Music Festivals: Langerado, Bonnaroo, and the Echo Project

With the big names commanding upwards of $200 a ticket for a rehearsed arena show that lasts maybe two hours if you are lucky (and that usually includes the opening act), maybe there is a better way to spend your entertainment budget. Maybe make a weekend out of it...

Music festivals are cropping up all over the country, and the great thing about some of these festivals is that you can camp out all weekend. Bonnaroo is a rather well known example of this kind of music festival, but have you heard of Langerado or the Echo Project?

Langerado is now the unofficial start of the music festival season. And it's a good thing it's in Southern Florida since it takes place in mid-March. Did I hear someone say Spring Break? 2008 will find new digs for the sixth annual Langerado Music Festival. Due to the growing popularity of Langerado, the festival is moving to the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation. At 600 acres, Big Cypress should be a nice fit for the 15,000 that attend the now four-day festival.

A little bit about what you can expect. Yes, there will be hacky-sacking, granola-types a-plenty, but everyone is there to have a good time, so these kinds of festivals are a very laid-back affair. Since nearly everyone camps on the grounds, you make friends with those neighbors all around you. It's a very convivial atmosphere, but it is sometimes hard falling asleep to the sounds of fun. It might be better to just drink yourself silly and then pass out, which really is what everyone else is doing. Langerado is a bit more for the younger, college crowd.

Bonnaroo is also a hippie fest, this time on a huge 700-acre farm in Tennessee, but since Bonnaroo takes place in the summer (mid-June), there are usually more families present. Bonnaroo also provides a separate "family camping" area for those with kids. Bonnaroo also offers a lot more than music. Most of the music festivals have the requisite booths for non-profit groups, but Bonnaroo has an all-night cinema with directors that show up for Q&A's, a comedy club, a music technology "village," and mush more. Bonnaroo also allows RV's with a special pass, so camping doesn't necessarily mean a tent.

The Echo Project is a new music festival that takes place outside of Atlanta on a 350-acre farm. This October marked the inaugural Echo Project, and the reviewers rated it a success. The Echo Project is a bit different from the rest of the fests as it definitely emphasizes environmental awareness and sustainability. When buying your tickets, you can add a $4 upgrade to include carbon offsets to lessen your impact on the planet. You can also work your way through the Echo Project, with a Work Exchange program. If you are not interested in having to be sober for even a couple of hours, you can volunteer before the festival cleaning up the Chattahoochee River, along which the Echo Project takes place, for discounted tickets. The Echo Project also tries to be more family-friendly, with a family camping area and tickets are free for children 8 and younger.

All three festivals are in the $200 range for a three-day (or four-day for Langerado) pass. The Echo Project, Bonnaroo and Langerado also offer VIP passes, which provide the ticket holder with catered food, and other special options for those of you that aren't up for roughing it. You can also purchase day passes, and stay at local hotels (some offer shuttles), but why would you miss out on half of the fun of a music festival that offers (and encourages) camping?

The music you can expect at Langerado, Bonnaroo and the Echo Project does run in the "jam band" vein, but more and more acts are getting into the festival circuit. Last year's Bonnaroo even featured the reunion tour stop for The Police, in addition to The White Stripes, neo-new wavers Franz Ferdinand, and metal-esque Wolfmother. With six stages, Bonnaroo offers the most and most eclectic music. Langerado is a bit more jam band heavy, with some jazz and hip hop spread over three stages. The Echo Project is more focused on alternative rock, but also has festival mainstays like MOE and one of my favs, Medeski Martin and Wood.

If you are looking for an excuse to camp or an excuse to rock, why not combine the two and set up your tent at a music festival? Langerado can be a great alternative to Spring Break meccas like Daytona, but it's close to Fort Lauderdale, so you can spend the weekdays on the beach and the weekend in the swamps jamming out and meeting new music lovers and new myspace friends. Bonnaroo is a must for anyone who is a fan of music and a lot of it. Finish off your festival season at the new Echo Project. The music should get you through to spring where you can start your music festival season all over again.