Last Year's APW Festival

Did anyone go to All Points West last year? How was it??

interesting...

did anyone go from new york city, and if so was it a hassle/expensive to get there? it has instructions on the website but somehow I doubt its as effortless as they make it seem

Hey! I was at this last year, for Saturday. First large festival I'd been to, and couldn't ask for a better day to be outside and jam to music all day. That being said, my experience was pretty mixed. The performances themselves were solid... noise overflow from adjacent stages wasn't a problem. About 4 years of casual listening to AC, and all it took to convert me was a live show. Everyone checking out Black Angels were so transfixed on the band (perfect meshing of music and atmosphere). Radiohead, no complaints, loved those LED bars and Thom's quip on KOL ("We would've been successful a long time ago if we looked as good as them.").

Music was good, the logistical bs soured the experience.

- VIP passes don't mean shit. If you've got one, don't expect that you can take your time getting to the show, and breeze past all the kids who paid GA. (see note to joliealtshuler below. )

- Biggest issue: The view from the beer garden/food area was obscured by fencing and hedges. VIP bleachers and viewing areas sound good in practice, but they're situated around the perimeter of the crowd for main stage. Too far away to bother with/can't drink on them either. Seems like most people want to drink and watch the show at the same time. Messes up the flow a bit, so you end up with kinda-pissed kids chugging cheap beers to catch the end of a set, or running to the toilets take a piss. Then getting back in line half an hour later. Vicious lather/rinse/repeat on a day when all you want to do is chill.

- Regarding dranks: Last call is 8pm. Right in time for the headliner. So beer lines from 7pm-on are going to be even more congested. Pretty sure I got 5 tix (rations?), as opposed to 7. Expect to pay $7-9 per cup of beer. Food prices are reasonable.

- Bags do get checked. A couple before me had to confiscate a backpack full of hummus, granola, fruit, other tasty stuff. Just stick to their list. Do bring a sweatshirt/blanket if you want to lay out.

- If you see a large crowd in line for something you also need, walk around it. To whatever "far" side of the line. You'll seriously save half of your day :)

@joliealtshuler
LEAVE EARLY, especially if you want to be there the whole day. I took the PATH > Light Rail, and was coming from the village. Thought that I'd only be in transit/line for 1-1.5 hrs, in part due to VIP assumption. Nope. Left for Jersey at 2pm, trains were already packed by that point. Got in line by 4pm, and wasn't in the gates till 5:30 (unfortunately missing a couple aforementioned bands.) Be smart and leave early! The ride going back was much less stressful... also cool to compare how much quieter the ride was. Some friends took the ferry. They had an easier time, but it's a lot more $$.

Oh yeah, and bring cash if you're taking the train. Everyone was able to buy a roundtrip light rail ticket once you got off the PATH... you'll likely buy it at a small kiosk past all of the platforms, but you'll have to doubleback/lose your spot in line to get to the ATMs.

Apologies if I come off as debbie downer, but I hope they've fixed several of the problems from last year. You can be super-diligent about timing, or park yourself in the same spot all day (neither are impossible, but unrealistic if you want to do and see a lot of things). Just go with it, keep the planning to the minimal, and enjoy the day for what it is!