YESSIR MILLER! Bon Rockfest!
That was the starting of a beautiful weekend of metal, punk, rock, and even a lil bit of hip-hop thrown into the mix. The 10th anniversary of Amnesia Rockfest was a spectacle not to be missed this year by lovers of music. No matter where you went, you seemed to have a sense of comradery with almost everyone you met. We made friends with people from all across the province (and even other countries) who were all as equally excited to see their favourite bands and artists.
So I am sure you can read practically EVERY music news agency and get a glimpse of what the festival was like. They will talk about the endless amount of poutine, or the lack of beer diversity for Busdweiser's sake (one of the main sponsors of the festival), the massive 30 minute thunderstorm we all got on Thursday night, and I can almost guarantee that each site will have their own top highlights of the festival.
Due to my own laziness (and enjoyment of the festival), I did not bring a camera or even a cell phone to Rockfest this year. Even though I spend most of my time shooting photos for concerts, I wanted to keep these memories for myself. Basically, I wanted to let the news agencies do the coverage, while kicked back and enjoyed my 72 hours of chaos and fun! Here are some of the highlights from my festival.
The Good:
- The camping has always been a highlight for my friends and I. Fo the past three years, we have been fortunate to be camping out in someone's backyard who is an amazing host. While official Rockfest parking/camping is usually the cheapest rates, our new friend Mathieu has given us the peace of mind by camping and parking about 300 meters away from the festival. We also have private site showers, bathrooms, and a BBQ!
- The fans are simply awesome! From crazy purple horned beasts, to S&M dominatrix, there was some love from almost every walk of life you can think of. As a people watcher for behaviour, I was loving the different shirts, hairstyles, tattoos, gear, merchandise, and much more that everyone had. Everyone (for the most part) is very friendly, easy going, and willing to help out others that might be in need. Between seeing fans picking each other up in the moshpits, the selflessness water and food purchases for people feeling ill, the passing of cell phones so friends could find each other, and more. It gave me some faith in humanity that 200,000+ people can get along with no real issues!
- THE BANDS! Of course, almost everyone I had the chance to see played amazing! There were no moshpits for me this year. I was enjoying my time as a fly on the wall, and jumping between stages. Overall, I think every band did a spectacular job and played to some awesome fans! Some of my highlighted bands were Ministry, Story of the Year, The Descendants, From Autumn To Ashes, Linkin Park, Gogol Bordello, and of course Rob Zombie.
- Snoop Dogg. Seriously, the man brought his A-game this weekend. Knowing that he was the ONLY hip-hop artist in a sea of metal/punk, it was a tough job for Snoop to keep the masses entertained. I remember mentioning to my girlfriend that we should get up close and personal to show some love for Snoop. I was completely blown away with the crowd response he got. Sure he threw out a bunch of hit songs (and even a few he didn't write) that most rockers would identify, but either way Snoop brought his attitude, his energy, his Mary Jane, and possibly one of the best crowds for 2015.
The Bad:
- Water. That was my only main concern at the event. While there was (for the most part) a water station where folks could fill up their bottles, it was not really shown on the festival maps, nor did it have a flag/marker like beer did. I get it though... beer makes the festival money, and free water doesn't. But considering both Friday and Saturday were mega beat down sunshine days (with little cloud coverage), it would have been better for Rockfest to keep a continuous amount fo water going for their fans.
Alcohol + sunshine = early passing out and less beer/food purchases. I was also told the water stations closed before the main acts last night. Not sure why it was shut down early, but hopefully a mistake to be corrected for next year. I myself [easily] went through 6/7+ bottles each day to stay hydrated.
- Lineups to get into the festival. While Rockfest definitely learned it's lesson about lineups from their 2013 edition, some of the lineups to get in seemed a little lengthy still. I remember having to go back to my campsite to get some extra cash, and arriving at the lineup with the intention to see Flogging Mollys. I got in just as they were wrapping up their set. One could argue that I should have got in line earlier, but it took almost 30 minutes for re-entry. Open some more lines, keep the flow going faster, and the crowds won't have to bunch up as much.
One of the biggest peeves was the impatience of some selfish, ignorant fans looking to push their way through lines. MOST people that comes to the festival are courteous, friendly, and have patience (of course when 200K are involved). A small percentage of concert goers felt they had to get in before others and were not ashamed to push their way through, hop fences, cut corners, and basically anything they could to get to the front of the line. It only sucks because you do not want to start a fight for something as minor as line cutting, but it only makes others feel more frustrated and hoping security would step in and enforce some rules of the lines. They did a great job hold people up to when pat downs were happening, so some line etiquette would be nice.
- The VIP section. Almost every main stage artists mentioned something about the VIP section taking up half of the main stage (while general admission fans stood at the gates behind) and left most fans having to fan out on the right side of the stage. Even though the sound was realtively available everywhere, it would have been nice to span out the massive crowd and give everyone a chance to get up close and personal. Seemed like an odd cash grab that almost everyone could identify. Better luck next year Rockfest.
The Verdict:
Despite my list of things that bothered me about the festival, I still say it is one of the best organized events I have ever had the pleasure of attending. The beer and food lines were quite fast, there was ample room for most people to see the bands they wanted, the bands themselves were excellent, the fans were energetic and encouraging, and will definitely be hard to top for 2016. Kudos to Alex, and the rest of the crew for doing such a great job as usual. Can't wait to see what they will have next year!
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