Bourgeois sprawl at the Butte

After attending a few concerts at Red Butte this summer, fellow SLCene blogger Dan Nailen and I have noticed a disconcerting escalation in personal transportation.

It used to be that people at the Butte hauled in a backpack containing a light supper, a bottle of wine or a six-pack and a blanket flop on to enjoy Utah’s premier outdoor venue and its magnificent sunsets.

But this year in particular, we’ve been noticing a gypsy caravan appearance to the waiting line. Pilgrims are pulling in conestoga wagon-like garden carts,  18-wheeler coolers (and warmers), piled high with umbrellas, Laz-E-Boy-sized lawn chairs and—new this year–titanium or bamboo snack tables on which foodies pile restaurant-grade stainless bowls and cutlery.

Half the grass is taken up with gear.

We respectfully say, Stop it! You’re  creating “bourgeois sprawl” at the Butte and it’s getting creepy.

Here’s all you need for a concert the likes of Steve Earle:

•  A supply of beer, wine and/or tequila in small, non-wheeled cooler.
• A sack of pork rinds, Cheez Whiz and a couple of those triangular plastic-encased sandwiches from Maverick. (Or, if you must, the Liberty Heights Fresh-equivalent in quinoa, artisan cheese, or whatever.)
•  A blanket. (If it’s a good concert, you’re going to dance through it anyway.)

One more thing. What’s with the toddlers and infants with giant hearing protectors? If you don’t want your kids to get tinnitis—a necessary rite of passage as a rocker—don’t drag them up in front of the speakers.