And the Beat Goes On.....Ode to the Summer Music

   
  For anyone who loves music, you know that time of the year is creeping up on us...music festival season!! And no, I am NOT talking about Coachella or Lollapalooza, at times those can feel like music festivals for teenagers and people who just want to be seen....I am talking about the real deal, the more grown-up oriented, awesome food and music, music festivals. The places where people wear sensible clothing and shoes because they want to feel the groove all day with the rest of the plebs in general admission, we who make these festivals run every year. I am talking about South by Southwest, the eclectic Beale Street, Shaky Knees, Firefly, Panorama, Newport Folk Fest, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Hangout, Franklin's Pilgrimage, Summerfest, Boston Calling, Bottle Rocket, and closing out with Austin City Limits, and Voodoo Music Experience and many more in between.

      Now, I don't want to rag on Lolla or Coachella here at Travel Further, but, they are over-priced and it is very difficult to get tickets. Furthermore, while I have never been to Coachella, there is just something unappealing about hoofing it in the desert while a bunch of rich 19 year old models and Lindsay Lohan are kicking it in VIP and at pool parties that just seems unappealing. Whatever the reason, the vibe I seem to get is that poor sweaty people in tennis shoes, who do not own velvet sunhats, just do not seem to be what floats that music festivals boat, which is a shame because they usually have an awesome lineup. Lollapalooza is another story all together and anyone that lives in the greater Chicago land area knows. For a long weekend they fence off Grant Park, with some awesome music to serve as a giant babysitting pen for all the north shore teenagers who Daddies got them VIP weekend passes. Rubbing up against sweaty, inexperienced drunk and high teenagers in the August sun in Chicago may have been okay in my twenties, but I just cannot stomach the carnage it produces anymore. Not at the port-o-potties and not in the street afterwards, actually even in my twenties it turned me off. That is even if you can get your hands on tickets to Lollapalooza, a feat in and of itself these last few years.

       The experiences you can get at a music festival or other outdoor concerts are second to none and rarely found at arena shows. There is an electric vibe, people have been jamming to music all day, drinking, eating, dancing, waiting for their show. The mood is contagious, the musicians feel it, the crowd feels it, everyone feels it and it explodes into those moments in life where it feels like you will remember this forever, and you will. Trust me. I have been front row for Jimmy Cliff, Cage the Elephant, fought with a seven year old who pushed me from behind at the fence to see Hozier, been surrounded by a sea of people just trying to catch a glimpse of The Who, grooved in the back to John Legend and even participated in that beach ball thing at a Jimmy Buffet show. I have been sweat on by Trampled by Turtles, could almost touch Charles Bradley, and did the stoner shuffle with the rest of the crowd watching Willy Nelson. If music makes your life complete, helps your world turn, or just in general calls your name, then make it to a music festival.

        If you want the experience of traveling to a music festival, America has some of the best opportunities first and foremost. Aside form the music you get to experience local culture, like nightlife in New Orleans after Jazz Fest, or visiting Civil War battlefields near Franklin Tennessee, or visiting Milwaukee's myriad of breweries during Summerfest. It is the ultimate vacation. Sun, fun, music, food, sight seeing, intermingling with other music lovers, and seeing your favorite performers in intimate settings. So come out this summer and see that new group, that old group, that retiring group one last time. There is something for everyone, even if you are a teenager from the north shore, a 19 year old model or just a regular person. Travel Further can help get your music festival vacation a reality! Hit me up on Facebook or shoot me a message at travelfurtherwi@gmail.com! 

 Comprehensive list of festivals: https://www.jambase.com/festivals