It can be expensive to go to Musikfest.  I know this, I'm not denying anything.  Food is pricey, they make you pay to see main stage acts and beer is five bucks a mug.  What a rip.  Wait a minute, though.  Is it really that expensive?

Ok, let's do a little analysis here.  A Musikfest mug costs $7.  Beer refills cost $5 for 22oz.  Including the price of the mug into every $5 beer gives a cost-per-ounce breakdown that looks something like this:
1 beer - $0.55/oz
3 beers - $0.33/oz
5 beers - $0.29/oz
7 beers - $0.27/oz

Now, go to a bar.  Order a glass of beer.  First of all, take a look at the glass.  They probably call it a "pint glass."  I use quotation marks, because almost all bars in America do NOT use glasses that hold a pint (1 pint = 16 fl. oz).  They hold 12 or maaaybe 14 ounces.  For proof positive, order a FULL standard-size pitcher (64oz) of beer at a bar and try to fill four glasses.  Ain't happening.

I'm getting to the point here.  How much do you pay (outside happy hour or specials) for a glass of beer at a bar?  Most places are around $2.50 for domestics.  Lots of places charge more, and the price for imports goes up even higher.  Assuming a 12oz glass and $2.50 beers, that makes going to the bar $0.21/oz for beer.

Even if you don't consider the mug sunk cost (you should, since mugs from all years are refillable - if you brought your own or do next year the cost per ounce is $0.23), drinking five Musikfest beers (say two on one day, three on another) means you're paying $8 (or $1.60 per beer) more than you would at the bar.  Remove the cost of the mug and you're paying 20 cents more per beer.  And remember; that's at a relatively cheap bar for domestic beer.  If you're filling that mug with Hofbrau you're getting a bargain. 

So next year, bring this year's mug, steal a friends or whatever - and stop complaining about how expensive the beer is.  Sure, I can get a case of 24 beers for under nine bucks at the distributor if I want a case of Natty Light, I can pick up a 40 for two bucks at the pizza place, but that's apples to oranges.

Yes, food is expensive.  And the concerts, well I think ALL ticket prices are ridiculous, but that's the music industry.  Just remember that more than 300 artists performed for free, so 96.6 percent of the music at the festival costs you nothing.

I'm not defending capitalism or Jeff Parks or anything, so resist the urge to flame me right away.  All I'm saying is beer is NOT as expensive as everyone makes it out to be.  You'll also note I mentioned music in this post.  See?  I do care about more than beer.

    -Tucker

I'm not going to beat around the bush on this one: When the elements are not favorable, Riverplace at Sand Island is possibly THE WORST place to see a concert.

There were plently reasons to demand my money back from last night's Steve Miller Band show, but it will fall on deaf ears to Jeff Parks and the rest of the Musikfest heads. In the end, it all comes down to safety and judgement. And the people in charge last night showed NO judgement and put everyone in harms way.

The band came on a half-hour late, knowing the storm was coming, then it started pouring after 9:30 p.m. with a lightning storm that could have rivaled any fireworks performance. With the way Sand Island is situated, the only way out was down the side past the trees...with lightning striking around the corner. Not a good situation.

The concert was officially cancelled about 9:45 p.m., before Miller got to sing most of his staple hits, and left a mob of a crowd that remained trying to maneuver past the trees, under a river of water under the train tracks and back out to the platzes.

A NOTE TO LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL: In the middle of a severe thunderstorm, UNDER THE TREES, it is NOT wise to place handicapped people in wheelchairs underneath. You had a emergency vehicle next to the tent -- why not place them safely in the vehicle and move them to safety?

Finally, to top it all off, should we be surprised by Musikfest's agenda of setting off fireworks in the middle of a lightning storm? Real smart putting thousands of people in danger, leaving them to stand out on the streets.

Some really questionable actions Sunday, and we probably won't get any answers.

-Marc

I braved the Port-O-Jons four times during Musikfest. I tried to avoid them at all costs. But, when I DID have to use them I was surprised to find that three out of four smelled really good. The first one smelled like someone had just finished smoking a joint (so the smoke wasn't even stale yet and didn't smell too bad). The second one smelled like perfume, which normally would be annoying to walk into, but as compared to what it COULD have smelled like, I was happy. The third one smelled like a toilet. That was a bummer. But my streak was picked up again on my fourth visit when it smelled like coconut. Seriously. I am not making this up. So, good luck to you all on these final days. May you always get the good-smelling pots.

