Backpacker BUZZ: Issue 69

FESTIVALS – USA

SASQUATCH, QUINCY, WASH., MAY 23-25, 2009
Bands already on the festival circuit make the trek north to this Pacific Northwest event.
Lineup: Kings of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Decemberists, Animal Collective, Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, TV On The Radio, of Montreal, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Erykah Badu, Fleet Foxes, Gogol Bordello, Santigold, Grizzly Bear, Girl Talk, The Gaslight Anthem, Ra Ra Riot, Calexico The Airborne Toxic Event and more.

Ticket price: From $76.50 US. Camping: Yes. sasquatchfestival.com

BONNAROO, MANCHESTER, TENN., JUNE 11-14, 2009
Bonnaroo is a popular U.S. festival in Tennessee, with an impressive lineup.
Lineup: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Phish, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Al Green, Snoop Dogg, Elvis Costello, Erykah Badu, The Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, The Decemberists, Girl Talk, Bon Iver, Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate, Rodrigo y Gabriela, of Montreal, Gomez, Santogold, The Ting Tings, Kaki King, Grizzly Bear and more.

Ticket price: From $224.50 US Camping: Yes. bonnaroo.com

HARMONY FESTIVAL, SANTA ROSA, CALIF., JUNE 12-14, 2009
2009 marks the 31st annual Harmony Festival, which celebrates music, the arts, ecology, spirituality and more.
Lineup: Michael Franti & Spearhead, India.Arie, CAKE, Matisyahu, Balkan Beat Box, Shpongle and more.

Ticket price: From $99 US. Camping: Yes.  harmonyfestival.com

SUMMERFEST, LAKE MICHIGAN, MILWAUKEE, WIS., JUNE 25–JULY 5, 2009
11 days. 23,000-seat amphitheatre.
Lineup: Blondie, Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, Joe Cocker, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Polyphonic Spree, Stone Temple Pilots, Black Francis (Francis Black of the Pixies), The Roots, Tom Petty, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Stephen Marley,
Matisyahu, No Doubt, The Crystal Method, Thievery Corporation and more.

Ticket price: From $8 US. Camping: No. summerfest.com

BURNING MAN, BLACK ROCK CITY, NEV., AUGUST 31–SEPTEMBER 7, 2009
Harry Larvey started Burning Man in San Francisco, where he burnt an effigy of The Man as an act of radical self expression. Today, tens of thousands of people flock annually to the temporary city of Black Rock to participate in community, art, self-expression and self-reliance. The 2009 theme is ‘Evolution.’
Lineup: More of a random explosion of creativity and parties where events are spread by word of mouth and night-time exploration rather than a scheduled lineup of acts.

Ticket price: From $260 US. Camping: Yes. burningman.com

ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES (ATP)- CURATED BY THE FLAMING LIPS, KUTSHERS COUNTRY CLUB, MONTICELLO, N.Y., SEPTEMBER 11-13, 2009
Two ATP parties are taking place in May in the U.K.
Lineup: The Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, Antipop Consortium, David Cross (comedy), Suicide, Dirty Three, Atlas Sound, Panda Bear, Autolux, Black Dice and more.

Ticket price: From $235 US. Camping: It’s held at a country club. atpfestival.com

REGGAE ON THE RIVER / REGGAE RISING, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIF., JULY 18 / JULY 31-AUGUST 2, 2009
These irie roots reggae festivals, held on the edge of Eel River in Southern Humboldt County, Calif., split into rival festivals in 2007. reggaeontheriver.com / reggaerising.com

MILE HIGH MUSIC FESTIVAL, COMMERCE CITY, COLO., JULY 18-19, 2009
In 2008, headliners Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Dave Mathews Band drew crowds in the tens of thousands.
milehighmusicfestival.com

LOLLAPALOOZA, GRANT PARK, CHICAGO, ILL., AUGUST 7-9, 2009
The brainchild of Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction/Porno for Pyros), Lollapalooza has gone through ebbs and fl ows of success.  lollapalozza.com

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, ZILKER PARK, AUSTIN, TEXAS, OCTOBER 2-4, 2009
Inspired by one of the longest-running concert music TV shows, Austin City Limits has become one of the premier music festivals in the U.S. It is also the hometown for the SXSW Music Conference. aclfestival.com

OUTSIDE LANDS, GOLDEN GATE PARK, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF., AUGUST 28-30, 2009
Golden Gate Park is legendary for the Summer of Love gathering back in 1967, the heart of the counter-culture movement rebelling against social, political and cultural oppression. Today there is Outside Lands. sfoutsidelands.com

TREASURE ISLAND, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF., SEPTEMBER
Day one delivers electronica and hip hop/rap, while day two consists of rock and indie rock. treasureislandfestival.com

These festivals have already taken place for 2009 but you may want to plan a 2010 road trip to get there.

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST (SXSW), AUSTIN, TEXAS, HELD IN MARCH
If you want to try and make it in the music industry, then SXSW is the nexus between musical talent (to be discovered) and music execs (to do the discovering), which makes it a prime place to see future musical mavericks. sxsw.com

COACHELLA, INDIO, CALIF., HELD IN APRIL
Celebs rock it with the masses, listening to a stellar lineup of musicians and bands among large-scale sculptural art in a desert location. coachella.com

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