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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: Seth Hurwitz on August 15, 2008, 08:45:00 am
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this is for those that went
comments & criticism from my people is what I seek
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As a vendor:
The booth next to me annoyed me, lost me sales, and pissed off everyone around us by having "music" blasting so loudly I had to yell to my friend to be heard. They had six other vendors complain to them and they did nothing to lower volume. I lost a lot of sales...
Other than that, Jason Williams and Amy were wonderful. They answered all my questions, provided great help, and were on top of everything. My booth/tent was perfect and we had plenty of room. I did not make as much as I would like but who does?
As a music lover:
I though Sunday was much better than Saturday. Decent mix of bands, old and new, which was cool as I got to see Gogol Bordello and Iggy Pop compete for most spastic on stage (Iggy won). The grounds were well organized, parking for me was easy, and trash and recycling bins were plentiful.
The only complaint was that the porta-john did not get cleaned and restocked later in the day.
Overall, Sir, you did a great job and I hope we can do a Flatstock next year and promote it well.
Jeff of El Jefe Design
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I'll preface this by saying two things. 1) I've never done the big festival-thing, so I have nothing to compare this to and 2) I only went on Sunday.
I thought the whole thing was very well done. I didn't really have a single problem all day. No traffic, no problems parking, no lines for food, drinks or the bathroom. Reasonable prices. Very easy to go back and forth between the stages. Not difficult to get reasonably close to the stages between bands. I thought it sounded great. No problems leaving either, but we skipped NIN/Kanye, so we beat the crowd.
And this is coming from someone who was dreading this and resigned to being miserable all day. I wasn't. It was a great time.
As for criticisms...I thought the schedule was pretty lopsided, but I guess that's a matter of personal taste. The only band I wanted to see on Friday was Foo. On Sunday I had to pick and choose, because everyone I wanted to see conflicted with someone else I wanted to see. I guess I would have liked to have seen the sets staggered a little more, but even that wasn't as bad as I expected.
I felt bad for El Jefe. Those dorks blasting the music were pretty damn annoying.
Oh - And never, ever book that Hollywood Undead garbage for anything ever again. Ever. Really.
Great time. I'll definitely be back.
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Yeah, those guys next to El Jeffe were super annoying (I think it was WHFS - and they had an amp and guitar for anyone that wanted to play/sing) - and no sign of El Jeffe when I was in his booth - probably due to the noise, heh.
I only went Sunday (last year I went both days) - I thought Saturdays lineup was lacking. Had a great time Sunday though - my suggestions:
Have more picnic tables - I thought I remember a bunch of tables last year which were not there this year...
Have more art installations
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I also only went to Sunday. The infrastructure of the event was great, but the lineup was awful compared to the last two years. Saturday was a collection of every pitchfork band I never got into, and apparently everyone else since tickets for saturday were practically being given away on craigslist for it. Sunday had absurd lineup overlaps -- I went primarily for STP and Dylan and had to choose. And the teeny-bop warped tour bands (Taking Back Sunday 2.0, Paramore) were annoying, but then again, they're the only reason my girlfriend came, so, can't please everyone I guess.
I can honestly say I was extremely unpleased with the lineup and with good reason. When I, as an educated concert ticket buyer, know Portishead, Prince and The Verve were doing Coachella; My Bloody Valentine was doing US dates; and Radiohead was doing festival dates within one week of your event, then I cannot in good conscience swallow NIN, Kanye, Jack Johnson, Lil Wayne, and The Offspring amongst your events headliners. I idiotically held off on a Coachella or Lolla trip thinking your event would be close to comparable as far as headliner quality, and I cannot say had I known all the festivals lineups on advance that I would have even considered attending VFest. Next year, I can't say I'll give VFest the benefit of the doubt.
I guess in the end, as well run as Vfest is put together, if you get subpar talent and can't decide whether you're throwing a rock event, an indie event, or a rap event (this whole "cross genre" thing ticks off way more people then it appeals to), Vfest will remain a US festival footnote.
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You've done another fantastic job, Seth. We had VIP tickets and the addition of complimentary food was very much appreciated. The price was right for food and booze vendors. Great sight lines from south stage VIP area.
As far as the music goes, an enjoyable, cross-genre lineup. Perhaps a wee bit more on the current indie scene would be nice, but that's just me. Sound and video were awesome.
Criticisms: Sight lines from north stage VIP area are now non-existent. Water spigots were...well, where the heck were they? We couldn't find any and between all of our other friends, they said they found two. Don't bother with VIP swag bags if there's nothing of substance in them. Just put the freebies out on a table in the grandstand area.
And please!! Never punish one band for the transgressions of another. L'il Wayne should have had his set cut short instead of the Black Keys paying the price (unless there's some mitigating back story that you'd like to share).
Thanks again, Seth. You and your staff did a great job.
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Stop dating teeny boppers. Dump your girlfriend and find someone with good taste.
And I wouldn't think there would be that much of a fan overlap between STP and Dylan.
And I bet NIN and Kanye sell more tickets to a festival than My Bloody Valentine would.
Originally posted by Julian, certified WEBLEBRITY:
I also only went to Sunday. The infrastructure of the event was great, but the lineup was awful compared to the last two years. Saturday was a collection of every pitchfork band I never got into, and apparently everyone else since tickets for saturday were practically being given away on craigslist for it. Sunday had absurd lineup overlaps -- I went primarily for STP and Dylan and had to choose. And the teeny-bop warped tour bands (Taking Back Sunday 2.0, Paramore) were annoying, but then again, they're the only reason my girlfriend came, so, can't please everyone I guess.
