Why the hate for USA festivals?
AboveTheWaves
Posts: 66
Why do people dislike festival sets in the United States so much?
I don't see what's not to like.. seeing your favorite band with a shitload of other amazing bands in one weekend.
Plus, IMO, GA shows in the US are the only way to get amazing energy. In the seated arenas, it seems people just stand there like statues with arms crossed or holding their $10 beers. In GA, the hardcore fans who want to be up front get there, which makes for an amazing atmosphere
I don't see what's not to like.. seeing your favorite band with a shitload of other amazing bands in one weekend.
Plus, IMO, GA shows in the US are the only way to get amazing energy. In the seated arenas, it seems people just stand there like statues with arms crossed or holding their $10 beers. In GA, the hardcore fans who want to be up front get there, which makes for an amazing atmosphere
under your tongue, im like a tab.. i will give you what your not supposed to have
in wide open spaces we sing, with strings.. launch a full on musical cannonball.. guided by bells that we bring, they ring.. sound for the sky and the sun, our own waterfall...
one with the raging wind, alive on the highest tides, my ship at sail can climb a mountain.. ride it to the sky
in wide open spaces we sing, with strings.. launch a full on musical cannonball.. guided by bells that we bring, they ring.. sound for the sky and the sun, our own waterfall...
one with the raging wind, alive on the highest tides, my ship at sail can climb a mountain.. ride it to the sky
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6/29/06 - Milwaukee, WI
9/25/11 - Vancouver, BC
11/4/12 - (Eddie Vedder) Phoenix, AZ
11/1/13 - New Orleans, LA
11/19/13 - Phoenix, AZ
11/21/13 - San Diego, CA
10/12/14 - Austin, TX
10/22/14 - Denver, CO
8/22/16 - Chicago, IL (Wrigley 2)
5/9/22 - Glendale, AZ
5/18/24 - Las Vegas, NV
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Agreed.. Bonnaroo 2008 was one of the best weekends of my life.. Dark Star Orchestra, an EPIC My Morning Jacket marathon set, the Disco Biscuits playing till sunrise, Chris Rock standup, Sigur Ros, Phil Lesh & Friends, Umphrey's McGee, The Raconteurs, Robert Plant, and one of the most epic Pearl Jam sets i've ever seen in my life, for less then $300 a ticket? WIN.
in wide open spaces we sing, with strings.. launch a full on musical cannonball.. guided by bells that we bring, they ring.. sound for the sky and the sun, our own waterfall...
one with the raging wind, alive on the highest tides, my ship at sail can climb a mountain.. ride it to the sky
That being said, I saw PJ play the virgin festival in Calgary in '09. The diff being, the rest of lineup was unknown and not very good. I think the organizers realized this and schedule PJ for a full set. They played for about 2hours and 15 mins? When I got there, an hour before PJ was schedule to start, everyone else got there too.
If it wasn't billed as the Virgin Music Festival, I might of almost mistook it for an actual PJ show.
Actually I really really liked that show. It was GA. The crowd was full of energy. PJ played a bit more of a classic set and it felt really energetic and nostalgic. Good stuff.
I'd say the US has more music festivals out there than any other country.
If you mean GA seating versus assigned seats...it's not really up to us.
it actually fits on two, though.
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
I'm getting sick of festivals.
At Lollapalooza 2008 I was nearly trampled to death by idiotic Rage fans rushing the stage. At Lolla 2009 drunken Tools fans picked fights. At Lolla 2010 I was called a c*nt to my face by a drunken Lady Gaga fan.
I went to Ultra this past year in Florida and coked up assholes nearly ruined the festival for me. This is a dance festival, and people were sitting and talking over dance legends like Duran Duran, Underworld and Hybrid. People even called the lead singer of Erasure a "faggot" on multiple occasions.
When I went to Outside Lands in SF this year the crowd was okay for the most part (more people were smoking weed than drinking, so at least they were mellow) but I literally couldn't hear The Roots or Muse thanks to all the jerks talking. And some dick bootlegger throttled himself into my while trying to catch footage of Sia.
It'll take a GREAT line-up of lesser-known acts (where people actually don't talk and listen to the damn music) for me to go to a festival this year.
1. Shorter sets - Lolla was like 20 songs?
2. Greatest hits sets - gotta please the 10,000s fans that are there that might not know PJ so well
3. Crowds that are into it at the very front, but very not into it as you go back. Lots of loud talkers, etc
4. If there are other bands you want to see on other stages, you cant be up close and see everyone unless you're one of the people that shove their way upfront as PJ takes the stage. And if you're in the back you deal with the people for #3.
5. Festivals are usually much more expensive than a PJ show, so if you're main interest in PJ you're getting WAY less bang for the buck when you combine higher costs and shorter sets.
Just my opinion, of course. But I'd take a PJ show over a festival anytime and unless the festival was close I'd never travel to one. Bonnaroo, again is the one exception since that show was long with lots of surprises.
RNDM: Lincoln Hall, 11-13-2012
Wrigley Field, An Evening with Pearl Jam 7-19-2013
BMO Harris Bradley Center, 2014 Fall Tour 10-20-2014
RNDM: Double Door, 3-15-2016
In europe 2010, those festivals got shit sets. Most of them were 10 song main sets with a 5 or 6 song encore.. weak as hell.
but the US festivals they have played.. Virgin fest, ACL, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo and Lolla all have had basically full PJ sets, averaging in about 25 songs.
and the Bonnaroo setlist was better than most PJ only gigs i've been to. Once "Hard to Imagine" started, I knew they weren't trying to please the casual fan.. they played to the freaks that night.
in wide open spaces we sing, with strings.. launch a full on musical cannonball.. guided by bells that we bring, they ring.. sound for the sky and the sun, our own waterfall...
one with the raging wind, alive on the highest tides, my ship at sail can climb a mountain.. ride it to the sky
And don't forget about Kanye
1. Short set (1hr 45 min)
2. They were a headliner but they started at 4:45 in the afternoon (no light show)
3. Lots of technical problems (their crew only had 30 minutes to set everything up)
4. TONS of really drunk people who don't really care about PJ
5. Greatest Hits setlist (except for Tremor Christ)
And that's without mentioning the link up they tried to do with a group of soldiers in Afghanistan that was really messed up. Listen to the bootleg, the delay is almost laughable.
And getting in and out of those festivals sucks. Worse than PJ20 if you can believe it.
Another reason why festival show's suck is the smell. Yes, the smell (well for the majority of those festival shows). For those being outdoors from the break of dawn to night till the band comes up on stage (Pearl Jam) it stinks in there. We are not talking about the marijuana / smoke. It's that BO that makes you throw up. Not everyone there has good hygiene. And it's sucks when you are crowded tight with one or with a group around you. So yeah, I would say you are "hardcore" if you can take that much powerful body odor smell being up front in the first 30 or so rows.
But the biggest thing that sucks about festival show's is the pushing & shoving. Here you have your reserved seat. You are the boss of that view the whole night. Nobody can push you around or cause any bruises. IMO, you get to enjoy the live music MUCH better here with @ reserved seated show's then huge open arena standing/pushing festival show's.
ALPINE 2011...Who hasnt good time??unique,amazing experience..
pj on stage...that says all..
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Sammi: Wanna just break up?
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
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I would go back to Bonnaroo again.
Jeremy