Norman Music Festival began in 2008 with a modest lineup of six bands from across the country performing on a single day. From rock to pop to indietronica, an estimated 15,000 people attended the festival. In that group was Joshua Boydston, a man that fell in love with the festival on the spot.
“It was the first time I saw myself — my interests — at an event in Oklahoma in a way I hadn’t before,” said Boydston, current chair of the Norman Music Festival board.
After 2008, the festival grew to last for three days and spread across multiple stages in downtown Norman. In 2020, with the festival date set months away, the growth came to a screeching halt.
Shari Jackson, executive director of Norman Music Festival, recalled the days and months after they canceled with a tightness in her voice.
“We were so scared,” Jackson said. “We were asking ourselves, ‘Is this it? Is it over?’”
As Jackson recalls, the people behind the festival were determined to wait it out despite their fears. Jackson said they were “impatient” for the festival to come back. The annual event was missing for two years before, around January of 2022, the board made the decision to bring it back.
Many of those initial meetings were over Zoom, Boydston said. Despite the remote work, new and old board members have been tackling the monstrous festival since then.
“All the volunteers have families, have jobs,” Jackson said. “They give hours and hours, and the new people, they have just dived right in with both feet.”
Jackson attributes the dedication of the board members to the unique nature of the festival. Entirely free to the public and relying completely on donations, the festival only happens with community support.
“To work for something like this, you have to feel like it’s a force for good in the world,” Jackson said.
Jumping back into festival planning hasn’t been easy for all members of the board, however. New members have had to rapidly learn dozens of minute details and aspects around planning a festival, while old members have had to adapt to changes to the process from the past two years. Things that used to feel natural, Jackson said, left people confused about how they used to do it at all.
Lead guitarist Richie Tarver for Norman-based band Rainbows are Free performs on April 29 at the 2017 Norman Music Festival.
“It’s like riding a bike,” Boydston said. “But you have cinder blocks attached to your feet.”
One challenge has come from getting back in touch with the venues and businesses involved with Norman Music Festival, Jackson said. Some venues they used to partner with have closed, while new ones have become more prominent. Still, when she contacted old venues, she was greeted with “cheers and happiness” at the news the festival was returning.
With the festival taking place in Norman’s busy downtown area, the board for the festival had to get permission from 75 percent of the businesses that would be affected to close down the streets. Jackson and the board practically went door-to-door to talk to each business owner about the event.
While the task seemed monumental, many businesses were happy to agree to closing the street for the weekend. Jackson said owners were more open to it as she chatted with them about questions and concerns they had, promising to help them in any way she could to make it easier on the businesses.
“You aren’t ever going to be everyone’s best friend with something like this,” Jackson said. “Still, even the (businesses) that are not so excited about the festival … were able to acknowledge that ‘maybe this won’t be such a great day for me, but it’ll be a great day for us.’”
In addition to getting access to downtown Norman for three days, the board also had to plan out where each part of the festival would take place. From the main stage to the blockades, there were dozens of maps involved with each little detail spelled out by the volunteers.
The setup for the event was also done quicker than in previous years, Jackson said, also mentioning that she was “nauseous just talking about it.” Tasks that would normally begin the year prior had to happen within a few months. The fact that many of the volunteers also had full-time jobs wasn’t lost on Jackson, either.
“I think all of us board members are due for a panic attack sometime in April,” Boydston said. “Or maybe a couple panic attacks.”
However, Jackson cited a sense of comradery among the board as planning took place. They were all experiencing the process together. Boydston agreed, saying it felt good to be working with others on the festival.
The physical setup the day the festival begins is also done quickly, Jackson explained. They usually have around five to six hours to set up all the stages and equipment before the first performances begin. By the time they are done, downtown Norman looks completely different.
“You won’t recognize the space when we’re finished with it,” Jackson said.
Skating Polly performs on April 27 at the 2019 Norman Music Festival. The band will be featured in a documentary shown at the 2022 festival.
Another major portion of the planning was focused on the bands that would play at the festival. Shortly after the board released the application for potential bands, they received hundreds of responses.
Boydston led the music team in choosing the bands, ensuring that every applicant’s music was listened to and considered. The team focused on choosing musicians that were “ready for a stage,” Boydston said, and were a good mix of young and old groups with a variety of genres.
The Drums, a band from New York City that has been performing since 2008, will be a headliner for the final day of the festival. They were meant to perform at the 2020 festival before it was canceled. A more established band than some of the other artists at the festival, many people are excited about their appearance in Norman.
One of those people is Jackson’s daughter. Jackson said she was picking up her daughter from school one day while listening to The Drums and when her daughter hopped in the car, she was excited to hear the band playing. Thrilled, she asked her mom if she liked them, too.
Jackson replied “yes” before telling her daughter she might get to meet them when they came to the Norman Music Festival. Her daughter was more than pleased.
“My ears were bleeding from the screaming,” Jackson said, laughing.
Many of the other bands selected are considered “indie” bands, Boydston explained. Because they are always trying to find new bands, they “operate ahead of the curve” of what’s popular to the masses and try to find bands that “people love now and who we think they could love tomorrow.”
The festival will begin Thursday, April 28 and continue into late Saturday night. For some, it will be their first time attending the festival. For others, it will be just one of many.
“It will knock your socks off either way,” Jackson said.
