There are a grand total of two bands playing that I'd even remotely care to see, and I've heard quite a few. I've only been back in this town for barely a couple years now, but it doesn't take much to turn me off to Comfest apparently. I know it's what people do, because it's one of the only of a handful of event-type things to do in this town (and sadly one of the better options).
I'm all about supporting the bands I care about, but even in this case, I'll have to skip this. I'll go see the bands I love every other time they're playing. I can't see how anyone would go through the parking mess for this.
Unless the Columbus population is this desperate for entertainment, I can't see Comfest existing 5 years from now. After it being promised as something worth doing, I was terribly let down last year, and this looks to be much worse. I'm basing that purely on the dozen or so bands that I've seen, and the dozen or so I know who aren't playing.
Here's what they don't need... MORE hippie folky acoustic acts (if you can tell where one ends and the other begins, trust me, you're in the minority), soft "indie" bands (Thanks Sufjan and Arcade Fire, now every V-neck wearing douchebag without talent is picking up an oddball instrument in hopes of making his already shitty music even slightly more interesting... I'd actually prefer the beard growing
who wants you to know what he thinks about cars and beer), and jazz. Jazz doesn't suffer the same afflictions as the others (at least not in the same ways) but it comes close. Plus, there are already jazz/rib fests and such. So, how about this, Comfest... next year try to be interesting.
I'll take a Bumbershoot over a Comfest any day.
Edit:
I should clarify... it wasn't that I didn't have fun last year... but I can have fun with my friends ANYWHERE. It's that most of the bands were terrible, the location is awful, and I personally don't care much for hippies. Well, to be fair... I don't like hippies who have large number of statistics to support their opinion of whatever cause, but don't actually do anything (and smell bad). So, I did not enjoy what comfest had to offer.
But since I can have fun with friends anywhere, this year it will be anywhere but comfest.