Anyone who has been to a music festival in the past couple of years knows that there are really two types: the first, the gigantic arena type festival (like Ozzfest or This Ain't No Picnic), is an actual festival, with several stages, concession stands, and often plenty of open land to sit, play, and chat. The second, the multiple venue type festival (such as CMJ or SXSW), are more like conventions, but over the past few years more and more people have flocked to them to see who the next big thing really will be, or (more commonly) see all the bands they've already seen together on one stage. But is the judgement of these organizers sound?

What, exactly, is the appeal of these festivals? Year after year, as line-ups grow and ticket prices soar, more and more people go to the growing monoliths of "entertainment" who tend to keep less and less of their original theme. Straight edged bands at Ozzfest, all-male bands being accepted to Ladyfest, Coachella being so random as to border on the vulger... Festivals have become so ADD that even our ADD generation is having difficulty grasping the philosophy behind some of these decisions. Well, other than profit; the larger festivals are all about getting your dollars and exposing you to advertising. Even the purer-themed festivals, like Burning Man (which was not exactly a music festival originally), now cost more to get to than airfare to Cuba.I'm waiting for commercials to go between the bands, perhaps live action dramas displaying the artistic integrity of Honda or the health benefits of Coke.

At least the spread out festivals, like CMJ, have varied showcases which seem to focus on particular themes; the problem is, if you are someone (like me) who enjoys going around to the various venues to see different acts, you're better off renting a limo, as you'll spend more in taxis than you will in ticket costs. Why have the organizers of these events decided to book venues that are literally across an entire city from the bulk of the shows? This makes no sense, and costs the attendees money, time, and lots of frustration. Plus, if so many bands are getting in (SXSW estimates this year's acceptance at around 1000), what is the real point of playing them? Sure, there will be some press and exposure, but you'd likely get more playing on an off night, or in another city during one of these mega-festivals (since other cities get talent starved at those points).

So where are we going? Are our future festivals going to rock? Are current ones coming close? Judging by their line-ups, no (though SXSW must be commended for its international emphasis in this year's festival, even if it defeats the purpose of SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST [and easily overshadows its domestic choices]). Here in Portland, MusicFest NW tends to be the sole exception; kept small, relatively inexpensive (I believe wristbands were $25 this year), and mostly centrally located, with only a couple of venues outside of downtown. I'd like to see more festivals follow that lead and return to their roots, though it's unlikely most will: sadly, profit has beaten out the festival spirit, and it is yet another nail in the coffin of support for art.