Last weekend’s All Points West festival in Liberty State Park in Jersey City was a combination concert, amusement park, eco-village, and art gallery.
English alternative rock band Radiohead was the main attraction for two of the three nights (Aug. 8-9), and the third night (Aug. 10) featured folk rocker Jack Johnson.
Over 40 headliners performed on three stages spread across a central area of the park. Fans were either standing up cheering in their sandals, or sitting and applauding on the grass in bare feet.
When attendees weren’t checking out the music, they were getting involved in various activities: pounding a mallet on a lever to propel a rubber frog onto a plastic boat; picking up the bottles they would leave behind at any other concert and exchanging them for merchandise; and checking out artist Christopher Janney’s Sonic Forrest, a group of aluminum poles that gave off bird chirps and other sounds of nature.
But there were also sober reminders that this not just some new-age Woodstock.
Corporate giant Virgin Megastore pitched a tent there, and there were beer service areas where your choice of Bud Light or Stella Artois knocked your wallet for $7 to $9.
Still, the attendees who were interviewed said they were enthused about being at All Points West.Being festive
Best friends Kate Haberbush of Montclair and Kaitlyn Lake from Manhattan’s East Village took the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to see up-and-coming act Your Vegas and New Jersey native Nicole Atkins, as well as The Roots.
“Anyone who can get their eyes or ears on All Points West should be here right now,” Haberbush said.
Also getting his eyes and ears on the various performers was Jersey City resident Cameron Tillery, checking out his faves Radiohead, Sia, and the Roots.
“You get to see all styles in this one venue, which is a pleasure for those who are into different styles of music,” Tillery said.
Keeping her eyes on the beverages she was serving and ears open for tunes was Britney Goodman from North Plainfield. The festival was a bit of a homecoming, as her mom lives in Jersey City and other relatives live in Bayonne.
“I’ve seen all kinds of people here. I served an ex-boyfriend and one of my college professors,” says Goodman.
Sam Pesin, president of Friends of Liberty State Park (FOLSP), the nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the park, said he was impressed by the different people coming to the park and by the All Points West organizers’ respect for the park.
The FOLSP has been designated to receive a check based on $2 per ticket set aside from ticket sales. Comments on this story can be sent to rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com