Festival Life
Bad Omens’ performance at Louder than Life, Louisville, KY
I say that, but I went to my first festival! Louder than Life in Louisville, KY. It might have been a little ambitious for a first festival, but it was a great time—so great that I immediately bought tickets for Coachella. YOLO. Overall, there were definitely some really great bands and some bands that weren’t quite my style, but WOW what an experience.
Friday was my goal day—Breaking Benjamin, the support for all my emo teen life, was one of the headliners. They were great, and I was very pleasantly surprised by All Time Low, who put on an EXCELLENT show.
Saturday, I got to see Bad Omens, who is newer on my list of obsessions, and they were exceptional. Stabbing Westward and Hawthorne Heights were all top on my priority list. By Sunday, though, I was dead—and I skipped out to come home.
It was a great time, but it made me think the most about the music that I went to see. The music I scream whispered alone in my room when I was struggling growing up. I honestly didn’t really enjoy seeing it in a concert, and it’s not a comment on the quality of the music or the band or the performance. Thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that for me, a lot of that music was a mostly solitary experience. It was strange listening to it surrounded by others.
For me, a lot of music is for a specific experience and hearing it in a different context feels off. I felt like I finally wrapped my head around why my playlists are all divided by mood.
In honor of my first festival, here’s what I learned!
HYDRATE — Check the bottle policies! Bring a bottle if you can, and if you can’t sweet talk a bartender for water immediately. We saw multiple people pass out because of the heat.
Edibles, not alcohol — A good segue from the hydrate bullet—alcohol usually dehydrates you anyway, and at least at LtL, drinks were 20$ a pop. That’s insane. Take an edible instead and vibe for less.
Sneak in food — Wherever you can, bring in outside food. Look, I get supporting vendors and local business, but you can’t expect people to pay 75$ a meal for each meal of the day for an all day festival (that you can’t even leave and re-enter). You trying to kill us?
Cooling cloths! — MVP for us. I stuck some in my bra. AMAZING.
Trades! — I had no idea about this beforehand but apparently people in the festival circut trade little tchotchkes between each other. If you don’t know, most are more than nice enough to give you some anyway. :)
Tell me your tricks and tips! I’m excited for our next one.
