Having never been to a music festival that lasted more than an afternoon, the thought of spending four days with 20,000+ people at my first one was a little overwhelming.

That is a LOT of music in one place! What a line-up!

In fact, I sort of put it out of my mind until it was almost too late.

We had less than two weeks to go before I asked anyone about the possibility of getting access, but I've been granted media access now and am looking forward to heading to Three Sisters Park in just a few days to check it out.

There are a few other events I plan to be at next weekend, so I won't be camping out or staying the entire time. Still, I plan to see as much live music as possible while I'm there. I've also been getting some basic music festival advice.

Don't wear sandals - It's probably going to be hot. I figured summer clothes and sunscreen were in order. Turns out, I got a pretty unanimous "no" to wearing sandals or flip-flops. Close-toed shoes. The sturdier the better. Maybe even some mud waders just in case.
Don't eat candy - Apparently, it's occasionally more than just candy.
Stay out of the woods - That just sounds like good advice in general, but since I'm not camping I probably won't need to worry about it.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate - That should be easy. I have like six cases of water left from the Mardi Gras in May Stage... (still working on that blog post!)

PhanieRae and Roy Ponce joined the Easy Riders on stage during the Summer Camp 2018 Preview Saturday night. They will also be performing at Summer Camp.

Everyone has heard stories about Summer Camp. These stories are part of the reason the thought of going was so intimidating at first. The stories I've heard, weren't good one. In fact, when the subject of Summer Camp has come up in the past, people have excitedly shared their worst experience ever at Summer Camp again and again.

However, the last eight months getting to know so much of the music scene and those who are a part of it, have been a lot of fun. And so far, the only moments with Peoria Music Live that I regret are the ones where I could have stepped out of my comfort zone and didn't.

I'm working on it... although I'm not planning to stretch too far outside at my comfort zone at Summer Camp. I mean... everyone else can do what they want and I won't judge... but I'm still not going to attempt to dance. (haha)

I'm looking forward to seeing a ton of new artists from all over as well as some of my favorites from the area.

It's going to be a great weekend! And in the end I hope to be able to show Peoria the great things that happen at Summer Camp and give you a better picture of what it is that goes on out there, beyond the stories you've heard.

Feel free to leave a comment with some music festival advice or a story of a positive experience you've had at Summer Camp!

Easy Riders
Summer Camp 2018 Preview 5/19/18