No Sugarcoating & No Bullshit: April
Written by Jo Hayes
Sunday, 26 April 2015 04:00
Hello again Uber Rockers. The past month has seemingly flown by, and now it’s blog time again. There might be some nonsense, maybe a rant, and hopefully a time-wasting good read. I’ll warn you now, not to read this while eating and/or if you have a hangover and are squeamish.
This month I’m touching on a subject I’ve mentioned and written about before, especially as it’s coming up to summer and that is: music festivals. I’ll make this blog different though, wondering whether some so-called music festivals are indeed all about the music.
I’m sure back in the 1960s and 1970s, music festivals were all about the music, and having a good time. You could buy tickets at the gate, I imagine it was cheaper, plus lax security probably helped more people gate-crash (not that I condone the latter…ahem). Despite more freedom with the original music festivals, there were probably two main downsides that I can imagine: death-trap portaloos, and the crowd being allowed right up to the stage.
Sorry for mentioning portaloos (ugh), but someone once told me a story about how someone as a festival had not only fallen into an old portaloo (which would be bad enough), but not being able to get out, they drowned…in sewage. I think I was told this before I camped at a festival for the first time when I was 16, and I have to admit that this made me even more wary of portaloos. I thought this could be a funny, albeit disgusting urban-legend to add to the blog. Thankfully I can’t find anything online to suggest this is true.
Fast forward to the 21st century: I love getting as close to the stage as possible at big gigs, but invariably give up as the thought of waiting there for hours, not being able to move away from your spot, puts me off. Plus safety barriers are too far away from the stage for my liking, although I appreciate that they’re there to prevent crowd crushing, and prevent deaths.
I can imagine years ago bringing your own food and drink was fine, now you have to spend a ridiculous amount on food and drink, and deal with the long queues. Also having to queue to get into the arena, even if you’re camping, and dealing with the surly security staff (who’s betting they sell/use the drink they confiscate?). The only exception to this rule is Glastonbury, however who actually goes to Glastonbury just for the music? You buy your ticket before you even know the line-up, for all you know you could end up with Joni Mitchell, One Direction, and The Wurzels. I think I can safely say that Glastonbury is not a music festival (although any of you could rightly argue that it clearly states this on their website, a performing arts festival).
I’m sure there are many people who do go to other festivals purely for the music, however it now seems to be a very hipster-esque thing to do. I know I only went to music festivals to see the bands, and party at the same time (of course), but now it is more fashionable than ever. Plus the last two festivals I went to, despite drinking, I realised how many drunken idiots now go to these things, whereas when I’d been before, it seemed to be like-minded gig goers having a good time.
To me big festivals are now huge, corporate money-making machines, more about the ‘experience’ than the music itself. I wouldn’t begrudge a festival organiser a profit, but I think that the big festivals are overpriced and soulless (although who knows, maybe they don’t make much of a profit, and the cost is justified – prove me wrong). I know I probably sound like a miserable killjoy (seriously, I’m not), but I think much of the fun is taken out of festivals by the cost, which doesn’t make it available to all.
I think small, local festivals are the way to go. You might not get the big-name acts, but they’re smaller, cheaper, and probably more like the way I imagine the older festivals were (hopefully with better portaloos!)
Anyway, until next time…
Jo
http://www.gigwise.com/features/81642/the-worst-ever-festival-toilet-stories