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The old folks will blather on about what they think is wrong with Detour, but they're wrong, as always.
The real problem is you have fenced off part of downtown LA, which is a weird concept but one we can roll with. But then you fence off part of the fenced off part for people who omg want to drink a beer.
Other events do this too, but those events suck. Face it.
Real street fairs let you drink as you eat chicken on a stick and watch bands play on the streets. Sunset Junction for example is a real street fair with real bands and real people walking around all day drinking and rocking out and no one gets hurt.
But freakin Detour is on the steps of City Hall. The cops are everywhere. G-D jail is within dragging distance. Are you telling me that the cops are afraid that people would get too belligerent in an enclosed space that they couldn't figure out how to get them to the jail quickly, if not easily?
Downtown is scary enough. If someone's being a prick, kick em out. Let them be a prick on those streets at night.
Meanwhile do you see the confusion and emptiness caused by trying to party without a drink in your hand? It's nearly impossible unless you're in the desert or on hallucinogens, but no offense, LA, downtown is the last place we'd wanna trip.
And straight up, how are you gonna look cool hitting on a babe while you're holding a half a bottle of Aquafina?
Now see these girls? See how happy they are? That's how we all look when we drink. Why are you happy when you turn 21? Why do you think they call it being an adult?
Please invite me to the outdoor street festival held minutes from the cop headquarters, the mayor, the courts, and the jail, that says "you know what, you're an adult, we're going to have good bands, and girls in roller skates serving beers to whoever's 21. This is America. This is LA. Who are we kidding, there are way worse situations than being able to walk down an enclosed street with a beer while listening to a band."
Detour was perfectly fine, but the streets looked empty. It felt like you were on some backlot where they were filming something about downtown. It was near the subway, it was easy to find, but it was missing a basic element of rock.
We have paintings of bears dipping their paws into rivers and catching huge salmon. We have paintings of eagles soaring through the mountains. In 100 years there will be paintings being sold for millions of dudes standing in a crowd listening to music and drinking beer.
But today some wise guy is gonna make a painting of people allowing themselves to be temporarily confined in a small area so they can drink their oh so dangerous alcohol. As if once they leave that drinking area they are completely sober and safe.
The next election needs to have a line in it that says "I believe adults should be able to drink beer on the streets of outdoor festivals."
You are supposed to be presumed innocent in this country. Telling a man that he is better off not drinking a beer while walking around an enclosed festival in the middle of an otherwise mostly abandoned downtown is insulting, bad business, and not rock.
And the only people to blame is the city. Everyone wants to sell the beer and create a good environment. And everyone wants to be safe. If the city allows beer in the streets for Sunset Junction, they also must be the ones cockblocking beer in the streets for Detour.
Thank you but we don't need the babysitting.
We want to walk around the fenced off streets around City Hall and we want to drink and we want to buy drinks. Just like how we do in the clubs, arenas, and stadiums. Free the streets.
top photo of this weekend's Detour Festival, second picture of Banana Split @ LAX yesterday, both by Kid Paparazzi
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AMEN! I was very surprised to see that they had fenced off the "beer garden" area this year. It's so pointless. I could literally walk to the east side of the Detour venue, throw a rock over the fence, and likely hit someone shooting smack, cleaning a crack pipe, or running naked across an intersection. Not to mention, I think a quick anonymous poll of some Detour-goers would reveal, dare I say, some illegal drug use. I hope you were all sitting down for that one.
At any rate, this is a pointless practice that does nothing to promote public safety, nor underage drinking. At the Detour festival, as in real life, if somebody under 21 wants to get fucked up for the party, it is probably a lot easier, not to mention more cost effective, to obtain a $20 hit of E than it is to have somebody go buy him or her a bunch of $7 12 oz. beers. I don't encourage youngsters to do drugs, but I think this is a good illustration to prove the point that a fence around the beer area is absurd. ©
i also want to walk around the city drinking beer - alla Berlin etc... at least the europeasn have THAT right
Thank god for blue eyed brunettes.
Eagle Rock Music Festival was the place to be.
Ohhhh! The Avatar is here! I was very disappointed with the detour drinking situation.
i got there at 9 to see justice ran had a great time for the set and went to go get a drink to find out what? they're not serving anymore? It's fucking 10 o'clock at night.
So we sneak into the VIP where they're still serving for a little bit more and the minute we get to the front of the line they say that they have to shut down the bar immediately.
Now i am pissed. it's 10:30 i'm at a FESTIVAL and i cant get a drink in me? WTF is that? i had to leave immedatly and run to la cita.
But i must say the standard after party was pretty off the hook i was plenty drunk for that.
that Times article is really well written.
i'm going to be one of those annoying people and say it was more fun last year. better bands, and there was free alcohol and free yummy brazilian food in the vip area. oh, and you could take you're alcohol for a walk around the streets. i can't believe how poorly attended this fest was, despite all of the advertising.
hello, didnt anyone of think about flasking it? thats what i did, was buzzed enough the whole time not even be phased that there was a beer garden and enjoy the bands and save like 60 bux
I don't understand the notion that you can't have a great time without alcohol. I went to the Sunset Junction with my friends and we had a blast at the stage with all of the soul/R&B acts (Denice Williams, the Emotions, Morris Day & the Time) and none of us are drinkers. I also saw a bit of Ben Harper's set and the Breakestra -- all were great, great performers. The thing that makes Sunset Junction fun is that they have all types of music (indie/rock, soul/R&B, jazz) for
I think Detour was probably less than exciting because of the line up. There weren't any names on the Detour line-up that I felt compelled to see. And Bloc Party just doesn't cut it for me, personally.
That whole 'liquor makes the party' ethos is played out. If you want a fun time you have to make it fun with your friends or make new friends.
speaking of tripping downtown...the morning after detour, i took some mushrooms and rode my bike down to the site of the festival....i saw a homeless guy lying on the sidewalk with his soiled pants pulled down humping the ground. i couldn't tell if he was loving it or dying. LA....its a trip
blame the insurance companies. do you have any idea what insurance costs for an outdoor fest with alcohol and (OMG) hip-hop artists?