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School of Seven Bells on the Sequoia Stage at FYF Fest -- also see Rachel Carr's photos (Koga/LAist)
There's no question that FYF Fest promoter Sean Carlson can assemble a musical lineup that arguably rivals or even surpasses many of the longstanding festivals, including the Sunset Junction Street Festival. But will this year's problems be resolved next year? When Buzz Bands reviewed last year's FYF Fest, they reported that "The first sets were scheduled for 1:30 p.m., but gaining clearance from the fire marshal to open the grounds delayed the proceedings and gates were not open until 2:15 p.m. This left a crowd of at least 1,000 people under the midday summer sun, waiting in line for up to 4 hours. Most of the crowd had purchased tickets online and the will-call line stretched from the park's entrance to Chinatown. Even the VIP line took a decent amount of time to navigate. The only line that moved swiftly was for people looking to purchase day-of-show tickets with cash. The massive wait for will call led several ticket-holders to forgo their tickets being held and simply repurchase tickets in the cash line so they could enter (in effect, many purchased 2 tickets to the festival)." Sound familiar?
"We have chosen to assemble in a place where people would normally exodus from: A dirt field covered in litter, dust swirling the air, lines full of people waiting and waiting and waiting," summarized West Coast Sound. "So why do we come? Music and empathy -- the small moments throughout the day that cancel out the filth and fatigue. A good song played well, a kind gesture -- these things can happen too. Were there enough of them... at [this year's] FYF Fest to make it all worthwhile? Maybe."
So ultimately, it is about the music, and the large presence of fans in the blistering heat at FYF Fest for hometown heroes Local Natives (also evidenced by the pair of sold-out shows at the Music Box earlier this month), not to mention Warpaint and Best Coast (who were both listed on NME and Stereogum's Best New Bands of 2010 lists), as well as Dead Man's Bones, bodes well for Los Angeles as a continued wellspring of musical talent.
