Gar Veteran Member Posts:1676  
| 7/7/2006 4:53 PM |
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This summer has to be one of the busiest on these shores for outdoor live music events for quite some years now. Every week a new festival seems to be cropping up and offering as many perks as possible for you to hand over the cash for an over-priced ticket. Some of these festivals seem to be failing lately and it's not really a surprise. A simple case of over exhausting the festival-going market is halting the expected cash flow into the pockets of eager promoters.
Surely organisers didn't expect the regular punter to splash out for Garden Party, Hi-Fi, Oxegen, Electric Picnic, Sligo, Galway, a few of the Marley Park gigs and some of the other homegrown festivals. I suppose more promoters want a piece of the pie but it just seems to be way too much this year and the line-up's of the bigger festivals have maybe suffered over this. In fact, the acts booked for the Cork Marquee and Marley Park gigs are probably better than Oxegen and Electric Picnic combined this year.
The point I'm trying to make is that this year is jam packed with festivals but none really stand out as being amazing. Getting the right balance to the line-up of a festival is key. Maybe some of the acts missing out on the Midlands Music Festival (two of its stages were pulled) or from that festival that didn't get it's licence, could be transferred to some of the bigger events like Electric Picnic. The festival organisers still haven't got things right yet despite so many events taking place throughout the summer months. It's a shame really because people are paying so much for tickets.
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bonzo Basic Member Posts:364
| 7/7/2006 4:57 PM |
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Punchestown
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Pilchard Advanced Member Posts:699
| 7/7/2006 6:32 PM |
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No-one is FORCING anyone to buy tickets. we buy them because we expect a certain return from the show (good music, good day out with friends, value for money). if we didnt have this expectation, we wouldnt buy the tickets. if we thought the tickets are too dear, they dont buy them. simple as that
and if we didnt buy tickets, there wouldnt be the glut of festivals we have at the moment. remember that having 30 festivals and outdoor shows on over an irish summer is a NEW development - before 2003, the no of outdoor summer shows was much lower than it is now. because people showed a desire for going mad in the open-air to loud music that summer, promoters have kept the shows coming and coming. this fad will, inevitably, go away and we will then be bemoaning the LACK of summer shows.
And - despite one or two shows which failed to pull the punters in like Billy Joel and Midlands - there does seem to be enough punters to go round. Some festivals have been quite clever in terms of going after certain audiences (the Live at the Marquee fest in cork has capitalised greatly on how audiences around that city are starved of live music and Garden Party found an audience for itself too by going a certain way), while others have pitched shows and found different audiences (for all the talk of being an alternative to the Electric Picnic, Hi-Fi will really turn out to be this year's Creamfields or Homelands with knacker-trance to the fore).
I still think there is still room for more quality festivals, something maybe like Latitude in the UK. but you gotta remember, gar, that for many people, the line-up is only part of the appeal
for example, I've put all my eggs in the Electric Picnic basket this year because i had such a brilliant time there last year. sure, i went chiefly to see arcade fire and kraftwerk but what i remember most is the great sense of fun and adventure me and my mates had. i'm going back for that and not any specific acts (and yes, the line-up is weak). maybe we should remember thats why a lot of people go to fests - sure the line-up is key but so is the sense of being away from normality and reality for a few days.
a bit of a ramble but sure, the sun is out and i'm about the leave the office now
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GarVeteran Member Posts:1676
| 7/7/2006 6:57 PM |
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Points taken.......I just hoped that there would be one festival that stood out this year with a cracking line-up. Like yourself Pilchard I'm going to EP mainly for the enjoyment of the weekend, even recruited a few more mates this time round. Just a long winded ramble really.
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Thomas Walsh New Member Posts:48
| 7/9/2006 2:28 AM |
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It may be the year of the festival but we still can't get offered a job picking up spunk-filled Dunnes bags at ONE of them!!
Now I'm not bitter  bitter is SO 3 years ago but I've noticed a distinct lack of "Irish" acts on the big Festivals. I think they've established "Oxygen" and "Electric Picnic" to the point that "Oxygen" IS "T in the park" etc, etc.
The festival will now be sold to MTV for highlights shows every 2 days, so basically the big festival in Ireland is now GONE as regards a chance to break new and semi-established alternative Irish acts.
Just like...............well everything to do with "Rip-Off Ireland".
As I said, I'm not bitter..........
TW.x |
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palaceBasic Member Posts:392
| 7/10/2006 9:35 AM |
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should we even be using the word 'festival' to describes something as commercially driven as oxegen?
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UnaVeteran Member Posts:1721
| 7/10/2006 2:12 PM |
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everything for sale is commercially driven.
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palaceBasic Member Posts:392
| 7/10/2006 2:31 PM |
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una, the dictionary definitions i'm choosing to use here are:
festival - "an occasion for feasting or celebration"
commercial - "involved in work that is intended for the mass market"
everything for sale is not commercially driven... however, oxegen is
...as for the use of the word festival, i'm not sure what oxegen is celebrating - it certainly isn't music...
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nerrawBasic Member Posts:475
| 7/10/2006 3:25 PM |
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Too few acts spread too thin over too many festivals, that sums up the Irish festivals so far. No-one has yet to come up with a line up that could be described as very good. They're ok. Too many fillers. The usual suspects.
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| 7/19/2006 7:12 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Thomas Walsh
.......... so basically the big festival in Ireland is now GONE as regards a chance to break new and semi-established alternative Irish acts. .......
Why should Irish bands expect or get a break like this ? How about stuffing themselves into a HiAce (do they still sell them in Ireland?) and tour Ireland for a bit and generate a bit of buzz so their inclusion on any festival bill is *justified*. |
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PilchardAdvanced Member Posts:699
| 7/19/2006 8:28 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MarkO
quote:
Originally posted by Thomas Walsh
.......... so basically the big festival in Ireland is now GONE as regards a chance to break new and semi-established alternative Irish acts. .......
Why should Irish bands expect or get a break like this ? How about stuffing themselves into a HiAce (do they still sell them in Ireland?) and tour Ireland for a bit and generate a bit of buzz so their inclusion on any festival bill is *justified*.
oh sweet jesus christ, dont encourage them
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kavobagginsBasic Member Posts:199
| 7/28/2006 12:21 PM |
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Not sure if this has been mentioned but just came accross another festival aswell in Meath. Line up looks pretty good alright but tis the same weekend as the Leechrum gig.
http://www.lecheile.com/
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Man in a canBasic Member Posts:106
| 7/28/2006 12:43 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MarkO
Originally posted by Thomas Walsh
..........
Why should Irish bands expect or get a break like this ? How about stuffing themselves into a HiAce (do they still sell them in Ireland?) and tour Ireland for a bit and generate a bit of buzz so their inclusion on any festival bill is *justified*.
I think Pugwash have played around enough and have established themselves that in an ideal world we would be moaning saying "Jesus Pugwash again at a festival".
http//:www.stoatmusic.com |
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