Lineup after Lineup after Lineup

This week there were huge festival announcements. The Hangout Fest in Gulf shores, Alabama and Firefly in Dover, Delaware announced their lineups on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.  Seeing that both festivals are owned by the same company called Golden Voice, this is not surprising. They are stacked with incredible artists and causing a hype since these lineup releases have come out before Coachella, which never happens. Coachella has always been the first to announce their lineups because they are the first to start the ' festival season' and start the excitement with people guessing which of the artists performing there will be at a fest they're attending.  Not only did these lineups get announced, but the second wave of artists for the inaugural Okeechobee Music Fest were also announced this week too.

 What is surprising is how early they dropped the lineups. Was this a sales strategy? Or was this a competitive strategy? I see it as more of a competition strategy. With so many different festivals in the U.S. that deliver the same artist experience, the earlier the announcement, the earlier the sales, the more likely the public will buy the tickets on impulse. I'm definitely guilty of impulse buying and this strategy does work.

Based on lineup, I would absolutely LOVE to go to Firefly. There are way more artists I've never seen, on top of some of my favorites. Location wise, The Hangout is your dream spot, right on the beach of Gulf Shores. Nothing like sitting in the sand with a tall boy listening to Leon Bridges, or Grimes.

Can I just go ahead and have my dream job so I can start my goal of hitting up all the fests?

Festival Fashion Needs to End

Yesterday I went shopping at Charlotte Russe where I saw a line of accessories called the Coachella line. Because of Coachella, festivals have lately started becoming a fashion statement and it needs to end. Stars like Kendall and Kylie Jenner get paid $40,000 by a brand to be seen at Coachella for just an hour, and celeb fashion sitings like this is what has caused this ridiculous statement.

When you're at a festival, especially a camping one, why be fashionable when you can be comfortable? I see girls all the time with a full face of makeup, some sort of uncomfortable shoes, and a fringe top. Ladies, it is 90 degrees outside and you're standing in the hot humid sun for hours, nobody gives a damn how your makeup looks or how you're rockin' those short heels. Not to mention, any type of fringe is a nightmare when you're making a trip to the port-o-potty. I get it, you want to look cute, but I'm sorry to tell you that many people care to that extent. If you want to get noticed, where something bright and colorful or wear something with a popular image on it or a funny saying. But more importantly, wear something that will keep you comfortable for hours and hours in the hot sun.

So please, let's end this madness and enjoy the festivals for what they're supposed to be, THE MUSIC!!

Too Many Options!!

The one problem about wanting to go to a music festival for New Year's Eve is that there is a new lineup being dropped about every other week with a new festival in a different city. With all these great lineups, there's just too many options! The past two weeks, my friend group has been jumping back and forth between 3 different New Year's Eve options.

Lights All Night just released their lineup with DJ's I've yet to see, like Jauz and Yellow Claw, which is almost unheard of now. Dallas is so much closer and the cheapest option, but the people and the vibes that are there are not ideal. I've had awesome times at this fest, but I've also ran into a lot of rude people that have killed the positive frequency I was running on. I had a friend of a friend get punched in the stomach for no reason here. People can be ridiculous and rowdy at this fest.

Reaction released their full lineup and it's stacked with not only great DJ's, but some amazing bands, like CHVRCHES and Cherub, and rappers too, like Run the Jewels and Chance the Rapper. The problem with this one is it's in Chicago. We're getting to the point where it's hard to f
ind a car to get us to these places so far away and plane tickets are just too expensive. Luckily we have free places to stay in Chicago, but the car situation is what ultimately is keeping us from this fest.

And of course Decadence, what I blogged about earlier. Granted, my friends and I already have our tickets to this one, but I would be lying if I said we were at one point going to try to sell them for other options. Decadence has the lineup, a great location, but geez is it expensive. My ticket for this two-day fest is now the same amount as my Austin City Limits ticket. This festival is more than likely going to be our final option, but it's going to be the most expensive.


The list could go on and on with how many New Year's shows I've seen and thought about going to instead. I like the fact that there are options because you know the event won't be so heavily populated with thousands of people flooding to other arenas and convention centers for different shows; but, I hate it as well. If you give me too many options, I panic and buy a festival ticket on a knee jerk reaction without thinking my options through, and then have my friends get irritated with me. I can't handle all these options! I need to just start letting my friends decide for me.

