Was it my imagination or just a greater hypersensitivity to cig. smoke? Or did it seem like this year was just beyond anything in years past? Not talking about the person who steps away to the back or lights up every now and then, but the smokers who feel it’s their entitlement to chain smoke wherever they happen to be.
If so, I’m thinking it’s a sign of the times in some fashion … either lots of nervous people (economy and such) or maybe the festival is attracting more smokers for whatever reason?
Some of my closest friends & family are smokers, so not looking to go out on a crusade … just making an observation which I’m not sure if it’s on target or not compared to previous years?
I also noticed more spilled beer and more loud talking than last year. I had a hard time enjoying the house band because there were loud conversations going on all around me.
i agree with the house band thing… lots of ppl talking… but it was sooooooo quiet! they could have turned it up! every other show was louder than house band BY FAR… i was a lil bummed
The loud talkers seem to go hand in hand with the cig smokers … as a generalization at least … which I also think were a bit more prevalent this year.
Re: smoke: as much as I noticed it in Town Park, it REALLY struck me while sitting waiting for ENB to start at the Palm how clean the air was inside!!! … should be the reverse.
Not looking to bitch and moan, as I’m mostly able to overlook it … but it just seemed over the top compared to years past (and even other outdoor 5-20k shows I go to a lot).
I noticed the lack of awareness of where the spent butts went. Many on the paths, or on the dirt.
I felt trapped by the people smoking next to me during the Band Of Joy. A guy deliberately blowing smoke at people. There is something acrid in that secondhand smoke. I do my best not to pour a drink on those around me, and I expect the same, although we all know about accidents; deliberate acts are not accidents, the awareness factor and giving others what you want to receive should apply here, I would hope.
I did notice a lot more smokers and saw a bunch of butts on the ground. I thought there were no tobacco products allowed but maybe I’m thinking of Rockygrass since it’s privately owned and TP is a public park. As far as the loud talkers I did ask a few to pipe down so I could hear but no more than usual.
Not gonna rag on smokers, since I am one (when I enjoy cocktails at least) but loud talkers and obnoxious drunks seemed to let it loose during Band of Joy. I had a kid crawling on the ground kicking his feet in the air (at this point it was quite muddy) which leads me to also believe hallucinogenic drugs were they the culprit. It is a festival. You will have this kind of thing at pretty much every festival since Woodstock.
I think that in an effort to draw younger festvarians to TBF with a more lets say pop culture type bands and so on it also changes the vibe and perhaps it is up to us, the more seasoned, to fill in the younger festivarinans on the ethics of tarphoodism.
I returned to my tap after a short break only to find a young girl, smokes in hand and mouth, a cup o butts, must of been 20 floating in liquid. Asked her to please remove them as not to kick em over in dance and she dished out the dirty looks to me for one full set. :lol
They will learn if they retun year after year…
Umbrellas and Cigarettes just flat out suck in my book.
Along those lines, I found that a lot of the other bands were way TOO LOUD! I needed earplugs when watching OCMS from the campground fenceline. But it did seem as though there was more cigarette smoke that before as well. Yuck.
We noticed not only more cigarette smoking as compared to our first TBF in '09 but several other items that really turned us off. Among them was the loud talkers, the folks that would just push their way past you not caring if they bumped a drink or food in your hand, people spilling things on your tarp and the belongings on it and not even making an attempt to help clean up, a ton more pot smoking, and a ton of folks just tottaly wasted throughout the day. I had the chance to go to the festival grounds at about 6AM monday morning to take a pic of the stage in the snow. I was extremly disappointed in the crap that folks just left behind. I did not take the picture. It looked like a war zone. Hate to say it but, the behavior was a huge turn-off and it made me think that this was not that much different than a Bonaroo. We are no strangers to pot smoking though we choose to not participate any more so if someone wants to smoke that is fine with us. The difference is getting a buzz on to relax and listen to the music, look at the scenery, and enjoy your tarp neighbors company vs the all out "lets just get as “F"ed up as possible” stuff I saw going on everyday at the Fest and every night after the fest. Maybe I’m getting old (51) but honestly, the TBF crowd is one of the main draws for us and this did not feel like the crowd we have enjoyed in the past. This was NOT the TBF expierience of '09 and I believe it has to do with the younger crowd being there. :sorry
The crowd was a bit younger this year, but my main gripe is people standing up in front of you and just talking—not dancing. I don’t mind people dancing in front of me (it’s very entertaining), but to just stand and socialize while someone is playing is just downright rude, IMO. I would never do that.
Loud talkers bothered me too. We had a group of about 8 sitting behind us during Sam Bush just chatting away, very loudly. They were obviously trippin’ talking about drugs and such. My brother asked them to please quite down a bit as we were trying to listen to the show. He says why don’t we just move up on our tarp. The guy then realized that he was being an ass and the group quieted down some. He then has a smart ass remark later when all were hootin and hollering after a song, “oh, shhh, we have to be quiet.” Some people have just no respect for others.
Another thing that bothered me was the women who wear the chains that jingle on their hips. Sooo annoying when trying to listen to a show. I’ve told someone at red rocks to take them off before. I don’t get why people wear them to concerts. Didn’t let any of the above ruin my weekend though. I’ll be back!
