So my first Electric Picnic has come and gone, and before too much time passes, I want to put down some thoughts. First up, it was the first time I’ve camped at a Festival since 1992 (Feile 92!) and while it was great fun, I have no idea why people over the age of 23 or so think camping is a good idea. I seem to be in a minority on this one, as everyone I was with seemed to love it. Anyway . . .
It’s a really impressive festival, with so much going on that actually, you really could spend three days being fully entertained by talks and events without ever seeing a band. I spent most of the weekend at the Theatre of Food tent. (See pics below). But as a big Cure fan, the fact the band was headlining was a big deal for me. They turned in a set that was 3hrs 20mins long, and played virtually all their singles. A smashing night, made all the more fun by getting to hook up with some of the band members beforehand. They say don’t meet your idols, but in my case, it turned out fine. The Cure seem to be a great bunch of guys. I had a brief conversation with keyboard player Roger O’Donnell (clang!!! ha ha!) about this, remarking how nice it was to grow up with a band’s music as a semi-permanent fixture in your life, without finding out the people behind the tunes have turned into right wing tories. In the case of the Cure, a nicer bunch of rational, liberal leftie atheists you couldn’t hope to meet.
So Electric Picnic was a blast for me. Would I go back? Definitely, but I think I’d probably opt for a B&B instead of a tent.
alexmeehan.com 
I blogged my electric picnic experience too- we “cheated” and stayed in a hotel in Portlaoise, using the two small boys as an excuse not to camp. There’s an incomparable buzz there that you can’t describe unless you’ve been there. Wish the next one was sooner.