23.0°
Dancing in the Village happened all weekend long. |
CommentsReview from a Veteran Wanderluster
By Beth IngallsPublished: August 11, 2010
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Last year was interesting. If you were there, you know what I mean. Riding up the Funitel to the main stage was kind of a drag and it was definitely a headache production-wise. I had voiced my concerns early on, but they were set on using Gold Coast. The venue up there, though picturesque, was a bit gnarly in my estimation. The bumpy, barren, sloping ground and dust rising from the dancers in front of the stage didn’t turn me on. The vendors seemed a bit lonely and the food choices were sparse and pricey. Honestly, I spent much of my time in the VIP lounge catching up with the family and friends I had brought to experience Wanderlust. It was cool in there and the beer was cold, but even the VIP lounge didn’t have much luster. Except for a brief encounter with Adrien Grenier and something about a Tequila shot, there weren’t many VIP’s there to mingle with. Lesson #1. We don’t really respond well to the VIP thing here in Tahoe.
The musical line-up last year was great if you were a Michael Franti fan, until the day before his Saturday appearance. That’s when his appendix burst. The frantic rush to find a replacement for Franti, as you can imagine, is the stuff of Wanderlust production lore. Common came to fill in and he was great, but the reception for him was muted. People were disappointed. There were plenty of other great acts, but with the venue up top, and the stage down below and a general feeling of all-around disjointedness, things never really came together for me. But you have to start somewhere, right?
And then there was Wanderlust 2010.
Again, I had the privilege of helping out with the production, but this time it was a last minute call from my friend Biasha Mitchell with All Phases Event Group. She needed help checking in artists and yoga teachers and issuing credentials. She called me at 11 p.m. Wednesday night for a 7 a.m. start time the next day, the first day of the festival, July 29. Because I love Biasha and because I was curious about how the event was shaping up, I set my alarm and arrived on-time to the production office in the old Granite Chief store in the Village.
From the very first minute I learned the system and began issuing credentials for hundreds of musicians, vendors, yoga instructors, sponsors and their varied entourages, I knew this Wanderlust was going to be an entirely different animal.
Every single yoga class had sold out prior to the event. It was a case of you snooze, you lose, on that front for sure. With teachers coming from as far away as Europe and students from near and far as well, it was clear early on that at least the yoga side of Wanderlust had taken off hugely from year one.
There was a new set-up for the Village with hundreds of vendors scattered up and down and stages sprinkled throughout and oases like Anusara Village. Around every turn there was something to explore. There were trapezes, and tea houses and a full-blown traveling art exhibit. This was all free to folks who happened into the Village, too. You didn’t need to be a VIP, or even a ticketholder to experience much of the magic of Wanderlust this year, which I think is in the actual staging and concept itself. And you didn’t have to ride anything to get to the main stage area, which was sprawled out across the parking lot on the way to Olympic Village Lodge. Even though it was a parking lot, it worked. It was spacious, with lounging areas, giant canopies, killer sound and even a nice dance floor installed about halfway back for people who wanted to spin comfortably out of the crush of the crowd. It flowed. The musical line-up was deep and the buzz was strong about Pretty Lights, Moby, Yard Dogs Road Show, Bassnectar, and so many more. The music even went on into Sunday night, climaxing with the Brazilian Girls. The party was on, the place was packed and yet, security wasn’t breathing down anybody’s necks either. (A big thanks to Squaw for letting things happen so smoothly, by the way.)
Of course there were some issues here and there, but for the most part they were problems stemming from growth and success. Long lines at the first day yoga check-in for instance, or a late night venue that was just too small to accommodate the throngs who wanted access. These are good problems and the kinks will be worked out next time. The only negative chatter that really penetrated the glowing surface came from vendors who either didn’t like their location or felt the fees were too high. This too, will hopefully be remedied.
Wanderlust 2010 succeeded on all fronts. The older, wealthier yoga crowd was satisfied. The younger crowd was totally enthused about the musical offerings and the cheaper Daytripper tickets. The folks who happened on the event by chance probably had one of the most interesting experiences of their lives. And the people like me, the veterans of Wanderlust, can say without a doubt, that this concept has found its niche and this event has found its home. Oh yeah, and we’re pretty lucky that a nice guy from Brooklyn named Jeff who decided to try putting on a music and yoga festival, decided to put it on here.
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