Not only is this weekend the time for the muddy, Phishy, mushroom-peanut-butter-cup-free spectacle that is Bonnaroo, the UK is currently in the throes of the spiky-edged Download Festival, which has a lineup today that in these eyes trumps today’s offerings in Tennessee. This is mainly because the reunited Faith No More’s headlining set at Download (which takes place in Leicestershire’s Donington Park) begins at 9 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET), and they still haven’t scheduled any dates here yet. (Sadface.) Sure, I would have had to sit through Limp Bizkit’s apparently LOL-tastic set to get to that point of sweet release, but we all have to make sacrifices, no? I mean, just check out this clip of “I Started A Joke” from Wednesday’s show at the Brixton Academy:
Patton’s possibly pleated pants aside, that clip made me go “holy whoa” this morning. And it definitely helps bump the rest of the lineup for Download up from “eh” to “vaguely interesting in a semi-academic way” (although I would probably steer clear of Attack! Attack!’s set because when I saw them at the Bamboozle I was vaguely fearing for my life). Certainly the prospect of seeing Faith No More for the first time in a very long while is more of a draw to me than the prospect of multiple Phish sets and a chance to see Bruce Springsteen (nothing against the Boss, it’s just that he’s really blitzed the NYC area in recent months). But should one artist define whether or not a festival is worth going to, what with all the time and money one has to lay out in order to just get one’s foot in the door, never mind sustaining yourself through the whole thing? And in these cruel economic times, is it smarter to maximize your economic value and go to festivals where there are a lot of bands that you’re vaguely interested in–or is value actually maximized by saving your hard-earned dollars to watch the cream of the crop? Or is it just better to wait, since these days, 10,000 people will have uploaded the damn thing to YouTube before the band even gets back to its bus–and it’s likely that at least one of those people will have elbowed her way to a better place in the crowd than you ever could?
Oh, and if you’re still in front of your computer at 4 p.m. ET, you can fire up the Download Festival’s live stream and watch what will probably never appear on these shores. Sigh.
Faith No More I Started A Joke Brixton [YouTube]
Download Festival Webcast [Official site]
I have in the past gone to festivals for one artist, and would do so again for the right artist. In fact I saw FNM at a Day On The Green where they were the only band I was there for (other bands I recall from that day are Empire era Queensryche and whatever contemporaneous piece of crap Metallica was promoting). I hung around for Queensryche for the few Operation Mindcrime tracks they played and bailed when Metallica went on stage.
I would LOVE for FNM to come to the colonies, but they would probably get no closer to me than Chicago. I might still pull it off, but less likely than if they actually came to St Louis.
Faith No More + The BeeGees = me like.
Oh, as far as festivals go, I gotta say the Pitchfork one last year was very comfortable, well-managed, and a real blast.
I agree with revmatty that it can be worthwhile, for the right artist. It’s also a pleasant experience when you head to a festival to specifically see one or more particular bands - and end up being impressed by other performers that you knew little to nothing about.
I am going to the Merge Festival next month. This is the kind of festival I can get down with: Indoors over several days, air conditioned, in a town I know/like/can get around easy, limited tickets so I don’t have to spend the week with 10,000 strangers.
I love 95% of the bands (damn you Oberst!) so it’s even better, and I know I am getting the most for my money, because this is a very special event. I think it would take a super duper lineup to make me go to one of those outdoor festivals, plus I’d rather see someone in a smaller venue.
@Lucas Jensen: 100% agreed, totally going back this year. Any festival where I can stroll from the hotel to the site in under a half hour is okay in my book.
Plus: JAPANDROIDS MOTHERFUCKER! BOOM!
I don’t usually go to festivals unless they are close to where I live. Living in the biggest city in the U.S. you get to see any band you like in a more comfortable setting than a dirty field.
That being said, I agree there is something about the festival atmosphere so I was happy when All Points West announced their lineup and it featured more than just 1 great headliner and 50 bands that can barely fill 1000-capacity places.
@joshservo: I will be going to Pitchfork and Lolla this year. Of the two, Pitchfork is a lot more comfortable. I am going to Pitchfork for one specific band this year.