Enrique Jimenez, left, and his bandmates are hungry to play some new tunes and tour around.
When the Sasquatch Music Festival started in 2002, one of its strongest selling points was its setting. The Gorge is a beautiful outdoor amphitheater perched on a grassy hill overlooking the Columbia River in the small town of George, Wash.
Unlike the harsh, desert-like conditions of Coachella or the hellish, sweaty environment of Bonnaroo — which happens later this year — Sasquatch takes place in the Northwest, where the weather is at least mild.
Being just two hours outside of Seattle, Sasquatch typically features an indie-rock centered line-up with a few folk, hip-hop and electronica acts thrown in for good measure.
At the same time, a handful of slated comedians will help keep the festival diverse and, hopefully, pretty damn funny.
This year’s Sasquatch festival will take place across five stages over the course of four days. Compared to the roster at Coachella or Bonnaroo, there aren’t as many acts at Sasquatch. Still, plenty is offered on this year’s line-up.
Among the marquee headliners who will be gracing the main (a.k.a. Sasquatch) stage, Jack White will be showing off his new solo project and Tenacious D will be playing in support of their brand-new release, Rise of the Fenix. Otherwise, The Shins, Pretty Lights, Bon Iver, Beck and Feist will be present.
What the festival lacks in, say, a performance by Radiohead or a hologram of Tupac, it makes up for in multitudes of rising “buzz” bands like Kurt Vile, Deer Tick, Gardens & Villa and The War on Drugs.
At this point, tickets to Sasquatch are as elusive as the fabled creature itself. This festival is completely sold out. Those with passes can enjoy an expanded version of the decade-old festival by seeing more performances on a new stage. For those without passes, a steep ticket price might be worth it. After all, the festival will continue into Monday night, allowing for more performances.
For anyone attending a festival, it is almost impossible to avoid the overlap between set times. After finding the funds and organizing the logistics of a trip, the real challenge for most festival-fanatics lies ahead: they must study the schedule carefully and plan out exactly what they want to see, as well as where they need to be. Any scheduling conflicts at Sasquatch this year will depend on one’s taste in music. Undoubtedly, festival planners will do their best to catch overlapping sets by both Bon Iver and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy.
While this year’s schedule probably won’t go down as one of Sasquatch’s greatest, it should be a memorable chapter in the festival’s already rich history.
People: Enoc Torraca, Enrique Jimenez
This article has nothing to do with this band!