I can honestly say I was extremely unpleased with the lineup and with good reason. When I know Portishead, Prince and The Verve were doing Coachella; My Bloody Valentine was doing US dates; and Radiohead was doing festival dates within one week of your event, then I cannot in good conscience swallow NIN, Kanye, Lil Wayne, and The Offspring amongst your events headliners. If Lollapalooza, Coachella, or APW were anywhere near me, I wouldn't have even considered attending VFest, as well run as it was put together.
I guess in the end, as well run as Vfest is put together, if you get subpar talent and can't decide whether you're throwing a rock event, an indie event, or a rap event, Vfest will remain a US festival footnote.
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Hey Charles, glad you found a way to comment in the thread despite not attending the event. Someone make sure I get a 930.com assist on the score sheet.
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
Stop dating teeny boppers. Dump your girlfriend and find someone with good taste.
Stop being a bitter old curmudgeon and drink your Metamucil.
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Sudnay was waaaayyyyy better than saturday. Coldplay plays TWICE in DC and yet we can get them for vfest? wtf?
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I didn't go to the event because the line-up was below par from the previous 2 years. And I wasn't a huge fan of the schedule so that completely turned me off. If i had had the weekend off I'm sure I would have gone because there were at least a few bands for me that would have made if worth it but this is far from better than the first 2 years. Maybe waiting til after every other summer festival was announced isn't the best plan .
:x
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Originally posted by ebeniezer:
Sudnay was waaaayyyyy better than saturday. Coldplay plays TWICE in DC and yet we can get them for vfest? wtf?
Because Coldplay was in Tokyo. The week before they played Pemberton in BC.
08/09 - Osaka, Japan @ Summer Sonic
08/10 - Tokyo, Japan @ Summer Sonic
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I could only go on Sunday, but that was due to personal schedule problems and not the lineup - I was actually quite disappointed that I didn't get to see Wilco and Bloc Party, among others. Sunday had better headliners, but Saturday had more interesting selection of bands during the day that I'd have wanted to see.
I thought it was a lot of fun, and I'll try to make it back both days next year. STP overlap with Dylan sucked, but I didn't have a problem with the rest of the schedule. I still don't think this year's lineup was as strong as last year's but I feel like I got my money's worth. Nine Inch Nails were fantastic.
I was VERY impressed by how clear the sound was, on both stages, all night long. The good food was a nice surprise, as was a functional Scott Weiland.
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One thing i noticed this year that was different from previous years is that instead of having a mainstage and a sidestage, there was 2 mainstages.
i REALLY liked this set-up. It seems like that setup split up the crowd well and made it very easy for me and my friends to get great spots to see who we wanted to see.
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No problems with parking..traffic...food..lines..or anything for that matter. toilet paper but i expected that.
with the line up. I actually discovered new bands that I never would have listened to.
I mean saturday I mostly went see rodrigo y gabriela and discovered sharon jones, the silver beats, and a bunch of cool dj's in the dance tent. Andrew bird, iggy, and she and him.
Hoegaarden on tap. sweeet.
Both days I had a blast. :)
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Lineup sucked this year compared to the previous 2 years, so i only went to Sunday. I must say, compared to that first year, you guys have mastered the art of transportation. Getting in and out of the event is flawlessssssss. I think of any festival i have ever been to, you guys are the easiest to get in and out of.
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I enjoyed both Saturday and Sunday...
The set up at the park was great and the free parking on the streets about 1/2 a mile away were great.
Most the booths were great, but they shouldn't be allowed to blast music. (I stopped by Jaffes without even realizing he posted on here, great stuff. Hopefully next year he'll have V-fest posters)
Now for the 2 complaints:
1. Lil Wayne - His lack of professionalism cost The Black Keys set time. Absolutely terrible and idiotic. His music was also offensive and terrible. I understand that he's a 'draw' but he really had a lot of people pissed off.
2. The Dance tent sound could be heard from both stages. There's gotta be a better way to deal with it. During The Swell Season it got slightly annoying.
Overall though it was great. I enjoyed the earlier acts more on Saturday (Gogol, Swell Season, Bloc Party) and the headliners Sunday (Dylan, NIN). I bought a ticket off craigslist for $125 and thought that seemed like a fair price for the lineup.
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I'll gladly do V-Fest posters, for free, instead of the standard ad-mat one that was available. I had a ton of people looking for one and I literally had one guy get flip out because I did not do one.
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I went both daze. I've been to all three from noon until end. I thought this year's lineup was stronger than last year's. Last year the only bone thrown to the old geezers was Cheap Trick. This year you gave us Chuck, Iggy, and Bob. Thanks for that! Please send pre-sale password for 2009. Can't wait!
Complaints:
I agree that Lil Wayne was a bad booking and was the VFest Douchebag of 2008 (honorable mention to the punk that took a piss a few people away from me during Dylan). The Black Keys should not have been penalized by this.
I wish that there could've been an announcement that the South Stage was behind about 30 minutes on Sunday. I had to roll on STP to run to the South Stage to stand and wait for Dylan. I only saw 7 bands on Sunday when I can usually squeeze in 10.
I had no idea that The Beats and Chuck were splitting a set. I was under the impression that they were backing him. I wish Chuck had come on first. His set was the one I was most looking forward to since I hadn't seen him in 20 years. But I had to make a run for Wilco since I've never seen them.
