The Echo Project
Can a music festival really be "green"?
Marion Coddou
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: News/Features
However, when an Echo Project staff member stepped onstage Saturday evening, fixed her pleading eyes on us as we milled around waiting for the Brazilian Girls and asked us if we could "please please please" pick up our trash and cigarette butts and throw them into the appropriate bins, it was clear: The environment? Man, people were here for the music. Not that they're necessarily mutually exclusive, and even those apathetic to environmental issues should be responsible enough to pick up their trash, but really, who pays $200 to see Thievery Corporation and then decides that they'd rather go to that workshop on "Greening the Music Industry"? No one. In fact, the "Echo Experience Tent" that hosted these workshops and the nonprofit and clean energy vendor village set up next door remained for the most part empty and overlooked, in spite of the 10,000 people in attendance, as festival attendees passed them up for the natural hemp hammocks, hookah and hippie wear on sale on the other end of the grounds. In exception to this pattern, workshops featuring members of musical groups playing at the festival saw notable turnout.
While the success of the efforts to improve the environment were questionable, all of the artists I had the opportunity to see put on outstanding shows. The Killers, Phil Lesh and Friends, Common, MOE, The Roots, Stephen Marley, Thievery Corporation and The Disco Biscuits headlined a diverse group of musical acts that played to a rather homogeneous segment of white suburbia. After missing The Flaming Lips on Friday, I spaced out to the ethereal post-rock of The Album Leaf and stuck around for Vanderbilt Rites of Spring alumni, The Secret Machines. I woke up Saturday morning to James Brown commanding me to "get up, get on up, and shake my money maker," which I successfully ignored until I stumbled over to see Louis XIV nonchalantly release grungy garage rock into the afternoon, exuding cool. Later, Futureman and His Black Mozart Ensemble successfully wove classical strings with hip-hop beats, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah stirred up such a stomping that a dust haze permanently obscured the stage.
While the success of the efforts to improve the environment were questionable, all of the artists I had the opportunity to see put on outstanding shows. The Killers, Phil Lesh and Friends, Common, MOE, The Roots, Stephen Marley, Thievery Corporation and The Disco Biscuits headlined a diverse group of musical acts that played to a rather homogeneous segment of white suburbia. After missing The Flaming Lips on Friday, I spaced out to the ethereal post-rock of The Album Leaf and stuck around for Vanderbilt Rites of Spring alumni, The Secret Machines. I woke up Saturday morning to James Brown commanding me to "get up, get on up, and shake my money maker," which I successfully ignored until I stumbled over to see Louis XIV nonchalantly release grungy garage rock into the afternoon, exuding cool. Later, Futureman and His Black Mozart Ensemble successfully wove classical strings with hip-hop beats, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah stirred up such a stomping that a dust haze permanently obscured the stage.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
neal turley
posted 11/09/07 @ 12:13 PM CST
The echo project never made any claims about being the "most environmentally friendly" music festival. Where and how do people jump to those conclusions? Whoever wrote this article is should seriously consider another the impact of their words?
Robyn
posted 11/09/07 @ 12:54 PM CST
From the Echo Project website: "Echo is an entirely new thinking in music festivals...Each new initiative is making sure that the environment is better for having had us there. (Continued…)
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