The Festival of Fireworks is something that almost everyone I know has attended at least once because it’s so goddamn amazing. Normally it’s 45 solid minutes of fireworks perfectly timed to well loved music like Pink Floyd and Queen. Seriously, you’ve never heard Queen until you’ve seen every note set to colorful sky explosions. It’s AMAZING. And it’s put on by Atlas Fireworks – the same hometown company that does the big displays at our nation’s capital on July 4th. Dare I say there’s no better firework display to see in the US!
This year the theme was Woodstock so I knew I had to go no matter what. I may have been born in the 80’s but it’s the music of 67-69 that really ignites my passion for music. And the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock? Are you kidding me?! I’M GOING.
It’s pretty normal for locals to have parties and gatherings the night of the fireworks and to attend them in little groups. We had done much the same and invited a bunch of people. However things from the start weren’t going right. Mother was anxious to leave early, although she didn’t know why, her friends weren’t responding to text messages despite having planned to meet up, and the one person already at the house had a headache so severe she decided to stay behind. By the time our other guests showed up my mother was in a tizzy.
We arrived in Jaffrey and parked a ways away before walking the rest of the way. There had been threats of rain and it was looking pretty gray but I continued walking. I didn’t care. It rained at the actual Woodstock, who says this wasn’t nature’s little tip of the hat to authenticity? However what we didn’t know is the fireworks were starting early and by the time we got to the gates we had already missed the first third of the show. Still didn’t care. Still kept on walking! Our guests on the other hand didn’t want to pay the $10 a head to see something that’d already started so they stopped before the gates.
As we walked up to the ticket booth I caught the tail end of Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit and by the time I was setting my chair up Joe Cocker was belting out With a Little Help from my Friends and I nearly cried because I was just so happy. Ear to ear grin. And when Santana started playing I felt like I was goddamn flying. I was in my element. There’s something about that music that just makes me feel so…. alive. And I wasn’t the only one grooving to the good vibes. People all around me were singing along to the choruses and giving off this wonderful sense of connectedness.
As soon as we sat down it started to drizzle a bit. People were already leaving. I brought a hoodie and an umbrella, planning for the worst and just staked it out. I took a few videos. They had a lot of the favorites – Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Credence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, a little Blood Sweat and Tears and then when they got around to The Who’s Pinball Wizard things had really heated up. By now it had started to POUR and people were fleeing in droves, practically no one was staying seated. But the fireworks were going off by now with more vigor than all the songs previous and I was just having a blast! Was I cold? YES. That rain was icy. Was I wetter than a gym sock during a field trial? Fuck yes I was and it was just adding to my pure joy about the whole thing. It just felt right.
After this the rain started coming down in sheets even harder than before which aside from drenching all the people left behind it also drowned out any music I could still hear. A white water rapid formed aside us whooshing a four inch deep stream down into the storm drains. People were running out en masse, soaked through and through. It was like watching a hoard of drown rats fleeing a sinking ship!
Still I managed to video the finale anyway. As usual it was bombastic – just nonstop flashes of colors and chest rattling booms. My mother and I were laughing. I took a selfie to remember the night. By the time we got back to where we left our friends they had already walked back to the car and driven home. We spent the next half hour wheeling around the back roads because my mother got lost. To be fair it was PITCH black and raining and I probably would have done the same.
All and all, despite everything that went wrong, I am sooooo happy I went. I really needed that! And the free ice cold shower was actually a bonus to me. Below are the videos I took.
Janis Joplin – Piece of my Heart:
Bad Moon Rising – Credence Clearwater Revival
You Made me so Very Happy – Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Rolling on the River – Credence Clearwater Revival
All Along the Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
**having some technical difficulties uploading this one**
Pinball Wizard – The Who
The Finale – Song Unknown.
This blog brought to you by me and my super chill mom.
