A couple of weekends ago I went to the Music Fest at the soccer fields up in Commerce City. I got tickets for both days and got up on Saturday to take the lightrail and a couple buses to the fields. It took a while and we still had about a mile walk from the bus stop to the gate but it was worth it. When I got inside I made a beeline for the closest cold beverage I could see. I stopped and listened to Gavin DeGraw of a bit. I made my way over to the far side of the fields to see Jason Mraz!!! Love him! He was fun to watch. I didn't have the best spot but I was close enough to see him and the sound was great.
After nearly an hour in the sun I realized I needed some hydration and some lunch. It didn't occur to me that there would be so many options for food. I figured it would be carnival food and I would spend my weekend eating funnel cake and french fries. Well I guess I should have known better. I was able to get a salad and falafal gyro for lunch! There were lots of veggie options which was wonderful. I ended up sitting under a tent near where Steve Winwood was playing so I got to listen to him while I ate and took a quick nap. The sun and 95 degree temp did a number on my head.
I walked around for a little bit and finally ended up over at the main stage to see OAR who put on a great show. I hung back near the tents but could still hear everything and had a good time watching the crowd. After OAR I went to see Lupe Fiasco and then made it back to the main stage for Tom Petty. I thought he put on a good show and all in all I was pleased with the day.
The second day I got an earlier start but still got there around the same time. I parked at the bus station instead of taking the train hoping it would save time. Well, no luck... because it was Sunday the buses were running once a hour and the traffic was so bad around the fields the buses wouldn't take us to the stop they had the day before. So after we sat on the bus for about 20 minutes and had only gone a block an a half the driver let us off and we walked the rest of the way. It was just over 2 miles but we walked the whole way.
I made it in time to see Colbie Caillat's last songs and to watch Rodrigo y Gabriela who are really talented. I went over and saw the Flobots and had a blast. The crowd was lovin them. Yay Flobots!! After seeing them I went back to the main stage to hear a little John Mayer and meet up with some friends who had found a shady place to set up camp for the day. The first half of the day was back and forth and back a forth between the two stages on either end of the fields with food stops in between. After John Mayer I went and saw The Roots in one of the tent stages. I finally got to see them. I've been trying to get to a Roots show since I met my friend Kyle 6 years ago. He introduced me to The Roots and Blackalicious and other music that doesn't get tons of radio play. There were other opportunities to see them but I would be out of town or out of money.
After jumping around with The Roots I went over and saw The Black Crowes. I was able to get right up front and right in the middle of everything. They put on a fabulous show and the sunset was perfect. Great time at that one! Last show of the day was back at the main stage with friends watching Dave Matthews Band. I've been a fan since HS so it was great to see them.
I've never been one of those people who goes to all the big summer concerts. I can count on both hands the number of major concerts I've been to in my life. I like the local shows, the small venues and the affordable tickets. It was a lot of money to go to the festival but it was totally worth it. All the shows I saw over the course of the weekend made up for the ones I've missed in the past. Out of all the bands I saw the only one I had seen live before were the Flobots. So the weekend was a treat. I will definitely be going again.
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