- J

Yeah, I'm a Family Guy junkie.  So when I saw this the other night, I almost freaked.  The big inflatable CAT 97 cat on the way to RiverPlace is straight out of an episode from the new season.

In the episode, Peter wants to do something that will make people remember him.  One of his failed ideas is to help clean up the city by getting the message out as a lovable children's character.  He explains to Brian (the dog) that he'll be Gary, the No-Trash Cougar with the catchphrase, "Give a largage, throw out your garbage."  Peter says all this without the head on, and when he's done he dons the head, whips out a pistol and threatens kids in a lunchroom until they clean up the garbage.  It's ridiculous.

Anyway, the CAT 97 cat is absolutely Gary, the No-Trash Cougar.  I almost want to get a can of red spraypaint.

    -Tucker

In an attempt to find a shortcut through the masses from Volksplatz to points south yesterday, I came across the holy grail: hidden port-a-potties.  This discovery came right on the heels of my friend saying she was dreading the trip to ye-old-houses-of-stink.  I found these few johns nestled among the ruins of old Bethlehem.  I won't say exactly where they are - I don't want to spoil a good thing.  Let's just say when we left to rejoin the flow of people, I realized they were pretty darn easy to get to, but out of the line of sight from passing crowds.  The verdict on cleanliness?  I didn't have the pleasure of finding out, but my friend voted them cleanest P-o-Ps at Musikfest.

    -Tucker

I was checking out the reggae band, Inner Visions, today at Volksplatz. As I was sitting back and enjoying their sweet island sounds I spotted something backstage that really caught my eye and got me thinking. I saw a white haired man in a puffy peasant shirt dancing to the music. A quick look in my Musikfest guide showed me that he was the next act--a Solvenian Folk singer. Its not every day you see a Solvanian Folk singer rocking out to a reggae band.

I think the scene that I witnessed was what Musikfest is all about. People opening themselves up to different types of music is a very cool thing. So, sit in the polka tent while you eat your dinner, listen to a bluegrass band or check out some salsa music. You might like it, you might hate it...but, you'll never know until you try it.

--beth

So we've inadvertently extended the swarming debate over Festplatz here in the blog.  "They're killing our heritage!  Bring back Polka!" say the old-schoolers.  "What the hell are you talking about, there's still Polka ALL THE TIME at Festplatz!" say the pro-change folks.  Well, I'm not going to take a stance in this particular post, but I do have an observation.  On my way through the Fest yesterday I strolled past Festplatz and noticed that it was packed to the gills.  So, it would appear that even with the controversy, the people cramming themselves into that tent could care less whether there's Polka or not.

    -Tucker

Musikfest is a great place... for underage kids to congregate and make things difficult for everyone. Walking down Main St. reminds me of walking through the halls in high school. It's impossible to get through the throng of 16-year olds... that is unless you're an asshole and don't mind shoving little kids out of your way. Yep. I'm an asshole. Beer in hand, camera in tow I just plowed through these kids for fun and necessity. Being in the middle of a sea of popped collars and big sequened purses is a scary event. But I wish I had a tape recorder. The conversations I overheard were so unbelievably absurd. But alas that is Musikfest. I used to be one of those annoying kids, I still kinda can be.

-james

During the Night Ranger/REO Speedwagon show I got belted not once, but TWICE with a pick thrown by one of the performers - once during the Night Ranger half, once during the REO half. 

Anyway, I thought it was cool as hell since I'm never one of the people who gets anything performers throw into the audience.  So, here's a pic (no pun intended) of both sides of each.

    -Tucker

After sitting for an hour in the blazing noonday sun, watching The Mango Men (a Jimmy Buffet style band), I was pretty sweaty and incredibly hot. As I meandered out of the Plaza Tropical I noticed something that I had not seen in the other three days that I was festing...a Haagen Dazs booth. Well, its not really a booth it is more like a covered kiosk with TVs and information about the ice cream. I needed a break from the sun so I went in and checked it out. They were giving away free samples of their newest flavors.These were pretty hefty samples too--a big scoop in a cup. As I was leaving the tent I asked one of the friendly attendants working in there if they had been here all week. They said that today (Thursday) was their first day and that they will be around all weekend. So, take a break from the heat and enjoy a sweet sampling of Haagen Dazs.

--beth