Frigid temps no deterrent to fun at SnowGlobe

By Kathryn Reed

With temperatures below freezing, musicians were blowing on their hands to get their fingers working and the main stage of SnowGlobe included two heaters.

But for those in the audience Dec. 29, dancing and disrobing seemed like a good idea. People were looking for the coat check and others were showing skin on a night when the low was slated to be 16 degrees.

The most warmth could be found in the Techibeats.com Tent because heaters were keeping the sound technicians cozy and the entrance was narrow.

At the Sierra Tent one side was completely exposed to the elements.

And the main stage was wide-open on the ball field.

Most people moved as close as possible to all the stages and were moving to the music. Plus, there was the body contact of friends and strangers to keep them warm.

The three-day music festival started off much better than a year ago when area residents were caught off guard by the bass-driven sounds of the techno rich music. Not all of the performers are traditional bands. Most acts are disc jockeys bringing together sounds through their computers. Even many of the musicians are assisted by technology.

Early feedback based on comments posted on Lake Tahoe News is things are dramatically different from 2011.

City officials said after the concert came to an end at 10pm no one complained about anything the city had control over — including noise levels.

Turning the stage 180 degrees so the audience on the community ball fields is facing Lake Tahoe Community College was done as an attempt to have the sound be less of a factor to the neighboring residents.

To make sure the decibel level doesn’t exceed the limit, a guy wearing a backpack with a meter was measuring the output.

Those in attendance on the first night were clearly enjoying themselves – swaying and bouncing to the music, smiling and making snow angels.

Jared Clark brought his 15-year-old son Dylan up from Minden for the show. The elder Clark had seen Beats Antique before – and was excited when he found out they’d be the third act to take the main stage on Saturday. The younger Clark, a fan of Wiz Khalifa, was excited to hear his favorite next.

Sandy Meyer of Reno is also a Wiz Khalifa fan. That’s why she bought a one-day ticket and made the drive to South Lake Tahoe.

Ryan Wingo and his buddies from Santa Cruz opted for the three-day pass. Wingo was at SnowGlobe a year ago and wanted back for more fun.

The Santa Cruz guys were excited to hear Minnesota – the last act in the Sierra Tent on Saturday – because they are from the same beach town.

“He has progressed so much this year,” Wingo said of the disc jockey.

Wingo is glad there is snow this year – it meant being able to snowboard at Sierra-at-Tahoe the day before.

“It was beautiful, except there was no snow,” Wingo said of 2011.

No worries about that this year. The snow was coming down good at 3pm when the gates opened. The skies parted a bit more than an hour later and patches of blue sky could be seen. With the moon full the night before, the globe in the sky and the early snow made for a snow-globe of a different kind.

The combo of being able to ski and hear good music lured Brett Schwerin to Tahoe. The 30-year-old Maryland resident has an Epic pass, which allows him to ski at all Vail Resort properties – of which there are three in the Tahoe area. He’s here for 12 days – not just for the three-day concert.

This is Schwerin’s first time to Lake Tahoe. He said the combo of being able ski during the day, take a shuttle to the music venue and then be able to hang out with a California crowd that was putting out good vibes made for the perfect day.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)