Some things to consider before getting those tickets.
Contributing Writer Aleks Slijepcevic
Every year, Facebook feeds and Twitter trends are bombarded with EDM festival dates. More than likely, you’ve had to delete a couple of friends who felt the need to consistently Instagram their Electric Zoo tickets or the beach crowd at Ultra Music Festival. Nevertheless, the temptation is strong. But before you settle on your next destination, read these pros and cons of festival life.
Pro:
What is better than seeing your favorite DJ? Seeing a page-long line-up of your favorite DJs, in one spot. Festivals are like EDM buffet lines, giving you the chance to try a little bit of everything. You might even stumble onto a stage that plays something new, and fall in love (like
silent disco…yes, that exists).
Con:
3-day General Admission pass, plus airline ticket (or gas and rental car, if you choose to drive), plus food, drinks, room/camping ground, and miscellaneous expenses come out to a grand total of what? Probably two months of unpaid rent.
Pro:
As you make it back to your tent (or patch of grass), the music is still going. Better yet, there is no security guard guiding you to the nearest exit, and you don’t have to play Rock-Paper- Scissors with your group to see who drives home.
Con:
There is absolutely nothing good about being near a port-a-potty, let alone using one. Unfortunately, festivals offer the bare minimum when it comes to personal hygiene, and it is none the better for the females.
Pro:
With an unbelievable variety of people who attend festivals, you are bound to meet a life-long friend, or at least someone named Muffin or Skittles. Either way, festival friendships arise, and can make the experience that much more enjoyable.
Con:
It is safe to presume that festivals, along with your belongings, are not guarded by security personnel. Having your tent ransacked in broad daylight is no one’s idea of a fun time, and neither is carrying all of your belongings with you as you try to squeeze through the crowd.
Pro:
For at least two days out of the year, you are allowed to escape the real world and enter a state of dance therapy. Who cares if you don’t know how to shuffle, or if you cry when your favorite track comes on? Festivals are inhibition destroyers!
Con:
Your personal bubble is extremely valuable, but get ready to be violated. Not only are you millimeters away from everyone, but don’t be surprised if people randomly use you as an object to lean on or make out on.
Pro:
It’s 6:00 a.m., and you’re exhausted and dirty, leaning on the guy behind you. All of a sudden, Axwell plays “Watch the Sunrise” as the sun smoothly glides over the horizon, embracing the crowd. At last, life is renewed!
Con:
For reasons unknown to you, you could be standing in a potential mosh-pit area, or at least an area where a fight is brewing. Considering that you’re air-sealed in, getting out quickly is probably not an option. Bruises are a possibility, but so is swinging back.
In the end, festivals are different for everyone, and experiences vary. When choosing, take everything into consideration because you never know what could happen. But sometimes, spontaneity can work out in your favor…
2 Responses
Nice assessment. Thanks for taking the time.
If I may add in….
I firmly believe it all depends on the state of mind you are in when attending these festivals. Also, it depends on the age and your capacity to withstand such physical and mental hardship because many of these festivals are overwhelmingly overcrowded and loud.
Some like me still dance and need rhythm in our beats to really get a grasp of the ambiance. Many of these festivals range between slow duggery tech house to choppy dubstep, full on progressive anthems or electric bangers. At most, one will find themselves able to rotate a fist at head high level.
Some enjoy the experience. Music makes no difference as they are with friends, indulging in mind altering substances and are in a pleasant state of mind.
However, those in tune to a more mature sound or as they say “intelligent beats” would probably last but an hour or so before having to beat feet 3 miles back to the parking lot.
Once you reace a certain age- let’s say past 30, your ears and listening patterns become more refined. Melodic patterns must follow a path that which one can comprehend and recreate mechanically without the aid of music theory.
@halfamazing
I think you are correct in a way. It takes a keen, musical ear to hear different patterns and melodies, specifically very intricate and involved ones. But the fact is, when you say that, “Once you reach a certain age- let’s say past 30, your ears and listening patterns become more refined. Melodic patterns must follow a path that which one can comprehend and recreate mechanically without the aid of music theory.”
It doesn’t make much sense because even the simplest of beats or simplest of creation of a melody is still considered music and shows some form of comprehension of musical theory and basic composing. And you obviously haven’t done much reading up on your music trends lately, EDM is still coming up and will be for at least the next few years. EDM is slowly making its way onto the top forty charts and becoming a part of mainstream popculture. Because of its reputation associated with a drug sub-culture, it still has not reached total mainstream acceptance and perhaps never will.
But the fact is, DJs, producers, and mix artists have a lot of talent and many of them have formal training in composition and training. But all that really matters is that there are people out there who love the music, the culutre, and the story behind it all. And there is solid proof that even in a business and musical standpoint, what is happening in the music business is revolutionary and will change the way we listen to music forever.