Sasquatch Festival 2012

[Wheres the beef?]

I think they do different colors for different days to discourage attendees from somehow giving their wristbands to under-age people after they leave the fest for the day (or weekend, if they don't attend the entire thing). I'm sure, like most things, it's not 100% effective. It's just a huge liability to serve someone who is under-age, so they try to take precautions like that. Understandable.

While that might be a logical reason for doing it, it doesn't make it a very good solution.

[Pea]

This may seem silly but one of my favorite things this weekend was the drive from seattle to the festival. this was my first time to the pacific northwest and i constantly found myself getting distracted during the drive by how beautiful it is up there. it's pretty much the complete opposite of where i live.

That's one of the reasons why I didn't mind making the drive twice this past weekend. The entire landscape between Seattle and the Gorge is breathtaking.

[cutterbutter]

$20 over at http://thebirdmachine.com/ Signed, numbered, edition of 160. 5 screens.

[Tikiman]

That's why I would think that the ideal festival would be one where the only people allowed in were people camping on the premises. Who gives a shit how drunk or drugged up anyone gets at the festival, as long as it means they aren't driving home after the festival. Except for the dumb fact that most crackdowns are driven by cities seeking to capitalize on the ability to make lots of money off of fines.

[westcoastpirate]

SURGE!!!

[davers]

That's why I would think that the ideal festival would be one where the only people allowed in were people camping on the premises. Who gives a shit how drunk or drugged up anyone gets at the festival, as long as it means they aren't driving home after the festival. Except for the dumb fact that most crackdowns are driven by cities seeking to capitalize on the ability to make lots of money off of fines.

I don't understand how they can force you to camp on site. Camping was included with the ticket, that is about the best you can do. If someone chooses to drive to a hotel every night I don't think there is any legal way to stop them unless you are a cop and they are drunk.

[westcoastpirate]

One of the most fun times I've had at a festival. Thanks to Inthecolumbia for the incredible hospitality and keeping our crew alive! Gribbz, I'm going to Netflix Captain Ron in the near future.

Top 10:
1. Apparat
2. Tycho
3. Joy Formidable
4. Santigold
5. Of Monsters and Men
6. Metric
7. Gary Clark Jr.
8. Girl Talk
9. Little Dragon
10. Beck

[Gribbz]

SURGE!!!

lol. Definitely the word of the weekend.

[spence]

Drove up from the San Jose area and got caught in a freaking blizzard in the middle of Oregon for 4 hours. I had never driven in snow before which made it pretty intense. Literally could not see 10 feet in front of me at points. Sky completely cleared up as soon as we left Oregon though and the drive through Washington to the festival was absolutely beautiful.

[Tikiman]

I don't understand how they can force you to camp on site. Camping was included with the ticket, that is about the best you can do. If someone chooses to drive to a hotel every night I don't think there is any legal way to stop them unless you are a cop and they are drunk.

I'm just saying you have to think of it two other ways. One, they heavily enforce it because it would be a huge financial liability is someone killed someone by DUI and the city was proven lax in it's enforcement, and two, like I said, fining lots of out-of-towners for bullshit offenses to help shore it their city coffers that all their retirement benefits are based on. Just playing Devil's advocate. But if people camped on-site you remove the excuse that it is a liability.

[Gribbz]

$20 over at http://thebirdmachine.com/ Signed, numbered, edition of 160. 5 screens.

Acquired.

[HotHamWater]

While that might be a logical reason for doing it, it doesn't make it a very good solution.

I think it's a fine measure to take. The worst that happens is people are inconvenienced for a couple of minutes and complain about it on a message board.

[Inthecolumbiagorge]

that might be the case if people cleaned up after themselves instead of leaving cups strewn about the ground.

Other than a leave no trace festival can you shed light on any other fests that do not have garbage littered everywhere? When you have 30,000 plus inebriated people daily garbage is going to be there. Sasquatch is no different than any other fest in this regard, including Coachella where you can hardly see the grass at the end of the day for the trash even with alcohol only being served in the beer gardens. Some of our festival dollars goes into trash collection daily and unless every festival goer becomes "green" it is going to happen. Sasquatch is no worse than Coachella, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, or Lolla as far as trash goes and it all gets cleaned up within a few days of the fest.

[Inthecolumbiagorge]

The (small) price you pay for being able to enjoy your beverage throughout the entire grounds. I'll take it over being confined to a beer garden in the corner of a festival any day.

Also, I wasn't a total fucking idiot about the drugs and alcohol I snuck in every day, so I never had a run-in with a single security person.

Absolutely right Pea! Fenced into a beer garden ruins the whole thing for me. I have never gone into the beer garden at Coachella nor will I ever. The freedom to have your alcoholic drink on the hill with you is so much better and the inconvenience of getting a new wristband daily is nothing compared to the freedom to go where you want to instead of being corralled like a horse.

Anyone that had issues with security were just paying the stupid tax for being too flipping obvious.

