Summer means music festivals. There was this weekend’s event in Pemberton, and of course everyone was expecting Squamish’s own fest to follow on Pemby’s heels – until it was cancelled, though we’re not entirely sure it’s dead or simply dormant.
I do wonder about having two large festivals with roughly the same format in the same region within weeks of each other. But then again, music festivals have been growing in prominence over the past decade or so.
They’re hardly new. There was Woodstock and Monterrey in the 1960s, and of course, precursors like the jazz and folk festivals in places like Newport, R.I.
Pop and rock festivals faded a little as the 1970s wore on, and acts capable of filling arenas opted to headline their own tours. The days of the arena bands have passed, as only the biggest names can fill large venues anymore.
Part of the reason is the splintering of the music business into endless sub-genres, as well as the overall decline of the recording industry.
Festivals now offer a venue for bands to play before larger audiences, even if it means sharing the stage (or stages) with almost-countless acts on the bill. They also allow fans to make the most of hard-earned dollars. Think of it like buffet dining for music.
The question is how many do we need. Pick up a summer issue of the Canadian music paper Exclaim! and you’ll be stunned by how many festivals there are.
My hunch is the more unique each is, the more likely it is to be sustainable, but many festivals are now offering a similar mishmash of acts to the extent that they look like carbon copies, or even something along the lines of the Lollapalooza tours of the 1990s, with a set menu of performers.
When the Squamish event organizers announced the event was cancelled, we quickly heard that WOMAD, the international arts organization co-founded by singer Peter Gabriel, was considering the community for a future fest.
Again, whether this happens or would be a good thing, who knows? It might however offer up an alternative that would stand out in the crowd a little more than the average fest seems to be doing these days.
Just something to think about while you’re in the cue to the porta potty.
