BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Of the myriad music festivals crowding the calendar this month, CounterPoint is undeniably the most eclectic.
With a lineup that overlaps jam rock, EDM, hip-hop and funk, organizers bank on appealing to an expansive range of music listeners – after all, no one listens to the same type of music all the time, they reason.
The music and lifestyle event shifted to a new location last April – the scenic 5,000-acre site at Kingston Downs, about an hour from Atlanta – and scored the return of Outkast to Georgia.
This year’s musical offerings embrace that desired diverse range with Widespread Panic, The Roots, Zedd, Knife Party and Umphrey’s McGee among the dozens of performances.
Kevin Earle, marketing director of MCP Presents, which produces CounterPoint, said while there is one fewer stage this year – the footprint will consist of three main stages and the Silent Disco – the festival still expects to attract about 15,000 fans per day.
Here are his thoughts about what sets CounterPoint apart from its festival competitors, what has changed this year and why fest organizers love Kingston Downs.
On moving the festival from April to May:
“One of the big factors was us taking a survey after last year’s event, and hearing from especially college students who wanted Memorial Day to allow more people to attend over the long weekend.”
What makes CounterPoint different than the other festivals?
“More than anything, in the Atlanta market, it’s a camping event, which makes them different from Shaky Knees and Music Midtown. TomorrowWorld is in the market and that’s a camping event, but it’s EDM specific. We try to cross-pollinate a lot of genres, whereas a lot of other fests are very specific to their genres. We feel that music is a very personal experience and no one listens to any one type of music all the time…We have reggae stuff in the daytime and the rock headliners in the evening and the EDM scene.
We listen to the fans in the surveys very carefully, and every time they submit a list of artists they want to see, it’s never one particular genre. We believe that music festivals are about finding new music and experimenting with different genres. Just having one style of music during the day might be monotonous. We get to turn people on to new music.”
With inclusions such as yoga and live art, is CounterPoint more of a lifestyle event?
“We want to make this an experience from the time people walk on the site and there’s only so much music people can see during a weekend. It’s a full mind/body experience and not just the auditory side of things. We try to bill it as a music and arts festival and really want it to be an experience. It IS kind of a lifestyle thing. We believe music fests can be a small glimmer of the beauty of life.”
What is different this year:
“We did add another road in and out of the venue, so it should make entry and exiting a lot easier. We are doing a larger footprint in camping headquarters, and there will be a game center in the mornings, so kids can come and do some organized games with us like Dodgeball and three-legged races. The midway will have food and art vendors.”
Is Kingston Downs the CounterPoint home for the foreseeable future?
“We absolutely love Kingston Downs. The local government has been incredibly accommodating, the site is beautiful and there is infinite room for growth.
The breakdown of where tickets have been sold:
“About 30 percent are from Atlanta, and about 45 percent from the state of Georgia, but the majority are from states that are touching, - South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, North Florida. It’s a regional festival. We try to cater to that region. We want to showcase Georgia for what it is and the beauty of this land. We want to build absolutely the best festival that we can because there are so many in the Atlanta area, and five years ago there weren’t. It’s exploding as a music scene.”
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
On competition for the consumer’s dollar:
“From a consumer standpoint, people only have so much money and so much time. As the years continue to play out, we’ll continue to hone our focus. There’s room for all of us to do our thing, because all of the festivals are all very different.”
Which acts might garner the most interest:
“The Roots are really exciting; they don’t play that many shows anymore. The fact that we were able to get them is incredible…We worked with them in the past – in 2006-20077 at another event – and we’ve been pestering them for a long time and now the world sees what incredible musicians they are on Jimmy Fallon’s show. They’ve been so busy, but they finally caved!
Our lineup is really deep - having Widespread Panic, a homegrown, international touring act is important, and they play really well into our festival.”
COUNTERPOINT MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL
Friday, May 22 lineup:
Jerry on the Moon, G. Jones, Archnemesis, Tauk, Hermitude, Zomboy, Earphunk, Chet Faker, The Soul Rebels, Excision, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Knife Party.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Saturday, May 23 lineup:
Rebelution, Griz, ILoveMakonnen, Thomas Jack, Widespread Panic, Cherub, What So Not, RL Grime, Papadosio and Dillon Francis.
Sunday, May 24 lineup:
Louis Futon, Bixel Boys, Bronze Whale, Sango, Robert Delong, Manic Focus, EOTO, Minnesota, Lettuce, Michal Menert, Goldfish, The Roots, OTT, Gorgon City, Tipper, Kygo, Zedd, Travis Scott, Umphrey’s McGee and Zeds Dead.
Hours: 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday; Noon-1 a.m. Saturday; Noon-11 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open 10 a.m.-midnight Friday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Where: Kingston Downs, near Rome, Ga. Visit www.Counterpointfestival.com for driving directions.
Tickets: Three-day advance general admission is $195; Single day advance general admission is $65 Friday and $95 for each day Saturday and Sunday. Three-day advance VIP is $475; Single-day advance VIP is $150 for Friday and $200 for each day Saturday and Sunday. A $20 fee will be added to all tickets purchased at the gate. All ticket holders must be 18 years or older with a valid ID. No ID? No entry.
Transportation: Parking passes are required for all cars on site. A variety of parking passes are available for purchase at www.coutnerpointfestival.com.
Info: www.Counterpointfestival.com.
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