Hangout fest 2014

Hangout Fest is like what I’ve heard giving birth is like – you forget how pained & uncomfortable you are until you do it again. Now that’s not to say it’s not an amazing experience (as I’ve heard giving birth is too). But the music festival life is rough. You are hot, you are sweaty, you’re constantly stepping in mysterious liquids and brushing up against stranger’s skin. My hair was forming dreadlocks by the 3rd day & the bottom of my feet lost most feeling. Yet live music has a certain draw that most people can’t turn down & this feeling is further intensified by being surrounded by some of your best friends for 3 days straight. I’ve realized that despite the fact that I may have taken 5 years off my life in a 3 day span, music festivals are fun and the time to do them are when you’re still nimble enough to get up on people’s shoulders.

A surefire way to ruin your music festival experience is to care too much what other people think.  As with Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, etc it can seem like there is a big competition for who can look the most “music festy”, with flower crowns and hippie clothes. It’s lame. Don’t buy into it. Wear what you want (if that’s a flower crown, then do it), dance whenever & don’t worry about looking “cool” enough for everyone else. The people having the most fun are the ones genuinely enjoying their time with their friends and favorite bands.

Side note about Jack Johnson: I never truly realized how handsome he was until I saw him in person. We had an extremely drunk, older woman (think Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids) in front of us for this show, who repeatedly kept informing us of “what a stud” he is. At one point he stopped in the middle of a song and said “You guys I’m gonna be completely honest with you…I forgot the next verse”. He also donated 100% of his profits from his last tour to his All At Once campaign, a charity that promotes green initiatives and sustainable living. Jack Johnson was by far my favorite performer.. happy, funny, philanthropic, & talented.