Page 8 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAugust 2018 Issue

Story, Interview, and Photography by Mark Myers

www.markmyersphotography.com

You may or may not be old enough to remember being asked on the first day of school each year, “Please
write an essay entitled ‘What I Did On My Summer Vacation.’” Well, I sure as hell remember. Every year, it
seemed like each teacher doled out this hellish assignment just to kill time while they went to the teachers’
lounge to get more coffee, smoke a cigarette, or flirt with the new substitute teachers. Each essay probably
read exactly the same. They all told dull, boring stories of trips to Disney, painful camping trips with the
family, or for the serious troublemakers, “My Summer at Military School.” If, like me, you were truly a lover
of live music, you might have been able to relate a story or two of your adventure at a rock concert that
summer. Maybe your older sibling reluctantly let you tag along to a multi-band music festival. Maybe you
got to check out three or four bands playing at the local park pavilion. Maybe one of the bands there was
actually almost famous. More than likely, two or three of the bands there never played any venue bigger
than the local VFW or bingo hall.

Times sure have changed, my friends! Summer multi-day music festivals are here and they’re getting bigger
and better every year!

We all probably remember The Monsters Of Rock festival featuring Van Halen, The Scorpions, Metallica,
Dokken, and even Kingdom Clone (oops, I meant Kingdom Come!). July 17, 1988. Candlestick Park in San
Francisco. I was one of the 88,000 rabid fans in attendance. Now that would have been an essay worth
writing!

That’s how I wanted to spend every summer!

Keep in mind that the summer festivals back then, as epic as we thought they were at the time, still lacked
something. It was always long, long hot summer days, always starting the same way with a long drive out to
a major venue. Then you’d spend the day in the sun, maybe imbibe in multiple frosty adult beverages and
perhaps even partake in whatever else that was frequently passed around in abundance. Back then, there
wasn’t much choice in food vendors. The burger stand at the venue was a staple -- and if you enjoy long lines
and questionable food substitutes, then you were in luck! Then, then there was the dreaded drive home --
or back to campus – or wherever. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Oh, boohoo, cry me a river!” But I’m
making a valid point here. Sit tight and read on!

The whole rock festival idea was awesome and epic and a whole freaking list of adjectives! It just needed
some tweaking, a few adjustments. American festivals needed to take a page from the European festivals.
The biggest and the baddest…like Wacken Open Air, Rock am, Hellfest, and the mighty Download Festival.
These were music festivals done right! They encompassed multiple days, on-site food vendors of every type,
lounge areas, and tremendous fan experiences.

The summer music festivals in the USA today are doing it right! Save the indoor, single-day, three-band
concerts for the colder weather. Save the weekday concerts for the local pavilions. Give me the sun-soaked,
face-melting rock festivals that last for three days! These, in my humble opinion, are “true” summer
vacations, my friends!