I spent the better part of my youth going to every music festival I could, so I am somewhat surprised that I have come to find them tedious. It's true that nothing makes me feel older than having such a curmudgeonly attitude about festivals (well, that and complaining about shows that don't start until 10:00 p.m.), but the more concerts we go to at smaller venues, the more difficult it becomes to enjoy what we now view as the day or days long chore of getting through one more band that we may or may not be interested in. And worse, loving a band, but knowing you will only get to see them perform for an hour, at most, can feel like agony. And that's to say nothing of the crowds and heat!
So much of what we love about going to concerts is the shared experience with other members of the audience. The Lone Bellow excels at connecting with the audience, and there is just no way to replicate that at a big music festival. Admittedly, every time we see an ad for Boston Calling, there's a little pang of guilt; a tiny little flicker of maybe we should reconsider going...
As true fans, we are really happy that the band is able to do so many festivals, meaning more and more people will be discovering how amazing they are. And we are not necessarily saying we will never go to a music festival, as we've certainly done crazier. (Last summer I felt like I HAD TO see them so I did make the trek to the Green River Festival, leaving right after their set.) We just prefer the type of Lone Bellow show we have come to love: smaller venues, a long set list, lots of banter, infectious energy, spontaneity, and all of the feelings! We're keeping our fingers crossed that this summer there will be a decent amount of headlining shows near us, and if not, well, we'll figure out a way to see them. Perhaps we can buy airfare with all of the money we don't spend on festivals.