The June 1st 'Happy Funtime Fest' is produced by Live Nation and presented by KXT 91.7, a local Dallas radio station that switched over from Christian radio to the Adult Alternative format in 2009. For a city that doesn't really have a festival to match Free Press or ACL, this is "kind of a big deal" for Dallas. Oddly, the festival is being hosted at Gexa Energy Pavilion (Starplex/Superpages.com/Smirnoff), a large outdoor amphitheater in Fair Park featuring covered pavilion seats and a sloped, uncovered lawn. I've heard that the acts will be split between the main stage (The Flaming Lips, St. Vincent, Fitz & The Tantrums, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) and a side stage with some of the less popular and local acts. Who knows if KXT is still planning on adding anyone major to the line-up, but my guess is no. Out of the line-up, the only band I have previously seen live is Fitz & The Tantrums, and it was a top 3 ACL show for me in 2011. The Flaming Lips may decide to do a special performance of one of their classic albums, or Dark Side of the Moon, or go more current with their material...only time will tell.
The fest kicks off at 5 p.m. and will go until 10 or 11 p.m. at night. 1000 lawn seats went on sale for $11.34 ($9.17 before fees) Saturday at noon, and there are still more than 50 available, so pick them up at this price before they go up to $27.58. There are also still plenty of pavilion seats available for $75 incl. fees. Tickets are available at LiveNation.com. There are overhead fans in the pavilion and who knows how hot it will be...but my friends want to dance on the lawn. Decisions, decisions. And of course, Free Press Summer Fest 2012 is the Saturday and Sunday immediately following Summer Cut, so maybe it will just have to be a festival-filled weekend full of music and driving across the state.
