Can someone tell me what the lure of a festival is?
I'm watching Isle of Wight Festival and it looks horrific, always the same "white people" demographic as the camera shows the crowd, I'd prefer Covid-19 in my bed than to be exposed to those kinda people.
Take Burning Man in the USA too, its gone from eating 2C-T-7 in the desert to a load of Tech-bro types taking shitty acid & planning some data stealing app.
I'd fly the Enola Gay over every festival I swear to God.
THe music is the obvious answer. And checking out, or more, all the fit members of the opposite sex.
But I do agree that so many of the younger crowd especially all tend to look exactly the same, same clothes and same accessories, and hair styles etc.
But even though some musical line ups can be very good, unless you don't move from your spot or battle through huge crowds, you can end up about half a mile away from the stage, so you cant see a thing, unless watching on a big screen, and the volume can vary with the wind direction. So you'd be better off watching on the TV at home in many ways, if you just want to see and hear the bands. Sometimes of course the atmosphere is better at a festival, but not always.
Nowadays, I really don't see the appeal of festivals, stadium gigs, (apart from really special ones like Live Aid etc) or huge outdoor gigs, or even large arena concerts, unless you get a good spot. If I can't get close enough to the artist or band to be able to see them clearly with my own eyes, then personally I don't think it's worth going, as I don't see the point. These expensive stadium concerts when your right up in the stands and the performer is just a speck in the distance - no thanks.
I'd much rather catch live music in smaller, more intimate venues, any day of the week. Not only are the tickets so much cheaper, but the whole experience is so much better in my opinion. I think many other people think the same thing too.