Fun Fun Fun Fest, In Which Beer, Fun and Ass are Everywhere [Fun Fun Fun Fest Memory]

For one reason or another, I've always associated Fun Fun Fun Fest with narrow misses. In 2008, I'd fully intended to buy tickets, was in fact on the verge of purchasing them, when I realized that the festival would conflict with a trip to Toronto I'd scheduled months earlier. I did buy tickets for the 2009 iteration of Fun Fun Fun, only to have my excitement wane considerably by the forecast of cold and rain. I eventually sold them on Craigslist (for $50! Those were the days!) when a minor family emergency necessitated a trip back home that weekend. (Surviving that Boris-Black Lips-Slayer cerberus on Sunday should qualify as this year's narrow miss.)

When I finally broke my Fun Fun Fun Fest cherry last year, I was working for this here blog, so my experience of the festival thus far is inextricably tied up with working our media tent, dashing off set recaps and interviewing drunk musicians. The best thing that happened to me behind-the-scenes was seeing Big Freedia and posse snake their way through the backstage area, led by B.F. herself, who sauntered up to the table where I was doling out drink tickets. Ill just say they were immediately recognizable. Many by now have heard Big Freedia's number one tune, "Azz Everywhere", but upon seeing a dozen or more dancers in the most ridiculously revealing outfits waiting in lines, idly chatting or otherwise passing time, one gets the impression that "Azz Everywhere" is more than a song. It's a lifestyle choice. If they'd been wearing normal clothing, the scene wouldn't merit a mention. If only Big Freedia were in full B.F. regalia, well, then that'd just be Azz. When the entire troupe is revealing lower buttock, though, then what you have is Azz Everywhere.

My favorite music memories are wildly diverse, in keeping with the glorious melting pot of styles that is Fun Fun Fun Fest's ethos. I relived my pop-punk youth through the Descendents. I was quickly converted by the gleefully unhinged madness that is a Peelander-Z set, and was one among many audience participants. I got to see one of my favorite bands, Deerhunter, at the peak of their powers, rip through a loud, crushing enfilade of songs new and old. I watched Delorean completely win over thousands with their irresistibly optimistic Balearic dance-pop, only a couple of hours after I'd quietly interviewed them at a bus stop outside the park. There was, of course, Big Freedia, who inspired a completely different type of dancing, and Bad Religion a third.

Some of my best experiences happened during early afternoon sets, where you can get right up to the stage. My face was blasted off by Woven Bones' minaciously cool, Jesus and Mary Chain-channeling nuggets about ten feet from the stage, but I also basked in the bubblegum pop of Magic Kids and Cults from up front. The early afternoon sets also allow you to ease into your day, giving you the chance to lounge behind the commotion. I saw Toro y Moi this way, sitting on a blanket drinking with friends, only dimly aware of the source of the late-afternoon funk wafting over the sea of bandannas at Waterloo Park.

This mixture of madness and relaxed good vibes, along with lineups that are consistently awesome and diverse, strikes me as the essence of why so many people love Fun Fun Fun Fest. I certainly won't be missing it again anytime soon.