There are some myths about desert life.
It can be very harsh with extreme heat and an unshakeable sense of isolation. It has a unique appeal due to its many amenities, and its overall sense of beauty.
This is true even for Arizona music festivals.
It’s easy for people to see that there are some wonderful offerings. McDowell Mountain Music/M3F is a well-known local institution. Innings helps maintain the Valley’s place in the national arts and cultural scene. This is just a small part of the total picture.
There are some myths about desert life.
It can be very harsh with extreme heat and an unshakeable sense of isolation. It has a unique appeal due to its many amenities, and its overall sense of beauty.
This is true even for Arizona music festivals.
It’s easy for people to see that there are some wonderful offerings. McDowell Mountain Music/M3F is a well-known local institution. Innings helps maintain the Valley’s place in the national arts and cultural scene. This is just a small part of the total picture.
It does however make you wonder why not other festivals have a greater local presence. Viva PHX relied heavily on a lot of national bands. Are these just a byproduct of booking? Or could it be that in order to attract national attention you need more acts that already have national awareness?
Although it is important to have more Phoenix bands at a Phoenix-based event, this doesn’t mean that Zona could become a regional offering. Outside Lands or Lollapalooza are possible, or desirable. These are important questions to ask early because of how festivals impact their respective cities.
There is some latent hesitation about national headliners. It’s normal to be annoyed that not more local artists are headliners or “closer to” the headlining spots. This argument is not worth making, as huge talent sells tickets regardless of where they are located.
One hand, I like acts such as Portugal and Beach House. The Man is the kind of attraction that everyone in our city loves and wants to see. It’s crucial that fests reflect the tastes and aesthetics of the local residents. People would rather spend a lot of money on tickets than they do for other reasons.
However, it is not clear if this “caliber of act” is the best we can expect from Zona. It’s still only the first year and only the major-time fests (see Lollapalooza) have the money and influence to book the “mega” headliners. There’s no doubt that these aren’t your typical A-listers. And while it’s not against the bands, Innings, which is managed by the people behind Lollapalooza and C3 Presents, did land Eddie Vedder as well as Green Day for 2023.
