Ticket Stub Tuesday- Vegoose 2007

Welcome to the first installment of Anthems and Atleticos' Ticket Stub Tuesday. Every week, I'll pick out a stub from over a decade's worth of shows and events and share some stories. Special thanks to all of the friends and strangers who make these tickets come back to life when I think about them.  Coachella announces their 2011 lineup today, so I figured it would be fitting to start off with the festival spirit...

Vegoose Festival

October 27, 2007

Las Vegas, NV

One pyramid. Two robots. 20,000 costumed dancing machines. The now-defunct Vegoose festival served as the ridiculously memorable setting for one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Imagine your favorite music & arts festival. Got it locked in? OK, now take that festival from the desert or middle of Tennessee or wherever, and transport it to Las Vegas…on Halloween weekend. Add in your 5 best friends from college and a handcrafted lineup and you’ve got the makings of something epic.

We expected it to be a pretty surreal environment to see some shows. The festival grounds would be covered with people in some amazing Halloween costumes. (Special “where are they now” mention goes out to the whoopee cushion we befriended who affectionately referred to herself as “Fart Bag.” Classy that one.) After the last set of this huge costume party, we realized we’d come back to our hotel room on the Strip. No camping, no hippies, no water bottle exchange programs. After the show, we were going to change out of our own costumes (more on that later) and hit Vegas head on. It was almost too much to take in. And then you rundown the lineup you are about to see and it’s hard to figure out why they couldn’t keep this festival going.

The first piece of news that got my attention about Vegoose 2007 was that Rage Against the Machine had added it to their reunion-like festival circuit. They would headline Sunday night. I never thought a RATM show could become the afterthought of a weekend, but Saturday’s lineup was just bananas. We took in sets from M.I.A., The Shins, and the mighty Queens of the Stone Age. They were all great, but they all simply paled in comparison to Saturday night’s main event. I’ve never been so unexpectedly blown away by a live performance. I knew they’d be good, but I didn’t know that two French DJ’s who treated every day like Halloween would turn in the most vivid, visually stunning, all-out-fun show I’d see to this point in my concert going life. During a weekend tailor-made to create good times, it was Daft Punk that left the most indelible mark in all of our minds.

Death to Jock Jams

(From "The Carter File" on GameOps.com, originally published on 10.27.10)

Let’s face it, most fans show up to your games and don’t ever think about how much work your team puts into its game presentation.  Attending your game is an escape for them. They’ve already left their own jobs for the day and a night at the ballpark, arena, or stadium is their chance to let loose with family, friends or coworkers. 

Of course, we know how much planning it takes to create an exciting and memorable game experience.  It always amazes me then that so many teams take for granted such a massive part of that game experience.  From the second a fan walks through the turnstiles to the celebration of a come from behind win, there’s one constant current pumping through your venue that keeps the excitement going. It’s music.  It’s the catalyst that reminds your fans that they’re there to have a good time. It sets the tone for everything you do.  It can be the difference between a stale environment and a fresh, can’t miss atmosphere.  It’s the lifeblood of your entertainment operation.

So why then would you ever turn over such an important aspect of your presentation to an intern armed only with some Jock Jams and worn out sound effects?  Every team should have a fully developed stadium music strategy.  Obviously every market is different and every organization is operating with disparate resources, but having a music strategy in place is a simple but essential step in creating an exciting game experience.  Ask yourself, is our music well thought out or is it an afterthought?