Music Festivals

Well i'm off to my very first music festival on Thursday, so I was wondering if any of you dudes had attended one. Discuss the obvious, where was it, who played, who was the best band, did you camp, what did you think of the portaloo's, any funny stories etc.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I went to Rock Am Ring last year. For artists click the link. It was pretty awesome.

By the way, my father went to Woodstock back then, he's still like "omg that was so awesome" and I'm always like "oh okay hundred thousands of hippies and even more drugs". Oh well...

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I am volunteering atThe Vancouver Island Musicfest again this summer. It's a lot of fun, because the work is pretty easy for 3 days of free music, live. There are usually no super-well-known bands there, but last year Bo-Didley came...and sucked. The bands are usually more folky, and everyone seems to like it, but that might just be the vast amount of weed trafficking around the park.

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I went to Ozzfest twice. I went to the 2002 show which had Meshuggah, System of a Down and Ozzy as some of my favorites. Then I went to the 2005 one which had In Flames, Soilwork, Trivium, The Black Dahlia Murder, Mastodon, Shadows Fall and Iron Maiden. Sadly I missed out on Maiden as I was suffering from the heat and had to leave early.

I really want to go to Wacken Open Air this year in Germany. So many of my favorites are playing like Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Atheist, Children of Bodom, Emperor, Fear Factory, Finntroll, Morbid Angel, Nevermore, Opeth, Primal Fear, and Soilwork. There are many other bands that I either reconize and haven't heard or never heard before. It should be awesome though.

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God, I wish I could have gone to Rock am Ring this year. I watched the livestream over the last few days, but I missed the main two bands I wanted to catch (Kaizers Orchestra and Dir en Grey) . And I'd love to attend Wacken at some point in the near future...somehow, I need to get my ass over to Germany. Practically every band I want to see live plays there multiple times annually, when they might get over to the US for one limited tour every couple of years, if at all.

That said, I did attend SXSW (south by southwest) in Austin, TX this Spring. It was pretty awesome in terms of sheer numbers and varieties of bands, but it sucked because A) I wasn't 21, and most of the venues were 21+ in bars and B) Many of the shows overlapped, because there are about 1300 bands from around the US and the world squished into 4-5 days of concertizing. But next year, I'm going to have a much better time because I'll be 'of age'. Probably I'll spring for a wristband ($150) so I can get into more of the events. As it was, I barely got to see Dir-en-Grey. But I didn't have to pay!

How ya doing, buddy?

I've been to Warped Tour more times than I can count, but I don't know if that really counts.

What DOES count, however, is Coachella Music Festival in Indio, CA. I was there in 1999 to catch Jurassic 5, Rage Against The Machine (only time I was ever able to see them live), Underworld, At The Drive-In (right before they broke up), Lost Amigos Invisibles, Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals, A Perfect Circle, Moby, Cibbo Matto, and Modest-motherfuckin'-Mouse! Best fucking time of my life.

Then we went again in 2001 to catch The Chemical Brothers, Weezer, The Roots (I even met ?uestLove), Ozomatli (best band of the weekend, by far), Fatboy Slim, Mos Def, Del, Sigur Ros, Photech and The Dandy Warhols (I'd never heard of them before this).

I haven't been since and I understand I've missed some orgasmic performances in the past few years including Atmosphere, The Cure, RHCP, The Hives, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, Stereolab, Coldplay, NIN, Prodigy, blah blah blah it makes me sick to think I was too goddamn lazy to go.

Soon enough, I'll go again. I miss that kind of orgy of bands.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I went to Lilith fair back in 98 I think. The last oen at any rate. It was really nice nice to see Sheryl Crow live and Sarah Mcgloclan was pretty decent. The secondary stage for lesser known musicians was honestly just about as good as the main acts overall though. I think it was Dido, Biff Naked, and some lady I've never heard of since called Trish Murphy. They all played pretty good set's especialy Biff Naked who I haven't much cared for when I've heard her studio tracks but she was really good live.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Encephalon

I've been to Warped Tour more times than I can count, but I don't know if that really counts.

*snip*

Soon enough, I'll go again. I miss that kind of orgy of bands.

That sounds like an orgasmic mix of great music. I wish that there was something like that in Montreal.

We have the JazzFest here. It's awesome. I'm going to see The Roots during the festival (if there are tickets left). I've only been to a few free outdoor shows before.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Well I'll be off to Download festival, headliners include Tool, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, The Prodigy which should be fun stuff.

Also in August i'll be off to Leeds Festival, for the Sunday since Muse are headlining

Camping is the one thing i'm worried about at Download, but the more I think about it the more I realise it wont be too bad ;_;

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Guns N' Roses are still active? o___o

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by ^___^

Guns N' Roses are still active?

That's what my dad said when I told him about their guest appearance at Rock am Ring. I guess for some things, they are (?)...

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

They haven't been active in a looooong time but they're back now. I'm not sure who's in the line up, I don't think it'd include Slash since he's in Velvet Revolver now so I think it's all about Axl.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

They became active again. Wish they didn't though. Never been to a festival myself though. We have T in the Park here in Scotland I like tea but there's not enough for my liking to ever go.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I wanted to go to Download but couldn't get the time off work. Damn you!

In the past I've been to Glastonbury, Reading, the old Essential festival in Brighton and the V festival.

Glastonbury I went for the drugs, Reading and V for the music (Metallica, Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, The Orb all sorts really) and the Brighton one because it was within walking distance and pretty cool anyway.

Don't buy anything from the merchandise stalls on the first day. Wait until the last day, late in the afternoon when they're desperate to shift their stock and you can haggle them down to a reasonable price. At last year's V one stall was selling some decent t-shirts for £25 each. Last thing sunday evening when Prodigy were about to start and the two guys running the stall were pilling their faces off I got 5 for £15...

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

ProgPower UK 2006 was my first. Just a one day dealy but it calls itself a festival, so I'll say it counts.

Best band of the day was Therion, best new discovery probably Threshold.

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Originally Posted by Sian

Well I'll be off to Download festival, headliners include Tool, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, The Prodigy which should be fun stuff.

I'll see you there...well probably not literally. I can't wait, I'm going down on Wednesday to get a good camping spot. I've been to every single one so far as well!

How ya doing, buddy?

I used to go to the Edmonton folk festival when I lived there, and it was pretty wonderful as I recall. (It's been about eight years since the last time I went.) There's no camping there, but a lot of drugs and gentle people who will let you huddle underneath their tarpaulins when it starts pouring rain (as it inevitably, invariably does). The atmosphere is fantastic and I'd recommend it to anyone regardless of what sort of music they like.

Jam it back in, in the dark.