Blog about the Blues Fest

I felt like a real reporter for the first time while covering the Blues Festival. Since the event was hectic, I realized getting a great interview might be hard. So after poking and prodding to find the right person to talk to, I was able to get a Press Pass to go backstage.

I got to the event a little before the headliner went on because that was the most exciting part of the whole festival. I asked a couple of security guards about who was running the whole festival, so that I could maybe get that interview. I stood back and observed to figure out who was in fact in charge.

After both asking and observing, I was able to get an interview with the director of the festival. He was really nice and completely willing to talk. He also directed me to someone else who would be willing to give me an interview and a local angle. So, I went right over to the bandleader from one of the bands that played earlier that day. He was also very nice and gave me his business card in case I had any follow-up questions.

Covering this event was really exciting because you could feel the energy in the air and everyone was really accommodating, which I think is rare for a student reporter. My interviewees gave great soundbites and I was also able to record wonderful nat sound. I have never reported on a music festival before so it was a good experience. Doing all different types of stories will broaden my range of writing and reporting.