Look Out for Scammers!

I just wanted to make this post to make sure people are aware of how easy it is to get scammed when buying tickets to a sold out event, the warning signs you need to see, and the best way to get a decently priced ticket to a sold out event.

I decided to write about this because I was almost scammed into buying two face value Weekend 2 Austin City Limits tickets. Buying from second hand buyers, like StubHub and TicketCity, can be too expensive and I do suggest buying it from private sellers on Craigslist because that is your cheapest option, just be careful.

The biggest warnings I've noticed when buying from private sellers on Craigslist is the scammers don't want to use PayPal. PayPal helps prevent from getting scammed. If they have a different option they want to use, don't fall for it. The guy that almost got me wanted to use Walmart 2 Walmart pay option and that is the fastest way to lose your money.
In a festival situation, you're going to find tickets for sale all over the place, so it'll make you feel uneasy about doing any type of transaction with someone on the other side of the country. Ask the person if they can send you a screen shot of their receipt. It'll have their name and the date that they bought it. That was my last warning sign I got when the scammer never texted back a screen shot of his receipt.

Also talk to the person a little more than just about the transaction. If they put a reason as to why they can't go to the event on the ad, ask them again and see if the story matches.
With my current situation, I ended up finding a seller in the Dallas area and we keep each other updated on money, when the wristbands have been shipped, etc. She agreed on letting me be the only potential buyer since I was the first person to get a hold of her and we haven't made any money transactions yet since she doesn't have the wristbands. With simple communication between you and the seller, you can figure out if you for sure have a ticket.

For those still looking, wait until all the wristbands have been shipped. Having the wristbands in person already helps validate the transaction. Also, the closer to the date of the event, the cheaper and more frantic people are trying to sell their weekend passes.

So if you haven't gotten a pass yet, don't give up!! And be careful of shitty people trying to make a fast buck.

-Blaze
  

Backwoods Bash Exceeds Expectations

This year was the year to be at Backwoods Bash in Stroud, Oklahoma. This was it's 7th year in the little town, but its first year to book some unbelievable and biggest acts yet. Starting the first night with Infected Mushroom headlining and having ODESZA headline the last. Not to mention some other great acts like Porter Robinson who blew everyone away with his ambient tunes, The Floozies, Manic Focus, Lettuce, and The Motet. Backwoods also had some great local acts like Helen Helter Skelter, Diludic, and Ed Crunk.

This festival is definitely on the lower scale of popularity, only because of the names they are able to bring, making it a very uncrowded and awesome. All the festivals that I'm used to attending have no less than 50k festival goers, so experiencing something this small scale was almost like a breath of fresh air.

I would say the downfall of the festival is the time they put it on and how far away the campground was away from the stages. Early September heat in humid Oklahoma is nothing to mess with and it's crucial to stay hydrated and keep that sunscreen on. I was not a fan of the 102 degree days and spent most of the daylight hours in the shade , otherwise it'll make for a very miserable and tiring night for you. Also, I've never been further than a 15 minute walk to stages ever at any camping fest I've ever attended and Backwoods had a very hilly 45 minute walk which I would label almost miserable.

I'm sad that Oklahoma didn't bring back Mystik Sanctuary, which was the same weekend as Backwoods last year, but this year made up for it. Another festival for the books!


-Blaze

Phases of the Moon Canceled

Earlier in the year, Terrapin Ridge Productions announced a merger with Pipeline Productions along with the announcement that the Phases of the Moon Festival would be relocated to Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas, the same location that the festival Wakarusa is held. This festival had booked popular acts like STS9, Beats Antique, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Disco Biscuits, Moe, and many more.

The organizers have made the announcement that they are canceling the fest. In this press release they stated:

Dear Phases of the Moon Community,

It saddens us to inform you that Phases of the Moon Music & Art Festival has to be canceled. We were very excited to have had the opportunity to continue the Phases adventure in Arkansas this year. Unfortunately, due to a significant number of unforeseen obstacles, including the continued closure of the only road leading into the festival site, we were left with no choice but to cancel the event. We apologize sincerely for this inconvenience and hope to see all of you at great live music and events in the near future. A separate notice will be sent to ticket holders concerning refunds.

