A manifestation of the radical thinking and free times of the late 1960s, the summer music festival has become a modern American pastime.
Every summer thousands of music fans descend upon stadiums, cow pastures and polo fields throughout the country to indulge in a love of auditory bliss.
This weekend marks the eighth annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, a byproduct of the Woodstock festival.
Although Woodstock wasn’t the first rock music festival in the country, its influence in the modern music festival is unmatched. The Woodstock promoters wanted to create an unforgettable event.
The end result, held in August 1969, was titled “Woodstock, An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music” and featured 32 artists in a three day-period and an unofficial crowd estimate of 500,000 attendees.The festival laid the groundwork for future fests, particularly with the layout and schedule. One infamous issue was the weather, a problem modern festivals still face. Storms attacked the Woodstock grounds throughout the weekend, with rain soaking festival-goers and producing colossal amounts of mud.
Overall, the festival was a great success.
In 2002, the inaugural Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was held on a farm in Manchester, Tenn.
The lineup was heavy on jam bands, electronica, and other alternative music. The quaint farm in Tennessee was transformed into a cosmic, psychedelic playground with bizarre sculptures such as a giant mushroom fountain.
The fest has since evolved into arguably the staple festival of the United States.
With this growth comes change. Bonnaroo’s headliners have turned increasingly more and more mainstream each year. This year’s top billings go to the Dave Matthews Band and Kings of Leon, two current chart-toppers.
As the festival has become friendlier towards the general public, the ticket prices have also risen.
That is perhaps the biggest difference between Woodstock and today’s modern festivals — ticket prices. Woodstock was a free admission event, yet still had legends such as The Who and Jimi Hendrix performing.
The average ticket now for a three-day festival today costs around $275. A portion of this price is attributed to the better accommodations such as emergency services, security, and bathrooms that Woodstock lacked.
The main reason for the high cost is paying the actual bands. In the late ‘60s, rock music was exploding. Bands had records flying off the shelves like never before. Artists were able to make the significant amount of their income through record deals exclusively. Playing live shows was a distant second way of income.
With the advent of internet downloading and subsequent massive drop in record sales, bands had to find new ways to earn a living.
It’s ironic that Bonnaroo, with its pseudo-hippie presentation, is not a cheap ticket at all. I remember leaving the festival grounds last year and sitting in traffic behind a group of tie dye headband-rocking blonde girls with “Bonnaroo or bust” written on the back of their brand new, tricked out Range Rover. While Woodstock invited all music fans to attend, you have to be somewhat well-off to attend Bonnaroo.
A huge limitation of Woodstock was its location. Upstate New York is a far destination for music fans outside of the East Coast.
These days each geographical region of the country has its own major festival, with Coachella, Austin City Limits, and Lollapalooza joining Bonnaroo as the top attractions.
Artists usually overlap on these festival’s lineups, playing what music insiders call “the festival circuit.”
If you have never attended a festival of any sort, treat yourself to it this summer. A summer festival experience is a must for any music fan, whether you’re a casual listener or you’ve been blaring Miles Davis records since the day you were born.
You will be doing a good amount of walking around the grounds during the hot day, so stay hydrated and definitely don’t forget the Gold Bond at home. Take in the sights and scents, and most of all — enjoy the music.
—-Contact Cory Cox at [email protected].