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Music Festivals

Introduction - Connection to Counterculture and the World of our Play

Music festivals originated from Greece in the late 6th Century before traveling through the rest of Europe and eventually arriving in the United States in the 1960’s, simultaneous with the counterculture movement. The counterculture era in American history was a time where the country's youth challenged the ideologies of their parents and fought for freedom of expression, independence, and a deeper sense of individuality. In tandem with this, music festivals were on the rise presenting themselves as events that build a strong community of strangers and foster a playground for one’s identity. The popularity of counterculture ideologies and music festivals appearing at the same time was not an accident as festivals like Woodstock, Burning Man, and Coachella upheld the values of America’s youth, leading to mass hysteria for events of this kind. 

 

The design of the world of As You Like It as we have adapted it is based on the idea of American music festivals because of how they stand as a representation of self discovery, free from the constraints of everyday society. Many of our characters on their journey assume an identity different from the one they had before and venture into the world of the forest, removed from the constructs of the court and arriving back home with new perspectives.

Jimi Hendrix and the Burning Guitar

In 1967, Jimi Hendrix attended the Monterey Pop Festival, and entered knowing that he wanted to make his mark on the festival and on the hearts of the audience. With this in mind, Hendrix ended his performance of “Wild Thing” by lighting his guitar on fire as a sacrifice. Hendrix’s burning guitar is a representation of the free and rebellious nature that these music festivals inspire. 

“You sacrifice things you love. I love my guitar” - Jimi Hendrix on his performance at Monterey

Coachella and Burning Man

“Ultimately, Burning Man is an exercise—indeed, a challenge—in balancing cooperation, self-reliance, individual expression, and creative collaboration in the formation of an artistic community.”

In the mid-1990’s Pearl Jam, a successful American rock band, performed in the desert in California as a way to continue live performances despite their boycott of Ticketmaster. From this concert, Paul Tollett got the idea to create what we would know today as Coachella. This outdoor music festival brings in around 750,000 attendees over its 6 day period and connects a group of people to appreciate visual art and the beauty of music. 

 

Also based in California, the Burning Man Festival, which began a few years prior to Coachella, started as a celebration of the Summer Solstice in which its founders, Larry Harvey and Jerry James, burned an 8 foot tall wooden model of a man on Baker Beach in San Francisco. What began as an event with 20 people in attendance quickly grew, leading to a police intervention in 1990 and a relocation to Black Rock Desert as the festival's annual location. In order to stay consistent with the values of the festival, the “leave no trace policy” inspired a tradition in which organizers and participants alike collaborate in the building of a town for the festival that would be completely demolished following the festivities. 

 

Both Coachella and Burning Man create an environment where attendees can step out of expectations and explore different versions of themselves. It is an exercise that brings people together through an affinity for music, and has brought copious new artists into the music industry as a whole. 

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The crowd in attendance to Coachella 1999

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The Effigy of a man at Burning Man 2013

Music Festivals centering queer identity

While music festivals have historically been a way for new upcoming artists to share their sound, current corporate sponsorships and expectation of big name appearances at these events has created a space that is not as accessible to independent artists, especially people of BIPOC and Queer identities. However in recent years, there have been festivals that give rising artists the opportunity to share their new work with the world and in an environment that strengthens community.

 

Honcho Campout, a festival based in Pennsylvania, is a “queer festival devoted to independent music.” This event is hosted without corporate sponsorship and hosts artists who are active members of their respective communities. Brought together by around 300 people each year, the event openly accepts volunteers and wants to have a wide range of accessibility by providing meal plans and ride share documents on their website. 

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On the other side of the country a new festival, So Dreamy, was created this year in Seattle, Washington. Hosted for the first time in June over a two-day period, So Dreamy created, “a way to materially celebrate under-recognized bands.” The festival is small scale and encourages a DIY mentality. So Dreamy began when founder Cody Choi noticed, “a consistent lack of inclusion and outreach towards QTBIPOC performers.” Their inaugural event was a success and hopefully there will be many more in the years to come.

“We don't need to wait for other people to make this space. We can create our own space.” - Cody choi, so Dreamy

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Honcho Campout 2022

So Dreamy Setlist 2022

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