Here's a bit of a confession, one that may raise skepticism at our claims to be huge lovers of music. We say this knowing that some of you, dear readers, will agree with us, but for many of you, our proclamations of going to ridiculous lengths to see The Lone Bellow will undoubtedly be called into question. Ready for it? We do not like music festivals. We understand why music festivals happen- what better way for musicians to be exposed to people who may not otherwise hear their music? Although we accept that this is just part of life for most touring musicians, we just cannot get on board with them.
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.
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.
Our favorite trio at Green River Festival in 2014. (Photo taken by our friend, Stacy, whom we've recently converted to The Lone Bellow fandom.)
What do you think of music festivals? Will you be seeing The Lone Bellow at any festivals this year? Tell us in the comments, on our Facebook page, or in the forum!
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