All Good Music Festival.

All Good is a four day music fest right outside of Morgantown West Virginia. I went to it for the first time this year. I was expecting for it to be the usual old hippies and chill people. As we are setting up our camp after sitting in traffic for more than 4 hours, we relize this is a young party group of 20-30 year olds. I am all about having fun and hanging out but in a crowd of over 25,000 people I felt alone. The music was great but everyone just kept to them sleves. To top it off you were searched before entering the stage area everyyime to ensure you brought no alcohol in. This crowd was just to big and unloving for my liking. I think I'll stick to small bands and camping for now on. Phil and Bob from grateful dead were there and they were ragin. Like I said I really enjoyed the music it was just not for me. Does anyone have any suggestions as to places I may like with good music?

Peace and Love

 

Grey Fox starts tomorrow. There should be tons of old people there.

 

I'm glad you posted about this topic. I hear you, friend. Recently I attended Wakarusa and apart from the fact that it was horribly mismanaged, I felt very alone in the crowd too. I'll make some of my own observations then offer what I think is the best solution.I've been in festival crowds since my early twenties and it's always been the same. This is a miniature society and it does not behave as the larger society does---it's different.

So anyway, as a whole I don't think the festival crowd is that social--while at the festival. the reason: they are engrossed with the "Inner Journey". Because of this they are uncomfortable interacting with others outside their posse. What I will call the "drug youth culture" is a selfish culture. This is my theory (I'm not trying to be arrogant). The music helps them 'get off' on the drugs and vice versa. This is what it's about-- it's almost church-like. One professor at MU coined it "auditorium religion". The crowd as a whole takes on an identity--not the individuals creating it. For some this excitement adds to the experience. They come together not to get to know each other but to explore the depths of their inner experience with others in the background. The role of the other festival goers (others who you aren't obligated to talk to get to know at all) is to grant tacit approval for any activity one may be engaging in that isn't advocated by the larger society along with providing ambient stimulus: the heat of bodies, the smells, the occasional feel of skin while in a dance pit. That being said: Getting to know festival goers when not a festival( ie. when there is no important agenda to find the substance they are looking for and pair it with appropriate musical stimulus) is easier and they tend to be nice.
The other theory I have about why it's none too social is more based in the hardwiring of the average festival goer's brain: One could theorize that many of them are highly right brained which makes communicating more difficult in general. But because their conceptual/visualization skills are better than average and the music -drug combo and the non-social aspects are very appealing. It's highly speculative. However many of my very left-brained friends do not get anything out of jam band music. For them it's too ponderous, too unstructured, where for me ( a lefty) the music is a portal.

Well I've given my 2 cents worth about that and I welcome ideas or criticisms of my theories.
The solution is to find communities more social. There are small Burning Man inspired festivals. This festival is more open and social. Many have shown up alone and easily find others to talk to. They are art camping trips ---in costume (yes the people wear costumes camping). I felt the Big burn--Burning Man very intimidating but once I adapted to the conventions of the place. (WEAR COSTUMES) it became much more fun for me. You make art you make create a space. Haul a bar and stools and couches and lights and decor in a trailer to the woods. This is why few young people go and fewer of the festival crowd. It's not passive entertainment. It requires that you participate and interact.
Secondly rainbow gatherings are similar to BM in the participation but they are less structured but extremely social. And if you interested in sobriety gatherings do not generally include drinking or drugs.
So there you go just putting that out there and why, because I feel your pain. Nobody talks about this much. Shoot me a message with anymore thoughts

 

i had the very opposite impression in both my past two all good experiences. in 2008 i had a ton of friends there, but managed to wander around alone most of the time out of curiosity. there were so many awesome people there in 2008, and so much love. i did hear of people seeing some sketch shit go down, but i stayed away from the tanks that year.

this year, there was no mafia! yeah the line in sucked, i've never waited that long before. we got there at 5 didn't get in until 10 something and only were able to make it in for "Eyes of the World" and beyond of DSO.

alone? i'm sorry you felt that way, i don't understand how. there was so much love all around where i was. our neighbors fed us on occasion, we chilled when we were so spun and couldn't sleep. now OF COURSE there is gonna be partying, it's a music festival for god's sake! i mean you don't have to drive so enjoy yourself. i'm sure there were people there more for the fucked-upness than the music, love, and freedom, but those numbers were not the majority from what i saw.

i thought this year was fantastic aside from two things:
1) the walk to get the ice was EFFING ridiculous and i know people had to walk much farther than i did. so they need to sell ice in more spots for damn sure, especially if they are to sell out like they did this year.

the second is slipping from my memory. I'll get back to you

as for getting searched before entering the venue spot, that is common. I have no complaints about that either, even with my camelbak. i never put anything but water in it, and i dumped it out once thinking i had to. after that i kept it stuffed with ice from the cooler and they let me in. my bag got touched, but never searched. it was beautiful, and i think because of the trust there was even better energy.

i can't wait to go back if i get another chance

 

thats a bummer you guys felt alone... hard to imagine how that was possible. I made tons of friends at allgood, shared what I had to share and recieved more than what I put out.

you see what you want to see in the world.

smile smile smile.. and try starting a conversation with someone new, be assertive.
don't be afraid of people who are younger than you. its ok to have fun

 

I went to Rainbow gathering last year and Sonic Bloom this year. In both cases, some things to like and some not to like. Met some really nice people at both. Many people into their own group, which is fine. Lots of different scenes. Bring your own is a good idea.

Standing in line for 5 hours (GV83) sounds crazy to me. Maybe contemptuous of the people attending - or incompetent.

As swishtar suggests, I'm going to a local burn (Myschievia) this October. Really looking forward to it!!! Planning on going all out on comfort: In addition to the tent for sleeping, a free-standing canopy, lawn chairs, enough water to take bucket baths like they do in the countryside in SE Asia, ice, RCs, etc.