Many music festival goers have the knowledge that a first year festival can swing either way. Some first year festivals mark the start of something incredible, something that can be seen as an annual celebration of music and friendship. Unfortunately for myself and about a thousand other people, Creatures of the Night did not fall into this category. This music festival was an experience unlike any I’ve ever had before; rather than call it a festival I’d prefer to call it a well-orchestrated heist.
Over the past weekend I decided to attend a first year festival down on the Red River in Adams, Tennessee. The festival lineup was star studded to say the least, and its placement was definitely a plus. When we got to Creatures of the Night about 9 on Friday night, it seemed like everything it could have been and more. Despite some rain showers Friday night, everyone made the best of it and raged through the night. The festival seemed to be the home on the road I was really excited for, but when we woke up Saturday to absolutely perfect weather, things started to take a turn for the worst.
Amidst the beautiful weather, a few rumors from credible sources started to spread that some of the most anticipated Saturday night headliners had cancelled on the event. To truly get the scoop my “festival friend” and I trekked up to the main stage area to get a word from the vendors. When we arrived the first thing we heard was that the main stage was getting shut down. This was before any music started on Saturday. Next we heard that the entirety of the production crew had left the grounds along with 95% of the artists for the rest of the festival. And when it seemed that things couldn’t get any worse, the last news bulletin we heard was that everyone would be getting kicked off the festival grounds the next morning. Turned out this was the reality of this first year festival.
But for everyone that stayed, there was a silver lining found in the good intent of some of those making the festival happen. A few DJs and smaller bands decided to scrap together some sound, lighting and stage equipment so that the show could proceed. A few sound and light engineers decided to stay working practically for free in an attempt to try and save the weekend of those that stayed. All of the fire and flow performers chose to stay and add to the theatrics of the event. The general consensus was that the show must go on!
And so it did. The music Saturday went until about three thirty in the morning. Few people who actually stayed left with a bad taste in their mouths because the lack of a refund was lessened a great amount by the people who wanted to see the event shine.
Unfortunately this reality is one that must constantly be considered now when scoping out first year festivals. It was great to see a star studded lineup on a piece of paper but seeing in action the scene where organizers can’t even afford half of the music was enraging. I’m not entirely sure if Creatures of the Night came back next year I would go. The optimist in me says yes simply because if the catastrophe never occurred it definitely would have been one of the greatest events I had ever attended.