Non Footy Chat Thread II

[hindy111]

Goodbye Bluefest. It's been a nice 35yrs but you really needed to have stronger line ups to survive.

Bluesfest announces the 2025 festival will be its last: 'It pains me to say this'

After 35 years of celebrating the best in blues, roots music, and beyond, the legendary festival that has brought world-renowned artists to Australia, as well as showcasing homegrown talent, will host its last event at the Byron Events Farm, just outside Byron Bay, NSW. As the final chapter of...

beat.com.au

 

[hindy111]

From 102,000 attendees in 2022, Bluesfest in 2024 slumped to just 60,000 through the turnstiles, highlighting the cost-of-living challenge for promoters following big rises in interest rates and inflation.

Bluesfest to end after 35 years in fresh blow to live music

The Byron Bay institution will close just three years after record attendance in 2022, highlighting the challenge to music promoters from rising costs.

www.afr.com

 

[Twizzle]

It's only half an hour from my place and I've never been once, you're right, their line ups are average.

It was a shame, though, as many people liked it and it was good for the local economy.

 

[the phantom menace]

Goodbye Bluefest. It's been a nice 35yrs but you really needed to have stronger line ups to survive.

Bluesfest announces the 2025 festival will be its last: 'It pains me to say this'

After 35 years of celebrating the best in blues, roots music, and beyond, the legendary festival that has brought world-renowned artists to Australia, as well as showcasing homegrown talent, will host its last event at the Byron Events Farm, just outside Byron Bay, NSW. As the final chapter of...

beat.com.au

And with a 35 year history like many things I guess, if the festival was run by one or a small group of people, the time comes for it to naturally end (unless other younger folk want to take it up or take over organising).

Kind of when someone retires from work after a 35+ year career of doing the one thing?

 

[hindy111]

And with a 35 year history like many things I guess, if the festival was run by one or a small group of people, the time comes for it to naturally end (unless other younger folk want to take it up or take over organising).

Kind of when someone retires from work after a 35+ year career of doing the one thing?

Inflation mate. Covid lockdown f**ked the economy and the government both present and past has sat on its bum twiddling it's thumbs.
I wonder how much funding went to Raygun to put on her shit show.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

It's only half an hour from my place and I've never been once, you're right, their line ups are average.

It was a shame, though, as many people liked it and it was good for the local economy.

It’s like bookshops and boutique fashion joints. It’s nice being able to walk past and look in the window, but it requires other merkins to go in and overpay for stuff while I go home and buy it cheap online.

 

[hindy111]

It’s like bookshops and boutique fashion joints. It’s nice being able to walk past and look in the window, but it requires other merkins to go in and overpay for stuff while I go home and buy it cheap online.

It's nothing like that at all.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Maybe it’s more like used car joints on Parramatta Rd when merkins stop giving a shit about Mitsubishi Cordias?

 

[the phantom menace]

Inflation mate. Covid lockdown f**ked the economy and the government both present and past has sat on its bum twiddling it's thumbs.

Bit of a world-wide problem it seems. Doesn't stop the richer get richer though... need to chase these global corporations and Gina Rinehart to pay bigger taxes.

I wonder how much funding went to Raygun to put on her shit show.

Apparently very little.

 

[the phantom menace]

I only went to Byron Bluesfest once back in my younger days. I think around 2003.

It was pretty good, saw a lot of people play festival sets... Ben Harper, G. Love & Special Sauce, Jack Johnson, Michael Franti/Spearhead, Ozomatli - stuff like that.

And Shane McGowan and Violent Femmes. There was this shit-hot American slide guitarist that blew the roof off the tent - Robert Randolph.

Plus some older dudes - Love, Eric Burdon/Animals. As well as aussie acts like Augie March, Backsliders (Rob Hirst), Cat Empire, Gyan (who had a late 80s hit song), Iota, Resin Dogs.

I was never going to be a repeat attendee though - prices and costs were too high, what with transport up there and staying somewhere etc etc.

 

[Twizzle]

Accommodation was always a premium at Byron for such a small place, its always in high demand.

Looking at that line up is typically why people wont travel to an event like that. Even if it were in a capital city it wouldn't get the crowds that a BDO, Soundwave, Knottfest or Good Things would get.