[Inthecolumbiagorge]

I loved the fest and will be back every year as long as I can:-)

1. Jack White
2. Tenacious D
3. Alabama Shakes
4. Sheepdogs
5. Gary Clark Jr.
6. Reignwolf
7. Allen Stone
8. Fiest
9. Pretty Lights
10. Fun

It was the first time I have seen Jack White live and I now have a new rock GOD!

[Wheres the beef?]

I think it's a fine measure to take. The worst that happens is people are inconvenienced for a couple of minutes and complain about it on a message board.

"This is an outrage! Rest assured I will be on the internet complaining as soon as I get home."

[Pea]

Other than a leave no trace festival can you shed light on any other fests that do not have garbage littered everywhere? When you have 30,000 plus inebriated people daily garbage is going to be there. Sasquatch is no different than any other fest in this regard, including Coachella where you can hardly see the grass at the end of the day for the trash even with alcohol only being served in the beer gardens. Some of our festival dollars goes into trash collection daily and unless every festival goer becomes "green" it is going to happen. Sasquatch is no worse than Coachella, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, or Lolla as far as trash goes and it all gets cleaned up within a few days of the fest.

Thank you for pointing this out. It's absolutely unfair to point a finger at Sasquatch when the festival of the very board we're posting on had just as much garbage on the ground at the end of each night as well.

[thefrush]

I had such an amazing time.

Was anyone here dressed as a skunk handing out stickers during Apparat?

[guedita]

Thank you for pointing this out. It's absolutely unfair to point a finger at Sasquatch when the festival of the very board we're posting on had just as much garbage on the ground at the end of each night as well.

I'm into loudly shaming people for being littering slobs at festivals. It's the only way they'll learn.

[kucky21]

I had such an amazing time.

Was anyone here dressed as a skunk handing out stickers during Apparat?

No but I did get a sticker!

[unknown]

Thank you for pointing this out. It's absolutely unfair to point a finger at Sasquatch when the festival of the very board we're posting on had just as much garbage on the ground at the end of each night as well.

Like I've never complained to slobs at Coachella for throwing their shit on the ground.

Frank, here are some of the pics I put up on fb. Unfortunately my vids of Apparat are distorted. Funny how recording live music up close when it's blasting through funktion 1's comes out pretty good but sounds like distorted shit elsewhere.

[Pea]

Like I've never complained to slobs at Coachella for throwing their shit on the ground.

I appreciate consistency, so if that's the case then cheers, brother!

[westcoastpirate]

Did anyone check out Star Slinger? He didn't make my top ten, but his set was a huge surprise. I loved it.

[sbessiso]

I truly dont understand how you guys go to this festival every year. Other than The View it has nothing going for it. Livenation is the absolute fucking worst

[knytt]

I'd like to do a full review, but for now my top 10. The top 3 are fairly interchangeable.

1. Bon Iver - A religious experience. Everyone around me in the pit was crying, I still can't process it.
2. Beck - The Golden Age was astounding, Hotwax was everything I wanted it to be, and the encore was perfect.
3. Jack White - Solo on Ball & Biscuit. Catch Hell Blues. Steady As She Goes. Wow.
4. Feist - I had no idea she could rock that hard. Excellent drumming and re-imagining of songs.
5. Beirut - I thought this set was going to be a mistake, but it turned out to be one of the most beautiful of the weekend. Everything sounded so much fuller live than on record, really stunning.
6. Girl Talk - I don't understand the hate. I had the time of my life being as stupid as possible.
7. St. Vincent - If I knew her music better, she'd probably be in my top 3. Woman is a beautiful maniac on that guitar.
8. Cave Singers - I felt like such a hick, but damn it was a fun time.
9. Blitzen Trapper - See above.
10. The Shins - Perfect setlist. And that ultralight? Sheeeit.

Honorable Mentions: Alabama Shakes (would've been higher had I been closer), Gary Clark Jr., M. Ward, Joy Formidable, Charles Bradley, Santigold
Surprises: M. Ward, Joy Formidable, Feist, Beirut, Bon Iver, The Helio Sequence
Disappointments: Shins sound, CYHSY, EITS (I think this was the crowd being shitty)

There's very little negative I have to say about this year. A fairly perfect weekend. As for the hate, I think people might be doing things wrong. Had anyone had the same experience as I did, I very much doubt they'd have anything but praise for the festival. I'll be back next year, and hopefully this time I'll actually meet people!

[nathanfairchild]

I truly dont understand how you guys go to this festival every year. Other than The View it has nothing going for it. Livenation is the absolute fucking worst

well the lineup overall is usually a lot different from most of the major US festivals. That's probably the only reason i went this year.

[Gribbz]

Of Monsters & Men/Yellow Ostrich played my work tonight. The female lead singer of OMM brought up Sasquatch a couple of times. Talked about how much fun she and the band had hanging out after their set. Yellow Ostrich almost missed their early Friday set due to traffic evidently.

[Gribbz]

Surge.

[Pea]

Yellow Ostrich almost missed their early Friday set due to traffic evidently.

That's pretty funny, actually. The Sasquatch message board meetup was supposed to be at Yellow Ostrich, but all of us collectively missed it because of traffic and wristband lines.

[Gribbz]

That wristband line was outrageous. Unacceptable for a festival that has been around for a decade.