How To Recover From Burnout: 2024 Music Festivals
Photo by Sam Ray-Johnson.
Perpetual burnout is something a lot of us experience in the society we live in — we’re taught that if we work hard, we’ll get to play hard, but for the majority of us, it just doesn’t work out that way. Many of us spend months in exhaustion, grinding away while the activities we want to do slips through our fingers. By the time we get time off to do it, we’re too tired to participate. Some of us spend years that way, constantly looking forward to a party that never happens, living for the weekend while we work our souls away.
I’m the kind of person that never takes time off even when I’m sick. After the whirlwind of a year 2024 started out for me, I was feeling more than ready for some boogie time. It had been almost two years since my last music festival, and I genuinely think that was way too long of a wait. Before the pandemic, I would go to multiple festivals or concerts in the year — every couple of months or so, I would try and go to at least one gathering with friends every now and then. In my personal post-pandemic world, it just doesn’t happen the way it used to for me.
I debated whether or not to go to the Golden Road Gathering this year. For one, it was only a three-day festival instead of a traditional four, and it’s only been running for two years now. Just to catch you up on some background lore — there was a previous festival that ran in Placerville, California for over a decade called the Hangtown Music Festival. I went to two Hangtowns, and it was my favorite festival up until it was retired. Then they replaced Hangtown with Golden Road, held at a better time of the year considering the weather, and it was better. It was very hot during the day but the nights were humid and brisk but not unbearable, and I actually over prepared for how cold I thought it was going to be. We also packed way too much food for three days. But all in all, I ended up being really grateful I attended, because I didn’t realize how badly I missed festivals until now.
The first day of festivals is always spent setting up camp with your friends, and spending way too much time settling in. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to hang out with my buddies, but we definitely missed a lot of music the first night. I ended up buying a parasol at the venue, probably the smartest purchase I’ve ever made at a festival. The set for the evening was kickass though, and ended up being the favorite among all of us. It was a band called Dirtwire — and it was a dubstep set, done with instruments from around the world. I danced the entire set, and if it’s anything I learned that first day, it’s that proper walking shoes are essential next time, or sandals.
The second day I made a commitment to myself to see as much music as I possibly could, because I knew that last day was going to be rough on my mental state. While my friends rallied and corralled their toddlers to go, I went ahead and sat through several hours of sets. From funk to Americana, more unique instruments and more, Golden Road Gathering was something new and fresh, something I desperately needed. There were a surprising amount of families at this festival — children were running around with squirt guns and glowsticks, and there were even pregnant mamas rocking colorful bodysuits and fancy hats. Lesson of the second day was that there’s nothing stopping you from chasing your interests, and going it alone doesn’t mean you’re lonely. The night ended with the always incredible Beats Antique, and I was in the crowd, almost front and center. A theatrical group complete with belly dancers, traditional drumming and again, a set that sounded like EDM but wasn’t — it was so satisfying to witness such divine feminine energy for the second night of Golden Road.
The last day was spent trying to squeeze in as much as possible, for as long as possible. While my buddies napped away at camp with their toddlers, I ran about to listen to every set I could. When one would end, another would start on the side stage under some trees. There’s something about being close to music that fills my soul and keeps me sane, and it was so good to be able to consume as much of it as I could before the evening rolled in. Gathering up the kiddos, my friends and I sat on a blanket on the grass for the last set as we took it all in for the last few hours. Railroad Revue, although it wasn’t the same without lead singer Todd Sheaffer, who was absent due to health issues, they were stellar as usual. I definitely teared up a little bit thinking about some of the previous memories I’ve made with that band, and getting to see them again felt so surreal. There’s something so familiar about being at a music festival for me, and I realized that it’s not necessarily the music or the lights or the crowds — it’s the friends that you take with you that make it feel like home.
Golden Road Gathering felt far too short for my taste, but I don’t think there was a single act I watched that was mediocre or lame. Every single band was masterful at their craft and incredibly talented, and I give a grateful nod of approval to all the staff who made the event run smoothly. I will admit it, there were some elements I didn’t get to experience and so it wasn’t necessarily the festival I wanted, but it was certainly the festival I needed. I even made time to do a sound bath during one of the daytime workshops. It’s crazy how much you can learn in such a short weekend, and it already has me planning more shenanigans very soon.
I returned back to Reno ready to get back into the groove of things, ready to keep hunting for more new music and more talent to talk to. If there’s any big message I can leave you all with for this blog, it’s this: take a chance on the experience you might not think is worth it. It usually ends up being something spiritual, and something that renews your soul for the months ahead. People need to take time off and chase their interests, and nothing helps me recover from burnout quite like music does.
I can’t wait to get back out there again, and I’m already dreaming of the next time I can dance out in the desert with my friends around a fire, under the stars of our beautiful Universe. It’s what life is all about, isn’t it?
To learn more about the Golden Road Gathering, visit its website here.
