Have you ever been to a festival by yourself? It’s a strange sensation. A few weeks ago I suddenly found myself at Bristol Brewery’s first annual Freewheelin Festival, paying attention to everything around me. Despite the awkwardness and how uncomfortable I felt to begin with, going solo allowed me to pay attention to my surroundings and offered me the freedom to come and go. I could band hop as I pleased or see the bands that some friends would have rather skipped.
In my first few minutes there, I saw one of the most attractive guys I have ever seen in Colorado Springs. Rushing across the Ivywild courtyard, we made eye contact, but I never saw him again—or so I thought. It was not until I stumbled across some random band playing on one of the smaller stages right by the entrance that I realized this mysterious guy was the lead singer of the band Miguel Dakota and the Differents. Although I did a bit of research on some of the smaller bands, this band was somehow forgotten. Despite the fact that I did not know any of their songs, I was pleasantly surprised. With the relatively small crowd full of middle-aged to older-adults, this Colorado band managed to rock the crowd, sending tingly music vibes everywhere as if there were over hundreds of people ready to listen and jam out.
One critique, however, was the overall energy. For the first day of a brand new festival, I did not quite know what to expect. Maybe my judgment was clouded by the large scale events I have gone to back home and the ones on campus that are perhaps fueled by drunken raucous energy. Regardless, for some reason I wanted people to dance, truly dance, and feel the music. Instead, it felt more like there were isolated pockets of people engaging in a motionless gaze, clapping after every song as if it were the opera. But then again it was the daytime, the weather was a little groggy, and the crowd was a bit older, so perhaps some combination of these affected how people interacted with the music.
Despite such critiques, this festival is doing something that needs to be done and should have already been done—engaging with local Colorado Springs residents, giving artists an opportunity to perform in their community, and further contributing to the arts scene and growth of this city. It also allowed for local businesses to take part in this festival, further supporting economic growth here, which is important. Not to mention, there were amazing headliners.
I finally was granted the opportunity to see Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, and I don’t think I’ve been the same since then. His voice, his story, his kindness, nothing compares. It reminded me a bit of going back home or seeing a reincarnation of James Brown.
There is potential in the Freewheelin Fest; the combination of beer, food, fun and music is hard to mess up. I envision it only improving as the years go by. Hopefully, they will be able to reach out to the different communities that exist in the Colorado Springs area. A diversified presence, especially of Colorado College students, would make a great improvement.