How to Visit Your Favorite Music Festivals Without Leaving
Warm weather means a season of music festivals, when all your favorite bands play for the crowds of revelers who love them as much as you do. The only drawbacks, of course, are ticket prices, crowds of people and general hassle. Here’s how to bring that feeling home from the comfort of your couch.
Of course, there is nothing better than the thrill of feeling the physical impact on the walls of the speakers and feeling the energy of a huge crowd gathered to listen to the same artists as you, but even if you love music, you can most likely do without the pressure. a wall of people, expensive snacks, the heat, terrible bathrooms (or worse, port pots), and the hassle of getting there, staying there, and returning home. Fortunately, even the most popular music festivals make it easy to see them from afar, especially for those of us who either have no money or don’t want to plunge into them with several tens of thousands of our like-minded friends.
Check out live broadcasts during the event
Many music festivals broadcast live performances online, or at least with a slight delay. Coachella and its YouTube channel are some of the most popular examples of this, but many other music festivals do the same, including the massive Bonnaroo , the Ultra Music electronic music festival, and the Pitchfork Music Festival (to name just a few). …
Check to see if your local festival – or favorite festival – has a YouTube channel, then watch their uploaded videos for “completed events” or other already completed live streams. You may not be able to watch the live streaming recordings, but at least you will know that they offer live streams. If you can’t see the YouTube channel, you might be out of luck. Visit the festival website and see if there is any mention of the live stream (you may have to dig into the ticket and line-up information). If you like, check out the festival’s Facebook or Twitter accounts. Go back to their mentions or messages from the previous year – if there is an official broadcast or a way for fans at home to listen to what’s happening on the show, they’ll mention it.
Look for live mixes on SoundCloud or YouTube after the event
I was lucky enough to enjoy many of Coachella’s sets during the weekend live from the comfort of my couch. However, I was several weeks late to enjoy the live performances on the Ultra, so later I had to catch up with a little digging. If your festival has a YouTube or Vimeo channel, chances are they have posted videos of some of the biggest and most interesting sets at the event. How much of a set you get to watch depends on the festival (and artist), but you can probably check out some of your favorite bands and meet some of the musicians you might not otherwise listen to. … See what’s available for fun. You may even be able to go back beyond last year’s festival to previous events and watch tapes from past years – or even musicians who no longer tour or perform live.
The official live video is great, but you’re much more fortunate to find real music to hear at an event on SoundCloud . Create an account (if you don’t already have one) and follow your favorite musicians or just those who performed at the festival you want to recreate. In many cases, they publish their sets on their SoundCloud page after the show, sometimes for several hours. Even if they can’t (due to festival or venue licensing issues, for example), you can probably find live sets from other events, or just home shows and special mixes for SoundCloud fans and followers to fill the gap. If you don’t find your favorite artists on SoundCloud, they may have deserted due to complicated affairs with the music industry . No big deal – check out these SoundCloud alternatives and see if your favorite musician, DJ, or band is out there. SoundCloud is the biggest option, but it’s not the only one, and you’ll find some gems on Mixcloud , Bandcamp, and more that you might not hear anywhere else.
Create your own playlists to match setlists and line-ups
After you’ve done all this digging and got a great list of YouTube channels, SoundCloud profiles, and other music sources, it’s time to combine them into a playlist so you can have your own little home music festival. YouTube and SoundCloud have the tools to create playlists, but if you don’t want to jump from site to site between songs, or customize the way you go from scene to scene at a festival, there is a better way. The previously mentioned Whyd can organize songs, sets and videos from YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud and others into a single coherent playlist (or set of playlists) for safe storage. Best of all, you can return to these playlists whenever you want.
Likewise, Songdrop , another similar service we like , does a great job of this too, and if you’d rather take your music festival with you on your phone, the previously mentioned Playmoss sacrifices broad support for a variety of music sites for mobile apps that save music. plays when you’re outside. If you have your own perfect set list or line-up, just let the playlist play it and enjoy your own version of this big music festival from the comfort of your air-conditioned couch or headphones in the office while you work.
If you really enjoy outdoor music, grab a portable Bluetooth speaker, pack a few drinks and lunch, then head to a public park or beach with a few friends. Alternatively, you can simply chat with music through your favorite headphones and a comfy chair. It all depends on you.
Of course, some music festivals are best to meet in person, but if you don’t want to give up the money needed for some of the most popular (we’re looking at you Coachella) or deal with huge crowds of revelers when you just want to listen to great music and dance, it’s pretty easy to carry home.