Culture
NMF ’18 Day Four: An Introspection On Nostalgia and Human Kindness
By: Hiatt Hernon
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After the lazy Sunday that wrapped up Nelsonville Music Festival 2018 I found myself once again wandering the streets of Athens, Ohio in search of food, as I often had the past four years. I needed a rebirth or a sign or something to latch onto. Like last year I had given Nelsonville all that I had: my time, my energy, my keys… and yet once again there’s a sweetness to it all. Not a bitter sweetness, but a sweetness. My stay in Southern Ohio seems to be extending much longer than anticipated and the threads on the two shirts I brought seem to be wearing thinner by the minute. And yet as I walk down the Court Street promenade all I can think of are the memories. Then I start seeing familiar faces. One offers me a place to stay if needed, another asks if I found my keys at the fest this morning. And as I ate my deliciously greasy pizza and walked back to one of the many homes that offered to take me in, it’s hard not to think that this is what Nelsonville Music Festival is all about. Forget that I’m not even in Nelsonville, and that for the first time all weekend I’m walking without hearing music since my headphones broke, and that’s it. So many people were so willing to offer their hospitality, homes, food, and valuable time to help me out. It may seem so small, but, gosh, I’m actually legitimately tearing up just thinking about it.
I talked with some folks at the fest about my hatred of nostalgia, how it stings and burns like memory’s frostbite. If I could rip it out of me, I’ve often mused, I would. Like a leech or a failing pancreas. No other emotion would I want to lose but nostalgia. It clouds your mind and puts the past on such a pedestal, one that can never be lived up to. It escapes all logic, all reason, it makes you feel and do things that stretch into the absurd.
I’m sitting here typing and kicking myself and kicking you, yes you reading this, and you who offered me a couch and you who drove me to and from the festival while my lonely jeep sat as an island in asphalt. Thanks to you I’m going to be nostalgic about the time I lost my keys at Nelsonville Music Festival 2018. Someday I’m going to remember all the warmth my heart felt in this hopeless moment and long for it and feel that burn deep in the pit in my stomach and probably write another cynical blog post about how much I hate it. But in this moment I don’t hate it. I can’t. Despite this being such a small happening in the realm of everyone’s lives and the festival’s growing history, this moment will alvvays be the one that reminds me of how amazing NMF can be.
And what an amazing day it was. Admittedly my brain was scattershot with all this weighing me down and my foot hardening into a single hoof-like callus, but there’s still so much to take in. I had to give in and spend some of my limited watching time catching Counterfeit Madison for the second time this weekend and damn did this over flowingly genuine and passionate performance make me smile when I didn’t think I would. I have a theory that this is the perfect Nelsonville act- maybe it’s that I’ve now seen them four times in two years on the same stage every time but there’s something about these fest grounds and the powerful bravado of singer Sharon Udoh that is utterly infectious. It struck me today that she’s the musician I’ve seen live the most times now, and yet I keep coming back for more.
The heat still gets to you. Sunday was the hottest day of NMF ’18, or at least it felt like it, and there’s only so much a human body can do to stay lively in such humidity. Thus the mission statement of tUnE-yArDs’ porch stage closing performance was bold, “We’re gonna try and make you dance.” This seemingly tall task was accomplished right around the 10 second mark of their set. With vibrant and sporadic bursts of sounds and Merril Garbus’ impeccably layered and emotive voice, limbs flew and heads bopped more than I had seen all weekend. They not only got us dancing, but had us begging for more as the infectious rhythm led to pleas of “one more song”, and our prayers were answered. My head still hurts. I probably shouldn’t have been jumping a flailing in the thick summer air, but in that moment it was really up to me. I was at tUnE-yArDs’ mercy.
And so here I am. This is my last article for NMF18 and unfortunately it’s a bit of a cliffhanger. It looks like I may finally be able to get on the long drive home tomorrow but I’m not too worried. If Nelsonville Music Festival has taught me anything this year, it’s that the best times come when you least expect them.
SCATTERED THOUGHTS:
- Thank you again, everyone. My brain is too scattered even for scattered thoughts. Everyone had a great band shirt. Just the fact that you get to wear your favorite band shirt and I get to see it and smile is amazing. Am I a hippy now? What is happening to me? Heck it, see you all again next year.