Thank you for your love and support.

Sincerely,
The Phases Team

With this being said, many festival goers are not happy about this news. Many who bought their tickets had also attended Wakarusa in which they encountered the same obstacle, but continued the fest. I myself did not attend Wakarusa this year but I had several friends attend tell me there was a traffic problem, but nothing worth cancelling a fest.

The community was excited because this was Phases of the Moon's second year, but first year in its new location in Arkansas. The inaugural year was located in Illinois and brought thousands of happy festival goers and campers.

But if you're sad about this news, just remember that there's always a new festival to attend the next month.







-Blaze
 

I Can't Feel My Face When I Listen to You

 The Weeknd has become a popular name this passed year starting with his 50 Shades of Grey hit  " Earned it." In the month of June, all three of his radio hits were on the Billboard Top 100 and he's making a big name for himself. With that said, he dropped his new album " Beauty Behind the Madness" on August 28th. Coming from a big The Weeknd fan, I was a little worried of how this new album would be considering he is now a more popular name which would make his normal 5 minute vulgar ballads into 3 1/2 minute, top of the charts, pop tunes. I can tell you though that I've been listening to this album on replay since it dropped. There are some incredible, unpredictable songs featuring some amazing artists like Lana Del Ray and Kanye West, making this album just as good as Trilogy. Granted, his slow burning ballads are not quite the same, he still stuck to his vulgar sexual lyrics but has evolved in a beautiful way.

Listening to this album has made him on my must-see list as I prepare for his headlining show at Austin City Limits Festival. Not to mention his first ever performance on MTV's The VMA's where he performed his hit " I Can't Feel My Face" and was definitely one of the better acts of the night.  I've seen him before but never like this and it makes me excited for what the future holds for The Weeknd.

I would rate this album at 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. I hope all music fans out there enjoy this album just as much as I am!

- Blaze

My Addiction is Real

People ask me all the time " Why do you go to so many music events? Do you know how much money you're spending going to all of this? You're driving how far for a music festival?! Is there anything else you do besides go to concerts?" and the I answer I always tell them is, it's my passion. The happiness I get whenever I am at a live show is something that is indescribable. When you're at a live show and you're favorite song comes on, you look at the person next to you and you create a moment and share the same feeling, making a memory to last a lifetime. I realize that over the passed 5 years, I could've bought a new car, lived in an apartment, have many different options to spend my money, but my passion is greater than all of that and I might as well do it now while I still live at home, before I go and have to put my big girl pants on and live in the real world. My live music addiction doesn't just come from the music itself, but also the people that I meet. From time to time, you'll share a laugh, a tear, or a swig of some smuggled in booze from a complete stranger and come home with a great story about a person you will never see again. But then you create special connections with people who will be your life long friends.

My first year at Bonnaroo, I made some friends from Chicago and had such a good time with them, one of them opened their home to my friends and me for Lollapalooza that same summer. But my real group of friends I met my third year at Roo. They happened to be camped by us and helped us in a time of need when it was raining and our tent was not holding up too well. From then we noticed our schedule was almost identical and we spent the entire weekend together. This group of people got to witness my best friend getting proposed to under the Bonnaroo arch, they celebrated with us, they danced until sunrise with us, and cried with us as we said our goodbyes. Little did we know that we would meet up with them in Austin at Austin City Limits, go to visit them over spring break, and have them come and attend the wedding that they saw the proposal for. Because of these personal connections, I have friends in Seattle, Chicago, Columbus, Atlanta, Tuscaloosa, Denver, Clemson, and several places in Indiana and Michigan. My festival group started with 4 girls and now almost every event I go to, the group is never smaller than 20. And almost all of these friends keep up on a daily basis.

So you see, it's not just the fact that I've seen diverse legends like Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, The Cure, and Wu Tang Clan, or that I've seen some current big names like Kendrick Lamar, Florence and The Machine, and Deadmau5, It's the overall experience and the memories I make with the people I love the most. I'm passionate about music, live music, and friendships.

So if you ever want to tag along, I guarantee you a great time you'll never forget and a memory that you will forever hold close to you.

-Blaze