Decider's guide to trip-worthy festivals
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The bucolic splendor of Lollapalooza
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It wasn't that long ago that big outdoor music festivals were things that seemed to happen exclusively in Europe or the U.K., but now we're party to an embarrassment of riches—with fests circulating everything from modern techno in city centers to wiggly jam bands in mounds of dirt. Here, Decider presents a guide to some of this summer's best—and because nobody has the money to fly these days, we’ve provided you with the mileage it would take to road trip it, as well as tips for what to see on the way, courtesy of Roadside America.
Movement, May 23-25 (Detroit)
By far the most significant dance-music gathering in America, the long-running Movement takes to the techno homeland of Detroit and makes good on the city's now-timely, always-intriguing dystopian charm. DJs and live acts play in different spots in and around downtown’s Hart Plaza, with ghostly glass buildings rising up on one side and a big river rolling by on the other. The crowd is a lively mix of techno aesthetes and glow-stick-twirling rave kids, all of whom know how and when to really, truly move. After-parties abound, too, including (at least in the past) a rollerskating party with free soul food hosted by impossibly cool house-music head Moodymann.
This year's highlights: Detroit locals like Derrick May, Carl Craig, Kevin Saunderson, and Audion share their city with imports like Dennis Ferrer, Flying Lotus, Ellen Allien, Luciano, Seth Troxler, and Wighnomy Brothers.
Distance: 616 miles
On the way: Penn's Cave (Centre Hall, PA) bills itself as America's only all-water cavern, which means the hour-long underground tour takes place in a motorboat.
Sasquatch! Music Festival, May 23-25 (George, Wash.)
Seeing as it’s set among the breathtaking vistas of Washington’s The Gorge, it’s easy to get distracted at Sasquatch!, something that was even more true when it was home to interchangeable jam bands. But these days the Sasquatch!, Wookie, and Yeti stages (featuring artists from the Pacific Northwest) and the recently added comedy tent play host to some of the biggest names in “alternative” culture, whatever that means. The necessity of hauling ass up and down a mountain in between sets means you’ll spend the third day staying put and nursing your calf muscles. But even if you’re stuck sitting through someone you can’t stand, there’s always that amazing view.
This year’s highlights: Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction are the nostalgia acts everyone’s talking about, but a reunited Murder City Devils is bound to have just as many acolytes. Add bands who produced last year’s best records (TV On The Radio, The Walkmen, M83, and Fleet Foxes) to this year’s contenders (Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and St. Vincent), plus comedians Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, and Tim And Eric, and you have one of the strongest lineups in Sasquatch! history—and of the entire festival season.
Distance: 2,369 miles
On the way: Legendary entertainer Lawrence Welk hated his childhood home, and didn't even attend the dedication of the Lawrence Welk Birthplace (Strasburg, N.D.). That doesn't mean you can't check it out, though. You absolutely can.
Mutek, May 27-31 (Montreal)
An ambitious gathering of techno and electronic music of different experimental extractions, Mutek takes a heady approach to music made by simultaneously human and post-human means. Panels and discussions give the whole thing a contemplative lean; though, club events know how to go bang when the night grows dark. In between are sets of atmospheric sound art and live/electronic stagings of artists who treat live/electronic distinctions as playthings.
This year's highlights: German legend Gas, dubstep great Appleblim, and Detroit figurehead Carl Craig join a diverse lineup from Montreal's fertile electronic scene and points spread across the globe. Plus, Ricardo Villalobos plays a seven-hour outdoor picnic in Montreal's futuristic World's Fair park.
Distance: 376 miles
On the way: First things first: Montreal isn't that far away. But if you really need to pull over, you could do worse than the "Church Built Out Of VW Garage" (North Creek, NY). Details are scarce, but the title probably says it all.
Bonnaroo, June 11-14 (Manchester, Tenn.)
There’s no bigger festival than Bonnaroo, which started as a jam band summit but gradually evolved into the kind of omnibus, genre-bending event that unreconstructed hippies, rave kids, and music snobs of every stripe can agree on. Part of that has to do with the sheer amount of stuff on offer: Four days of music across six stages means more conflicts than dull spots, and comedy and film tents provide alternatives for those whose ears just need a break. The festival grounds, meanwhile, play host to all manner of hucksters, vendors, and dealers, who ply their wares amid impromptu jam sessions and sodden revelry. It’s a scene that’s almost as enthralling as Bonnaroo's best performances.
This year’s highlights: Big names include Phish, Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg, and Bruce Springsteen, but mixed in are some very pleasant surprises like Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, St. Vincent, Bon Iver, Femi Kuti, King Sunny Adé, Wilco, and David Byrne.
Distance: 889 miles
On the way: Before getting dirty and looking like an urchin—or even better, afterwards—stop by the Biltmore Estate, America's largest privately-owned home. The site of many films involving rich people (including Richie Rich), the Biltmore Estate is basically an American Versailles.
Pitchfork: Where even the tattoos have indie cred.Pitchfork Music Festival, July 17-19 (Chicago)
A taste-making website that evaluates music to the tenth decimal place, Pitchfork is equally exacting when it comes to curating performers for its annual throwdown in Union Park. The very now collection of indie, hip-hop, and electronic acts serves as a pretty good time capsule of pop culture circa five minutes ago—and thus it volleys between the exciting and the disposable—but it's an affordable, slightly more intimate alternative to Lollapalooza, and one that takes far more risks. There's also a surprisingly well-stocked record store/handmade clothing/DIY crafts tent, and the chance to catch impromptu, text-everyone-you-know happenings, like Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington giving out free haircuts.
