Will it be bad enough to warrant a Netflix documentary? We’ll have to wait and see
Grown-up emos from around the world were full of excitement when the When We Were Young Festival (WWWYF) was announced earlier this month. Set to perform at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in October are some of the biggest names of early 2000s pop-punk. With Paramore and My Chemical Romance headlining the show and over 60 other artists, from Avril Lavigne to Jimmy Eat World, filling out the roster, fans were quick to stir up a frenzy across social media platforms. However, what initially began as excitement and nostalgia soon turned to suspicion and grief, with many fans calling the festival “Fyre Fest 2.0”.
Initially, the WWWY festival was planned for Oct. 22, 2022, but two more dates have since been added given the overwhelming hype surrounding the event. Yet, unlike many successful festivals such as Coachella, the line-up is not spread out over multiple days, but rather jam-packed into a one-day-only affair. With only three stages, 12 hours, and 65 bands, many fans have been questioning the logistics of such an ordeal. Using simple math, one can calculate that each band or artist would have only 33 minutes to perform. Factoring in set-up and tear-down time plus soundchecks only sets back the clock even more. This is especially concerning considering the massive following of some of the artists signed up for the festival. It’s hard to imagine that bands like Paramore and My Chemical Romance would agree to headline an event that only lets them perform for half an hour. However, any major increases to set times for some artists only take away from an already minuscule window for smaller artists. Even more concerning is the fact that festivals of this size rarely run on time and typically encounter numerous technical difficulties, which in this case would add more pressure to an already stressed schedule of events.
If that wasn’t bad enough, some fans have been made to feel wearier about the legitimacy of WWWYF festival upon learning that Live Nation Entertainment is the company behind it all. Live Nation is the concert production company behind the recent AstroWorld tragedy that took the lives of 10 concert-goers. Now facing lawsuits and investigations regarding the inadequate security and planning for AstroWorld, fans are hesitant to trust Live Nation’s abilities to successfully and safely organize a colossal festival such as this.
While the When We Were Young festival isn’t being held on an island in the Bahamas, and there are no talks of cheese sandwiches being provided, many fans remain cautious of a possible ‘Fyre-Fest 2.0’ ramping up. Even with the most responsible planning, a festival of this degree of grandiose is sure to experience a few bumps along the way. Will it be bad enough to warrant a Netflix documentary? We’ll have to wait and see.
