Festivals are for DJs.
Looks like this was downtown right on the lake with the skyline in the background. Deadmau5 represented loud and repetitive music very well and judging from the youtube comments I'm seeing a couple of converts.
Anyway I've been thinking alot about festivals and several people I've talked to just don't seem to like them. Invariably those who don't like festivals are usually fans of various non-house/techno forms of music. When I've seen regular bands play the audience is usually just standing... listening and often drained of all energy. Between sets it often takes as much as 30 minutes to tear down and build the stage and people get bored. Occasionally a hit song (often a band's only hit song) comes on and people jump around for a few seconds until they realize they're still not having a good time. Bands can be great at a regular concert where they have control over the tempo and sets are usually a couple hours long but I think DJs simply do festivals better. Smooth transitions from one artist to another, a gradual increase in energy, and frankly I think the crowds are better at partying. I'm still gathering evidence but I will say there is a world of difference between Ultra pre-band and post-band. Bands have completely screwed up the flow of the event except for Carl Cox's tent (where they don't allow bands.) This is the Carl Cox tent at around 9pm.At around the same time at the main stage the black eyed peas were performing. Note the complete lack of energy during the last song of their set. This lack of energy carries forward to other artists on this stage. What you see in the Carl Cox tent is the culmination of 6 hours of great music without any pause. Here, people had to wait 45 minutes for the Peas to start stinging and by then they were simply bored and ready to sit down and relax.pre-2005 at 10pm on the main stage it was the most insane amount of energy I've ever seen... now its like a really loud morgue. Perhaps the Carl Cox tent needs to be expanded (it was packed from 5pm onward for both days). I looked at Coachella, but unfortunately you just don't see the energy like I did in the Carl Cox tent. There was an electronic music stage but they had setups and tear downs for various sets (DJ AM and Etienne de Crecy). Drugs you say? possibly, but keep in mind the Ultra examples were at the same festival at about the same time. I don't think that's a factor... in this case. I really think its about flow, and bands could be successful at festivals but they must figure out how to eliminate the gaps between sets. Anyway, its worth thinking about and if I ever change my career and start organizing festivals its going to be the first major change I push for. -Travis