That is all.
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Seth,
I also have nothing to compare it to, because I've never been to festival before, but I had a blast.
The bands were really cool, and I got to see a lot of new stuff and liked some of them. One big reason I bought a 2 day pass was Lil Wayne, and yes I'm irritated he was so late, but in all that was just a minor downer on a great weekend. Sunday night was tough for me, because I really wanted to see Kanye and Van Buurin.
Food vendors: The food was really good, especially the crabcakes. One minor thing. I ordered chicken tenders and they were good, but I bite into the 3rd one and it was very very undercooked. I brought it back and was really nice and explained what happened. I was blown away by the service I got. Some younger college aged girl apologized so much and gave me a new meal. Despite this being something small, I really appreciated it, and it showed great customer service. Hope this all helps.
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a few truths revealed...
The Silver Beats were, in fact, supposed to back Chuck up...he changed his mind at the last minute and insisted on the musicians that played
Believe it, or not...the Black Keys set was not cut short...that was it
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Spin has a ton of interviews from backstage and some clips:
http://www.spin.com/festivals/virgin-mobile-festival (http://www.spin.com/festivals/virgin-mobile-festival)
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I went both days. Had planned to only go Sunday but was convinced to buy a 2-day ticket late in the game and ended up spending the weekend @ Pimlico. Honestly, there wasn't a single "gotta-see-them" act on either bill this year but there were enough "they'd-be-pretty-good-to-see" acts to make it worth my $175.
The good:
The bands sounded great. Everything was well-balanced and nobody was too loud or too soft, though my ears did ring a little Saturday night. MUCH appreciated.
Getting in and out went very well. Aside from one instance on Sunday - just before STP's set - the concession lines were never too long. And prices were fair.
Vendors were somewhat interesting but for some reason I wasn't as compelled to see them this year. Was sad that El Jefe didn't have the print I wanted but that's a personal problem.
The bad:
The South Stage running late on Sunday.
Not staggering acts so we could pretty much see everybody. I caught parts of a lot of acts.
Glad to have seen Chuck Berry in person but I still don't think he was a good lead-in for the evening headliner. Momentum killer. Not at all surprised to hear he he bailed on the Silver Beats.
Toilet paper was in very short supply on Sunday.
Was unable to get those off-white festival shirts that sold out on Saturday. Was told there would be more on Sunday so I held off....only to find out that there wouldn't be any more of them.
Might be just me but it seemed the VIP areas were under-utilized. I realize the idea was to keep them from getting too crowded but it seemed mostly like a waste of space.
Overall: I had a really good time. Will look forward to seeing next year's line-up and hopefully see everyone back at the racetrack.
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I was expecting to go this year, but to my surprise I had won tickets from a local radio station at the last minute, so my best friend and I went for both days. I had won my tickets from 94.7 The Globe in case you're wondering. To be quite honest, I had a blast. I went to Sunday last year and had a lot of fun, but I think I had more fun this year. So here is my critique...
I thought the line up was pretty great. The whole entire weekend allowed me to check out more bands than I would even at an hfstival or a warped tour. The distance between the North and South Stages was pretty great by the way. I didn't feel like I walked all day just to see a band or two. By the way, I really loved the overall layout of the festival and I loved the free bike taxi dudes, they were a great help.
I saw the following on Saturday: Catpower, KT Tungstall, Duffy, Rodreigo y Gabriela, Gogol Bordello, The Swell Season, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, The Offspring, The Silver Beats (who were totally refreshing! and surprising), Chuck Berry and the Foo Fighters. I only wished I could've seen Lupe Fiasco, Wilco, and Underworld. Reason I didn't was because of scheduling conflicts.
I thought the diversity of Saturday was pretty great. Fantastic mix of indie, hip hop, main stream alternative stuff, and some other things.
I loved how the Foo Fighters played for a solid 2 hours and just killed it. I also loved how they were a lot of fun. It felt like a festival gig, but at the same time, they made their set feel like a good concert.
By the way, I thought it was pretty awesome how you got on stage and played drums with Chuck Berry. Now about the Silver Beats, I thought they were a cool twist to the whole evening. I never thought in a million years I would see a tribute band, let alone a really good tribute band. It was so cool how everyone in the crowd was singing along and it reminded me why I loved the Beatles so much as a kid.
My biggest complaint about Saturday was that the dance music tent was really loud, so loud that it bled into the swell season's set, which was a bit sad because they were fantastic. I'm not sure what you could do about that for next year, but I think something should happen for bands that might be all accoustic like that. Now that I think of it, I think the same thing that happened to the swell season, also happened during Rodrigo Y Gabriela's set too.
Aside from the sound overload from the dance tent, I honestly felt the sound on the main stages were fantastic. My kid sister made me promise to her that I would see Paramore and call her during the set. I was up front during their set and she could hear them loud and clear on my little old virgin mobile phone (yeah I use v-mobile from time to time). It impressed how good the sound was, so major kudos to your stage sound dudes.
As for Sunday, I saw BRMC, Shudder to Think, Andrew Bird, Paramore, She & Him, Taking Back Sunday, Iggy and the Stooges, STP, Bob Dylan and NIN. I also saw like a minute or two of Kanye, because my friend wanted to leave early. I thought Sunday was a lot of fun, and had some really great music. It too was an electic line-up. I have to applaud you for getting NIN and Kanye. It was great seeing bands who had incredible light shows and had some headlining command.
