Since Phish’s inception in 1984, the group has held eight unique multi-day music festivals in remote regions at which thousand of fans gather for several days to revel with the band. Emphasizing Phish fans’ communal nature, Phish is virtually always the only act to perform at their festivals, presenting the group with the freedom to employ larger scale theatrical tactics than would be possible at a normal concert venue. Accordingly, Phish uses the festival setting to create spectacle for fans (for example when the foursome entered the stage of the Big Cypress festival in 1999 in a giant motorized hot dog car) and perform extra musical surprises (such as performing an unannounced set atop an air traffic control tower at 2003’s It festival) that wouldn’t be possible or appropriate in another context.
Recognizing the importance festivals hold within Phish’s fan base, The Disco Biscuits introduced their own festival in 1999 called “Camp Bisco.” However, unlike Phish who never relinquish the musical spotlight, The Disco Biscuits invite hordes of other artists from different genres to perform, exposing hardcore Biscuits fans to new music while also enticing new fans to the festival. For example, hip-hop superstars Snoop Dogg and Nas performed in 2008 and 2009 while earlier years hosted fusion-reggae group John Brown’s Body, highlighting musicians that extend beyond the improvisational dance stylings of The Disco Biscuits and similar livetronica groups/DJs.
While multi-day festivals are especially notable within the jam band niche because of their popularity amongst the groups’ obsessive fan bases (Phish’s millennium celebration festival hosted 85,000 people) countless other music festivals exist in America that provide a broad range of experiences beyond tie-dye shirts and extended guitar solos. For example, while the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival held in San Francisco, CA boasted a stellar lineup this past summer with artists like Dave Matthews and Pearl Jam, another major selling point for fans is food. According to the Outside Lands website, “we are going above and beyond the standard festival food by engaging our cities food resources,” and encouraging festival goers to indulge in freshly shucked oysters and skewered beef instead of grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly.
Other festivals emphasize scenery and creating a family friendly environment where parents can feel comfortable bringing their children. The Northwest String Summit, a summertime bluegrass festival held in Oregon, was voted as one of the five most scenic festivals in the country in Relix Magazine’s annual Festival Guide for the “rolling, green hills and lakeside oasis” of the festival grounds, where children can pick naturally growing berries and interact with wildlife in the safe, contained environment (Greenhaus).
For hip-hop lovers, a festival called “Rock the Bells” has been traveling around the country since 2004, gathering the biggest names in rap music in one location to perform on the same stage.
Folk music is also well represented in the festival circuit, especially at the annual Newport Folk Festival, an event created in 1959 that introduced Bob Dylan to the world, and today retains a reputation for great music in a family-oriented atmosphere.
Accordingly, while these are only a handful of the many American music festivals, they illustrate the wide spectrum of music and experiences that fans can explore. Thus whether fans want to relax with the kids, chow down or jam out, the festival experience is there to satiate a broad range of needs.
References:
Greenhaus, Mike. "9th Annual Relix Festival Guide." Relix Magazine Jun.
2009: 57.
Nagy, Evie. "The Disco Biscuits Draw Big Crowds to Camp Bisco."Billboard Magazine 19 Aug. 2009
"2009 Outside Lands - A Taste of the Bay Area. http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/attractions/taste.php. Outside LandsMusic and Arts Festival, 9 Nov 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment