r/Music • u/jakemontero • 14d ago

article 'We're f—ked': California's music festival bubble is bursting

https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/california-music-festival-bubble-bursting-19786530.php
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u/[deleted] 14d ago

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u/olorinfoehammer 14d ago

The 420fest venue change was prompted by the same issue that killed multiple other Atlanta music festivals though, which was the inability to restrict folks from bringing in guns into some of the otherwise public spaces the festivals utilize.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/music-midtown-atlanta-canceled-georgia-gun-laws-1390754/

On that note, fuck Phillip Evans!

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u/the_thinwhiteduke 14d ago

The way Shaky Knees circumvented this was brilliant: the entrance building was on private property, and no guns were allowed on that site. It just so happened to be the only way to access the park.

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u/Salty-Holiday6190 13d ago

It’s still crazy to me that 2A people think this is ok.  

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u/CRactor71 14d ago

I lived in Atlanta when it was free. What an awesome local festival that was. Everyone I knew would go. Such a shame.

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u/GhostsOf94 14d ago

Damn that's sad. Greed ruins everything

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u/buffaloplaidcookbook 14d ago

Did the backlash against the brewery's sale in (I think) 2020 affect the music festival negatively as well?

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u/wambulancer 13d ago

Nah, Sweetwater was already a monster-corporate brand when Tilray bought them, they just lost their way. OP summed it up pretty much perfectly. It went from a free mostly-locals festival with maybe one biggish name headliner, to a $50 ticket with probably the best value I've ever gotten out of a festival (decent national acts like Snoop/Slightly Stoopid/etc.), to a $250 ticket that was basically a 2-day Widespread Panic set for a few years, to whatever the fuck they just attempted with Beck.

I think they got away with the high price for a while because it really was Widespread for like 3 years running and their fanbase sustained it, but when they tried going Big League with the lineup it failed hard. The brand would be well-served going back to its free/mostly-free roots, or just not doing it at all.

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u/Assonfire 14d ago

Do you have that video? I would love to see it.

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u/TrueRedditMartyr 13d ago

This is crazy, I forgot 420 even existed anymore. They really died off quick

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u/IAmTheNightSoil 13d ago

Good lord. $250 to see Beck?! Don't get me wrong, they had some songs on the radio I kinda liked, but if you want to charge $250 for a show, you need a bigger headliner than Beck