With the explosion of the independent music industry in recent years, music festivals have become more numerous than ever before. Interestingly enough, there appear to be two major classes of the modern music festival; while one half focus on a local or regional audience the other type (appropriately dubbed mega-festivals) draw in national (and sometimes international) audiences. May 30th marked the second annual advent of southern Connecticut’s B.O.M.B. Fest, which may very well be deserving of classification into a third category: a hybrid of the two options, a well-produced local festival with aspirations to draw a national audience.

Section 1: Festival Production (Organization)

Born and raised in Southeastern Connecticut (and current Loyola New Orleans Freshman), Frank Bombaci created B.O.M.B. Fest in 2009 as a way to give back to the local musical community, and as a vehicle to help out with charities across Connecticut. He started Bring Our Music Back Inc., and produced both years’ successful single-day festivals; this year’s iteration having featured much bigger names in the lineup, including Jay Electronica, of Montreal, Ra Ra Riot, Girl Talk, and Lupe Fiasco. Though a key aspect of B.O.M.B. Fest’s production plan was to draw crowds with national acts in order to publicize the lesser-known regional and local bands, we found that such a short list of the former act was not enough to draw audiences from too far away (read: outside of New England).

Hosted on the Durham Fairgrounds in Durham, Connecticut, B.O.M.B. Fest took up a fairly sizable chunk of land. Thankfully, its layout was well marked and easily navigable, with maps posted everywhere and paved sidewalks winding through the expanse of stages and vendor tents (who sold everything from food to starter hydroponic kits). Garbage cans and recycling bins were well distributed throughout the festival grounds, but we would liked to have seen staff or volunteers promoting and recycling efforts. Still, litter was scarce, if present at all. Bathrooms were well marked and readily available with relatively short lines (the wait for a bathroom at festivals can get ridiculous), and for those who needed it, a large building with public restrooms sporting running water, soap, etc, was also available, which is not something that can be said for most public events, let alone festivals of any size.

Unfortunately, bringing outside food into B.O.M.B. Fest was forbidden, so festival-goers were left to the food and beverage available on site. We were pleasantly surprised, however, to see all sorts of affordable food made fresh upon order, including everything from cheeseburgers to sushi (yes, even the sushi was made fresh on site).

Security was not an issue at any point, but were it to be needed, it’s hard to imagine one would have an easy time finding someone who could help out.

23/30

Section 2: Presentation & Originality

While clearly not a wholly original idea, the infusion of local and regional acts on such a major scale is definitely something that set B.O.M.B. Fest apart from comparably-sized festivals. The festival also donated all profits to a number of charities, including the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (Paul Newman’s nonprofit, residential summer camp and year-round center for children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions), Connecticut Children’s Hospital, and YPI (a residential youth arts camp). As far as uniqueness in presentation, however, B.O.M.B. Fest didn’t have anything to speak of, being as traditionally-deployed as a festival could be. Future iterations will have to present something fresh if the festival is to stand out from other regional offerings.

5/20

Section 3: Sustainability Practices

Going green is definitely “in” right now. BOMBFest, however, didn’t hop on the eco-train in much of any way besides the most basic of methods (offering recycling bins) and leaving the job up to the crowd to get done (or not). Styrofoam was specifically banned as well. However, organized sustainability practices were noticeably absent, marking one of our biggest disappointments with the festival. Hopefully next year things are different.

11/25

Section 4: Non-Musical Entertainment

B.O.M.B. Fest didn’t offer very little in the way of non-musical entertainment. Massive amounts of local vendors selling all sorts of wares made for some distraction when the currently-playing bands didn’t interest, but the novelty wore out quick. Besides the available shopping, all non-musical entertainment was left to the festival-goer’s imagination on the open field. We have no problem with playing frisbee, but when you’ve paid money to be at a festival, something you can do for free in a park tends not to cut it.

3/10

Section 5: Overall Festival Atmosphere

A general admission ticket to B.O.M.B. Fest’s single day of festivities ran only $50, which is a decidedly reasonable price when the cost of one-off single concerts is taken into consideration. The atmosphere was very friendly, both from staff and the crowd, as well as from artists like Jay Electronica, who took time to sign autographs and speak with fans well after his performance ended. The laxness of security coupled with the friendly crowd meant just about anyone who wanted to hop on over the barriers into the V.I.P. sections was able to do so easily.

11/15

Conclusion

B.O.M.B. Fest’s largest advantages and disadvantages lie within its age (or lack thereof).

Pros: Blending a list of nationally-recognized acts and local and regional favorites is a promising idea, assuming that the prospect of seeing a ton of new (and relatively unknown) acts is of interest. The relatively cheap ticket price, coupled with the inexpensive and varied food options went a long way to making the festival worthwhile, especially when considering all of the profits went to various organizations promoting arts and health for children.

Cons: No major environmental initiatives and no non-musical attractions were the major letdowns of this year’s B.O.M.B Fest. We like the idea of featuring local and regional acts, but this needs to be focused on more directly to be of significant benefit to the musical experience. As it stands, we recommend B.O.M.B. Fest to anyone within a short distance, but in order for it to prosper and start pulling in a national audience, the event needs to offer something fresh to the festival world. This generic stuff just won’t do.

Final Score (Single-Day Festivals): 53/100