I’m totally late to the game, but nevertheless, I’ve arrived! A few weeks ago I attended my first-ever music festival, and I’ve been transformed! The only festival-like-concert I’ve ever been to was Warped Tour, but I think that Warped belongs in a completely different category.
Mo-Pop in Detroit was celebrating its 5th year of existence, and the lineup did not disappoint. With Foster The People, alt-J, Tyler, The Creator, Vance Joy and much more, I knew I had to get tickets. After an attempt at buying one single day ticket turned into a pair of weekend passes, I was beyond excited!I went with one of my close friends from high school and we had the best time.
Something I’d never pictured myself doing was camping out in the front row of the main stage. When we got to the barricade at about 4:00 in the afternoon on Saturday, we knew we had to stay put! We were able to see PVRIS, Run The Jewels, and Foster The People from the front row on day one! I’d never heard of Run The Jewels before, but they ended up being one of my favorite sets of the weekend! Their energy, passion, and talent can’t be beat!
Day two was a lot hotter than day one, but I made it my mission to be at the barricade for alt-J. It was definitely a journey to get to the front. It wasn’t until I was separated from my friends, got pretty much beat up during Tyler, The Creator’s set, made friends with a mom next to me, that I made it to the front. I know I’ll sound mildly insane when I say this, but alt-J’s set was seriously an out of body experience. The music, the lights, the crowd…it was all so surreal!
I’m so glad I found such a fun festival in my own home town, and I’m excited to go to many more music festivals in the next few years! If you’re going to a fest and don’t mind standing in one place for upwards of 8 hours to reserve your spot in the
front row, you should definitely do it! Seeing a show from the front is different than being in the back, or lost in the crowd, but really, you’ll get amazing vibes anywhere if the band is talented and passionate!
-Swaggie Maggie