My complaints about Sunday is about the scheduling I suppose. First of all, I thought Hollywood Undead were awful. How they beat We Are Scientists is a bit beyond me. I'm saying this because the contest winnners didn't seem to match what I think the actual concert goers would've liked to have seen. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just think that contest is a bit off. Okay second thing, it was really difficult trying to figure out who to see when it came to Bob Dylan, STP and Moby. That was for me the sophie's choice of the weekend, but I managed to catch most STP's set and a little bit of Bob Dylan's set. Also, I really don't get why you booked Lil Wayne and had him on right after She & Him. During She & Him's set, all the kids were being rude and trying to get good spots for Lil Wayne. I understand why they wanted a good spot, but it almost ruined my experience of watching She & Him, who I was really there to go see. I even explained to this one kid that most of the people watching the band would probably leave. I also saw something similar to this effect during Bob Dylan, because all these kids wanted to get up close for Kanye. It kinda hurt to see these kids complain about Bob Dylan. (By the way, is it true Kanye was late for his own set becuase he was watching Nine Inch Nails?)
As for other things... I loved the circus family with the trapeeze acts, the sword swallowing, magic shows and other side show acts. My friend and I watched them whenever they were performing and we were passing by. It was a great thing to see in between all of the bands. I really enjoyed the whole carnival feel to the festival with the different foods, booths, the skate park demos (which were really great) and other attractions.
The cooling and refreshing domes were good. I thought it was cool that there was a dome where people could get different hair styles done and even get their phones charged! The shade tents were a blessing, but I think the one near the North Stage could've been much much bigger or there could've been more shade tents! More picnic tables is a good idea too. As for the port-a-poties, a lot of them were disgusting after a while. Also, a lot of them were understocked with toliet paper. I remember Saturday morning using one right after the festival had just opened the gates and the port-a-pot was out of TP already or it didn't have any in there to begin with. So that's totally an area for improvement for next year.
As for the food, I thought most of it was reasonably priced and really good. (Ice cream for 6 bucks is a bit much, especially for good humor stuff so maybe that could change) I grew up with HFStivals and the terrible over priced food that they would have, so please know that the food overall was much better than that. On a similar subject, I do think the non-alcholic beverages such as the raspberry tea, lemonaide and soda could've been a little bit more cheaper like by a buck or two. Also, thank you for allowing water bottles to be taken in. The water spickets were once again a great idea again, but they were harder to find this year. Oh I almost forgot, the lines for food weren't too shabby. I think the one thing that would be great for next year is to be allowed to take in snack type items like crackers and chips and granola bars.
While I didn't like the t-shirts much this year, I really wanted a charcoal shirt because it was different looking than last year's tshirt. Wearing a V-fest shirt at my school (University of MD) is like bragging rights and plus, I collect concert and music festival tshirts that I have attended. Well, last year I was able to get my shirt (which I really loved the design for that actually) on Sunday afternoon. Well, for this year I figured I could do the same. So here I am Sunday afternoon, trying to get a shirt and I couldn't. I went to both merch booths. They had sold out of all the festival tshirts by noon or something like that on Sunday, which was super disappointing. I also thought it was a pain in the butt that I had to walk to both booths to get merch from different bands. I think all the merch should've been at just one big booth in the middle of the festival or something. It would've made finding the different bands' shirts and merch much easier. I really would like to get a tshirt, are any more going to be made? Please let me know!
About traffic...Traffic was really good. Didn't have any problems getting there or getting out, aside from Saturday night this one police officer almost got my friend and I lost with the traffic directions.
As for parking, I do have a question...Why 25 bucks for parking? I'm just curious. Over all, I thought parking was great though. I felt some of the staff could've been more helpful with parking because I have handicap tags, but there was one guy who did an awesome job. Both days we parked in the lot near the south stage, this guy drove around the lot in a golf cart and both days found us really great parking for our needs. I have asthma and can't walk too far of distances in the heat, and his knowledge of handicap parking spots was a great help.
Overall, I can't wait for next year. I'm really tempted into getting VIP tickets for 2009 actually, especially if AC/DC is a possible headliner (wishful thinking I know haha). But seriously, I loved the overall atmosphere. It wasn't a total party like the hfstival used to be. It's more like a musical carnival or a music geek's paradise to quote a friend of mine. Keep up the great work and I look foward to next year! Also, have more tshirts made for next year so I can buy some!
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good job on drums for chuck seth. this is my second vfest and i really enjoyed myself. please post the lineup and schedule sooner next year.
good:
- i initiall complained about brmc going on first, but i'm glad they did now.
- doesnt take long to get there from dc
- the staff i met were nice
- variety of things to do when not hearing a band. i missed a good deal of it since i spent most of my time at one of the stages though.
- fair amount of shade/cool off tents (loved the vfest towels)
- decent variety of food
- Parking â?? although expensive, it was easy to get in
- Distance between north/south stage. to not hear the other stage is a good thing
- Sound was good for both stages
- Lots of trash cans
- booking brmc, nin, swell season, iggy, foos and rodrigo y gabriela
- didnt stop by the vendors/booths much (not interest), but i did appreciate the free carbonated juice :D
Bad:
- That darn dance tent. We listening to glenâ??s set and kept hearing that darn thump thump from the dance tent. he even mentioned it.
