Things You See At Governor's Ball

First of all HI HELLO I'M BACK. It's summertime, which means I blog now. Blogs are cool. Okay, here we go.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending my third music festival: the three-day extravaganza known as Governor's Ball.

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JUST LOOK AT THAT LINEUP. I bought these tickets months ago, and I've been psyched for the concert ever since. Both my roommates were going, and we all had plenty of other friends to meet up with at the shows. And then something horrible happened.

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For a few days leading up to the event, we knew it was going to be rainy on Friday night. We were prepared. We swapped our pre-planned tank tops and shorts for leggings and rain boots. What we didn't expect, though, was just how this was going to impact the rest of our weekend. I left Friday night after Of Monsters and Men with two of my friends, while another two stayed behind until they closed the island early due to really awful weather conditions (wind is dangerous, y'all!). With blisters on our heels, mud covering our rain boots, and cold wet clothes freezing us to the bone, we were overjoyed to see sunshine on the forecast for the next two days. But it slowly dawned on us what a night of rain meant to a dirt field: THREE DAYS OF MUD. All grossness aside, we made the best of it. And on Sunday, I decided to make a game out of it: Things You See At Governor's Ball. Think of it as an anthropological study of festival goers - their wardrobes, their behavior, their ridiculousness. Without further ado, I present to you my findings. After the jump!

Freeky Friday: Moving Forward, Rocking Out

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Welcome to another Freeky Friday! Today's topic:

What's on your positivity playlist this summer? Share your favorite feel-good songs!

Those of you who followed us last year will recall that these Positivity Playlists are my FAVORITE Freeky Friday topics. I love discovering new music, and there's no better kind of music than the feel-good kind. The theme of my positivity playlist this summer is "moving forward". It's a pretty crazy time for me - out of school, moving into a real apartment, preparing for a full-time job - and I find that music is the best thing to help remind me that forward motion is essential, no matter how bittersweet it may seem. So what's on my positivity playlist?

Mumford and Sons - The Cave


Some people might think this song is sad. Those people would be wrong. Mumford manages to capture all of the emotions that are involved with triumphing in the face of adversity, which is essentially what moving forward is all about. Whether it's coping with an addiction or ending a long relationship, this song can pretty much apply to everything. I typically love music for the lyrics, but what I love most about "The Cave" is how the music builds with the emotions involved. The beginning is quiet, timid, confused, but the song builds to a loud, energetic force - the listener has no choice but to grow in the same way.

Freeking awesome lyrics: 'Cause I need freedom now / And I need to know how / To live my life as its meant to be

Fun. - Carry On

I know Fun. is super trendy right now and typically the hipster in me tries to shy away from that kind of music, but I cannot deny the power of this album. The whole thing is a positivity playlist! Like most of my favorite songs, this one came into my life at an apropos time - while I was finishing up my last semester of grad school - and this album on loop is pretty much the reason I graduated. This song is particular is an anthem for anyone who has ever experienced anything in their past that they would like to move forward from. The message is clear: we've all been there, and your only choice is to keep moving forward. 

Freeking awesome lyrics: May your past be the sound / Of your feet upon the ground / Carry on

The Muppets - Rainbow Connection

Ohhhh I love the Muppets. And there's just something about "Rainbow Connection", isn't there? Something wishful, dreamy, almost distant about it. Apart from this being one of my absolute favorite songs to sing ever, "Rainbow Connection" keeps my head in the clouds in the most delightful way. While I am determined to move forward, this song brings a light to the future instead of focusing on overcoming darkness of the past. Whether it's love or work or friendship or life, there's just something about "Rainbow Connection" that applies to us all. Don't believe me? Type it into YouTube and see just how many people have covered it. I, however, prefer when Kermit sings it. I tried to find a video of the 2011 movie version, but it just wouldn't load for me. Vintage will have to do!

Freeking awesome lyrics: I've heard it too many times to ignore it / It's something that I'm supposed to be

What's on your positivity playlist this summer?

