As a young college student, I have enjoyed a variety of concerts, but this year was the first time I had an opportunity to go to a music festival. I have always wanted to go to Watershed, Bumbershoot, Sasquatch! or similar festivals in the North West because of the big name musicians and bands. However, those aren't exactly in my budget. So, when I was looking up festivals near my college town of Bozeman, MT, I came across something called the Moonlight Musicfest. Located in the ski resort of Big Sky, MT, this was the inaugural festival and I recognized a couple of the artists from who I listened to in high school. It wasn't too spendy for a day pass, so I bought a ticket for my boyfriend and me to go to the festival. I was in for quite a surprise.
Before arriving at the festival, we had to shuttle up to the basin where the music would be playing. We ended up sitting on a school bus with quite a few adults who looked older than 30. I looked around for people our age, but didn't see any. We had gotten there pretty early, so I figured college students might show up later or something. Well, they never did. I think everyone at the concert had to be under the age of 12 or over the age of 30, besides a handful of teenager plus my boyfriend and myself. At first, I thought it might be weird since concerts I go to are all college students, but it turned out being one of the most fun concerts I have been to.
Another welcome surprise was the music. It was folksy, funky, and pretty country.
There was a band from Houston called The Suffers and they were so funky and fresh that we ended up getting a signed vinyl from them. There was also a band known as the Chris Robinson Brotherhood that ended up playing reggae bluegrass (right?!). I was pleasantly surprised by these bands, as I had never heard of them. The fact that I spent so little money compared to other music festivals I have heard of made the experience even better. Moonlight MusicFest was amazing for just its first year and I can't wait to go again!
So although I may not have spent a typical day at a festival (i.e. getting wasted or all of the other standard college student concert shenanigans) I had so much more fun than I thought I would. It was relaxing in the best way, I danced my booty off, and I got to enjoy new bands and some musicians I hadn't heard for years. I would highly recommend spending your money on local musicians and festivals and maybe even delving into some music you never really thought about before. It could end up being a super fun and unforgettable experience!
