Get Festive?

I was perusing the dog-eared copy of Spin in our living room the other day when I happened upon a pretty interesting oral history of the Us Festival, that orgy of prog rock and new wave engineered by Apple's Steve Wozniak in a sleepy California town back in 1982. It got me to thinking, what exactly is the appeal of attending summer music festivals?

It could be the disparate nature of the line-ups (Us sported The Ramones and Jimmy Buffett on the same stage, and modern fests routinely pair up such odd couples as Ghostface Killah and Belle And Sebastian) or maybe the communal spirit that otherwise draws people to space-intruding, hellish locales such as New Year's Eve in Times Square or the Fairway supermarket on the Upper West Side. Maybe being surrounded by a teeming mass of humanity just inspires a certain comfort among some. (This always reminds me of when I was in India, my torso painfully sandwiched between an armpit and a sweaty back on the Bombay local trains--"can you sense the community?" someone had remarked.)

For me, the cons far outweigh the pros. There's the sub-par sound quality, which any hip-hop fan can tell you comes shining through once a rapper and his entourage of a dozen hype men hit the stage. There's the $4.00 bottled water and the Holocaust-like lines for the portable toilets. There are the drunken brawls that inevitably erupt as muscle-bound concertgoers attempt to mosh to Bjork. Add it all up and I'll admit I'm pretty loath to travel any distance only to see my favorite bands rendered into subtly vibrating dots on the horizon.

Case in point; the last outing I made was a few years back to "see" Sonic Youth in Central Park. To be fair, I caught a glimpse of Kim Gordon while peeking around a giant rock; the police had kept hundreds of us just outside of the perimeter due to overcrowding.

It's a tough decision to make, though, staying home when the summer is so ripe with outdoor events. In New York alone we've got Summerstage, River To River and the McCarren Park performances, just a few of the dozens of offerings (some free, others not) that crop up during the lazy weekday evenings and blazing weekend afternoons until late August. Washington, D.C. has the venerable Fort Reno concert series (although tempered now by the absence of the late, great Fugazi) and Chicago's Pitchfork curates a pretty impressive weekend lineup.

On the other hand, I feel guilty, knowing how smaller cities have a dearth of quality concerts, gratis or otherwise. Most mid-range burgs now have concerts set up in their downtown areas, usually as part of an effort to "bring families out" and revitalize the sagging urban economies. These events are usually sponsored by giant alcohol companies, and I understand now that it makes sense. I'd probably have to drink about two dozen Bud Lights before I could stand through an entire set by Marcy Playground or the Gin Blossoms or any of the 90s one-hit wonder groups that populate the billings for these shows.

So perhaps it's my duty to slog it out this summer. I'll drink plenty of water, dust off my cargo shorts and trek to Coney Island or the Meadowlands or wherever I'm beckoned. I'll stand amidst the thousands of others, try my best to keep the beach ball afloat as it bounces around, strain my eyes to see the latest indie favorite leap about on stage and soak in the atmosphere. It could be worse. It could be winter still, when nothing moves and live music is confined to cramped, overpriced indoor venues. It's all about perspective.

What are your plans for summer, music-wise? Any concerts one mustn't miss? Any festivals that should truly be avoided? Do tell in the comments section.