I've attended the Siren music fests since 2008 in Coney Island. Great experience they were all. Then the Village Voice that put them together moved the fest to South Street seaport last year and renamed it Four Knots. Many of us were disappointed by this decision and I didn't go as many of my friends didn't either. They took a successful event from CI and moved it to one of the worst locations in NYC.
This past Saturday we decided to check it out against our initial resistance. We were right. This is a horrible location, not conducive to an alternative rock scene. It definitely does not feel right in any way shape or form. The crowds were mostly rushed tourists and shoppers, and people who usually go to the seaport to experience an overpriced outing of banality in NYC. So, yeah, if most people present at an event are not there specifically for it, while the area is specifically designed to grab tourist dollars, then there's a problem.
Don't get me wrong, the bands were just as good as the ones I've seen before in CI, but they just didn't sound the same amid the noise of the FDR Drive and the cacophony of the tourist throngs. The second state seemed like an afterthought, crammed on the side between a restaurant and the Peking ship, right smack in the pathway of the crowds waiting to board the sightseeing boats. Tsk.
To top it off this disaster, Pier 17 had a fire [link to video] and the pier was closed though the fest went on after a long delay.
The vendors were fewer and generally not interesting. I got a couple t-shirts though.
The Four Knots fest was named for the speed of the water current in the area. I don't know how fast the currents moved that day but the long lines of touring groups following their leader's flag had about that speed. Unless these hordes clashed with the crowds from the water taxis, and the sightseeing ships getting on-off the boats.... Never mind that we were there to experience a music fest not be knocked around like flotsam in the New York harbor.
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| If you could go into a zen mode shutting out the distractions, the music was good and the scenery (sans the tourist crowds) was nice. But, still this ain't no Siren music fest. |
This past Saturday we decided to check it out against our initial resistance. We were right. This is a horrible location, not conducive to an alternative rock scene. It definitely does not feel right in any way shape or form. The crowds were mostly rushed tourists and shoppers, and people who usually go to the seaport to experience an overpriced outing of banality in NYC. So, yeah, if most people present at an event are not there specifically for it, while the area is specifically designed to grab tourist dollars, then there's a problem.
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| The VIP crowd on the Peking |
To top it off this disaster, Pier 17 had a fire [link to video] and the pier was closed though the fest went on after a long delay.
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| That went on for 4 hours, closing most of the pier for the day. |
The vendors were fewer and generally not interesting. I got a couple t-shirts though.
The Four Knots fest was named for the speed of the water current in the area. I don't know how fast the currents moved that day but the long lines of touring groups following their leader's flag had about that speed. Unless these hordes clashed with the crowds from the water taxis, and the sightseeing ships getting on-off the boats.... Never mind that we were there to experience a music fest not be knocked around like flotsam in the New York harbor.
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