Staff Writer
The new and exciting FREDstock Music Festival 14, that was scheduled over Fred Fest weekend, didn’t exactly go as planned. Although over 800 people had agreed to attend on Facebook, the crowds were small due to various reasons, and the event, originally scheduled for Willow Creek Winery, was canceled Saturday. Festivities resumed at The Jungle later that day.
Jess Labella, a sophomore journalism major and bassist for Albert the Fish said, “I just went to play.”
Albert the Fish played their set on Saturday afternoon, from 1:20 until 2:00 p.m. It was a little rainy, and since it was early, not many people had come out to FREDstock.
“When we first got there, there was no crowd,” LaBella said. “It filled up; we got maybe 25 people in the crowd by the end of our set. They were energetic though; they were into it, so that was cool.”
However, despite the conditions, the bands sounded great, and they played the same as if there were 100 people in the crowd.
“I have to commend the sound people, because they were prepared [for the rain]. The sound quality was excellent,” said LaBella.
On Friday, things ran smoothly, although the event did not attract the desired masses; however, Saturday, FREDstock fell apart. Around 5 p.m., the rain began to pour down, and gusts of strong wind ripped through the pavilion. People were holding on to their chairs, and the art vendors struggled to keep their work from blowing away.
Luckily, The Chronic Collective was playing at the time underneath the covered stage, so they continued their set. After they finished, it was still raining hard, so everyone headed for cover under the pavilion to hang
out and play “Vert Pong,” a new version of beer pong where the cups are set up on a vertical board.
Forty minutes later, the rain had stopped, and the sun came out, but several people informed the crowd that the equipment was being moved to The Jungle, the house of Matt Mincin, inventor and organizer of FREDstock, where bands play frequently. The concert-goers were confused, because it was sunny and beautiful; why should they be leaving? Nevertheless, they were ushered onto the bus to be taken back to Barker Commons.
At The Jungle, FREDstock continued, but headliner Sophistafunk canceled its set due to insufficient funding. Jack Hodgens, a junior theatre major who lives at The Jungle, explained, “We couldn’t charge people at our house because of legalities, so it was free, and then people wanted refunds, but it was [still] a great turnout.
“The bands were amazing, and super talented, and everybody was dancing around, enjoying the music,especially at my house. It was completely packed inside and outside, shoulder to shoulder.”
The original idea was to have FREDstock at The Jungle, but because they were strongly advised not to by administration and community members, it was first going to be held at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds, and then at the winery.
Also, because of the low ticket sales, FREDstock wasn’t able to pay Sophistafunk what they had been promised. There was also the discrepancy over refunds and rebates for tickets.
Some students paid $20 for tickets they had bought online, but were refused their $5 rebate at the door. Others were angry that the festival was rained out — and wanted refunds.
The vendors were also upset at the turnout, and this was another reason why refunds couldn’t be given. The costs of FREDstock outweighed the revenue, due to the costs of the venue, vendors, bands and other expenditures that had already been paid for.
There was much speculation as to why FREDstock wasn’t as popular as expected.
“It was because of bars, the other parties, the money,” said Hodgens. He explained that college students don’t have the money for $15 concert tickets on a weekend like Fred Fest, especially not in a place where a beer costs $4, and people can’t bring their own food or alcohol.
LaBella mentioned that attendance may have been better with nicer weather, and a bus that took kids directly to campus, instead of downtown. Hodgens also said it was a competition between Fred Fest and FREDstock.
“People choose what they know, and since FREDstock is new, most people won’t do it,” he said.
However, Hodgens continued, “We can’t just stop now. I know Matt won’t stop here. I think next year has a stronger possibility of being more successful, and also if we moved it to the weekend before Fred Fest, it would definitely be more beneficial, if it wasn’t an ultimatum [between the two].”
“I think it could be really huge,” LaBella said. “There are definitely some things that need to be tweaked, but FREDstock could become a huge part of the annual Fredonia Festival. It’s a change of scene for people, and I think there are a lot of factors that made it not as big as it could be.”
Still, out of all the hard work put into creating FREDstock, something new was born, and there’s room for improvement in the following years.
“I don’t think [Mincin] failed, because he tried his best. That’s the way I look at it,” said Hodgens. “He worked so hard at this; he dedicated everything to it. That motivation is inspirational, so I think it was a success, because it made an impression.”