve politely avoided them”.

On the flipside, many mentioned the appeal of playing at a festival in order to play to fans that may not otherwise hear them. Others mentioned the fact that only “REAL” music fans attend festivals, and create such a different type of positive energy than they may feel at a normal show. In fact, almost every band mentioned this “electric” feel experienced at festivals from both the audience and the other performers.

The Fans’ Experiences:

Like the bands, fans are also highly affected by both the organization of the event itself and the weather. Research from Bowen and Daniels suggests that those planning events should not only rely on one artist or the music itself to attract fans and keep them entertained (2005: 162). As evidenced by Woodstock ’99, a poorly planned festival can quickly go awry. While in a place completely separate from the outside world, both fans and performers can immerse themselves in a situation different from everyday life, and create the atmosphere they want (sometimes with the aid of legal or illegal substances).

In my own studies, I found that many people originally go for several specific bands, but both “being around people from all over the country that enjoy similar music” and “adventures in new cities”, or answers similar to these, were common responses when asked about the best part of a music festival. Every person I interviewed talked about the atmosphere at these festivals as being open, energetic, and exciting; my own personal experience at Lollapalooza echoes this description.

Girl Talk at Lollapalooza 2008, showing the energy in the crowd (Credit- Me):



Some research has demonstrated that although a fan’s personal experience may be negatively affected by the weather, they may still be satisfied and recommend the event to others, simply because they separate the festival from “non-controllable factors such as weather” (Li and Vogelsong 2004: 6). The burden then falls completely on the organizers of the event to make the festival as safe, clean, affordable, and fun as possible.

Regina Spekter at Lollapalooza stopping her set to help a fan affected by the weather (Credit: absoluetelyaudrey)


The Answer:

In addition to boosting the tourism and economy for whatever destination the event is held at, rock festivals help to change the face of rock music (Grunwell 2008; 2). Both the bands and the fans mentioned the large diversity in music at destination rock festivals nowadays. Bands are able to see in person what other bands are doing, and may incorporate anything the like, either subconsciously or consciously, into their own acts. Fans are able to see bands and listen to genres of music they may never have experienced otherwise. In this manner, rock festivals are able to change the actual description of rock, by adding elements of bluegrass, jazz, hip-hop, metal, grunge, pop, and the list goes on…

In fact, although they may be named “rock” festivals, all of these have such a variety that people can experiment with anything they want, such as a type of music, a substance, or an identity, in a short amount of time. They then may take a part of that experience and incorporate it into their everyday life.

Dowd, Liddle, and Nelson said that if one compared a normal concert to a weekly church service, then a music festival becomes a pilgrimage destination. Both have the ability to “profoundly transform attendees” (2004: 150). The crowds of people, affordability, and conditions may not appeal to everyone, yet every person I interviewed said that any true music fan should attend one of these events in their lifetime if possible.

The Word Count:
1500

The Works Cited:

Alex. Personal Interview. March 26, 2009.

Bowen, Heather; and M.J. Daniels. “Does the Music Matter? Motivations for Attending a Music Festival.” Event Management. Vol. 9, 2005. 155-164.

Brant, Marley. “Join Together: Forty Years of the Rock Music Festival.” Hal Leonard Corporation; 2008. pi-1, 239-251.

Chris. Email Correspondence. April 27, 2009

Dowd, Timothy J.; Kathleen Liddle, and Jenna Nelson. “Music Festivals as Scenes: Examples from Serious Music, Womyn’s Music, and SkatePunk.” Music Scenes: Local, Translocal, and Virtual. Bennett, Andy; and Richard A. Peterson, ed. Vanderbilt University Press; Nashville. 2004. p149-167.

Getz, Donald. “Festivals, Special Events, and Tourism.” Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 29, No. 3, 60 (1991). < http://jtr.sagepub.com/cgi/pdf_extract/29/3/60>.

Grunwell, Sandra; Inhyuck Ha, and Bonnie Martin. “A Comparative Analysis of Attendee Profiles at Two Urban Festivals.” Journal of Convention & Event Tourism. 2008. 9:1, 1-14.

Joe. Email Correspondence. 29 Apr. 2009.

Li, Xiang; and Hans Vogelsong. “An Examination of Satisfaction Variables and Indicators at a First-time Festival.” Proceedings of the 2003 Northeaster Recreation Research Symposium. Murdy, James, ed. USDA Forest Service. 2004. 440-446.

Michael. Email Correspondence. April 29, 2009.