5/10/19. 1:49am. LIB. “Restlessness & Bass.”
It’s Thursday night/Friday morning. There is a cacophony of bass and droning kubotas outside. Is that a drum circle? My body is tired. Now, I’m hungry. Will it be possible to sleep while I’m here? Jtree will be a nice time to get lots of sleep. Afternoon naps? I want to sleep, but I’m just not able to right now. Sleep, quiet, silence.
Shelby to hold would be nice. My brain is active. I’ve got a lot in me, but I’ve got anxiety about not making it and losing my mind. Not being able to escape the bass. I wish it would stop. I’m not writing any longer. I need 0 stimulation; a quiet, quiet place. My cabin in the woods please, thank you.
5/10/19. 8:30am. LIB. “Rain.”
I took a tincture last night. Now I feel like I got some sleep. I don’t think it will be quiet around here until 3am or so. So, I may as well shift the Sat/Sun schedule; however Sunday is going to be hot in the AM. It’s going to be an interesting wait & see, what times, how the festival’s zeitgeist reacts to the weather. It rained last night in the early AM as forecast. Today is supposed to have on & off showers. Lightning lit up the camper a few times last night. I hope a photographer captured some great images over the festival.
5/11/19. 8:09am. LIB. “the impermanence.”
I often tell people that “one of my favorite things about a festival is driving away.” That means that I love the impermanence of a festival. I’m done being there after one week, no matter how much the experience for me was good or bad; the experience is done.
5/12/19. 8:20am. LIB.
LIB ’19. When the location shifts, how much does it effect a festival? Locations? Dates? This is the question. Where is it this year? I hear it’s in Bakersfield. It’s on Mother’s Day? Why’d it have to be on Mother’s Day?
Man, this was actually not a bad way to start the season. It’s a great festival for many reasons. No matter the location. LIB Forever.
5/14/19. Post-LIB Rant.
LIB done. Roll-in quick. Pop-it-up. Serve. Settle. Break-it-down. What you don’t see is the calculating, ordering, planning phases of the roll-out. Also, the budgeting, sorting, logistics, and creative process. Like most gigs, there’s an entire back-end that no one sees but the finished product. That’s for the client, the end product.
In festivals, the food vendors typically roll-in a day or two before the gates open to the public. I see the festival almost completed. I know that the staff has been there building it for a month, and that they were walking the grounds and making maps back in January. Getting permits, lining up suppliers, staffing, way before I arrived to set-up a food booth.
It’s a similar process for my operation, but on a much smaller scale than a festival. There’s itineraries, deadlines, budgets, orders, fees, permits, insurance, and all that comes along with the gig.
The performer who makes it look easy is likely just very well prepared. Same goes for businesses and athletes. We’ve all got to pay dues.