hopscotch

Photo by Ladye Jane Vickers.

I just returned from Raleigh's Hopscotch Festival—130 bands in 3 days, all over downtown Raleigh. And after 36 hours of rest I can maybe patch together a few sentences about the experience.

My main thoughts right now are 1) I hope I don't have liver disease, and 2) I hope the festival stays just like it is. Because, besides doing some irreparable health damage—my already mediocre hearing will likely never be the same after standing in front of the speakers at Panda Bear's performance—Hopscotch is the perfect festival.

Laid-back crowds, cheap beer, temperate weather, on-schedule performances and downtown venues within walking distance of one another meant Hopscotch avoided all the pitfalls of mainstream festivals. Of course, thanks to my badass Raleigh friends, I enjoyed all-access VIP status. But anybody could have bought that wristband for $120.

And for Broken Social Scene, Public Enemy, and a laundry list of lesser-known yet equally awesome local and national acts, including the Pitchfork-hailed Cults—whom I'd never heard of until I talked to one of the band members, the Rosebuds, Megafaun, Best Coast, Washed Out, and my favorites of the weekend, Akron Family and First Rate People, $120 would have been worth it.

My biggest fear is that in a year or two beers will cost $10 and Dave Matthews will be one of the headliners. But as long as Hopscotch is run by real Raleigh people, I can't see that happening. Right now the festival represents exactly what I love and miss about my hometown: the cohesive, grassroots, and accessible downtown scene. Where else would have I had the chance to party with Flavor Flav?*

*Public Enemy attended the afterparty on Saturday night, which I failed to attend despite knowing they were there. The fact that sleep was more valuable to me at that point than having a beer with Chuck D I think indicates the awesomeness of the weekend.

Check out the national attention from Rolling Stone.