Summer festivals are a huge part of the American music scene -- and of the music marketplace. Why do millions of people risk sunburn and dehydration when they could hear the same music better with earbuds? Music critic Maura Johnston unpacks the economics and the atavistic lure of the summer music festival.
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon has created a nearly perfect summer music festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin -- his hometown. 25,000 people spent two days camping by a river, throwing frisbees and listening to indie bands. Festival narrator and local writer Michael Perry shares the story behind the town, the festival, and the musical legend.
You can trace the history of the 1960's through its iconic music festivals: Newport '65, Monterey '67, Denver '69, Woodstock, and Altamont. Historian Craig Werner was there and says those festivals changed a lot more than American music.
45 years ago, long-haired hippies and flower children from across the Midwest converged on a small Wisconsin farm for a weekend of peace, love and music including a band people were just beginning to talk about at the time - The Grateful Dead. Historian Michael Edmonds tells the story.
Jessica Hopper is a rock critic with a secret. She hates music festivals. After more than a decade covering Lollapalooza, Bonaroo and all the rest, she finally called it quits.
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers - The Indigo Girls - have been a mainstay of the music festival circuit for years. They just released their 14th studio album, "One Lost Day." They stopped by our studio to reflect on women, the music industry, coming out, and the decline of women's music festivals.
