Fun Fun Fun Fest was a pretty solid festival. It’s only 2 years old, so it’s at the right age before there’s ‘too many people who make you feel less unique because you feel like you’re looking at yourself in the mirror’ and more importantly, the musical talent is fresh and young.
If you’re wondering why the festival is historically significant, always remember this: FUNFUNFUNFEST 2007 will go down as the last memorable cultural event before American Apparel opens their first store in Austin.
Why FUNFUNFUNFEST is the best music festival in America right now?
1. Optimal Texas November weather made any wardrobe choice justifiable for people looking to wear their coolest ‘festival outfit.’ The decision is kind of like a mix between ‘going on a date’ and ‘going camping.’
2. The festival sponsors and producers matched the spirit of the festival. Sweet Leaf Iced Tea, Tecate Light, and Transmission Entertainment were better than seeing COCA COLA, BUD LIGHT, and a Fortune 100 sponsoring the festival. It doesn’t really matter, but it probably makes the general consumer feel more ‘authentic.’
3. The layout of the park is optimal for the 3 stage setup, and the ‘double stages’ made transitioning from set to set easy. Waterloo Park was made for FunFunFunFest.
4. A great mix of music for all types of music fans. Appropriate emphasis on Texan bands, with a healthy mix of popular indie acts, and even staying true to the South Texas hardcore-core demographic. Not many festivals stay this ‘true’ to their target market.
5. Austin’s local economy was fairly represented. Coffee shops, thrift stores, boutiques, and even pipe shops all had an opportunity to be a part of FunFunFunFest.
6. The image of the festival wasn’t overbranded, making it a laidback experience.
Here’s some pictures from Fun Fun Fun Fest.
Thanks to PARTY ENDS for networking me with these flickr photos.
The guitarist from Brothers and Sisters mixes the best of Ryan Adams and the guy who played Jim Morrison in Wayne’s World 2.
[Photo by ERIN HANSON]
The guy from I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness had the most memorable moustache of the festival.
[Photo by KRISTEN HILLERY]
If you went to FunFunFunfest to see Explosions in the Sky, there’s no way you ventured into the sea of black that was the HardXcore stage.
Of Montreal continues to be a crossover success to teens and sorority girls alike, reaching beyond fans of the ‘Let’s go Outback tonight’ song.
At FunFunFunFest, you could only drink Heineken, Tecate Light, or Sweet Leaf Ice Tea+Vodka. Final Fantasy dude opted for Heineken.
[Photo by KRISTEN HILLERY]
Do you think Final Fantasy is beta testing this shirt for American Apparel? Or was it just an error by the AA workforce in downtown LA?
[Photo by KRISTEN HILLERY]
The Mates of State guy lurked around the festival for a while. He was definitely the #1 candidate for ‘guy who looks like he’s in a band, but I can’t tell because he’s standing in the crowd like a typical festival-goer. He might just be some hip-looking guy who owns an independent coffee shop.’
[Photo by KRISTEN HILLERY]
This is modern festival culture.
[Photo by Patrick Dentler]
This was NOT the stage that Okkervil River performed on
[Photo by KEITH GADDIS]
FunFunFunFest’s ‘all-Pete & Pete-team’
The guy from MGMT
[Photo by KRISTEN HILLERY]
The guy from Grant Buffet
[Photo by KRISTEN HILLERY]
The guy from Clap! Clap!
[Photo by KRISTEN HILLERY]
Girl Talk continues to search for meaning as his life continues to get more and more absurd. At least he executed his vision that inspired him to pick the name “Girl Talk.” 
[Photo by Davis Ayer]
Can you find the member of TEAM ZISSOU?
[Photo by Briana Purser]
The keyboardist from CLAP! CLAP! wins the ‘Man. That shirt really stands out, I wonder if he’s in a band. Oh. Phew, he’s in a band, not just some kid who wants attention because he wore a loud shirt’ award.
[Photo by KRISTEN HILLERY]
The bassplayer from White Denim (middle) looks pretty young. Maybe he went to the same music elementary school as Smoosh.
Car Stereo Wars. He’s like Girl Talk, except from Austin.
Greg Gillis has more chest hair than the entire army of kids on stage.
Diplo is not LIVINGSTRONG. He’s just wearing the mandatory Festival wristbands.
[Photo by KEITH GADDIS]
It was great getting to talk to San Antonio Spur Matt Bonner. I had the opportunity to let him know that he’s better than Brian Scalibrine. 
[Photo via GorillaVsBear]
FUNFUNFUNFEST RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Build a better website for the next festival. Either FLASH it up or basic it up, but I didn’t find it to be incredibly functional in mentally preparing for the festival. People prepare for festivals like they prepare for their first day of school. I could have gone for some printable ‘how to plan your day out at FunFunFunFest’ PDFs. http://www.funfunfunfest.com
2. Come up with a tiered VIP
System. As Generation Y continues to age, we will continue to find ways to prolong our youth by starting blogs, taking pictures, and writing for publications. The biggest festival challenge of the modern world is figuring out how to ‘make people feel like they’re VIPs without diluting the power of actual VIPs.’
3. Dig some sort of underground portal/cave where the HardCore stage could have been placed. As opposed to hearing the constant drone of screaming, guitar licks, and double kick-drums during Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy dude could have ‘moved’ the audience to an optimal extent.
4. Move Girl Talk to the large stage instead of letting a security volunteer have a meltdown when a bunch of sweaty teens rush the stage. Most venues need to do their best to avoid becoming the “place where 20 kids died when the stage collapsed at a Girl Talk concert.” Here’s what the generational conflict at the back of the Girl Talk stage looked like:
FFFF was a well-executed festival. There were no fires, medical emergencies, or technical difficulties that often plague festival experience. You should probably try to make it to FFFF next year, because it is really going to hit it’s stride in the next 3 years.
Hipster Runoff sends personal THANK YOUs to:
- Party Ends!
- Allen Chen & Paige Maguire from Austinist.
- the GorillaVsBear Bros.
- Transmission Entertainment
Coming tomorrow, a comprehensive breakdown of the music.
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One Comment
excellent recap!
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