On Saturday, I accompanied my 14-year old sister and her friend to the
Bamboozle Festival, held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Saturday was cold, windy, wet, and gray—not the best circumstances for an all-day outdoor festival. On top of that, I had a shocking hangover—a gift from the previous night spent with my 26-year old sister and her husband. I wasn't in the mood.
The last large, outdoor music festival I attended was Perry Farrell's Lollapalooza, back in 1995. It was a good year for the event. I saw many exciting artists and bands that day, including: Beck, Moby, Sonic Youth, Elastica, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Jesus Lizard, Cypress Hill, Pavement, and Hole—all for what seemed an astronomical price back then: $35. While that festival certainly offered an impressive collection of musicians, it was also enough to make me forever abandon such events altogether. Beyond the fun, I was nearly crushed to death (over and over again), my sneakers were completely ruined, and I received a wretched sunburn. Forever after, I likened the experience to a trip to the all-you-can-eat buffet: A fantastic time in theory, but a tragic mistake in practice. And so, when my mom asked if I'd go along with my younger sister to this year's Bamboozle Fest, I thought about all of this, cringed, and said yes.
It wasn't so bad. Here are ten notes:
1. No matter how far removed I think I have grown from the joys and frustrations of being in a band, whenever I'm in these kinds of environments—surrounded, that is, by music, musicians, and excited audiences—I immediately feel an overwhelming urge to destroy all others with my colossal and mighty battle-ax of rock. To paraphrase Hillary,
the Multi-Purpose Solution would have obliterated all of these sissy boy bands.
2. I have never, in all of my long life, seen so many hickeys and pimples in one place. Parents: You need to do something about this.
3. While most kids seemed to do anything possible to blend in with everyone else (hickeys and pimples aside), many went beyond the skinny jeans and black tees to create some really admirable fashion statements. I wish I had had my camera. I could almost recall having that sort of contempt for the norm and the attitude to pull it off. It occurred to me that I have become too much of an adult.
4. As I trolled the merch tables, I discovered that many of the bands we once played with are still together, and enjoying seemingly greater success. This made me feel pleased, but also somewhat wistful.
5. Just as this early mid-life crisis was about to set in, I discovered a 2007
Eyeball Records re-release of Pencey Prep's first album. It had a sticker on it which read:
HISTORIC DEBUT RECORDING
FEATURES GUITAR AND VOCALS BY
FRANK IERO OF
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
Pencey Prep was a band we played with often. My Chemical Romance has appeared on hundreds of magazine covers, not to mention my sister's bedroom walls. I paid the eight bucks and carefully unsealed the CD. Inside, I found the original liner notes with, just as I remembered, a very nice thank you to the Multi-Purpose Solution. This made me feel pleased, but also somewhat wistful.
6. It was when I was flipping through some $1 7" singles that I heard my name. "Stephen?" I looked up to find an old acquaintance, Jason Small, now of
XOXO Records. His label's band, Let Me Run, would be playing later in the evening and it would mean a lot to him if I could stop by and check them out.
I did. Jason has a special knack for finding talent, and New Brunswick's Let Me Run showed a ton of potential.
7. My sister was attracted to the most interesting musical styles. Of these, I was most baffled by the Christian crunk punk of Atlanta's Family Force 5, and the pink-haired, gender-bending electropop of LA's Jeffree Star.
Maybe I should be concerned.
8. It was around the middle of the day, when I was feeling like I just couldn't make it, that I discovered something that got me through: The wake of a mosh pit is a great place to find loose change. Knowing that the money belonged to some young kid, I felt sort of bad about taking it. But what was I going to do?
In all, I retrieved $30.75—almost enough for a ticket to Lollapolooza (back in 1995). Instead, I spent it on chicken tenders.
9. Today several people have noticed my very red face only to let their jaws drop in sudden shock, before asking me where I went over the weekend. Though Saturday was cold, windy, wet, and gray, the sun did break through the thick clouds for about two hours. In those two hours, I received a wretched sunburn. I have learned my lesson—I swear! From now on, even on gray days, I will be sporting SPF 85.
10. I had a good time.
