On Sunday, my parents and I went to see B.B. King with Al Green. I have to say that B.B. King is just amazing. At 81 years old, he is still sharp and no less talented than he was at the height of his career. He is just raw talent and it shows not only in his music but in his storytelling.
This is probably the second time I've walked away from a performance in awe of the talent before me. The first time was at Preservation Hall in New Orleans. It just amazes me and I'm privileged to be able to have a life where I can experience things like that and recognize the value in them.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Musikfest
Every year, over a million people mob downtown Bethlehem for Musikfest, the self-proclaimed largest musical festival in the world. Having been alive (and mostly present) since its inception, I've been able to see how its changed over the years. Some things have remained the same, many of them have gotten worse which has ultimately detracted from the great festival it once was.
Things that have stayed the same:
1) The mob of youth that poses on Main Street. It's funny walking through the masses of teenagers thinking that was once me. I really hope I didn't look like a poser as much as those kids do. On second thought, I was way too much of a nerd to ever be considered a poser. About the only change here (besides me getting older and more removed from that crowd) is that the goth kids have moved their base of operation from next to the hotel across the street to the church steps.
2) The EPAT. What is the EPAT you ask? Why, it's the one and only Eastern Pennsylvania Alert Team. Since the beginning of time, these people have sat in chairs with walkie talkies. Occasionally, they will escort a car through the throngs of people. They have manned their posts diligently and steadfastly over the past two decades. What make the EPAT interesting is that they look like a REALLY inbred family. While it's mean to say that (I do apologize), it's just been really funny to watch them year after year, sitting, with walkie talkies, in their EPAT hats. It's one of those things that you take for granted in passing but when you stop and think about it, the festival just wouldn't be the same without them.
3) The crazy dancing guy. Every year, there is this 80-some year old dude who shows up in white shorts, a purple shirt, and a sequin-ish belt and dances the polka day and night, by himself. He's sort of a personal hero. Anyone who has that much energy at his age and is that brave deserves to be SOMEONE's hero so I will adopt him. I actually talked to him and he was really cool, partially because he was wasted. I have yet to see him this year but whether he is there or not, he will live on in he memories of countless onlookers.
4) The Bethlehem Dairy Store. All of the Bethlehem-ites know and love this ice cream store. It's an institution for us ice cream aficionados. I, like many before and after me, got so much free ice cream from there in high school when all my friends worked there. It's Belgian Waffles may cost 800,000 tickets but it's worth it. If for nothing else, it's still one of the few local establishments that hasn't boycotted the greedy, evil dictatorship that oversees the festival.
5) Running into family members randomly. It's always comforting to know that on any given day, I can go into the polka tent and find my grandmother in the same general section. In addition, I will find my eccentric uncle walking around with his girlfriend day and night (I think he has actually volunteered not just every year, but every day the festival has been going on).
6) Runa Pacha. While this group only surfaced about five years ago, they deserve a shout-out because they diligently play every day, ALL day with very few breaks. No matter what time you are walking down Main Street, they are there, ready to enchant you with their pan flute music. I want to say they are Native Americans but they could be Mexicans.
7) The list of Musikfest staples would not be complete without the Bell Guy! Every year, a guy dresses in black robes and brings his portable carillion . You can ask my friend Lynne about the Bell Guy - I think her husband has a man-crush on him...
But among the things that have remained the same and helped to define the festival, there are things that have changed since it began that have led most locals to despise the festival.
1) It used to be a true free music festival where EVERYTHING was free, even the headliner acts. A few years ago, they moved those concerts to a strip of land along the mosquito infested river (brilliant) and make you pay even to sit on the ground waaaaaaaayyyyyyy in the back. Their excuse was to get better acts. Sadly, they still bring Meatloaf back - please tell me how this constitutes "better"?
2) The lack of local establishments. When the festival began, it was built around local restaurants. They have all since boycotted because of the greed of the organization that runs the festival. In their wake, all of the standard carnival-fare type establishments have taken over. While it's essential to have at least some of the carney folk, they should be limited. A lot of the quality food has gone away to be replaced with the likes of deep fried oreos and this year, the deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (OK...the deep fried oreos can stay....)
