Swampstock

Bigger, better and greener, Langerado is back

By Angie Hargot

Yes, the Langerado Music Festival has managed to get even bigger. Photo by Dave Vann

What do an inebriated, guitar-strumming alligator, a stoned cow and a half-baked moon all have in common? 

Well, according to the Web site, they’ll all be camping out with more than 85 headlining and up-and-coming bands on an Indian reservation in the Everglades at the Langerado Music Festival this weekend.

The sixth annual festival kicks off Thursday with an impressive list of acts that includes R.E.M., The Beastie Boys, 311, Matisyahu, Ani DiFranco, Minus the Bear, The Roots, Thievery Corporation and a litany of others on multiple stages.

Keeping with the burgeoning popularity of the now-infamous outdoor festival experience, Langerado organizers moved the 2008 event from Markham Park to the larger Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation to accommodate more camping, jamming and activism under the stars.

The festival expanded the VIP ticket holder experience and added more food and craft vendors, more camping amenities and a bigger kids’ area. Think Woodstock for the modern age. Those who just want to watch the events without getting too dirty can now stay at an official hotel and take a shuttle to the festival from their accommodations or the airport — or, get this, they can even catch a ride in a chartered helicopter.

Also new this year: added green initiatives. Langerado will power the stages and lights with biodiesel fuels, and vendors are required to serve food on 100 percent recycled paper products.

Organizers established festival-wide recycling and the Greenerado EcoVillage, where artists, activists, nonprofits and green-minded organizations can share ecofriendly concepts and practices.

This year’s festival features an extended music schedule, with bands performing into the wee hours, some until 3 or 4 a.m.

“This year, I’m most excited to see STS9, an amazing band that fuses live instruments with electronic music simultaneously, creating a unique and exciting sound,” said 23-year-old returning festival-goer Amaya Mendizabal, of Miami Beach. “This will be my 14th time seeing them live, and this year they are playing from 1 to 4 a.m., which should be an interesting experience. I believe last year, bands were not allowed to play past 1 a.m.”

Mendizabal also looks forward to camping out again this year and seeing musicians that never make it to South Florida.

“It’s a great way to see all the concerts you could want to see in one year, over the course of a long weekend,” she said, adding that last year’s camping experience was extremely well-organized and ran smoothly. “What I love about music festivals is that the whole site becomes a small society of individuals from all over the country who have gathered for one purpose, which is to enjoy great music with great people, and leave the real world behind for four days without stressing about work, school and everyday responsibilities.”

University of South Florida student and Langerado newbie Tiffany is equally excited. “I hear this year is going to be the best ever,” she said. “I go to USF and know quite a few people from the Tampa area who are going, as well as a few people flying in from New Jersey. Langerado is the first big festival of the year and they picked a great place to do it. The weather will be wonderful (aside from the occasional rain shower) and the band lineup is one of the best I have ever seen. I am super excited!”

Another new festival-goer, Demi Colby “from the boring-ass state of Maine,” said she couldn’t wait “to get out of the cold and play in the sun, to kick off my summer tour with sun, music and dancing in sunny old Florida.”

Colby said she is most looking forward to seeing G Love and Special Sauce, and Phil Lesh. “The lineup for this show is so amazing,” she said, adding that although she doesn’t yet have a ticket, she’ll be packing “lots of good, positive vibes and my smile, of course.”

Langerado runs from Thursday, March 6, to Sunday, March 9, at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, Mile Marker 49 on Alligator Alley, South Florida. Tickets at the $169.50 and $184.50 price levels are already sold out, but tickets are still available for $199.50 in advance. Weekend passes are $225 at the gate. Tickets include access to all four days of the Langerado Music Festival and on-site camping for the duration of the event. Hotel and shuttle packages are also available from Fort Lauderdale. Children 10 and under are admitted at no charge with paid adults. For more information, call 800-594-8499 or visit www.langerado.com

Comments? E-mail angie@miamisunpost.com