Blog 8: Outline- I don't even know the line-up

Music Festivals: I Don’t Know the Line-Up

Introduction:
As I jammed out all weekend long, the world outside the gates of Austin City Limits slipped away. I forgot about writing papers and reading articles. I forgot about air conditioning and breathing clean air. I forgot that a scoop of Amy’s Ice Cream does not always cost five dollars.

I go to ACL for far more than the music. I go to ACL to see 65,000 people come together and enjoy something awesome. And we enjoy the atmosphere that encompasses all of Zilker Park. A park that I was playing volleyball in last month and will be viewing Christmas lights in next season, has, for the moment, been completely transformed.

Only in its sixth year of existence, ACL has already drawn in thousands of customers that pay hundreds of dollars for one ticket. And other music festivals just like it exist all over the country. Each one exists in a different city, possibly in a different month, with thousands of different people who all have one thing in common: they are paying to see, smell, feel, taste, and listen to one unforgettable weekend.

Thesis:

It is the music that brings us to music festivals for the first time, but it is the experience that keeps us coming back.

I. Sounds- Live Music

i. Background and history of live music and music festivals, concerts

ii. Psychological effects of loud music

iii. Actions as a result of listening to live music


II. Sights

i. Apparel of customers

ii. Things to do in addition to listening to music
a. Shopping
b. Promotion teams, free hand outs

iii. Various traditions at festivals
a. Find your friend flag

III. Tastes

i. Beer
a. Sponsors
b. Numbers of cans
c. Prices

ii. Food
a. Sponsors
b. Common menu items available
c. Favorites
d. Prices

IV. Smells

i. Marijuana
a. What it smells like
b. Associations with live music and pot
c. Reasons for smoking at concerts

ii. Sweat
a. What it smells like
b. Explain exhaustion from spending several days at music festival
c. Heat- discuss seasons and reason for dates of several festivals

V. Feelings

i. Ease
a. Commute to and from the festival
b. Readily available ATM’s and water fountains

ii. Community involvement
a. Being with a crowd of people who are enjoying what you are
enjoying
b. Picking up trash/ recycle program
c. Ability to be a volunteer/seeing volunteers as approachable
members of community

iii. Safety
a. Security Guards
b. Tag your Kid services
c. Police Officers
d. Water Stations
e. Patrol entrance by wristbands

iv. Fun

Conclusion:

If you don’t know the headliner, it doesn’t matter anymore. There is much more to the music festival experience than the list of bands playing. Days of research and planning help design the perfect weekend for the customer. The sounds, sights, tastes, smells, and feelings make it perfect and unforgettable. And although it is the music that brings us to music festivals for the first time, but it is the unforgettable experience that keeps us coming back.