Wow, there’s a lot of negativity in this thread. I did notice more cigarette smokers this year, but I don’t think it has anything to do with a younger crowd (which I did not notice). I’m pretty sure the younger demographic tends to smoke less anyways.
Maybe I was just hanging out in all the right spots, but I noticed very little ill behavior as described in this thread, and certainly not much more than last year. All in all, you get 11,500 people crammed into a tiny box canyon for a week, and I think the crowd was very well behaved as a whole.
I’m not complaining. I had a blast, and it’s not going to hamper my will to return year after year. I will say, I hate cigarette smoke as much as anybody, but I didn’t notice that being any worse than before. I did smell way more pot smoke, but that never bothers me. Loud talkers were the only real annoyance for me.
there is no doubt my last post was negative. It was just a shock to us that all of this was going on day after day. It was not what we expected or what we experienced before. That being said, we did have a very positive experience overall and happened to be the recipeint of the true festivarian spirit.
My wife Kim had set down both her purse and a camera while watching the tarp run. She walked away forgetting the purse and camera only to realize a good 30 to 40 minutes later what had happened. When she went back to the hill both were gone. She talked to the camp host, the lost and found, and a T-ride police officer. The lost and found folks even alerted KOTO. Within a half hour, we were texted by lost and found that her belongings had been turned in. And yes, everything including tyhe camera, credit cards and a good deal of cash were still there!
Sort of blows my Bonaroo theory from earlier doesnt it?
Let’s remember folks…kids will be kids. Smokers will be smokers. The thing about Telluride, is you cannot accidently get into Box Canyon–it is not an easy or cheap festival to get to. The people that are there share a common love for this music. I did not see one person there smoker, tripper or bible thumper that didn’t absolutely love the music. Some come from different backgrounds with different social behaviors. I live in Chicago, where it is completely normal to toss a cigarette butt out the window (I rarely do, however). But the point is that when I was 18-19, I may not have known that the social and ecological values one is expected to practice are VERY different in Telluride! Lighten up and let’s help each other–especially our younger festivarians-- in respectful ways and let the newcomers know how it is supposed to go down at TBF. The younger and older crowd alike have spent a lot of time and money to get to Telluride. Let’s not beat them to bloggy pulp for coming out of their shell a bit!
Being a smoker I didn’t notice it, but that was probably because I always moved near the entrance to the festival next to the country store to smoke, and always put the butt in my pocket. :flower
Back at camp my spot was the smoking area and I always had an ashtray on the table. :thumbsup
If only those that smoked had respect for non-smokers and moved away from them like I try to. :cheers
Always good times and great memories at TBF. I do think the pot and cigarrette smoking is out of hand. Maybe there could be a designated smoking section somewhere in the back, say about 50 yards or so behind the center area recycling section :wave. Regarding loud talkers, I think Nanci Griffith said it best when there were loud talkers at a show she did in Hollywood in the late 80’s (coincidentally Newgrass Revival opened for her). She told a group of people that were loud talking during one of her songs “where I come from that’s considered to be rude. Please take it to the lobby so those that came here to listen to the music can enjoy it.” To which a loud applause commenced. Long live TBF, long live bluegrass!
Certainly didn’t intend to ostracize smokers or create negative waves, was just an observation. Living in Ophir, I’m struggling to think of even a single (cig) smoker, but there are definitely a bunch in Telluride. Still, I noticed a gradual ramping up from the normal “baseline” of smokers in town as the week progressed leading up to Bluegrass … then it totally spiked as soon as the festival started.
I’ve seen many respectful smokers, so not looking to lump everyone into the same boat. I suppose it all boils down to respect for others; whether it’s talking loud, spilling beer, standing up (and not dancing) when everyone else around you is sitting, or physically moving someone aside in the crowd as one walks by.
Saw Furthur at Shoreline about three weeks ago & had some guy behind me who must have yelled “Bob Weir” at least 3 dozen times directly in my ear. He didn’t yell anything else, just “Bob Weir”. Eventually, I started dancing more 360 degrees while looking at him in the eye (made sure to still smile) … eventually I think he got the message, but he kept “sneaking them in” (at a lesser frequency). The second night there, and stranger yet, someone kept jiggling some change in their pockets … very noticeable, almost like he brought some special coins which were way louder than quarters. As annoying as both of these behaviors were, I realized there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about anything other than try to engage them in a positive way (although the change rattler wasn’t as responsive). I believe some people (and all of us at some point) can be kind of uncomfortable in a concert setting and they just do what they do out of reflex … whether it’s yelling at the top of their lungs, talking loudly to their neighbors, compulsively on their phones, whooping it up well beyond normal, rattling change, etc., I think some people just aren’t really 100% aware of what they’re doing and that it might be affecting others. To say something to such individuals can be very difficult in terms of actually getting through or across to said person. So, I typically just move away if it’s over the top and not tethered to seats or other people.
On the whole, I think the random acts of kindness and the generally positive festivarian spirit did dominate the festival … so definitely not saying smokers or anyone else have tarnished the festival in any significant way, but it was enough to kind of raise an eyebrow (which might simply mean I’m getting older!).
