Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
SUmmer Music Festival Preview
While visions of beachcombing, blockbusters and gene
to be on your mind this season, it's the national music fes
Pitchfork and Lollapalooza that have really been capti
planning -and for good reason.
But with any multi-day extravaganza comes an outs
and passes can exceed $200. On the plus side, you don't
the large festivals selling out - as much as your wallet
And if picking up a ticket of your own is too daunting gi
nomic times, you'll just have to get a little creative.
By Mike Knit
rral sunshine are sure
stivals like Bonnaroo,
ivating your summer
rageous ticket price,
have to worry about
tmight hate you for it.
Pitchfork Music
Ie LIVaI
July6 i-18
Chicago, IL
$40/day plus fees
Bonnaroo Music &
Arts Festival
Manchester, Tennessee has
become a Mecca for music enthu-
siasts over the past few years - it's
hard to beat kicking off the sum-
mer at a gathering of some of the
top names in music, comedy and
hallucinogenic drugs. For four
days, this small farming town
becomes overrun by hundreds of
thousands of hipsters, hippies,
vagabonds and wandering souls
old and young.
This year's festival features
heavy hitters like Jay-Z, LCD
Soundsystem and Stevie Won-
der; festival regulars Dave Mat-
thews Band, Kings of Leon and
Umphrey's McGee; and sets by
comedians liket
Aziz Ansari. F
suggest bringir
plenty of water
to identify your
course, "good vi
Be sure to
Flaming Lips
Floyd's legenda
Moon and com
tin's foray into'
Steep Canyon R
How to get 1
to Manchester,
hippie and trad
for his wristba
'shrooms - yo
pointed.
iven these tough eco- The snobby reviews and hipper-
than-thou demeanor associated
tz, Daily Music Editor with the Pitchfork name seem to
melt away when you're standing
front-ron for Modest Mouse or the
June 10-13 newly reunited Pavement, Which, if
Manchester, TN you're smart, is exactly shat you'll
$23450 plus fees be doing this July, besides seeing
Panda Bear and Wolf Parade per-
form tracks off their upcoming
Conan O'Brien and albums, Broken Social Scene pack
estival organizers a dozen people on the stage and
ng camping gear, Sleigh Bells tear a few eardrums to
,a "flag or balloon shreds.
'campsite" and, of Over the past few years, the
ibes and a smile." top Internet tastemaker's foray
check out: The into outdoor festivals has quickly
performing Pink become one of the most anticipated
ry Dark Side of the music events of the summer. So just
edian Steve Mar- knock back a few pints of Goose
bluegrass with the Island 312 to brave the hipster
angers. parade and brace yourself for some
n: Hitchhike a ride of today's most exciting newcomers
find a wandering and indie standbys.
Ie your gas money Be sure to check out: Titus
and and a bag of Andronicus, New Jersey garage-
u won't be disap- rockers with a killer live show and
a wry sense of humor a la Art Brut.
Shit, I sound like a Pitchforker
already.
How to get in: Get into a furious
debate about the new LCD Sound-
system record or Brian Eno's effect
on modern pop with a passerby, all
the while discretely unraveling the
wristband around his or her care-
fully tattooed wrist.
Beirut wowed the crowd at Pitchfork Music Festival last summ
Lollapalooza
Boasting headliners like Lady
Gaga, the Arcade Fire and a newly
reunited Strokes (not to mention
'90s powerhouses Soundgarden
and Green Day), Chicago's three-
day festival in scenic Grant Park
takes the crown. Effortlessly fus-
ing mainstream acts with more
buzzworthy newcomers, Lolla-
palooza is sure to appeal to music
snobs and Top 40 radio junkies
alike. In addition to celebrated
acts like Spoon and The National,
this year also features blog-throbs
Yeasayer, the xx and Frightened
Rabbit.
Newly expanded to include the
parks across Columbus Drive, this
August 6-8
Chicago, IL
$215 plus fees
year's festival will be less claustro-
phobic (despite an anticipated rise
in attendance) and easier to navi-
gate. Still, festival-goers would be
wise to camp out in front of their
favorite headliner's stage around
noon to reserve a spot.
Be sure to check out: The Soft
Pack, Harlem and Warpaint, some
heavily buzzed-about names along
the bottom of the bill that live up to
all the hype.
How to get in: Find a friend to
pass back their wristband around
the unguarded gates along Lake
Shore Drive, or just pull a Perry
Farrell and drop in from a helicop-
Jay-Z is one of the headliners for this year's Bonnaroo Music & Art
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