Dark Djinn Deviations

My previous experiences with music festivals have not always been the best; my first being when I was still in high school. My uncle, bless him, wanted to do something for his other niece, who was undergoing treatment for cancer, to lift her spirits. I was around the same age and gender, so of course I was the logical choice to go, since all she had were brothers. I was never much interested in hanging out with girls, them being, for the most part, too… girly, but being that it was for a good cause, I did my best to act like I was interested and went.

It was KHJ Radio’s Cavalcade of Stars, which amounted to a bunch of top 40 radio acts which included; Jermaine Jackson, Shaun Cassidy, and Debby Boone. I’m sure you can imagine how painful this was for someone whose favorite bands were Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and KISS.

The one bright spot had been a sudden appearance of Parker Stevenson, who had been hanging out backstage. Shaun had the audience chant for him to come out, and, since I thought he was hot, I did. Years later when Kirstie Alley confirmed my suspicion of his, uh… endowment, I felt vindicated of acting the fool.

My second music festival was Peace Sunday at the Rose Bowl. It was a group, of about 85,000, there to rally for nuclear disarmament. Everyone got a program and a small light blue ribbon signify giving Peace a chance. I was mostly going because I had heard Stevie Nicks was going to be there.

The lineup:

Gil Scott Heron, Jesse Colin Young, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Donovan, Timothy B. Schmidt, Don Felder, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steven Stills, Taj Mahal, Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Dan Fogelberg, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Nicolette Larson, Bette Midler, Jackson Browne, Gary U. S. Bonds, Tom Petty.

So we were on the road around 5 am so we could line up to get in close, doors opening at about 8am. Armed with munchies and drinks, a blanket, sunglasses, etc. we made it onto the field, about a third back from the stage. At this point I must tell you that, I was informed on the drive over, by my boyfriend, that he had inadvertently purchased tickets to Santana (his favorite) for that evening. What? I told him he was an idiot, and said, if PS was over by then, we would go. It became obvious around Stevie Wonder that it would not end soon enough, and at about Joan and Bob, an argument ensued. I relented because, he really was an idiot, and I hate arguing, so we left at about Dan Fogelberg… sigh.

To add insult to injury I went to the Greek Theater in grass-stained pants and my boyfriend’s T-shirt over my bikini and sunburn, with flip-flops on my dirty feet, and hat hair. I did not speak to him the rest of the evening. Santana was okay from what I remember; though I did spend some time in the bathroom taking a paper towel bath. I saw Santana again a few years ago, and, if you ever get the chance, I recommend that you go, he IS great.

About a year later my boyfriend had a chance to make up the whole two-concerts-in-one-day debacle with the second (and last) US Festival. His plan was for us to go the 3^rd day so we could see Stevie Nicks. We went with his uncle, and uncle’s friend, who were paraplegics, so we would see the concert from one of the platforms, set up for the disabled, as their plus ones. We stayed at the friend’s house as it was the nearest to the concert, because doors opened at about 6am. The house was on a hill, close enough to the venue that, we could tell what songs were being played (2^nd day) by Van Halen – at 3am… At 5am we were in the car headed down to the concert.

The lineup:

Los Lobos (side stage), Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul, Berlin, Quarterflash, U2, Missing Persons, The Pretenders, Joe Walsh, Stevie Nicks, David Bowie

Now it may look like there aren’t that many on the bill, but they all played full concerts. When you add break down and set up, it makes for one very long day. I didn’t go to Los Lobos and could barely hear them. I do remember Little Steven, though I was in a bit of a haze. Berlin I was drifting more, and by Quarterflash, I was down for a nap. I remember, waking at one point, wishing someone would shove that sax down her throat, before drifting off again.

Then came a little known band (in the U.S.) called U2 and I thought, “they are gonna be huge” (bought their album that week). We made a foray, down into the crowd, to check out the booths during Missing Persons (not a fan). Muddy people everywhere, from being sprayed with water guns, to stave off the heat. Smelly too, many had been living in a tent or van for three days – 670,000 people… luckily the porta-johns were close so I did not have to do that again.

We were able to tell when the acts were about to go on, because they would bring them in by helicopter, so we were wondering why it took so long for Joe Walsh to come out… they were trying to sober him up. It was a really, really bad set. Stevie Nicks came out around 11ish and I was starting to shiver from the temperature drop, and by the time Bowie started with China Girl at 2am I was shivering uncontrollably. So we gathered our stuff and listened to him as we walked the mile to our vehicle, I was finally able to get reacquainted with my pillow at about 4am.

Hopefully this illustrates why, even though I love music, (an extremely broad range of music, it is one of my greatest inspirations, as a writer of prose and, as an artist) I have been reluctant to go to another “music festival”. Don’t get me wrong, I have been to other types of festivals which music was part of, but not one devoted to, since 1983. The most bands at one time since then, has been 4 or 5, but in concert, at a bar, club, etc., lots of that type, it’s so much easier to take.

I have a tendency of going to things for one band and if I hear another good band there, it’s a bonus. The last time I went to Faerieworlds (last year) was to see Omnia’s first foray to the States – thanks to Lynsye (ticket) and Tracy (ride and company) I had a great time, it was Of the Awesome. They are back at this year’s Faerieworlds July 25^th and 26^th so if you have a chance, it’s worth the trip.

So…

This time I went, to Van’s Warped Tour, for One OK Rock, a band from Japan. I waited until the day before to buy my ticket because, if it was pouring rain or a heat wave, (PacNW) I wanted to be prepared for the former, and skip it, if the latter. I got there at about 20 minutes before (doors open) 10am.

