Wakarusa 2008 is right around the
corner. In fact, for those that wish to spend an extra night camping
(and enduring the harsh morning sun), the festival starts tonight at
midnight. The gates and the will call tent open at midnight and
will continue to run until 2 am-ish. It is highly advisable, in my
opinion, to get out there tonight, get a good spot, have a few beers
and then go home to chill in the AC for the last time in the next
four days. As nice as the spring nights are in Eastern Kansas, the
mornings can be hell – especially if you've been up until 4am
enjoying the music. Plan accordingly.
The lineup this year promises to be one
of the best since the festival's inception in 2004. The booking and
planning staff at Pipeline Productions seem to have struck a
near-perfect mix between big label bands that will act as large
weekend-pass/day-pass draws while bringing a plethora of grassroots
and underground acts that will satisfy the camping contingent. After
talking to quite a few people around Lawrence (all of whom were
clearly in town for the festival) it seems to be the consensus that
camping will be pretty full. More on the lineup here.
Unfortunately, even press can't go
check the place out until midnight tonight. Watch for an update
later tonight on the campground setup and some must-see sights
(probably a few pictures too).
Paul Reetz
paulreetz at gmail dot com