Are music festivals worth it?

musicismylife78

Havent ever been to one, always wanted to. My uncle is good friends with the guy who is running the APW festival. Wish i could go.

So what is Lolla, Bonnaroo, or Coachella like? Is it worth the sometimes ridiculously expensive ticket prices? Is it a once in a lifetime experience?

maybe next year...

Pauk

Yes! Being english I can't speak for the US festivals, but festivals are worth every bit of the price. It's not really that expensive when you consider how many bands you see (if you went to individual gigs the price of travelling to each one would soon add up). Then you have the whole festival atmosphere which is totally different to gigs. I've found it's best to go in a group of around 7-10, been to festivals with just one friend before and that was a bit boring, and been with around 15 others but that was a bit crowded.

Festivals really are an addiction. I used to only go to festivals with good lineups, now I just need an excuse to go and I'm there in a second.

muppet

Agree with fowls. If the lineup is great, then go. Even if it's not, the festival atmosphere is still amazing. It's like a 3 day partay!

Yellow Ledbelly

I used to go to the Beale Street Music Festival every year and it finally got to where it wasn't worth it to me, but I went to Bonnaroo this year and couldn't have enjoyed it more. The key for me was preparing myself for a miserable situation with the camping, crowds and walking distances....so long as I didn't expect it to be that great I figured I wouldn't get as frustrated with it all.

In the end, it was an excellent experience and I would go again in a heartbeat...but the headliners would have to major must-sees for me even at that probably. I approached it as a once in a lifetime thing, but who knows? I was slow to agree to go, but I am so glad I did

As for the ticket prices, hell yes it is worth it. It is unbelieveable how many concerts I got to see for a $250 'Roo ticket....if you've got the dough never let that hold you back

Get_Right

radiohead33 wrote:

Havent ever been to one, always wanted to. My uncle is good friends with the guy who is running the APW festival. Wish i could go.

So what is Lolla, Bonnaroo, or Coachella like? Is it worth the sometimes ridiculously expensive ticket prices? Is it a once in a lifetime experience?

maybe next year...

why cant you go if you have a connection?

hook a brotha up then !

thunderDAN

I think so, I went to Lollapalooza a couple times and loved it. Chicago is awesome, and what is nice about Lollapalooza is you hear bands you probably wouldn't otherwise. Many of the bands from the 2007 Lolla a bands I still listen to alot.

LukinFan

Yes- had a blast at Roo

Gremmie95

the last festival i attended was 1997 Horde (sp?) Fest w/ Lenny Krevitz, Rusted Root, 10,000 maniacs, Blues Traveler, and others I can't remember. It was ok.

Jeremy1012

Had a great time at Reading last year.

CM1847

Depends. If money is a big issue, find a schedule for the bands and see how many bands you like you will actually be able to see. $250 for a ticket of 50 bands, 10 of which you really like, seems like a good deal, but if the schedule doesn't line up, you might only see 3 or 4.

In general, if you can afford it and see a handful of bands you enjoy, I would say that festivals are defintiely worth it. The atmosphere is(usually) great and most seem to have plenty to do besides watching bands. A huge amount of entertainment is provided, which is a good way to justify the price to yourself(or whoever needs to have it justified).

The things that aren't worth it are the local festivals that want ~$100 or so for two day passes when they usually only have one band anyone has heard of surrounded by some D-list 70s, 80s and 90s bands and bad local bands.

stu gee

Been at T in the Park last 5 years in a row and never had a bad time, at 150 odd quid for the ticket its not cheap but its a 3 day event and worth it in the end i think. Rage and KOL were excellent, plus the campsite is always a massive party.

Pearl Jam_ie

Depends on who I'm going to see. If it's one of my favorite bands, I'd rather see them on their own. Because of time schedules, you don't get to see longer sets like you would at a normal show. But I have gotten to know and like a lot of bands that I otherwise wouldn't have known about had I not gone to music festivals.

Its Evolution Baby

I say they are worth it even if you are going for the Headliners. I went to Coachella in 2004 just for Radiohead but I got to see the Pixies, Sparta, Trail of the Dead leading up to there show.

Same thing in 2007 when I went for Rage. I got to see the Roots, Explosions in the Sky, Willie Nelson, Manu Chao as well.