3) Along with the boycott of local establishments has been the influx of commercialized traveling displays. Trucks of Advil, Geico, Toyota, and Shell have rolled in to cater to people who seem like they have never seen or heard of these products before. If you want to bring them in, that's fine, but take a lesson from Vermont and carve a nice little spot out of the way and place them there. If people are really curious to know that this "Advil" thing is, they can walk out of their way to find out. The reason I pick on Advil is because of the sheer ridiculousness of their display. They set up this little ball toss. When you hit the target, these really loud sirens go off. I'm not sure if it's to excite people, grab passerby's attention, or give everyone around a headache so they take the free samples. I had to laugh at the Advil people who were working because they really have to have a massive headache listening to that.
Things that have stayed the same:
1) The mob of youth that poses on Main Street. It's funny walking through the masses of teenagers thinking that was once me. I really hope I didn't look like a poser as much as those kids do. On second thought, I was way too much of a nerd to ever be considered a poser. About the only change here (besides me getting older and more removed from that crowd) is that the goth kids have moved their base of operation from next to the hotel across the street to the church steps.
2) The EPAT. What is the EPAT you ask? Why, it's the one and only Eastern Pennsylvania Alert Team. Since the beginning of time, these people have sat in chairs with walkie talkies. Occasionally, they will escort a car through the throngs of people. They have manned their posts diligently and steadfastly over the past two decades. What make the EPAT interesting is that they look like a REALLY inbred family. While it's mean to say that (I do apologize), it's just been really funny to watch them year after year, sitting, with walkie talkies, in their EPAT hats. It's one of those things that you take for granted in passing but when you stop and think about it, the festival just wouldn't be the same without them.
3) The crazy dancing guy. Every year, there is this 80-some year old dude who shows up in white shorts, a purple shirt, and a sequin-ish belt and dances the polka day and night, by himself. He's sort of a personal hero. Anyone who has that much energy at his age and is that brave deserves to be SOMEONE's hero so I will adopt him. I actually talked to him and he was really cool, partially because he was wasted. I have yet to see him this year but whether he is there or not, he will live on in he memories of countless onlookers.
4) The Bethlehem Dairy Store. All of the Bethlehem-ites know and love this ice cream store. It's an institution for us ice cream aficionados. I, like many before and after me, got so much free ice cream from there in high school when all my friends worked there. It's Belgian Waffles may cost 800,000 tickets but it's worth it. If for nothing else, it's still one of the few local establishments that hasn't boycotted the greedy, evil dictatorship that oversees the festival.
5) Running into family members randomly. It's always comforting to know that on any given day, I can go into the polka tent and find my grandmother in the same general section. In addition, I will find my eccentric uncle walking around with his girlfriend day and night (I think he has actually volunteered not just every year, but every day the festival has been going on).
6) Runa Pacha. While this group only surfaced about five years ago, they deserve a shout-out because they diligently play every day, ALL day with very few breaks. No matter what time you are walking down Main Street, they are there, ready to enchant you with their pan flute music. I want to say they are Native Americans but they could be Mexicans.
7) The list of Musikfest staples would not be complete without the Bell Guy! Every year, a guy dresses in black robes and brings his portable carillion . You can ask my friend Lynne about the Bell Guy - I think her husband has a man-crush on him...
But among the things that have remained the same and helped to define the festival, there are things that have changed since it began that have led most locals to despise the festival.
1) It used to be a true free music festival where EVERYTHING was free, even the headliner acts. A few years ago, they moved those concerts to a strip of land along the mosquito infested river (brilliant) and make you pay even to sit on the ground waaaaaaaayyyyyyy in the back. Their excuse was to get better acts. Sadly, they still bring Meatloaf back - please tell me how this constitutes "better"?
2) The lack of local establishments. When the festival began, it was built around local restaurants. They have all since boycotted because of the greed of the organization that runs the festival. In their wake, all of the standard carnival-fare type establishments have taken over. While it's essential to have at least some of the carney folk, they should be limited. A lot of the quality food has gone away to be replaced with the likes of deep fried oreos and this year, the deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (OK...the deep fried oreos can stay....)
3) Along with the boycott of local establishments has been the influx of commercialized traveling displays. Trucks of Advil, Geico, Toyota, and Shell have rolled in to cater to people who seem like they have never seen or heard of these products before. If you want to bring them in, that's fine, but take a lesson from Vermont and carve a nice little spot out of the way and place them there. If people are really curious to know that this "Advil" thing is, they can walk out of their way to find out. The reason I pick on Advil is because of the sheer ridiculousness of their display. They set up this little ball toss. When you hit the target, these really loud sirens go off. I'm not sure if it's to excite people, grab passerby's attention, or give everyone around a headache so they take the free samples. I had to laugh at the Advil people who were working because they really have to have a massive headache listening to that.
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