Why did people attending a music festival need to be informed of something happening on the opposite side of the country? It's a music festival not a news outlet. What would have happened?

"You guys, I just need to bring your attention to this bad thing happening somewhere that's not here and NOW here's my set but I talked for a few seconds beforehand so now big deep movements of resistance are happening and it's okay to have a good time now, maybe"

More people posting solidarity crap to social media from the festival?

People have access to the news anytime they feel like it. Arts outlets shouldn't be expected to make their events centered around the news du jour whatever awful thing it is. This article's premise is ridiculous.

Every time Madonna says anything political, the entire world has a half hour crazy fit. Music festivals should be like Thanksgiving dinner: no mention of politics, religion or sex. Let people enjoy their music.

Don't worry. I'm sure it will be a hot topic among the Burners.

@1 When Hurricane Katrina hit in late August 2005, I had already been in Black Rock City for days helping to set up an art installation. Yet, I still knew of Katrina's disastrous effects because of disaster relief efforts at Center Camp (the org's main space) and at various other camps.

Sometimes, it is the artist's responsibility to let people know what's happening in the world outside of their festival bubble. Yes, sometimes a five second news bulletin is important to let people know that while the audience is spending hundreds of dollars to partake in a private music festival that closes down a public park, across the country a Nazi rally has turned into a fatal riot.

That said, without context of Metallica's set, footage of violent protests against police brutality is still called for. In the past, Metallica has not usually been big on pro-Military pro-Police State type messaging; normally, their messages are quite the opposite. I'm kind of surprised they didn't mention C-ville, all things considered.

Anna, care to explain why the Stranger waited so long to put up a story on Charlottesville? Pretty much all the other Seattle-area media outlets were on the story for hours before I saw anything in the Stranger.

If you're going to criticize a music festival for not saying anything, why not Slog/Stranger? One post Saturday afternoon (several hours after the events of Friday night/Saturday) then nothing for nearly 24 hours...

And what should have happened at Outside Lands? Cancellation? Regular "Nazis are bad" pronouncements from the stage? If you're going to just criticize without some solutions, what's the point of this post?

Glad you attended three days of a music festival so you could report back that the performers and crowd were not mouthing appropriate platitudes. Must have been very hard for you. THANK YOU! Stay strong!

@5 duh, weekend. The Fernet's not gonna drink itself ...

I don't expect statements from every entity in the world. Is this what Twitter has brought us? Every person, related to the subject or not, has to comment? Lord help us.

I'm afraid @5 is correct. Y'all kinda dropped the ball last weekend.

Stones, glasshouses, etc.

@9

Th'all kind of drop the ball every weekend.

Yes, and a bunch of festivals were also had "deafening silence" about the shooting at the GOP charity baseball game practice. Your point?
But I forget: violence is perfectly ok if your side does it.

@2
>August of 2005

Yes exactly, over a decade ago. People didn't get news-by-phone and word of news still took awhile to spread around. In 2017 if you aren't checking the news on your phone you're only 2-3 people removed from people who are. I don't see any responsibility bearing down on event organizers in this day and age unless the event is intrinsically tied to whatever bad news is going on (which this was not).

Looks like the festival was windmill-powered. Maybe the post horses hadn't arrived with the news yet. It was a long way away, after all.