FPSF 2024 Recap
(image by DL Haydon)
Another year, another festival in the bag. The 2024 Free Press Summer Fest will live on through our tweets and Instagrammed photos. Those who were there know what it was like.
For everybody else, we’ve rounded up interesting tidbits from FPSF 2024. Here’s what went down at Eleanor Tinsley this year.
Die Antwoord All Day
Jack White was the headliner, but the music junkies I spoke with all kept going back to a certain rap-rave trio.
The South African group drew fans and attention like nobody else that weekend. Consider them the breakout stars- if you can say that about somebody who’s already been in Rolling Stone.
FPSF also gave us this delightful Instagram video of Die Antwoord jamming to Wu Tang Clan. Enjoy.
Don’t Sit on the Hill
Seeing the massive Mars Stage was difficult even for us tall people. So people took to the hill running alongside the lower standing area.
Things got muddy real quick. One mud-slicked path claimed the dignity of countless drunk concertgoers during Vampire Weeekend Saturday night. I listened to two girls complaining about people falling on them on the hill. Note to self: bring cleats next year.
The Hell Is Up With Y’all’s Costumes?
I saw a baffling number of people wearing massive, colorful Indian headdresses. Not sure if this is some kind of post-post-racist statement about Houston demographics or if it’s some edgy frat guy trying to be cool.
That, the torn look and mantanks were in style. Would that I had a dollar for every girl wearing a artfully torn, totally-not-intentional half-shirt or for every guy in a tank top. Show some creativity.
Where Was Jade?
I was looking forward to seeing Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros because “Home,” god damn it. You can imagine my disappointment when the band took the stage without a woman in sight.
Jade Castrinos is an integral part to that band. She’s the cheese in the Magnetic Zeros’ cheeseburger. She sings the iconic lines of “Home:” “Alabama, Arkansas…”
After the crowd shouted for lead singer Alex Ebert (a.k.a. Edward Sharpe) to play that song, he told us we’d have to sing the other parts.
“Jade’s not on this tour,” he said dreamily. Damn it, man.
Everything Went Great Until It Didn’t
The festival ran remarkably well for most of the weekend. All the other staffers I talked to were surprised at how few problems we ran into.
Everything was working right up until Saturday afternoon. The weather finally followed through on its threat of rain and dumped a fuckton of the stuff onto the park. That and a thunderstorm forced everyone out of the park.
It sucked. The last thing you want to do when you’re getting into your festival groove is leave. The Houston Press has a nice account of the storm break.
Thank god everybody came back. As soon as we got the all-clear, gates opened back up and people streamed into the park to party on.
Want more? Check out our photos from the first and second day of Summer Fest.
2 Responses to FPSF 2024 Recap
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You do get that you just made fun of the people who patronized your event right? Stay classy Free Press.
THANK YOU for calling out everyone wearing the same thing! Tank tops are comfortable for festivals I get it, but people aren’t wearing it to be comfortable, they wear it to be like EVERYONE ELSE (but they still have their sense of individuality somehow..)
One more thing that annoyed the f out of me. Overheard at Ying Yang Twins “WHO THE F*** WANTS TO SEE YING YANG, WHERE’S FLOSSTRADAMUS” Also, after being dragged to Laidback Luke, SMH when the crowd is more pumped for a DJ playing 2 chainz THEN ACTUAL 2 CHAINZ last year. i don’t want to live on this planet anymore