Next week, locals make their way to Chicago for Lollapalooza, put on by Austin City Limits Festival promoter C3 Presents, which made news this week with announcement of a proposed second weekend for ACL next year. For Lolla, I first wrote a festival primer – until I realized everyone knows to stay hydrated.
Behind the scenes – and that’s what I’m addressing this week – it’s also really important to make sure your tour manager has advanced things correctly. That’s basic. Here, however, is something people don’t talk about very often: catering.
Unless you’re a big deal headliner, you don’t get your rider filled at festivals. You eat in artist catering with the rest of the bands and the staff. And if you play or work on a lot of festivals, you get bored with catering.
Me, I’m in the special position of being both a festival worker and a college student, so I know how to make a lot out of nothing in the culinary department. Here are my hot tips. Note that they’re based on all the festivals I’ve worked, and are not specific to Lollapalooza catering.
The salad bar is overlooked, but the salad bar is your god. Spice up boring pastas and soups with bell peppers, baby tomatoes, and black olives – all salad bar regulars. You can also appropriate salad dressings as a sauce of sorts on bland meat dishes. If you’re not vegetarian, take advantage of salad bar bacon bits as toppings for everything. And I mean everything!
Bored of ham and cheese sandwiches? Take some of those peppers and tomatoes and add in some cheddar cheese from the cold cuts. Maybe grab the hard boiled egg slices and mash them up with mustard and onions to make an egg salad sandwich. A couple slices of avocado and those bacon bits can be paired with turkey or assist in a BLT.
Speaking of salads, you need to eat some. It will keep you from dragging during the long nights of festivals. I know the pain of salad-haters; I’m not big on the limp iceberg and salad mixes that get offered up. Yet if you take a hamburger patty or chicken breast and cut it up into the salad, it’s practically gourmet.
It’s also important to keep snacks for in-between meals, because a bag of chips doesn’t always cut it. Of course cereal is boring; you eat it all the time. But if you grab some nuts and mix it with dry cereal, instant trail mix! Bonus points if you can find some raisins, perhaps by the fruit tray. The best nuts for this are almonds and unsalted peanuts. My best combo so far has been frosted flakes and almonds, although Cheerios are always a classic.
Lastly, hot tea is offered at every single festival. Please drink it liberally to save your voice whether working or performing. You can also throw in some Emergen-c for a double boost. You wouldn’t want to get sick.
I know catering can seem limited or tedious at many festivals. Make peace with it – work with it. The salad bar can be your best friend.
This article appears in July 27 • 2012.