Sleeping in the Yard

Hunting down a good-night's sleep on the road can only happen with either a bag full of money or a solid friend within a drivable distance in the wee-hours of the morning. All-nighters are generally avoided whenever possible, but let's all be honest here- engaging in the fruitless pursuit of one's boyhood dreams is a life fraught with less-than-ideal sleeping patterns and a general abuse of the body. Getting a proper-evening's rest is even more unlikely playing at a festival- especially if the event is being held at a location that is considered "off-the-grid" or "remote". Unless you're in a band that is fortunate enough to own a tour bus, or you're lucky enough to be an artist of a stature that commands top-tier lodging scenarios (we're talking stand alone trailers the size of small houses and helicopters if you play in Umphrey's McGee), festival accommodations might just consist of something like this:

-A small "artist camping" site. Although this small plot of alloted land is only about the size of two mid-size cars and is situated among 50 similarly tiny camps, you stack 'em in like sardines- inviting a dozen or so friends to set up camp with you in order to ensure that the right attitude prevails for this four-day clusterfuck. Did we mention that Camp Big Light is within earshot of a four-day-in-a-row, white-knuckle kickball game that arrives with every sunrise and where it's very common to see marauding gangs of fur-cad adults both on the field and on the sidelines experimenting with all sorts of weird powders and tinctures until 9AM? Welcome to your life: communal showers, no sleep, tons of furry shit, and a never-ending quest for ice. Earplugs, Tylenol PM, camping chair, and plenty of Jameson are all highly recommended.