Riverfest – A Music Festival?
I first moved to Beloit last winter. When my coworkers at Beloit Daily News found out I was a music fanatic, there response was similar.
“You’re going to LOVE Riverfest!”
All through the winter and spring, the accolades for the summer music festival rained down. As it drew near, I found myself getting excited to find out the lineup. Finally the official headliners were announced.
“Really?”
Many of the names sounded familiar, but since I was not a child of the 60’s, I found myself scurrying around the internet to try and determine each band’s claim to fame. Sure I knew the Beach Boys, but I had never even heard of the band for “my generation” – Trapt.
Music festivals are usually defined by the smaller bands that play the side stages. Some of the best concerts I have seen were the side-stage acts at festivals. Maybe that would be the case with Riverfest as well.
Unfortunately I discovered there barely were any acts besides the headliners. As I walked through the grounds my first day there, I was astonished by the lack of performance areas for smaller bands. A ton of open space on Riverside Dr. would have been the perfect place for a couple small stages.
Riverfest seemed more like a small county fair – minus animals – than a music festival.
When Beloit Daily News published the financial woes of Riverfest last week, I was not surprised. The festival spent too much on acts very few people cared about. The only act that interested me was Pat McCurdy Sunday night on a small stage after the Beach Boys.
Local readers of BDN agreed, as brilliant ideas from the community flowed after an article asking what needs to change was published. Most people in the community agree changes need to be made. Here are my suggestions for the Riverfest board.
- More stages. If Riverfest wants to be a serious music festival, it needs more stages. Some may argue this is difficult with their local financial problems, but not if they…
- Sign more local/regional acts. The cost for local/regional acts is less. The number of people in the area that know the bands is higher. Some of the bigger acts can fill the main stage at a fraction of the cost of the current headliners.
- Attract more up-and-coming headliners. Get bands on the way up. This will also help cut costs.
- Less days. At least in the short run, Riverfest is going to need to cut back at least one day.
- More diversity. This is NEEDED. Bring in some R&B, country and alternative to get more people interested and make it a community event. This could also help draw people from surrounding communities.
Despite bands that were of little interest to me, I had fun at my first Riverfest. I just hope changes are made to assure the festival continues.
Thanks, I see we all agree, on making this event (Riverfest) a community event. Where would you be without your community? They have left us out of the Riverfest for a long time now, not bringing in acts because they say the black race don’t drink enough beer, poor, poor, poor excuse. We love music too, but not that kind, and they know we don’t, so that is the way to keep us out, just as they are trying to keep me out of business. Where is the funds to keep small businesses in business in this city, they say they don’t have any funds, but yet they are looking to hire the consultant, ROI, according to Janke. The Texas-based company specializing in custom market research and advisory services has software that will identify up to 15 companies that are in the target industries of food technology and processing, advanced manufacturing, and logistics. Quote from Janke, in the Beloit Daily News paper Aug 26th, 2009.,”We’re open to all sectors and all sizes” Janke said. “We’re at the point where 10 jobs are as good as 100 jobs” How can this be true when once i had 7-10 employee’s and that didn’t matter to them, now this city has me down to none, due to the way they do things, like shut down the entire Shirland Ave due to flooding in one little spot(at the very bottom of the bridge), so why the whole street from State St?, and now the same thing, in less than 12 months, with re-doing Shirland Ave, that’s ok., But while your keeping me out of business, you have no help for me as a small business person, trying to help employ some of our low income people? You lost 7-10 jobs, with this small business, and didn’t even care. I say someone’s full of it.