So even though the tickets are around $100 after fees per day it can still be considered a bargain imo because its an all day event.

jimed14

Its Evolution Baby wrote:

I say they are worth it even if you are going for the Headliners. I went to Coachella in 2004 just for Radiohead but I got to see the Pixies, Sparta, Trail of the Dead leading up to there show.

Same thing in 2007 when I went for Rage. I got to see the Roots, Explosions in the Sky, Willie Nelson, Manu Chao as well.

So even though the tickets are around $100 after fees per day it can still be considered a bargain imo because its an all day event.

We've hit some of the same shows my friend .... Coachella 2004 is still one of the greatest music experiences of my life

The Pixies (just ... amazing)
Radiohead
The Cure
Broken Social Scene
Death Cab
stellastarr*
Belle & Sebastian
The Rapture
The Stills

Wow, what a weekend.

If you love varying types of music and are ok with shortedned sets, festivals are for you. I have musical ADD ... I love hearing 7 bands do 45 minute sets of their best stuff.

some people would get pissed at Radiohead doing a set under 2 hours, or other bands only getting 50 minutes ... but, I'm cool with it.

Going to the Outside Lands Festival in a few weeks here in SF .... should be intersting to have a music festival in the city I live in.

drew0

Yes. Without a doubt. Rothbury was one of the greatest weekends of my life, like nothing I've ever experienced.

It was the only one I've been to, but I'm not the only ones that felt this way. The guys I went with had gone to Bonnaroo & All Good the last couple years, and said Rothbury was the best yet.

I would only go to one you could camp at - All Points West & Lollapalooza wouldn't be as much fun, I don't think. Camping for 4 days with 40,000 people was half the fun.

Inhiding230

I go to Bonnaroo every year - it is an hour away so I don't have to go far, but if it wasn't I would drive across country for it. It is something you just can't explain until you experience it for yourself. Great music, great people, and just an amazing vibe and atmosphere. It is like a true escape from some of the bullshit of the real world.

This year I saw Pearl Jam, Metallica, BB King, Robert Randolph, Widespread Panic, Death Cab, My Morning Jacket, Phil Lesh & Friends, Robert Plant & Alison Kraus, Ben Folds, Broken Social Scene and more. Last year I saw Tool, The Police, Flaming Lips, Wolfmother, White Stripes, Ben Harper and I can't remember how many more. The year before, Radiohead, Tom Petty, Beck, Cypress Hill and more.

For me it is worth every penny and more. If you calculate how much you would spend to see all of those bands it would be WAY more than the price of a 4 day $250 ticket. I have been taking my daughter since she was 14 and it's also a great bonding experience for us as we discover new bands together.

Who Princess

Festivals are great for all the reasons people have said. I will be going back to the Austin City Limits fest at the end of September. This year's line up is outstanding and I'm going with a group of 6-8 friends, so I'm looking forward to another great experience. You see a lot of acts for the admission price and if you buy your ticket early like I did it's really a good deal.

JaneNY

If music is your passion it is a great vacation. We just came back from Lolla, (our 2nd year) and saw: NIN, Radiohead, Rage, Saul Williams, Gogol Bordello, Raconteurs, some of Flogging Molly, and a bunch of others I didn't really know before the festival, but liked. You wander around, check out bands, wait for your favorites, watch people, eat, dance, rest in the shade, its just really really fun. By the end of the 3rd day you are drained though. You have to be sure you take care of yourself and get enough to drink, eat and sleep enough, or you'll totally crash by day 3, which happened to us last year. We took better care of ourselves this year.

zircona1

whoprincess wrote:

Festivals are great for all the reasons people have said. I will be going back to the Austin City Limits fest at the end of September. This year's line up is outstanding and I'm going with a group of 6-8 friends, so I'm looking forward to another great experience. You see a lot of acts for the admission price and if you buy your ticket early like I did it's really a good deal.

I'll see you there! I'm looking forward to Beck, Tegan and Sara, David Byrne, John Fogerty, Jenny Lewis, Gogol Bordello, and lots more.

To echo what everyone else has said, music festivals are a great deal if you have the cash. I've only been to one (the Austin City Limits fest last year) and while I didn't enjoy the first day (I had never been to a festival that size with that many people), I ended up having a great time overall.

You can also check out artists that you're curious about if you've never heard their music and you might end becoming a fan, so it's a great way to get exposed to new music.