- Port o potties were gross and ran out of toilet paper very early on
- cops not knowing how to directing traffic. i know you cant do much about it, but it was a pain trying to get out of there on saturday. they seemed a bit better about things sunday night.
- not knowing the south stage was behind. we left iggy to go over to the south stage just to have to turn around and go back b/c lil wayne was behind schedule. maybe next year it could be announced on the screen where text messages go?
- Not being allowed to keep the top when buying water. most people buy water and drink it during the course of an hour or two, it's hard to do when you cant put a top on it and put it in your pocket or bag.
- running out of festival t-shirts
- having everyone exit by the south gate takes ages. if we park by the north stage, we should be able to enter there.
question: why doesnt vip have better sight lines closer to the stage? i've always wanted to know why they are soo far away. if i pay that much money i want to be closer to the stage.
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Originally posted by Cash is King:
Lineup sucked this year compared to the previous 2 years, so i only went to Sunday. I must say, compared to that first year, you guys have mastered the art of transportation. Getting in and out of the event is flawlessssssss. I think of any festival i have ever been to, you guys are the easiest to get in and out of.
I think I take issue to the "sucked" statement, even in comparison to last year or the year before. Maybe it wasn't as strong to your personal taste, but there were solid acts across the board. Since I was working I didn't get to catch much of it, but from what I saw I was very impressed with the following:
The Black Keys
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Gogol Bordelo
Chromeo
Bloc Party
Foo Fighters
Soulwax
Stone Temple Pilots
She & Him
Chuck Berry
As you can tell I didn't make it over to the North stage much, but I heard that NIN were amazing. I mean to see 10 great performances in 2 days would have been worth it for me to shell out a couple hundred bucks. No suckitude from my perspective.
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I only went on Sunday and only went to see BRMC, but I quite enjoyed myself. I hate festivals and I was incredibly lazy while there so I can't give much feedback, but for a festival I was pleasantly surprised. I got lost quite a bit, but the only time I had a problem was when I first got there, I couldn't figure out where to go and when I asked for directions a few times, nobody knew where to direct me. Otherwise it did seem very well organised, and the crowd itself was decent for a festival in my experience. My friend and I commented on the lack of people having sex on the lawn. Pleasantly surprised indeed, I must say. One thing that would have been nice would be more places to sit in the VIP lounge, as we all want to take advantage of the AC.
And I very much thank you for the chance to see Nine Inch Nails, because I never would have thought to spend the money to see them on their own. Now I am eager to see them again.
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although I do take all of the criticism into consideration, and welcome it...I do have to say it gives me great pleasure to hear about what a great time some of you had
and you deserve all the credit for making the effort and investment
thanks
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Hey Seth:
I am one of the few who went to Saturday rather than Sunday. Only bands on Sunday I would've wanted to see were BRMC, Black Keys and Dylan. Saturday, I was there for Foos, Offspring, Chuck, Wilco and Citizen Cope.
The artist are personal taste of course so some people will always complain. I love Pimlico as a venue, easy in and out. Staff were great, port-o-potties other than the two by the North Stage were decent. The two by themselves were gross and I couldn't use them.
Keep up the good work and looking forward to next year.
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The Good:
- Getting STP, Chuck Berry, and The Silver Beats to play
- Getting NIN to also headline
- Food being priced fairly
- Free water re-fills
- Not seeing Lil' Wayne
- Getting lucky w/ the weather
- Preferred parking passes
The Bad:
- It seemed like the earlier bands seemed weaker then those of later years. Outside of Iggy Pop and BRMC I had no interest in any other bands
- Exiting the parking lot on day 1 by the south stage, thank god Kayne ran late on day 2.
Overall, bring the V-Fest back to Pimlico for Year 4 PLEEAASSEE!
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oh 1 idea...have the other stage on the TV between acts. It would have been great to see STP on the screen as i was holding my spot for dylan.
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Thanks for making this V-Fest really enjoyable, Seth! Like everyone else, I had a blast.
Before my "good/bad" split, I have to admit that I was wrong about questioning the choices to bring some of the bands (The Offspring drew a huge crowd, as did Paramore and Lil Wayne). You know best.
And you rocked the drums.
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THE GOOD:
- Cat Power, BRMC, NIN, Bloc Party, Iggy Pop, and Rodrigo y Gabriela all killed it. Amazing.
- I loved the fact that there were so many female-fronted bands!
- The stage setups were excellent this year. Never felt too crowded, unsafe, or unable to see the band.
- Great headliners (especially NIN) with nice choices for all people.
- No problems with parking or traffic.
- Tons of recycling options.
- Scheduling was actually very effective on both days, I thought. Kudos!
- Very courteous staff throughout the venue.
- Prices were OK, except $5 for ice cream.
- Your marketing for the festival was quite effective. Every DC 101 listener was well aware of the festival, and all the billboards on buses and bus stops caught my attention.
- Just about everything about the show was great.
THE BAD:
- Chuck Berry was AWFUL. He missed so many notes; it was sad. Why couldn't he figure out how to replug his guitar? Good god.
- Bob Dylan is a legend and he sounded good, but he just didn't fit this festival. The "classic" acts this year weren't up to par to The Police, The Who, Cheap Trick, etc. Sorry.
- LIL WAYNE!!!. He was 40 minutes late. Everyone was booing. His entourage pranced on stage for at least 15 minutes. His DJ was awful. It was a wreck. It definitely sold a hell of a lot of tickets, though.