In case you forgot, anyone can get Freeky on Fridays! You can participate in three different ways:

• Write a blog post using the badge html above, then comment on my post with a link to your post
• Tweet your answer using the tag #FreekyFriday
• "Like" the  Freekware Facebook page, then comment on there with your answer

Every time you post, tweet or comment in the month of June, you'll be entered to win some tasty treats and a contribution to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in your name. There are still two more Fridays in June, so you can be entered to win up to six more times!


Be sure to record your participation on this widget so your vote will be counted!

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Join us next Friday, June 29th, and answer this fun and exciting prompt:

Who is your pop culture alter-ego?

Freeky Friday: Hang On, I'm Not Going To Dwell

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Happy Freeky Friday, friends! Today's topic:

Share another positivity playlist! What three songs pick you up when you're feeling down?

First of all, let me just say that I love these positivity playlists. Like I said before, music and unity go hand in hand, and I'm all about the feel good tunage. I have quite a few pick-me-up playlists (because what makes you feel better than a good song?), but a few songs are always on my list. I do have to warn you though, some parts of these songs (and/or the live performances of them) aren't exactly cleaned up. Put on your headphones if you're at work!

311 - Don't Dwell


Of all of the songs that have ever made me feel better about anything, this is THE one. I blast it on repeat constantly. I often find that the reason I'm feeling crappy is because I'm beating myself up over something that happened. This song reminds me to let it go and keep moving forward. I don't really have anything profound or cool to say about it other than that I force everyone I know to listen to it when they're feeling down. I'd like to let Nick & the boys tell the story themselves here.

Freeking awesome lyrics: Might as well forgive yourself / That means more than someone else

Childish Gambino - Not Going Back


For those of you who don't know, Childish Gambino is the rapper name of actor/writer/comedian Donald Glover (Mystery Team, TV's Community). I'm pretty much obsessed with him. Whenever I let other people get to me or feel like I'm being underestimated, this song reminds me that I can do whatever I set my mind to, and anyone who disagrees is a hater. Bottom line.

Some trivia: there was a huge Twitter campaign pushing for Donald as the new Spider-Man in the upcoming movie. People doubted him, they cast Andrew Garfield, and now Donald has become pretty widely known and popular. Now, I love Andrew, and I'm really excited they cast him (have you SEEN Entertainment Weekly?! Dreamy!), but I was rooting for Donald. Clearly he's doing alright on his own, though, as exhibited my favorite line from the song.

Freeking awesome lyrics: When I wanna be a superhero I just wake up

Guster - Hang On


Oh, Guster. All of your songs make me feel better. Guster came into my life at the right time, and this is the final song on the first album of theirs I ever bought. It's the perfect song for those "I have hit absolutely rock bottom and the only thing that will make me feel better is crying my eyes out and accepting that there's nothing I can do but wait" kind of moods.

The video above is the way Guster often performs this song live - mashed up, leading into Billy Joel's "My Life." I saw them do this at Dave Matthews Band Caravan in Atlantic City (more on that soon, I promise), and it was seriously awesome. It's typically this slow, soothing song; all of a sudden, it's this awesome, rock-y, give it up and let it be kind of jam. As if it was possible for me to love this song any more.

Freeking awesome lyrics: There's a twilight, a night time, and a dawn

Cheer up, Charlie! What's your positivity playlist? You can participate in three different ways:

• Write a blog post using the badge html above, then comment on my post with a link to your post
• Tweet your answer using the tag #FreekyFriday
• "Like" the  Freekware Facebook page, then comment on there with your answer

A new month means a new giveaway! Every time you post, tweet or comment in the month of July, you'll be entered to win some Peanut Butter S'mores Bites and a contribution to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in your name. You still have three Fridays left in July, so if you blog, tweet, and comment every week, you'll be entered nine times!


We'll see y'all next week, 7/22, and tell us:

What's your favorite feel good movie?