Off Venue

The first time I went to the Eistnaflug music festival in East Iceland, the main stage was was in the town’s only music venue, and the “off venue” was an abandoned fish factory on the waterfront powered by extension cords. The next time I made it to Eistnaflug, the festival had grown a lot, and the main stage had been moved to the high school gym – the only building in town big enough to hold all the ticket-holders. The old venue was now the second stage, and the old fish factory had been torn down.

But there was still an off-venue stage. It was this platform set up in a gravel parking lot. There was no schedule and I never found out who any of the bands were that played it. With a hill behind and the fjord in front, I never really heard what they sounded like either. But it perfectly captures the Icelandic “Yeah, obstacles. Whatever, just do it,” approach.