Experience Within Wakarusa 2013
Wakarusa is more than the traditional music festival. Not only is it a gathering of the summer’s top acts, it is also a chance to reconnect with nature and our kindred “festie” spirits. Situated on the picturesque Mulberry Mountain, worries and pressures from the outside world melt away, much like how your friend is describing the motion of your face…whoa…wait, that seems strange.
Nonetheless, this unforgettable weekend lifts the veil obstructing the revelation of our interconnectedness. Old friends come together and new friendships are forged. Together, we share many experiences throughout this time – dancing harder than we previously thought possible as Big Gigantic gets funky on the saxophone, sharing our fears and desires in the tent as Umphrey’s jams out in the distance, and spending the day laughing and splashing around in the river.
Not much can top the sets at the “secretive” Satellite Stage (Break Science, Gramatik, and more), but my Wakarusa 2012 experience was embodied by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros’ set. The crowd had energy zipping back and forth, as if we were neurons propagating a nerve impulse in an all-encompassing brain. The folky tunes drifted over us and settled in our hearts, imprinting the weekend’s mantra, “home is wherever I’m with you.” This moment, hand and hand with my love, carried its significance far past the weekend. That is Wakarusa.
Although the weekend provided the most temperate weather in recent ‘Waka’ history, sometimes you may be hit with the unexpected hailstorm. Who doesn’t appreciate the live role-playing action of “Whack a mole,” though? Being a mole can leave a few unfortunate knots on your head. Regardless, whether you took cover in a vehicle or under a cardboard box, it was certain that fun times were had by all. Once the music resumed, everyone resurfaced and got back to the business of no business. Keller Williams and the undeniably breathtaking lotus stage taken by EOTO wrapped up Wakarusa in a delicate balance of bluegrass and impromptu electronic.
The thought of my friends and I stumbling around in the life-sized puppets, releasing sky lanterns during Primus, and getting faces painted just make me that much more excited to return home for Wakarusa 2013. Not to mention the lineup that they are bringing in this year! Okay, so maybe I will mention some names I can’t wait to see…
Tribe, Panic, Tipper, Gramatik, Del the Funky Homosapien, GRiZ, Papadosio…Figure, EOTO, Emancipator, Baauer, RL Grime, Bluetech, Govinda…Umphrey’s, Yonder, Of Monsters and Men, Snoop…I mean c’mon! I truly hope I get the chance to share my experience with you all, and if not, I hope we can be a part of each other’s experience.
See you on the Mountain 😉
Gerald Billac
“You are a divine being. You matter, you count.
You come from realms of unimaginable power and light,
and you will return to those realms.” – Terence McKenna