- The placement of She & Him before Lil Wayne led to A LOT of rude people talking, shouting, chanting and disrupting Zooey and Matt Ward's set. It ruined what was an otherwise enjoyable mid-day set.
- The Black Keys not getting a 1-hour set as promised by the schedule.
- There were no recycling options in the VIP Grandstand. Why not? It was perfect everywhere else.
- The Dance tent bled into just about every North stage set on Saturday.
- I didn't see any water fountains.
- Bring back the FYE tent.
- A LOT of people were smoking weed all throughout the venue. Was there no security?
- Could've used more ROCK. I appreciate the diversity of music, but it was spread too thin at times.
- Hollywood Undead was beyond awful. What the fuck?
- Not enough British acts. That's what made the past 2 years really special.
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Originally posted by Seth Hurwitz:
Believe it, or not...the Black Keys set was not cut short...that was it
How is that possible?
The schedule said 1 hour. They played for 30 minutes (I think I counted 7 songs) and explicitly pointed out that they were cut short due to Lil Wayne.
My brother spoke to Dan and Patrick before Kanye came on stage, and although they were gracious and in high spirits, they confirmed that they had to cut out a lot from their set.
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"- A LOT of people were smoking weed all throughout the venue. Was there no security?"
Weed and music festivals have gone hand-in-hand (or joint-in-mouth, if you will) for the last fifty or so years.
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I didn't go but The Director said....
That the Foos cover of "Young Man Blues" was smackie worthy and that STP put on the best show of the year.
I'm not allowed to share the rest of what The Director said, so don't shoot the messenger.
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i'm curious here:
how big of a crowd watched Hollywood Undead? and what kind of reception did they get?
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Originally posted by azaghal1981:
"- A LOT of people were smoking weed all throughout the venue. Was there no security?"
Weed and music festivals have gone hand-in-hand (or joint-in-mouth, if you will) for the last fifty or so years.
that, and security staff have other concerns... like, you know, security. someone smoking a joint isn't a threat. if anything, it'll make you safer - folks that are high tend to be pretty mellow and non-threatening.
imagine that, someone smoking pot at a rock concert. what will those crazy kids come up with next?!?
Originally posted by lancha:
i'm curious here:
how big of a crowd watched Hollywood Undead? and what kind of reception did they get?
me too. a few people have mentioned they were horrible. how horrible? why horrible? i like me a good trainwreck every now and then.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
I didn't go but The Director said....
That the Foos cover of "Young Man Blues" was smackie worthy and that STP put on the best show of the year.
I'm not allowed to share the rest of what The Director said, so don't shoot the messenger.
My video of Foo Fighters. Dave was funny all night.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqWcoaCquc
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whoops here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqWcoaCquc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqWcoaCquc)
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My video of Seth and Chuck Berry playing Tuti Fruity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QgCWGmswxU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QgCWGmswxU)
Oh yeah great festival.
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positives
-Kanye West and Foo Fighters both put on great shows.
-Good mix of hip hop and rock
-The crowds at the two stages were much more balanced this year.
-Great weather!
criticisms
-The Offspring should have led into Foo Fighters. Chuck Berry and Wilco kind of killed the momentum...more so Chuck Berry.
- No lineup additions like the original press release seemed to indicate!
I enjoyed the lineup although I felt like it could have been a little stronger, especially compared to last year. Still had a great time either way and I will surly be back next year! (Please bring it back!)
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Good point about the lack of lineup additions. I thought for sure that V-Fest would throw in 2 or 3 more acts but all we got was Hollywood Undead.
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Originally posted by serpent boy:
- A LOT of people were smoking weed all throughout the venue. Was there no security?
was this really a problem for you?
im generally a lot more angry at the drunken shirtless d-bags vomiting on their shoes at festivals than some dudes hitting a joint
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heres the review from someone who spent most of his time in the dance tent. i went to coachella this year, so i can compare a bit to it.
the good:
- the dance tent. please please please don't ever get rid of it. it's about 80% why I went to the festival last year and this year.
- being able to take beer wherever you please (this is restricted at coachella)
- the chill tents that allowed you to take a break and surf the internet and what not.
- getting in and out of the place was easy with no real traffic jams (again something you guys have on coachella)
- things running on time for the most part (apart from the l'il wayne catastrophe)
- picking some pretty rare acts (underworld, iggy pop, dylan, chuck berry, a live soulwax performance)
- food and what not a somewhat reasonable price (water at APW was 4 bucks - here it was only 3)
- the steak ciabatta sandwiches. holy poo they are awesome.
- the location of the dance tent is awesome because the artists who play have to walk through the festival publicly to get backstage. this gives festival goers and fans the opportunity to meet some of their favorite artists. because of this, i got to meet moby, ritchie hawtin, ferry corsten, chromeo, bunny from rabbit in the moon, and donald gaulde. this made my experience so much more memorable.
the bads:
- ending at 10 PM sucks, but I understand the noise ordinance.
- toilet paper was in low supply both days (especially after 5 PM)
- a weird blend of artists to pick: taking back sunday and l'il wayne seemed very out of place here. but its one less conflict to have to worry about.
- put some more money into the dance tent - add some more effects or lights or something. but this isn't a real problem.
- as mentioned earlier, what would be awesome is that inbetween acts on the 2 stages, stream video of the act playing on the opposite stage. it would have been cool if those waiting for dylan could watch STP on video.
i went last year and had an awesome time, went this year and had an awesome time, and will definitely go back next year just as long as there is a dance tent. it's really the only place here on the east coast (apart from WMC in miami) where electronic music junkies can get their fix.
