I’m all for fun but personally, would love to see no projectiles in the air. I have never been a big fan of the idea of beach balls, those screechy balloons OR marshmallows. I find them all at best distracting and especially in the case of the balloons, just downright annoying. My five year old son however, loves the balloons and having had a really difficult time making a convincing argument in prior years about why he should not play with the ones that come down near him, we have finally come to an understanding that he set them off ONLY between songs and between sets and I will never bring them in ourselves. This works for him because, as music lover himself, even he is able to understand people are there to LISTEN to music and they are an annoyance to some trying to do this. It’s part of what makes Telluride so awesome I think, a great crowd there for great music and with a high regard for neighborly feeling. Maybe the marshmallow folks didn’t know there was a such a depth of feeling among some. Now perhaps they do, no one need feel personally attacked.
As someone who experienced the marshmallows for the first time this year, I had a couple of observations from my altruistic center that (I think) gets to the core of the problem here. Before I go any further, though, I’d like to officially comment that I’d much prefer marshmallows to glow sticks. I will never understand throwing around hard plastic objects as a form of produced psychedelica: pretty as they may be, they hurt when they hit you.
That said.
Whether or not you were bothered by the marshmallows, they seem to have ruined the experience of some at TBF this year.
I’m pretty certain – and I could be wrong – that even those defending the marshmallow throwing can attest to the fact that marshmallows are in no way a critical element of your TBF experience and your ability to have fun there. If this is the case, I am worried.
Therefore, in the interest of others whose experience WAS ruined by the marshmallows, and knowing that marshmallows are not essential to your own fun experience at TBF, why can’t we just agree to disagree about whether they’re a “big deal” or not and simply cut it out in the interest of those whose festival experience is getting messed up by the act of throwing marshmallows? Everyone’s got something that can mess up their experience, whether it’s the huge crowd trying to squeeze into the tiny little space next to you, or the too-drunk person who thinks you want to wear their beer as a hat, or people who talk during sets you came to hear, or people who inexplicably stand in your line of vision when everyone else is sitting down, or (of course) projectiles that distract your attention from the music, soft or hard as they may be.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say I lobbed a couple of mallows back up toward the front when they landed on my blanket. They didn’t bother me too much. But knowing that so many people sere bothered by them, I’m more likely to horde them and toss them in the trash (do marshmallows compost??) next year than toss them back up in the air.
Just saying. It’s worth watching out for our brothers and sisters and their good times out there too!
Totally agree with you there Zack! :thumbsup
When I originally posted on this thread, it was to clear the air as to what exactly was disturbing about the marshmallow fight from the non participant’s perspective, it wasn’t a personal attack on anyone who took part. It’s sometimes difficult, when in the midst of it, to put yourself in other people’s shoes and understand why it’s particularly bugging them. My rant was only meant to bring light to why not all of us enjoyed the experience.
As I’ve said before, I didn’t actually mind when they first started flying. They’re pretty inoffensive as far as missiles go. It’s when the collective group takes it a step too far and suddenly instead of enjoying an amazing musical moment with a few sweet marshmallows flying around in the air, I’m struggling to see, let alone hear the band I came to enjoy, and notice to my dismay that many of the surrounding crowd are more interested in the fight than the music.
At the end of the day it’s all about respect: of the music, of the people around you.
And if you think about it, Telluride is perhaps on of the most civilized and respectful festivals around, for example the seating policy at the main stage. Most people I raved about TBF to were amazed that the audience behaved in such a sharing and civilized manner when it came to seating (low chairs at the front, then high chairs, then sun shades, which guarantees that 90 % of the crowd has a pretty awesome view of the main stage), and when I came to think about it, I thought: yeah, it was awesome actually!
We all know why we go to Telluride and what makes it unique, so lets keep it that way!
The marshmallows aren’t really my thing, granted. I don’t even like the beach ball thing. Some people do, hooray, I just let them play and festival onward. Here’s the thing…the marshmallows are sticky mess later on or the next day. They are too messy on your tarp and they were sticking to shoes and getting everywhere. And what about the next day? Did the people who brought them stay until close so they could be sure they were all cleaned up from the field? It was a fun thing but maybe not the perfect choice of item. I am trying to think of an alternative. You need something quickly biodegradable and very soft and small. Or fewer and larger so that they could be cleaned up… hmmmm…blowing bubbles and beach balls?? Right. Maybe we should stick with the classics.
I was lucky enough to be at the Swell Season set :medal, and the original marshmallow event, it was fun and memorable. I missed this year so I didn’t witness this event, it sounds like it had a completely different vibe to it.
It seems to me the biggest issue I’ve heard is “anything” being thrown towards the stage, or on the stage.
Crowd fun is one thing, when it crosses onto the stage and towards the performers and instruments you’ve crossed my line and I hope everyone else’s. This should not be allowed, and isn’t fun.
The artist shouldn’t have to be watching for any income of any sort, soft or not. :huh
Keep it in the crowd and I can live with it, however there is a lot to be said about cleanup.
A beach ball doesn’t leave your tarp sticky, so anyone bringing marshmellows should make an effort to help with a little cleanup if this is your kind of fun. Just the boy scout in me, leave your area better than when you arrive.
We’d all do good to live up to that one.
Planet Bluegrass has enough to do without having to come up with more rules, for us adults.
My two cents…Most rules are made by well meaning individuals who sense that someone’s behavior is becoming more than just a simple annoyance to someone else. It appears from the posts herein, that the marshmallow war has become just that…more than just an annoyance. I personally don’t go for much of anything that distracts from the music which is what I pay for and travel to see. But I try to be tolerant of others (which has become more difficult, I must admit). But, we really don’t need more rules…we need more people who take responsibility for their actions and try to understand and adjust their behavior based on how they impact those who share their space.
The bottom line for me is that good festivarians should respect their fellow festivarians and when a festivarian asks you to behave differently than the way you are behaving, it is precisely because they are annoyed, feel threatened, feel cheated, or in some other way, feel your behavior is taking more from their experience than it is adding to the sum of the rest of the festivarians’ experience. It takes some courage to stand up and ask someone to change their behavior, especially when more than one person is behaving that way. While I don’t suggest that we always submit to the various whims of others, it is probably good practice to stop and ask yourself if your behavior is so self satisfying that it is worth disturbing disturbing someone else. I have read enough here to be convinced that more than a handful of people had their festival experience ruined, at least for the moment, by the marshmallow war. I, for one, did not participate in the marshmallow war and though I might have decided to toss a marshmallow, had I been given the opportunity to do so, after realizing how this might impact others experience, I will not partake of that self gratifying behavior at any future musical event.
I go to festivals knowing that there will be many times that other people’s behavior will annoy me and sometimes it will more than annoy me. I accept that as the price of admission. What really bothers me about all this is that I politely asked three people to take their behavior elsewhere at this 2009 festival and on all three occasions, I received essentially, the same answer; that I need to learn to tolerate their behavior because they were having too much fun to move or adjust their behavior in any way. I gotta tell you folks, this is not a good trend. For if people consistently disregard the way their behavior affects others, we are nothing more than children in adult bodies and children will not save the planet we live on. Please strive to keep your status as an adult in mind, even when having fun, and the world will be better for it.
