Have you bought your tickets yet? ’Tis the season to spend the money you’ve saved on a weekend full of groovy music, great vibes and unexpendable company at the summer’s best music festivals. Unbelievably incredible beats await, but you have to know where to find them.
There’s, like, a ton of peeps who are on tour for the first time in a while, and there presence is kickin’ ass on the docket for this summer. We’re talkin’ Outkast, mostly. The duo will be headlining Firefly Music Festival in Dover, DE, from July 19-22, with a crew of the Foo Fighters, Beck, Pretty Lights, Jack Johnson, Broken Bells and Childish Gambino.
Outkast will also be hitting the stage at New York City’s Governor’s Ball (June 6-8) with The Strokes, Phoenix, Grimes and Sleigh Bells (who will hopefully give Conn a shoutout for single-handedly making them famous after their show here in 2010). I seriously can keep going, but I will direct you to the Internet for extra festival information.
Another sweet festival in the middle of July, supposedly replacing Camp Bisco, is The Hudson Project in Saugerties, NY. In my personal and absolute expert opinion, The Hudson Project is just drenched in awesomeness. Just a taste of some of the headliners that will be making memories in upstate New York are Kendrick Lamar, Bassnectar, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, STS9, Big Gigantic, Atmosphere and Flying Lotus. Some standout artists further down on the lineup not to be forgotten are The Floozies, ZZ Ward, Bonobo, Emancipator, Conspirator, the super funky Lettuce and the almighty Griz.
There’s also this incredible one-day festival called Jam on the River that premieres on Memorial Day Weekend, May 25 at Penn’s Landing in Philly. The headliners for this $35 concert are Papadosio, Griz, Lotus, Conspirator, Grimace Federation and Zoogma. This show is sure to be a chill-jam funk-fest that will alter your mind and spirit.
On more mainstream terms, let’s hear about the festival of all festivals in my book: Bonnaroo. This is one lineup you will definitely have to take a gander at online, for it is LOADED. The kickoff is, wait for it, none other than the eclectic and unforgettable Elton John. He is followed by iconic Yeezus, and then the dark Jack White. Clandestinely named the Father of Funk, Lionel Richie will be showing up this summer with, I assume his close friends, Vampire Weekend, The Avett Brothers, Phoenix, Arctic Monkeys, Frank Ocean and his little-known secret BFF Wiz Khalifa. Some seriously swaggalicious featurettes in Bonnaroo’s lineup this summer are Neutral Milk Hotel, Disclosure, Broken Bells, James Blake, Cake, Janelle Monáe, Sam Smith, Little Dragon, Chance the Rapper, Phosphorescent, Shovels & Rope and Cherub, to name several of my star favorites.
Gathering of the Vibes is a three-day, family friendly festival that is close by in Bridgeport, CT at Seaside Park. It’s on July 31 and is bringing in artists like The Disco Biscuits, Ziggy Marley, Slightly Stoopid, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Dark Star Orchestra, EOTO, McLovins, and bring your loved ones to the Dumpstaphunk show.
Need I say more? Okay, I will, of course, because what in the H-E-double hockey-sticks are you going to bring with you besides your righteous vibes and a stellar fanny pack? I’ll tell ya, don’t you fret (there is a music joke in there somewhere…). I never go to a concert without my trusty Camelpak: a hands-free water bottle and sneaky backpack. Never forget to stay hydrated in the heat of…the moment, but mainly that powerful glowing star in the sky, so also bring some zinc, kids! In addition to your agua fix, you’ll also need that cash money flow because you will definitely want to purchase fun memorabilia (who doesn’t love a band tee?) within festie land. And then you will undoubtedly get über hungry after dancing like a funktastic maniac and will need some grub. The food is mostly fantastic at festivals, but it can also be pricey, so set aside some bills for your favorite food truck or vegan taco stand.
As a final note, I offer a preparatory recommendation: you should pack your favorite snacks (trail mix and protein bars are an immediate win) and non-perishable sandwich fixings to save up as best as you can because we all know festival tickets can take a chunk out of the ol’ savings account. Summer music festivals are just around the corner, so get pumped about your favorite bands and do some research about travel plans for your desired destination, get well-acquainted with the map of the campgrounds that you will receive at each festival and always look out for yourself and your buddy-guy-pals.
This summer is bound to rock the funk-o-meter into oblivion (thank you Grimes), so time to get connected to the earth and the broader project of human evolution by dancing your way through these mellifluously marvelous summer sets. Speaking of getting connected, there are also great ways to stay in touch with wandering (but not lost) friends by using apps like GroupMe that let peeps stay close and chat when a News Team must assemble for an approaching show.
There is so much more happening this summer, so keep your eyes, ears and mind open for the possibility of greatness. Have fun everyone and be safe!
