Recently, I attended the largest 21+ music festival in America, located deep in the robust forests of Chatahoochee Hills, Ga. I can speak for myself and thousands of people when I say that Tomorrowworld made this weekend a living nightmare. Some of you may have heard about the cancellation on Sunday, or the muddy conditions --but that wasn't even half of it. For those of you who weren't able to attend, I'll go ahead and set the scene for you.
Getting there.
We followed the signs that lined the highway into a lot 10 miles away from the venue. I was notified upon arrival that this lot was overflow from the original off-site lot, which had been partially closed due to a Noah's Ark sized flood that had occurred Thursday and Friday. Lining the lot was the line for the shuttle, which people waited in for about four hours. If you didn't want to wait in line, there was of course another option -- pay upwards of $80 for what should be a $20 Uber ride. If you did decide to Uber or cab, the cabs could only take you so far, as they blocked off all outside vehicles from dropping you off at the event. After being dropped off, a mile and a half trek up the hill led you to another shuttle with an hour wait, which finally took you to the opening of the venue. We still weren't there yet, though, since the opening of the venue was about a mile and a half away from the actual entrance gates.
Once you entered the gates it was just like a normal festival -- great music, great people, great time.
Getting home.
All shuttle services stopped operating, leaving thousands cold, tired, and lost on the dark Georgia roads. Ubers and cabs were limited and there was little to no cell phone reception; the only option left for some was to sleep in the mud, on the side of the streets, or walk countless miles in an attempt to find some sort of civilization. My friends and I only had to walk about three and a half miles to catch a $20 Uber back to my car -- we got lucky.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse.
120,000 people woke up the next day to a message from Tomorrowworld, stating that the only people allowed to enter the festival on Sunday are the people camping in Dreamville; the reason for this was due to "continuous rainfall and flooding." My friends and I weren't having it. We sprung out of our hotel bed, checked out, and headed over to the venue. We bypassed about four signs that said "Tomorrowworld closed to public." Most people were successful in sneaking into the festival, since the workers didn't seem to care who came in.
Bassnectar rocked me. Porter Robinson gave me chills. Klingande's saxophone propelled me into a state of mind that can only be reached through the magic of music. The way I see it, music is one of the most powerful forces on earth. It's a means of expression, it evokes creativity, and it connects us to all different types of people. The best part about music festivals is witnessing everyone come together to create a platform for acceptance, love, and respect. It's only when the entertainment company, SFX specific to this situation, fails to work out certain logistics in "what if" situations that make the experience less than ideal.
Tomorrowworld released this statement after the event: "Friends, we understand and hear your frustrations and disappointments in the developments at TomorrowWorld over the last weekend. Our only goal was to create together with you the best weekend of the year, and we are heartbroken that we were not able to provide some of our precious fans with the full TomorrowWorld experience, which includes the complete journey to and from the festival."
It was later revealed that the main reason for the cancellation was not because of rain, but because the way the staff was treated caused them to riot and abandon all shuttles. DJ Kaskade later came out with a statement bashing the festival, claiming when you sweep things under the rug it does more harm than good. Preach Kaskade.
I have no doubt in my mind that Tomorrowworld's intentions were good. That being said, the head of their PR team should be fired on the spot. Tomorrowworld did everything wrong in this situation. They even mentioned the names of the DJs who would still be performing on Sunday while speaking to 120,000 people who wouldn't be able to see them. This part of the message has since been removed. Way to rub mud into an open wound; most literally. At this point, I see a lawsuit on their hands that will probably cause them to go bankrupt. Luckily, us music festival groupies still have tons of events to look forward to next year that will hopefully be better planned out. See you on the farm at Bonnaroo 2016!
