ROCKFEST 2011

Wow.

That’s really all I can think of right now. just wow. What a long, insane, amazing day filled with about a million colorful characters, a whole lot of random awesome people I met, a lot of cool rock stars & just general… craziness.

Of course I’m talking about what could probably be called our largest concert event we put on here at the Radio Station. Rockfest. 55,000 thousand people, at the Liberty Memorial. This was my second year working it, & let me just say two things, firstly: a) Thank god it did not rain like last year, & b) i am so happy i got to work the autograph booth this time around.
So basically I spent the day filming rock stars & interviewing random people trying to get them to give me some footage that we could use for our Recap video. (ie: screaming, drinking, laughing, etc.) & while yes, it was a very long day, & the weather was less than desirable (pretty chilly- i wore 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, 2 sweaters, jacket, combat boots) it was such an amazing time. It was a long day for sure- got there around 11am & got home about midnight. But it’s always such an awesome experience. It’s just cool to be surrounded by such energy & i always meet so many cool people. The tour manager for Papa Roach was a really cool chick i hung out with a bit. And the bands were all really cool guys. I even got a kiss on the cheek from Vinnie from Sevendust, awesome. The guys working security for the autograph booth were all really awesome too.

Also, my coworkers are such awesome people. CK was amazing as always. Gary saved my ass by driving me in the morning after I got dropped off by my boss. (Running a bit late after working Afentra’s Prom last night.) Tyler & i talked some old school punk music for awhile & he hooked me up with a golf cart trip to main stage at the end of the night. Mark & Abby were awesome in helping me get clear shots for my autograph shots in holding back the damn sign that kept getting in the way. Chelsea, one of our amazing photographers, was awesome in many ways, including helping me fix my damn hair. (Windy.) Got to see Chuck (basically my predecessor) again as well, which was great- he came back in town to help out at the show. We talked Bright Eyes. (hell yeah.) All in all, it was just one hell of an awesome adventure, as expected. & that’s thing about Rockfest & other events like this – you never know what to expect. You just know it will be an adventure, & something you won’t forget. At least for me.

By 8:30 when the Autograph booth was a done deal, i made it to the live broadcast tent. It was intense. A sea of screaming fans at a concert for as far as the eye can see. I managed to find one beer. This is my (now) Rockfest tradition. Work my ass off for hours in a usually hectic rushed state, trying to get footage I need & make it to places on time, etc & then- when it’s all over & I can finally breathe, I get one beer. Couldn’t find one anywhere backstage, so I wandered over to the VIP tent where my wonderful friends Mel & Trace were waiting & hanging out. Ran into my sister again too which was great as I didn’t even get to see her last year. They were all stoked & had a great time from what I gathered which always makes me happy. I was going to buy a beer when I ran into Nic, who bought one for me & gave me a big hug. It was good.

The evening wrapped up- we left around 10:30. i was exhausted, & that’s probably the understatement of the year. Mentally, physically- the whole shebang. We followed the crowd out of the Liberty Memorial & walked several blocks to Mel’s car. When we were almost there at the top of a hill, the fireworks started going off. We all stood there watching the fireworks over the city through the trees. It was a nice end to the very long day & all I could really think was, I’m glad I was apart of this, & also, I can’t wait to be in my bed.

* disclaimer: devil’s horns apparently.. required? in every picture.

ROCK ON.