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September 16, 2007
Matt of Matt & Kim really loved Monolith
Matt makes a heaven joke.
Monolith is over. Excellent lineups, creative use of indoor space, and a final blowout (however wordy) by the Flaming Lips capping things off last night. Hopefully these will define the festival as it focuses on improvement for next year. Ancillary to the music was the serious amount of legwork exerted by attendees going up and down the venues' stairs to get around the different stages. Fitting for Colorado to add hiking as an inadvertent central aspect to an event, but at least it wasn't hot, so pick your poison.
I believe that overall Monolith was a success and will be defined as such. Definitely from the point of view of the artists who were all quick to point out gratitude for being able to perform amongst such incredibly beautiful surroundings. Serving as constant reminders for the locals not to take the natural treasure of Red Rocks park for granted.
However excellent the lineup was, nothing about Monolith conveyed the feeling of a real "festival". If the long term goal of Monolith includes efforts in making it a destination festival which attracts audiences located outside immediate driving areas, organizers will need to seriously think how something unique can added to the experience. Coachella and Bonnaroo are the big boys of American music festivals for reasons that transcend the music. They are all encompassing. Even after the final note, the feeling lives in your soul as a fond memory, later gelled into anticipation during the months leading up to next editions. Simply adding stages and stretching show schedules into the early afternoon does not a festival make. I don't know if kettle corn, funnel cakes, and hippie knick knacks (none available at Monolith) change things, but slapping the word festival on all day music concerts doesn't either.
Look for lots of detailed coverage on performances as well as more pointed commentary on the good and bad from Monolith's debut on Merry Swankster tomorrow, and all this week (or at least sometime in the not too distant future if our consistently unreliably track record is anything to go by).
Posted by Merry Swankster at September 16, 2007 06:37 PM
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Comments
Thanks for the read.
Jim
Please help Melanie get into the Rock and roll hall of fame.
Posted by: Jim Baldwin at September 17, 2007 01:43 AM
Wait from "Brand New Key"? That's an uphill battle dude...
Posted by: Jeff K at September 17, 2007 09:02 AM
Part of that feeling maybe in the trip itself, folks who come to MONOLITH from NYC, leave Monolith with a feeling of awe that someone from Colorado doesn't really experience... i.e. Just as SXSW isn't special for Austin residents, Monolith may never hold the same respect in Colorado as it may achieve elsewhere?
Posted by: likeamoore at September 17, 2007 05:35 PM
I see what you are getting at, but I'm a transplant here...from NY in fact. I don't think I'm jaded enough to not get into the vibe or whatever, but that special 'something' wasn't there. I'm not saying it can't be there with some tweaking though, in fact I want it to happen. Red Rocks is practically in my back yard. Speaking of...gotta head to AF/LCD...
Posted by: Sebastian at September 17, 2007 05:54 PM