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Needs a band named Pearl Jam to play next year!!!
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I attended on Sunday and had a great time, even if most of the acts struck me as being not-very great. Still, the variety of the acts, and the other things to see (the side shows, the aerial sculpture, the booths, the shower tent) made it a full and fun day, and worth the $100, entertainment-wise. Best moment was seeing a classic rocker (Iggy) give a full-on superb performance; best dance moment was Moby's set; best new act (for me) surprises were the Go Team and the Black Keys. This is what I came to see -- some popular current acts, some classic acts, some exposure to new acts. And once again the VFest delivered. Thanks Seth, I'll be back next summer.
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Everybody is going on about the Iggy show.
Wasn't it the Stooges? I know Iggy garners lots of attention but give the musicians some props somebody. Anybody have that setlist? It would be much appreciated. Was it heavy on solo material?
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Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
Originally posted by serpent boy:
- A LOT of people were smoking weed all throughout the venue. Was there no security?
was this really a problem for you?
im generally a lot more angry at the drunken shirtless d-bags vomiting on their shoes at festivals than some dudes hitting a joint [/b]
Maybe Seth will call in the DEA to patrol the grounds next year just for him.
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I've been to plenty of festivals and concerts, and it has never been this bad. Even Phish at the Hampton Coliseum didn't have as many pot smokers.
Of course I don't want every pot smoker prosecuted or anything drastic, but when I can't enjoy 2 or 3 of the bands because I'm getting high on second-hand smoke from all around me, then there's a problem.
And I second the notion to bring Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder was amazing tonight at the Warner Theater.
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Originally posted by azaghal1981:
Maybe Seth will call in the DEA to patrol the grounds next year just for him.
The snake disagrees with this idea.
<img src="http://blog.meevee.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/07/27/marylouiseparkernaked_2.jpg" alt=" - " />
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Originally posted by slappy:
[weeds]
i'm finishing season 3 as i type ... love this show ...
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Originally posted by serpent boy:
I've been to plenty of festivals and concerts, and it has never been this bad. Even Phish at the Hampton Coliseum didn't have as many pot smokers.
Of course I don't want every pot smoker prosecuted or anything drastic, but when I can't enjoy 2 or 3 of the bands because I'm getting high on second-hand smoke from all around me, then there's a problem.
And I second the notion to bring Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder was amazing tonight at the Warner Theater.
People can't get high off of second hand smoke. Well I can't personally. You can have 20 people toking up in front of me which pretty much happened at all the festivals this summer and I never got a contact high so who knows.
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Awesome weather this year! Great booking job with mother nature Seth.
The good: Iggy, NIN
The bad: Lil Wayne and Lil Wayneâ??s entourage
The ugly: Chuck. I think he forgot how to play the guitar
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Contact highs are as likely to happen as acid permanently remaining in your spine after a trip.
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I'm sick of all you racist crackers bitching about Lil Wayne.
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Originally posted by wml7:
whoops here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqWcoaCquc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqWcoaCquc)
thanks for the vids. i hope that guys found his keys, but he it was him that threw them up there well...
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Two things I wanted to share:
1. Scott Weiland during STP's set paid the festival a pretty great compliment about how it reminded him and the band of the different music festivals in Europe.
All I can say is that I totally agree with him. Though I've never been to any of those festivals, I have watched footage from Glastonbury, Big Day Out, and Reeding. I definitely feel that V-fest in Baltimore is the closest thing we have in the states to what the Brits and even the Australians have. I know Virgin is a British based company so it would make sense for the festival to have this sort of vibe. I just have to say to keep that up.
2. During the festival, I met a woman and her 12 year old son. They came all the way from California for the festival. The woman told me that it was their summer vacation. I think that also speaks as to how awesome the festival is. The fact that this mother and son traveled all the way from LA to attend and they made it their vacation is pretty amazing.
ps- I know this isn't really about the festival, but I would say that NIN needs to visit DC again sometime this fall. I noticed that they're playing Charlottesville and then a few days later, they're in New England. I figure why not get them to play in between those two dates.
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Originally posted by Cali:
Originally posted by wml7:
whoops here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqWcoaCquc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqWcoaCquc)
thanks for the vids. i hope that guys found his keys, but he it was him that threw them up there well... [/b]
we got him his keys back, yes.
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Originally posted by saintangelsin:
Two things I wanted to share:
1. Scott Weiland during STP's set paid the festival a pretty great compliment about how it reminded him and the band of the different music festivals in Europe.
All I can say is that I totally agree with him. Though I've never been to any of those festivals, I have watched footage from Glastonbury, Big Day Out, and Reeding. I definitely feel that V-fest in Baltimore is the closest thing we have in the states to what the Brits and even the Australians have. I know Virgin is a British based company so it would make sense for the festival to have this sort of vibe. I just have to say to keep that up.
2. During the festival, I met a woman and her 12 year old son. They came all the way from California for the festival. The woman told me that it was their summer vacation. I think that also speaks as to how awesome the festival is. The fact that this mother and son traveled all the way from LA to attend and they made it their vacation is pretty amazing.
ps- I know this isn't really about the festival, but I would say that NIN needs to visit DC again sometime this fall. I noticed that they're playing Charlottesville and then a few days later, they're in New England. I figure why not get them to play in between those two dates.
Ha I live in Charlottesville and didn't know they were coming to town. Should be another great show with them.
