Partly because of our changing music tastes, partly because of shifts in the music industry and maybe we're starting to catch up with Europe -- North America has caught festival fever this summer. Dozens of fests -- multiple-day events with a sprawling array of
artists -- decorate the 2008 concert landscape, many of them first-time
entrants on the scene.
For example, the inaugural Rothbury Festival, will run July 3 - July 6 with an eclectic
bill that ranges from jammy headliners such as Dave Matthews Band and
Trey Anastasio to boutique artists such as offbeat rapper Sage Francis
and psychedelic rockers the Secret Machines.
With about 200 acres set off for camping on the Double JJ Ranch, 25
miles north of Muskegon, Michigan most Rothbury attendees will be roughing it at
an environmentally conscious event whose aim is to "build a durable
social movement," as one official describes it.
Organizer, Sarah Haynes, was quoted in Fast Company as saying: "The Rothbury Festival is our most ambitious project featuring everyone
from Dave Matthews to Snoop Dogg. We're sourcing everything green, from
cups and plates to food, and we're recycling and composting. We're also
encouraging fans to pay an extra $3 per ticket, for carbon offsets. Or
they can pay an extra $7, which adds in the cost of buying solar panels
for the local school."
It's destination festivals, such as Rothbury, that are catching up with the legacy set long ago by events such as Woodstock and the Monterey Pop Festival. Rothbury producer Jeremy Stein cites three big
factors in the resurgence: concertgoers' frustration with clinical,
corporate environments at the summer sheds; production advances that
allow for more fan-friendly fest experiences, and the diversified music
tastes that come with the iPod era.
One big difference from the Woodstock days: A sense of festival
community is already building at Rothbury message boards and other
online sites -- many of them created by fans. Among the travelers will be James Bricker of Houston, a frequent
festivalgoer who says Rothbury is a perfect fit for his blend of
"hippie rock and indie music scene" tastes.
Bricker was quoted in the Detroit Free Press as saying, "When they come to meet, they find out they've already got a really
good friend. The music is always your big draw. But it's
also the gathering aspect that matters -- it's 40,000 like-minded
people wanting to have a good time together. That sense of community is
a huge thing."
Rothburyfestival.com
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