Why I paid for ULHS

I dig ULHS. I dig it so hard. I dig the energy, the authenticity, the music (duh), and the organic nature of the entire event. Only having attended the last three, I might not exactly be the most qualified person to review the event, but as someone who has attended a great deal of events, and this one before it moved to Nola, I feel as though I might have a fairly solid perspective.

Disclaimers aside, I am here to explain why I paid for a full ticket - which seems to be one of the major points of discussion about the event. I was conversing with a close friend about attending and they were hesitant about buying the full pass. My bottom line was in regards to two major points - music, and the organizer.

ULHS brings it in terms of music. Hard. Which is not surprising since it is in New Orleans, the birthplace of some of the best damned Jazz music in the country. As someone who understands the bill behind booking live music I am all about supporting this trend in our scene.

Amy Johnson has heart. She is in it for the love of the event. She gets it. Three words. Happy. People. Dancing. She is willing to throw herself out on a limb to see that the dream is pulled off. The event has evolved and changed due to a new home, and she doesn't appear to be stifling it - rather encouraging the direction it is going. It seems to be more of a break-in event, a lot more organic, and 'rootsy'. Which is something that I dig so hard about it. I attended in 08 and it was awesome -- but '09 and '10 were simply ridiculous. I tell everyone I know to attend this event for those three words. You will be happy. You are going to meet new people. You are going to dance your feet off. (You are also going to find that your bedtime has nothing to do with day or night, cool kids ride bikes, and dancing in a 2ft x 2ft area is quite possible)

As an event organizer I really appreciate the insanity that goes into an event of this magnitude. I would never want to do it myself, but I really admire and want to support people that make it happen. 

So, with these two things in mind, I happily pay for a ticket to an event that is pushing the boundaries of being a structured dance weekend and a 4-5 day party that takes over the French Quarter. Thank you, Amy, and all the other people that work so hard to keep the spirit of ULHS alive. I can't wait to submit my request for two personal days and make my sub plans =)