Burning Man 2007

The oil derrick sparklies and explosion were wonderful. Otherwise, the fireworks on the man were a bit over-done, and the event as a whole seems to be slumping towards some resemblance of spring break for college kids.

Now the Hare Krishnas are out recruiting acid-soaked youth, and the music is decidedly worse. I say that as an old person, who never warmed up to rap nor really bad techno. By bad techno, I mean techno with no more than 3-4 chords, repeated with thumping bass, and no musical value, just repetitive rhythm. I've heard good techno, but not 2007 at Burning Man. The music got decidedly better on Sunday, when the major rave domes packed up and left.

There were moments of genius, certainly. The guy who made an electric guitar out of a shovel, and sequentially laid down tracks in a repeater until he had a full-bodied, very nice piece of sound and sequence. There was some nice art. But in general, not as much anger, irony, and the kind of angst that makes for art as a really creative outlet and commentary.

I had never seen Mutaytor, and heard they were really good. What I saw was interesting, but more like a happy, thrill the tourists Vegas show than a gritty Burning Man performance. As the announcer got the crowd pumping its arms in the air, that was the moment I felt I was at a spring break performance, not Burning Man.

While everyone fretted about the commercial aspects of inviting corporations to participate, the real issue was fading of the "no spectators" notion, and an increasingly complacent crowd; wealthier and more comfortable, who can afford ever more expensive ticket prices.