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Name: National Cherry Festival
Age: 87
Occupation: yearly festival
Last Seen: Traverse City, MI
Bee-otched For: turning into a geezerfest again
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Well, at least there's the Traverse City Film Festival (and dammit, I gotta get there one year or another).
The National Cherry Festival is becoming more and more overrated every year. It seems that there's always something to do for the old people and kids, but if you're maybe 16-40, the sad answer is fuck you.
Case in point: their concert selection this year. A few weeks ago, they announced three concerts: Styx, Foreigner and Montgomery Gentry. When I heard the announcement, I thought that there would be more.
There are, but it's another country concert, a Simon and Garfunkel tribute and the always there 1964: The Tribute.
To a 31-year-old like me, there's only one word to describe this snoozefest: YAWN.
I'm a rock guy and REALLY?!? Styx and Foreigner? Sorry, but this is 2013, not 1977. What's more laughable is that BOTH bands have long-parted from their original lead singers (and in Foreigner's case, only guitarist Mick Jones is left) and none of them have had any relevance for years. True, the country crowd gets several acts that are still making hits, but sorry, the assholes at the Cherry Festival are once again aiming for an audience that's either 1) old, 2) white trash or 3) both.
Last year, the Cherry Festival *actually* had a somewhat-decent band playing at the event, Pop Evil. I don't know how they did attendance-wise, but I'd rather see a Nickelback clone over some old dudes playing some other old dudes' songs.
Thankfully, there's Streeters and the new Southside Hideout In Buckley (Drowning Pool's playing there late June). I understand, the Cherry Fest is trying to remain family friendly and all, but this is re-god-damned-diculous.
I know, there's some science regarding the crappy concerts at the Cherry Festival. Part of it's due to KLT ALWAYS sponsoring the event and they're the top rock station in town. Thankfully, their ratings are sinking from what I've heard - partly due to the Finster snafu - but with the demise of the rock format on 95.5, it's a sign also that many younger rock fans are getting their music elsewhere (like Sirius or Pandora) and 20-30 years down the road, geezer-friendly stations like KLT will probably be dead.
The moral of the story: want a current rock band to play the Cherry Festival? Wait 35 years.
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Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
Age: 87
Occupation: yearly festival
Last Seen: Traverse City, MI
Bee-otched For: turning into a geezerfest again
---
Well, at least there's the Traverse City Film Festival (and dammit, I gotta get there one year or another).
The National Cherry Festival is becoming more and more overrated every year. It seems that there's always something to do for the old people and kids, but if you're maybe 16-40, the sad answer is fuck you.
Case in point: their concert selection this year. A few weeks ago, they announced three concerts: Styx, Foreigner and Montgomery Gentry. When I heard the announcement, I thought that there would be more.
There are, but it's another country concert, a Simon and Garfunkel tribute and the always there 1964: The Tribute.
To a 31-year-old like me, there's only one word to describe this snoozefest: YAWN.
I'm a rock guy and REALLY?!? Styx and Foreigner? Sorry, but this is 2013, not 1977. What's more laughable is that BOTH bands have long-parted from their original lead singers (and in Foreigner's case, only guitarist Mick Jones is left) and none of them have had any relevance for years. True, the country crowd gets several acts that are still making hits, but sorry, the assholes at the Cherry Festival are once again aiming for an audience that's either 1) old, 2) white trash or 3) both.
Last year, the Cherry Festival *actually* had a somewhat-decent band playing at the event, Pop Evil. I don't know how they did attendance-wise, but I'd rather see a Nickelback clone over some old dudes playing some other old dudes' songs.
Thankfully, there's Streeters and the new Southside Hideout In Buckley (Drowning Pool's playing there late June). I understand, the Cherry Fest is trying to remain family friendly and all, but this is re-god-damned-diculous.
I know, there's some science regarding the crappy concerts at the Cherry Festival. Part of it's due to KLT ALWAYS sponsoring the event and they're the top rock station in town. Thankfully, their ratings are sinking from what I've heard - partly due to the Finster snafu - but with the demise of the rock format on 95.5, it's a sign also that many younger rock fans are getting their music elsewhere (like Sirius or Pandora) and 20-30 years down the road, geezer-friendly stations like KLT will probably be dead.
The moral of the story: want a current rock band to play the Cherry Festival? Wait 35 years.
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Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com!Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
agree 1000%! the festival is really an overrated joke on many levels. Why anyone would travel 200-300 miles to attend this is beyond me. if you want to fight traffic all day, why not just save the gas $$ and stay in Detroit or Chicago.
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