August 10, 2008

As far as my (then) path toward becoming a music blogger was concerned, 2008 was a banner year for me. Listen In really seemed like it was getting off the ground. I covered a lot of live shows, and reviewed a lot of albums. I had press passes to most of the McCarren Pool shows, a couple of Central Park Summerstage shows, Lollapalooza, and CMJ. Not to mention the first, and penultimate, All Points West.

This is Sam Pesin. He was the head of Friends of Liberty State Park in 2008, and I interviewed him for New York Cool when I was covering the festival. He was a really cool guy, with a really great story about how his father basically willed that park into existence. I was brought in to talk to him randomly while I was taking a break in the press tent. I was exhausted, having just gotten back from the grueling two mile expanse that was Lollapalooza a week earlier, and while I enjoyed the smaller area of APW the festival was kind of a shit show. Other than the $20 each way ferry ride, the only way to get to the park was to take NJ Transit to NJ light rail - an hour and a half ordeal - and then walk like a mile to the grounds. And then you were limited to, like, three beers or something, and you couldn't bring it out of the beer area. It's really not a great wonder that this festival didn't last.

As tired as I was during this weekend, I relished every annoying step. Every rain drop, every ray of extra sun. I took festivals as a challenge then. I was a marathoner, and I would see as much as I could. I would walk and listen under the hot sun until exhaustion, and push through and watch more. I loved it. And I'm glad I loved it, because, musically speaking, I never really had another year like 2008 since.