Three months of anticipation, culminating in a 54-hour weekend of music, food, people and entertainment.Most often the things we look forward to are over so quickly that we barely have time to realize that we are immersed in a moment worth fully experiencing, and the next thing you know it's a conversation that starts with "Hey, remember the time..." Ah, but not at Hillside; not the two and a half days spent in rain, sun, grass and mud; not in the memories lived between acts and sets, and trips to the trusted port-potty; certainly not the in time spent in line waiting for another pint, well, better make it two pints so I don't have to stand in line again so soon. No, from the time the lines form at the wrist band tent on Friday until the last cars leave the parking fields on Sunday there is a complete immersion into the idea that an event can bring so many good things together, allowing us to actually say "Hey, this is what I've been waiting for"
But what is it that makes the Hillside Festival a thing of such hyped-up attraction for so many people? Initially for me it was the opportunity to take in so many great bands with the company of my friends; but, to tell the truth, through my recollections, the music wasn't nearly as grand as I thought it would be. Perhaps my expectations were set too high by my own anxious nature, perhaps I just wasn't paying proper full attention (there's a lot going on and a lot to take in); but for whatever reason or explanation I can come up with, I just wasn't fully blown away by the acts themselves. Sure, The Acorn played an amazing set, as did Yukon Blonde (or Yukon Gold as the evening's MC preferred to state), Holy F*** were alive with as much energy as the audience to whom they were performing, and Shane Koyczan wowed me word for word with his passionate and inspiring readings, but what made each venue so good wasn't necessarily the artists themselves, or at least not in full part.
Stars, for example, were a great anticipation for me, having never seen them before despite being such a fan of their brand, but did they impress me with their stage presence and would I pay to see them again? I hate to say no but I must. Did I still enjoy the show and leave there wanting a little more? I have to say yes. See, the beauty and magic that is Hillside I've determined, or, at least, believe to have determined at this point, is that no matter what your expectations, hopes, and anticipations are leading up the artist taking the microphone, no matter what genre you stock on your IPod, or what age it might state on your birth certificate, the true art is coming not from the stage in front of you, but from all the things and people that surround you.
I first felt this true on Saturday morning when I found myself torn between a performance by the familiar-to-me Zeus and the aforementioned, and new-to-me, Shane Koyczan; with four stages in operation, I realized two things in that moment of impending decision:
1) I wont get to see all that I want to see, and
2) It really doesn't matter
I love the fact that I was enjoying a festival with a crowd that just wanted to get out and be a part of something emotionally free of stress and worry. The people made the party what it was by simply letting go and allowing their body to control their mind for a change. There was no pressure to do anything at all, only the infectious desire to join in the fun being had through every style of music, dance and artistic expression.
I know it must sound like I'm droning on, but I can't help getting caught up in the fun I perhaps am only now realizing I had. It was a blast in the moment, yes, there is no refuting that, and I can't wait until next year when, having the experience of 2010 under my belt, perhaps I will do things a little differently: book a proper camp site, for example (though overflow was still an enjoyable experience, I can only imagine how much more I could have enjoyed the freedom of a full-on campfire under a blanket of dark starry night, and the sounds of a distant drum circle taking place elsewhere on the island of volunteers), but what truly has me passionate in this entry is the feeling I had of being completely immersed into something fantastic long enough for me to actually realize it at the time.
So, Hillside goers and Locale readers, over the next 362 days of adventure, if I can take only one thing away from my past weekend's experiences, it would be to condition myself to instinctively appreciate my surroundings and the people in them, and to understand and recoginze that they are all in fact what make our precious moments of happiness possible. I will do my best to better appreciate the fact that, though I may not be fully captivated by the act on stage, the person next to me may be, and through them I may find some positive energy with which to make my own experience something it otherwise may not have been.
I will undoubtedly attend Hillside in its 28th year, at which point there will likely be more to discuss, and though I enjoy these postings and sharing my thoughts with you through The Locale, I hope instead that by this time in 2011, we may get to experience it together.
Cheers all.
Phil
Musical Highlights of varying genres that I would recommend checking out (click artists name for musical enjoymeny time):
The Acorn
Yukon Blonde
Gord Downie & The Country Of Miracles
Zeus
Socalled
Corb Lund
Sarah Harmer
Shane Koyczan
(definitely a worht-whlie live performer)
http://www.hillsidefestival.ca/#/home
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