Best Fest in the U.S. ? {or North America, but that doesn't rhyme}

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Obviously, Europe has us beat on the music festivals. But Summer's on its way, and I want to know what the best upcoming line-ups in Nort America are...

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

By all accounts, if you're into laptop music, MUTEK sounds like the best one, as far as consistent festivals go... great location, great hosting city, etc.

As far as the best festival for people who hate festivals.. Bumbershoot in Seattle. Hardly the best festival as far as packing in the best talent per punch, but it's more of a general city festival/fair type thing, and the art and music is just a major sideshow. I like it because of the mostly "come whenever you want/leave whenever you want" nature of it.. and it's very centrally located.

I would say Coachella wins on bands alone.. but the major downer is that the festival is in Coachella, CA (i.e. hell, otherwise)

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

http://216.105.98.54/musicfest/ - has mary j. blige, kanye west, big boi, ludacris, t.i., faith evans, john legend, amerie, doug e. fresh hosts. it's in atlanta. music midtown in atlanta also has white stripes, montgomery gentry, ciara, pixies, def leppard, lou reed, bobby valentino, trace adkins, common, darryl worley, interpol, biz markie, devo, alan jackson, public enemy, john fogerty, whodini, jo dee messina, the killers, joan jett, tift merritt, black eyed peas, bloc party, mc lyte, robert randolph, tom petty and, oh yeah, doug e. fresh & slick rick. i'm not a fan of fests though coachella does always raise an eyebrow and bumbershoot (xpost - ha) actually looks enjoyable.

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 20:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I want to rephrase something: "Hardly the best festival as far as packing in the best talent per punch" should be "Hardly the hippest festival as far as packing in the most 'today' talent per punch". Bumbershoot does actually book talent outside the realm of popular college radio bands... all at the same place and time. For people who like that, it's great.

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 21:00 (twenty-one years ago)

It's not as much a festival as a great weekend, but the Capitol Hill Block Party, which happens around late July every year in Seattle, organized by The Stranger and setup right outside their offices, on Pine st. & 12th Ave E... is always a really fun time, and a great excuse to visit Seattle on a weekend.

Seeing Sir Mix A Lot, Melvins, Big Business, U.S.E., Smoosh, Akimbo, and other local acts last year was really great.. and the price is only $10 a day.. which is just pocket change in comparison. It's also a great primer for seeing good Seattle bands that don't quite make it outside the city too often.

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 21:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, whatever happened to Terrastock?

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

mutek looks good, but I dont know what the accommodations situation is - at first I thought it was a camp-out like coachella but apparently not. so #1 sleep in my car or #2 find a hostel? I don't know...

― vanessa novaeris (novaeris), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm sure it's just the vestigial corny indie fuxor in me but i GREATLY prefer 'small' fests ie. a whole bunch of bands playing short sets in a club. i'm a bit 'ugh' to crowds and standing in heat. i usually avoid athfest, this goofy chamber of commerce music thing they do every year down here, but pylon's playing it this year and jack logan, who barely plays out at all anymore, is playing a set that same night so i'll go to that. there's also a fest downtown (athens) that pretty much never gets any press (cuz it's geared toward a black audience to be frank) on the 'hot corner' (just up the street from low yo yo and the 40 watt donut bitch) that's always alot more fun than music midtown or athfest, it's usually a bunch of regional chitlin circuit gospel soul bands, dudes rocking out on guitar, lots of fun.

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 21:11 (twenty-one years ago)

If you're at all a fan of acoustic music, then Merlefest is where you want to be.

Apart from that, New Orleans JazzFest - the entire city is in a stellar mood, and you can literally go an entire week of waking hours hearing live music. More than a week. From Thursday until the next Sunday.

― Big Loud Mountain Ape (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Victo http://www.fimav.qc.ca

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I need to visit Athens again. I hear all the complaints about it, but it was one of the highlights of my trip.

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

it's not the sf indiepop fest.

― keith m (keithmcl), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

-- vanessa novaeris (novaeri...), May 11th, 2005

yeah, camping in downtown montreal might be problematic ;)

but seriously, it's the cheapest city in north america. you can easily find a room to accommodate a frugal lifestyle. fuck, you can rent a house there for $400 CAD/month

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah its something to consider. its not far from here but Im traveling too much this month to justify another adventure. I might change my mind though haha thanks visa! :P

― vanessa novaeris (novaeris), Thursday, 12 May 2005 00:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Pasture Music Festival & Jubilee. A weekend on a farm in rural Wisconsin with drugs, beer, free-folk/psych weirdos and great food as prepared by hippies and hippie grandmother.

― Ian John50n (orion), Thursday, 12 May 2005 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)

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