I don’t know whether I wanted to go to Baltimore more for the Virgin Festival by Virgin Mobile or for a promising crab dinner. So when the opportunity arose, the V-Fest became my excuse to get a good crab dinner in Maryland. Hmmmand after all, V-Fest is a Richard Branson event, so it should be interesting. He definitely has the money to make an event interesting. This was my 3rd foray to the east coast this year, but this time I flew. My other two journeys were via Bessie, the 1969 Chevy ice cream truck, and Bessita, the converted Toyota Yaris ice cream car.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Virgin Empire, it is run by the charismatic and adventurous Richard Branson, a man who dances to the beat of a different drummer seeking to push the limits of experience. A man who was once quoted as saying “Sometimes I do wake up in the mornings and feel like I’ve just had the most incredible dream. I’ve just dreamt my life.” A man whose life is the blue print for IceCreamMan.com founder, Matt Allen, the Ice Cream Man. I wouldn’t be surprised if Matt becomes the next Richard Branson.
Let’s seeBranson has a music empire, he has an airline, he has funded the first commercial spaceship, and now he has music festivals. There are three V-Fests held each year in North America; one in Vancouver, Canada in May, this installment at the Pimlico Racetrack in Salty Balty, and a third in Toronto this September. The word on the street is the Baltimore V-Fest is his favorite. So next year make plans to come out to the unofficial favorite V-Fest of Richard Branson.
The 40,000 plus that braved the 90+ degree weather on Saturday and a cooler yet rainy Sunday, were treated to a solid lineup of artists that would please even the finickiest music fan. With headliners The Police and Smashing Pumpkins and supporting acts like the Beastie Boys, 311, Interpol, Modest Mouse, and the Wu-Tang Clan, who couldn’t find something to be excited about? With the two stages at opposite ends of the field and a third of mile between them, there was plenty of room to disperse the crowd. However, at times the infield of the track seemed considerably more crowded, due to it being enclosed. I can only image what the place looks like when they run the Preakness and 60,000 crammed into the same area.
A majority of the festivals try to be more eco-friendly, which I find a little ironic, since music and festivals always seem to be about excess. Richard Branson put his money where his mouth is, for instance: using biofuels for the generators to reduce the carbon footprint. But I think this was a good opportunity in which to educate concertgoers about responsible excess. So much so that every trash receptacle had an attendant, making sure that you deposited your trash into the correct “recycle”, “landfill”, or “compost” bins. Which would be imperative for them to accomplish their “near zero waste” goals.
Each day the schedule was tightly packed; staggered only enough to allow me to get from one end to the other in time to shoot the next band. So I didn’t really get an opportunity to enjoy the music or for that matter even listen. Note to self, next time bring a writer. (If you are reading this and would like to write for Ice Cream Man, please send an email to crash@icecreamman.com) I do however have to comment on the shooting conditions, which were not the most friendly shooting conditions I have encountered. The limited amount of space made it more difficult to get shots. Next year Richard, think about a double barricade system for the main stage, so we photographers can do your festival visual justice.
Since this is only the 2nd annual V-Fest, the festival is off to a good start. I have to give kudos for their band choices, the diversity in genres at any festival is critical to its success. With bands like the Wu-Tang, 311, Modest Mouse, Velvet Revolver, and Bad Brains playing the smaller stage, the V-Fest organizers did an excellent job of dispersing the crowd between stages. However, I can only imagine the dilemma that many of the attendees felt, having to choose which band to see over another. I think this is a problem every festival would like to have–too much good music.