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Originally posted by saintangelsin:
[QB] I definitely feel that V-fest in Baltimore is the closest thing we have in the states to what the Brits and even the Australians have. I know Virgin is a British based company so it would make sense for the festival to have this sort of vibe. I just have to say to keep that up.
I agree about the vibe, but the one festival in the US that comes closest with recreating the festival "vibe" that European ones have is, without a doubt, Coachella. Also, Bonnaroo should also get mention. Coachella is more chilled out than V-fest is hands down. People from all over the world travel to it.
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You've been pretty consistent about Lil' Wayne.
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
I'm sick of all you racist crackers bitching about Lil Wayne.
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Funny...a guy next to us (in his 20s maybe?) lit up a blunt during Dylan, with two kids (preteens, 10 or 12) in front of him. One kid sniffs, looks back, and whispers to his friend, incredulously...so someone in front of them leaves, and the two kids move in to get away from the smoke...as soon as they do, pothead realises there's more room and moves up right behind the two boys. Oblivious to the fact there are youngsters trying to avoid him. Poor kids, they're going to grow up thinking Dylan was the best show of their life, through no fault of their own.
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How was attendance this year compared to last year?
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down a little bit but, considering we didn't have an act like the Police, we were pretty happy
trying to build it more evenly than one monster act and a bunch of little ones
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Seth,
Having the two stages the same height this year was very tough for the photographers to deal with. The photo pit for the South stage is not nearly as deep as the pit for the North stage, and as a result, we were pushed way up against the stage and most of us could only shoot people from the waist up (if at all). I understand that the security needs room to work but we were really cramped in there and had a hard time getting anything decent. Having Kanye's lights on the stage all day on Sunday only added to the problem. That was another 6 inches to a foot that we had to shoot over.
Also, everyone on the South stage was set up near the back of the stage! Why have a stage that big if they are playing at the back end of it? That really sucked.
The lineup on the North stage on Saturday was a total snoozefest (aside from Sharon Jones, who was teh awesome). And yes, the dance tent sound bled over into everything else. That said, the Underworld set on Saturday night was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Thank you so much for booking them.
That was my third year covering the Festival and I can honestly say that I look forward to it all summer. I think, for the most part, it's run very well and the lineups have all been great. I sincerely hope it returns next year (with Oasis headlining Saturday night).
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"Stop dating teeny boppers. Dump your girlfriend and find someone with good taste."
Uhm - When it comes to teeny boppers, it's worth suffering through their music because the tail is just THAT FUCKING GOOD!
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I only went on Sunday and had a great time. It was easy in and out (took the subway, shuttle bus and Toyotaâ??s free ride). The mix of bands was great and I got to see all the bands I wanted to see and check out ones that I normally would not have. Like the side show stuff also. You did a great job!!
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Originally posted by biga0u812:
How was attendance this year compared to last year?
Virgin Mobile Festival: The Head Count (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postrock/2008/08/virgin_mobile_festival_the_hea.html)
Total, two-day attendance this year: 60,289, according to a festival rep. And only half of them were in Lil Wayne's entourage! (Oh, I keed, I keed.)
"This number met our expectations and we're thrilled with the amazing response we've gotten to the festival, the memorable performances, and the entire experience," says festival spokeswoman Audrey Fix Schaefer.
Expectations must have been kind of modest this year, then: The 140-acre track at Pimlico could have held up to 120,000 festival-goers during the two-day music bacchanalia (although if there were that many people there, it would have been pretty uncomfortable).
Two-day attendance in 2007 was about 74,000.
In 2006, when VFest was confined to a single day, attendance was about 40,000.
Then again, that was before gas prices spiraled out of control, the economy went into the tank and festival fatigue set in. Probably didn't help that a competing East Coast festival launched this year, as All Points West was scheduled in New Jersey on the same weekend as Virgin Mobile Festival.
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Originally posted by RustyOrgan:
Uhm - When it comes to teeny boppers, it's worth suffering through their music because the tail is just THAT FUCKING GOOD!
That is so offensive. I have no idea why this board tolerates you.
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Ya think this is Glen Hansard's explanation for the Swell Season?
But seriously, I second Julian's comment.
Originally posted by RustyOrgan:
"Stop dating teeny boppers. Dump your girlfriend and find someone with good taste."
Uhm - When it comes to teeny boppers, it's worth suffering through their music because the tail is just THAT FUCKING GOOD!
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...I guess I'm the only one on the board who enjoys the company of younger women?
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Originally posted by RustyOrgan:
...I guess I'm the only one on the board who enjoys the company of younger women?
but how would you know what women's company is like?
no, you're the only one who acts like a teenage idiot every time the subject of women come up. to be a fan of the female form is normal for hetero males. to yelp out so embarrassingly is... RustyOrgan.
seriously dude, you're 14 years old, aren't you? you've never actually touched a woman, have you?
FYI, teeny bopper = underage = illegal (well, for us... still legal for you 14-year-olds).
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<img src= "http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2008/2451681930_8e79fdab07.jpg">
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<<img src= "http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2008/2451681930_8e79fdab07.jpg">>
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Originally posted by RustyOrgan:
<<img src= "http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2008/2451681930_8e79fdab07.jpg">>
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/zcTqHiK8ccuoor4o7TJGyTtW_400.jpg" alt=" - " />
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doh!
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RustyOrgan: finding new and innovative ways to bring the FAIL.