Hurricane Festival 2009

Every spring brings the same exhausting questions: which festival, can you afford it, is any of it worth the drive? Becca and I had settled on Rock am Ring, the reliable German choice. Then Hurricane Festival released their lineup and I realized we’d been idiots.

Not idiots exactly, just people who hadn’t been paying attention. Once you see a bill that serious, staying home stops being an option. Lykke Li alone would’ve been enough to rethink everything. Ladyhawke, Die Ärzte, Blood Red Shoes, Editors—these weren’t just solid, they were speaking to whoever had put this together. Duffy, Katy Perry (real pop, not trash), Faith No More, Kings of Leon. Fettes Brot for the local pride moment. Franz Ferdinand, Less Than Jake, Moby, Nine Inch Nails, Paolo Nutini, The Ting Tings—I loved them.

This wasn’t a festival lineup, it was someone’s entire taste collection accidentally programmed into a schedule. Once you see something that precise, the choice is already made. You’re driving north. You’re sleeping in the mud. You’re seeing half the bands and leaving early because your back hurts. It’s the only logical option pretending to be spontaneous.