Upstream Music Fest + Summit: To Go or Not to Go?

Upwards of 200 artists land in Seattle's Pioneer Square May 11-13.by Sean NelsonSome Upstream artists (Clockwise from top right): Chris Staples, So Pitted, Cosmos, Guayaba, Falcon Sierra, Haunted Horses, Nacho Picasso. The Stranger
Two popular ideas about music festivals:
1. They are a fun way to see a bunch of bands you like and maybe discover some new ones while celebrating the hedonistic pleasures of community.
2. They are Walmart—proof of the further decline of a once-unruly strand of