This year's highlights: "Write your own set" performances from Built To Spill, The Jesus Lizard, Yo La Tengo, Tortoise, and The Flaming Lips; The National, Beirut, Grizzly Bear, Final Fantasy, The Walkmen, The Black Lips, Fucked Up, M83, and Doom.
Distance: 791 miles
On the way: Driving from one big city to another can feel like a chore, which is why it's important to get some rest and relaxation. So why not visit this gigantic sundial that resembles a woman's leg, on the grounds of a clothing-optional resort called Sun Aura (Lake Village, IN)?
10,000 Lakes Festival, July 22-25 (Detroit Lakes, Minn.)
Held on the 600-acre Soo Pass Ranch near the northern Minnesota burg of Detroit Lakes, this four-day camping-friendly music fest leans toward a lineup heavy on the spiritual children of the Grateful Dead. But this year moves further away from the jam-band aesthetic (but not by much) by bringing in indie-rockers like Akron/Family and Cloud Cult, soul singer Sharon Jones, Rhymesayers rappers Atmosphere, and L.A.'s Latin/hip-hop fusion combo Ozomatli. All told, more than 60 bands will grace the festival's four stages, so expect a lot of wandering back and forth to put together your perfect itinerary. (Given the area's great natural beauty, it's also worth taking some time away from the music to visit one of the half-dozen nearby state parks and forests, including the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park.)
This year’s highlights: The headliners are Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, and Wilco; other draws include Umphrey's McGee, Mason Jennings, and Railroad Earth.
Distance: 1,418 miles
On the way: Don't just cruise through the Wisconsin-Illinois border. Rather, visit two great attractions: The world's largest collection of angels (6,000 of them! Holy shit!), and an enormous can of Hormel chili (Beloit, WI).
All Points West Music And Arts Festival, July 31-Aug 2 (Jersey City, N.J.)
A kind of eastern adjunct to Coachella, All Points West draws from that festival’s keen curation but seems equally inspired by Lollapalooza’s urban setting and penchant for more mainstream talent. The three-day event, now in its second year, takes place at a waterfront state park that overlooks Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, and the proximity to New York means that it’s easy to move on to more intimate celebrations after the show ends, or catch one of the countless after-parties that spring up in Manhattan and Brooklyn—both just a short train or ferry ride away.
This year’s highlights: As with last year, the lineup jumps among the au courant (Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Fleet Foxes), the very famous (Coldplay, Tool, Beastie Boys), and the retro but still in possession of musical capital (My Bloody Valentine, Echo And The Bunnymen).
Distance: 1,872 miles
On the way: Play the game where you try to count how many people in your subway car are heading to All Points West, too. Clues include Ray-Bans, band t-shirts, and loud voices.
Lollapalooza, Aug. 7-9 (Chicago)
Ever since re-inventing itself four years ago as a destination festival, Lollapalooza has succeeded where practically every band it featured back in the early ’90s failed—it has become relevant for a new generation. But while Lollapalooza is bigger than it used to be, it’s not necessarily better, in part because it is so much bigger. It’s certainly not the weird little traveling show it was nearly 20 years ago; the lineup has been leaning more and more heavily on superstar arena acts, leaving the cutting-edge stuff to its crosstown rival Pitchfork. But with several stages and a constant turnover of bands over three days, there’s bound to be something that strikes the fancy of the indie rock fan.
This year’s highlights: Lollapalooza is really kicking it 120 Minutes-style this year, with Depeche Mode, Beastie Boys, Tool, and Jane’s Addiction headlining alongside relative whippersnappers The Killers and Kings Of Leon.
Distance: 791 miles
On the way: It's but a short detour to the Goodyear World Of Rubber Museum (Akron, OH), which is almost certainly the most comprehensive rubber museum in the world. Special feature: A re-creation of the kitchen where Charles Goodyear first vulcanized rubber.
Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival, Aug. 28-30 (San Francisco)
Given San Francisco’s unpredictable summer weather, it makes sense that the City by the Bay doesn’t enjoy as many outdoor music events between Memorial and Labor Day as the rest of the country, but organizers from Another Planet and Bonnaroo decided to brave the elements last year by unveiling the inaugural Outside Lands. Despite some logistical nightmares (poor cell-phone reception on festival grounds, getting more than 60,000 people to and from Golden Gate Park in a city with no parking and a pathetic excuse for public transportation, etc.), the occasional P.A. snafu, and Jack Johnson having a headlining slot, Outside Lands turned out to be both worth the hassle and worthy of a sequel.
This year’s highlights: The lineup is still coming together, but headliners Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Beastie Boys have already been announced. Those heavyweights, along with M.I.A., Modest Mouse, Deerhunter, Q-Tip, Os Mutantes, Band Of Horses, The Dead Weather, and, uh, Tom Jones prove that there’s going to be a little something for everyone.
Distance: 2,908 miles
On the way: The Air & Space Museum might be in Washington, DC, but the Strategic Air & Space Museum is conveniently located in the middle of Nebraska. Airplanes, bombs, and Cold War-era computer systems—does it get any better than that?
