RAY

When Mark Foster screamed DON'T STOP DON'T STOP DON'T STOP at the end of their set as the golden sunlight set the stage on fire and shot in straight beams through the cityscape and the trees, my blood boiled in this explosively present fever. The crowd jumped in sync, screams running hoarse, hands and wristbands lifted to the sky, none of us ever wanting to stop this magic madness.

At festivals (and for me, Lollapalooza just last weekend) there is a sacred unity shared between you and the crowd, the artist, the sky, the sunset, the city, the mud that streaked your ankles and stained your shoes. This unity glows in the blinding rosy or piercing fluorescent lights shining from the stage and drenching the sea of thousands. And it's magic when you feel the urge to turn to whoever's beside you and already you're both screaming the lyrics, your faces shining with rain and sweat, your hair ratty and tangled, your eyes sparkling.

-SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVALS WILL SET YOUR SOUL ON FIRE, Rachel Bushong / August 2014

-RAY