Being familiar with the venue, I had skipped the entrance and went the back way (missing the, hour-wait-at-the-light-only-to-be-told-there-was-no-more-room-so-go-to-the-speedway-and-take-the-shuttle-back, that other people had to deal with) was surprised there was still space left in expo parking, surprised again that it was free if you already had your ticket, I did, so I also skipped the very long will call/purchase line, went directly to the entrance line, which was moving fairly quickly. It pays to have experience, will-call people had to wait twice. I had my bag searched, but I wasn’t patted down, and I was in.

My first stop was to buy a schedule for band times, cursed myself for forgetting my list of bands I thought would be interesting, and which to avoid completely, but since I had written them down I did recall the majority. I noted where the water was, should I run out, congratulated myself for getting cash the day before, when I saw the line at the ATM, and went to find a Honey Bucket. Long drives, long lines, and coffee do not mix.

Refreshed, I took a couple minutes to peruse the schedule and mark off the times for the bands I remembered (damn me again) found that most were in the 1pm to 4pm range, so there would be some conflicts, (not a problem if I were into a smaller range of styles, but…) and I made note that One OK Rock was at 1:45, meaning I was free to roam a bit. So, I set off into the maze. I chuckled to myself at some of the looks I was getting, I wore clothes that were in my comfort zone, a superhero tee, my old paint spattered camos, and converse (with insoles – a must), so, kinda in the norm but, a nearly 6 ft tall woman in a beat-up straw cowboy hat with a tie dye band? Not so much. LOL

I wandered around getting my bearings. There were 11 areas for music – 9 stages, 1 extra large; Monster, 2 large; Kia Soul & Electric Soul, 2 medium; Warheads & Journeys, 3 smaller, though varied; Ernie Ball, Hard Rock & Beatport, 1 tent for acoustic, and 1 open area that seemed to be mostly Rap, The stages were set up the same direction, so as not to compete for sound (too much), band tents were near the stage they were playing, sponsor tents and food were in the center acting as a baffle, and semi trailers, that housed equipment, were behind or to the side of the stage, also serving that purpose. Walking back and forth between different areas the sounds were audible and mixed, but, when you turned the corner, one would fade almost completely. Stages set next to each other were timed, one would end, and the next begin, as breakdown commenced. There was always music.

Another thing I noticed was the lack of negative vibes. Seriously, I didn’t see one fight or even a loud argument. There were many cops around, but I looked as though they were having an uneventful day.

I wasn’t sure at the outset if I would last the entire day, because, One; being 30 years older and a whole day was a lot back then, and Two; going alone, with an hour drive each way to ad time to the day. I honestly tried to last. It was just before 5 pm, when my body said “It is time” Sigh. The last band was scheduled for 7:45, so, disappointing yes, but, when the body says it’s time to go, and there’s still an hour drive ahead, you leave.  I may go again, but next time I will train for it, like a marathon, to have more stamina. Knowing band order in advance would be nice, but the tour is set up to decide order of bands the morning of, so I’ll have to be prepared for a 12 to 14 hour day, mostly on my feet, in the heat or rain. It was, however, a well spent 50 bucks.

Because they made me smile, which I am wont to do in the presence of good music, my picks for bands to check out (of those I got to see) are:

Beebs and her Money Makers; Rock/ Ska – like Oingo Boing, No Doubt, and The English Beat got tossed in a blender. Fun stuff – very danceable.

Bad Rabbits; R&B, Rock and a little Funk tossed in for seasoning – Front man Dua is on the ball, keeps the audience going, and his voice ain’t bad either – smooth and rich with a good range.

We The Kings; Alt/Rock –  this band reminded me of Collective Soul in many ways… they don’t sound alike, but their “presence” feels the same – to me anyway. You may have heard this one.

Breathe Carolina; Pop/Electronica – bouncy, danceable, energizing.

And of course – One OK Rock – a blend of influences including Rock, Punk, Metal, and Emo, they are high energy, very high. Toru, Ryota, and Tomoya are excellent musicians, and Taka has the voice to pull it all off. They are Totally Of the Awesome, and totally worth the necessity of 9 hours of sleep (my normal is 6) and my new farmer tan – check ‘em out.

I checked out vids on youtube before I went, so of the bands I didn’t see, whether from schedule conflicts and leaving early, I’d recommend these (link opens new tab/window):

Plague Vendor (punk) http://youtu.be/Hh9yZWeTmVM

Falling in Reverse (hardcore) http://youtu.be/rgWr2nln83s

Icon for Hire (pop/rock) http://youtu.be/e_S9VvJM1PI

Close Your Eyes (pop punk/hardcore) http://youtu.be/Rh3ZJxgHCe8

The City Shake Up (rock/punk) http://youtu.be/waJfjzithaQ

We Are the In Crowd (pop punk/rock) http://youtu.be/BFqtasnu7y8

Nick Santino (indie/acoustic) http://youtu.be/DY17eq2JyY0

A Skylit Drive (rock/hardcore) http://youtu.be/DHAy8QBTlTA

Honorable mentions from live and video:

Echosmith(indie/Alt), Issues (Metal), Terror (hardcore), For All Those Sleeping (metal/rock), Mixtapes (punk/indie), Ghost Town (rock/electronic), Dangerkids (rock/hip-hop), Teenage Bottlerocket (pop/punk), Elder Brother (indie/rock/acoustic), This Wild Life (acoustic/pop), Nit Grit (electronica), Antiserum (electronic/hip-hop), The Protomen (rock/opera), The Word Alive (metal/core), and Young Statues (rock/indie/acoustic).

If the bands aren’t here its not necessarily because I didn’t think they were good, it is more often than not, because I thought they were, for the most part, interchangeable with other bands, or poor at either videos or live. If they were bad at both, well, maybe they were having a bad day, both times.

Hopefully I’ve shared a band that’ll be your new favorite – or at least make you smile.