Tours attract large artists, draw crowds, give unique seasonal experience
Summer rotates between one music festival after another, going from country to country and genre to genre. If you were fortunate enough to attend any of these festivals, then you were guaranteed a good time and a great way to spend part of your summer. If you were not able to make it to any of these, then this recap will fill you in on everything you need to know.
Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo, a four day annual music and arts festival, took place in Manchester, Tenn. from June 13 to July 16. Headliners included The National, The Lumineers, Animal Collective, Passion Pit and The xx. The festival itself had dozens of musical and comedy acts. Taking place on a large farm, the festival requires those attending to camp out. Reminiscent of something along the lines of Woodstock, everyone makes the effort to be friendly to one another and get to know everyone around them during the days. Notable acts this year included Paul McCartney, as well as Pretty Lights, who played a set until the sunrise. The festival gave people a chance to see a large amount of their favorite artists in the same time frame, and was completely worth the expense. And the best part? Water was free.
Warped Tour
Unlike the others on this list, Warped Tour is a national tour that spans from June 15 to Aug. 4. The lineup has a great mix of alternative, rock, pop-punk, metal, reggae and rap. As a day long event you might have to sacrifice seeing some bands to watch others. The ticket price also made it worth it too; at maximum you would spend $40 on a ticket. Seeing four or five artists for $40 is worth more than any $100 floor price ticket to see one concert. This year the headliners of Warped Tour include Allstar Weekend, Bring Me the Horizon, The Black Dahlia Murder and Forever the Sickest Kids.
Summerfest
An awesome combination of every music genre you’ve ever loved — or that’s been played on the radio. Summerfest, which took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 25 to June 29 and July 1 to July 6, included headliners FUN., Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, John Mayer, Pitbull, and Violent Femmes and The Avett Brothers. Not only is the music great, but in past years you could even trade in two jars of Milwaukee pickles for a ticket to the fun. If that’s not awesome pricing skills, what is? This festival was great for if you have a very wide taste in music — you love country and alternative indie music, but could never find something that had both at the same time. The festival gave off a vibe of holding a different concert every day, but why should that hinder the experience? It was a great way to visit a place you might not have been before and an awesome lineup selection.
Newport Folk Festival
Taking place in the picturesque Newport, R.I., from July 26 to July 28, this festival is short but packed a punch. It’s a much smaller festival compared to others, with about 10,000 people there in 2012 (that’s compared to Bonnaroo’s staggering 100,000 in 2012). However, this provided for a much more personal experience and a great time to take in the beautiful aquatic scenery around Newport! Feist, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Avett Brothers, Andrew Bird and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott all played there this year. If you’ve never been to a music festival before and you want to start out small, this could be your perfect destination next year!
Lollapalooza
This festival is coming up, so if you’re lucky enough, you might be able to snag a ticket. Taking place in Chicago, Illinois, from Aug. 2 to Aug. 4, it’s a nice vacation since you can explore the city while you’re there during the day, and listen to great music at night. The Cure, Mumford & Sons, The Killers, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, and Vampire Weekend will be only a few of the big names to come to the festival this year. There is no camping at this festival. The music ends at 10 p.m. every night, but the festival has their scheduling down pat, and even if inclement weather arises, they will reschedule accordingly. And the good news is, most hotels are within walking distance, so no money will be spent on unnecessary transportation.
If you weren’t able to make any of the awesome festivals out there this summer, don’t fret. There are still many coming up in the fall. Though it may be a little harder to schedule around things like school and work, but you can still make it happen if you want. And if you see a festival on this list you like, look into it for next year. You could start planning your dream summer vacation based around one of these. Whether you attended or not, it’s no contest that summer holds the best time for large amounts of good music to come your way.