I was the first of our crowd to arrive and discovered that our beloved leader had failed to organize the accreditation properly so nobody could issue me my proper wristband to enter the festival grounds. She had some personal stuff going on so she’s forgiven, and I made it my business to sort it all out, which eventually took about 24 hours. But in the meantime the organizers gave me a setup pass which gave me full access everywhere – including backstage! 😎
This was a pretty good start and when the rest of the volunteers arrived the following day we got everything else set up and then I pretty much left them to it. We had more volunteers than we needed, there was no point me sitting around at the gate with them, so I was basically free to go and enjoy the festival for the whole all weekend. I got called on to fix some electrical issues, help start a few cars, etc, so I was still useful and earned my ticket, but it was a pretty sweet deal.
Now here’s the thing: I especially wanted to see Madness (they were crap), Bananarama (not great, but glad I saw them), and Flash, a Queen tribute band who turned out to be excellent. But the best thing about festivals is the things you find unexpectedly that turn out to be absolutely brilliant.
Elvana: Nirvana songs sung by an Elvis impersonator! Sounds ridiculous, I know, but try it. Not only was the audience absolutely loving it, the lead singer looked like the happiest person there. He really seemed to be enjoying every minute of his set, and singing to/with his audience rather than at them.
Passion, delight in the day’s challenge, being totally in the moment and in the groove, that, my friends, is what life is all about.