Markham Park (Zetafest), Sunrise, Florida
Crammed full of testosterone and attitude, 20,000 sun-soaked fans
converged on Markham Park July 6 for what was to be a memorable ZETAFEST,
full of rock'n roll, mud flinging, bikinis, booths, long lines and food.
All that seemed to be missing was some shade.
Organized by 94.9 ZETA, the radio station that has profited much
since the castration of WSHE's format, the festival brought together a
wide array of social classes, age groups and persuasions onto one massive
field. What the crowd were treated to was a sampling of national rock acts
including Cracker, Candlebox, Holy Barbarians and Spot, and a smorgasbord
of local bands who were able to play in front of crowds they could only
dream of.
While local bands and freakshow acts displayed their inadequacies
on the second stage, the mainstream bands resembled the good, the bad and
the ugly. Cracker was the most consistently appealing band of the day,
playing a blend of alternative music that sounded crystal clear. Lead
vocalist David Lowery sounded as good as ever as he churned out crowd
pleasers such as "Low" and "I Hate My Generation." Cracker's only fault,
though, during their entire set was their failure to move around stage a
bit. Their lethargic motions, though, didn't seem to matter as the crowd
erupted and sang along to such memorable lyrics as "what the world needs
now is another folk singer like I need a hole in my head."
Cracker's set also sparked what was to be the lamest crowd moment
of the day. All it took was just the first few seconds of Lynyrd Skynyrd's
"Sweet Home Alabama," and the crowd erupted with the biggest roar of the
day. Of course, the first few seconds was all they played. It was a joke.
Oh well, so much for Florida's taste in music.
The band who most made up for Cracker's lack of stage presence was
undoubtedly the Holy Barbarians, led by former Cult vocalist Ian Astbury.
In a thoroughly memorable performance featuring songs almost entirely off
their debut CD named "Cream," the band were the recipient of mud flung
from the audience somewhat early in their set. The sprinkling of mud
throwing soon turned into a barrage when Astbury encouraged the crowd to
throw more mud. And throw more mud they did. The entire band ended up
dodging huge chunks of turf thrown from the crowd, all the time managing
to continue playing the music. The one who was targeted the most was
Astbury, whose University of Miami basketball top and grey-checked skirt
ended up being covered in the earthy substance. But Astbury relished in
the moment, acting like a devilish young schoolboy as he poured out lyrics
that sung about sex, drugs, spirituality and sibling rivalry.
Candlebox, despite their popularity, was simply Candlebox, playing
unemotional rock'n roll that begged the question: "Why the heck was this
band at the top of the bill?" Spot, meanwhile, played a so-so set that
only caught fire when "Moon, June, Spoon" erupted.
ZETAFEST was a perfect people watching day. Shirtless men were the
norm, while skimpy bikini's flourished throughout the park. On what was a
boiling hot day, the crowd's temperament was surprisingly hospitable,
although fans towards the front of the main stage may have disagreed. Kids
of all ages seemed to be floating on top of a sea of hands as the number
of crowd surfers increased as the day wore on.
Although there wasn't a plethora of things to do other than listen
to music, festival-goers were faced with a wide variety of booths to
choose from and to investigate. There was a body-piercing/tattoo parlor, a
Hummer vehicle on display by the Live Hard clothing company, an array of
clothes for sale, and even a "dunk a Penthouse Pet" water tank, where
gorgeous models were placed precariously above a tank of cold water.
Towards the end of the day, the smell of pot and a smoking BBQ
intermingled in the air, while the massive field (which had been a
beautiful green at the beginning of the day) now resembled a mud strewn
bog made all the worse by 20,000 fans trampling back and forth over it all
day long. The sun, meanwhile, hid its head for the first time in the day,
as the fans trudged back to their vehicles.
Although it was a long, hot day, ZETAFEST was a resounding
success. It all goes to prove how powerful one radio station can be -- to
bring together 20,000 diverse people into one park for one day of
celebration. Let's hope that next year's event will be even better.
Chris Harris