The 4/20 Fest and Graffiti Art Show at The Dome became a 12-hour event of spray cans and marijuana.
The festival consisted of 47 metal bands playing on three separate stages at The Dome. One of the more popular stages was where graffiti art was being made. Food was served, and band after band played for the crowd. The graffiti art was made on the roof of The Dome and throughout all walls on the outside. The art was started as early as noon and ended by 7 p.m. with more than 15 art pieces finished.
Inocencio Madera, owner of The Dome, said he loves the art, but the music should have some more lyrics. “This is not my kind of music, but the rhythm is OK,” said Madera, chuckling.
The art being made had a variety of colors and different styles.
“A lot of this is not graffiti. It’s art,” said Madera. According to Madera, the majority of graffiti on the Bakersfield streets are just considered graffiti, but in this event, everything was an art project. “We have used this, turned it around and made it into something positive for the community.”
While some enjoyed the fresh smell of spray cans, others enjoyed a cup of beer at the bar. This stage had a smaller stage, but it was crowded throughout the day because it was the center stage connecting the main stage and the outside. The area was crowded, but the public was still able to move around and watch the bands.
Joshua Clark, 18, was in the area and described what he thinks.
“The majority of these kids are coke addicts,” said Clark. “It’s also really hot, and this is my first time in Bakersfield.”
Clark sells merchandise for the band His I Rate Life and enjoys their music, but said that the other bands have less talent.
The other stages were smaller compared to the main stage inside the Dome, which featured Dragonlord, Light This City, Suffokate, and Antagonist. Pete Madera, promoter management, considers this the first successful art/music festival in Bakersfield. “Originally it was suppose to be an art show, but then we decided to combine two things,” said Pete. “We had an event on October of ’07 and decided to do another one and it happened to land on 4/20.”
Pete was mainly responsible for inviting metal bands across California and having to deal with agents. “I really wanted the band called Testament, but they couldn’t do it,” he said. Dragonlord is a side project for the band Testament and was asked to be the last band for the night.
Pete also had some opinions of the bands that were about to play that night. “I’m really looking forward to see Light This City,” said Pete. “This band has a female vocalist, and I’m pretty sure everybody wants to see a female scream.”
Pete also considered seeing a band called Moria, which was going to play their last show in Bakersfield. “The band has called it quits, because the majority of the members want to concentrate on school and their daily jobs.”
The crowd still enjoyed the last Moria show with cheers and applause. Pete also mentioned his feelings about the event.
“This fest has been an awesome success,” he said. “The more people show up to this event, the stronger the Dome gets.”
Throughout the day security kept a close eye on people going in and out of the building. Avel Cortez, a security guard, mentioned that there were no problems with people sneaking in.
“The kids were not trying to sneak in because they saw me guarding the gate, but some were trying to sneak in liquor,” said Cortez. According to Cortez, any person caught with marijuana or drinking under aged was to be expelled from the Dome. But there were no serious problems throughout the day. “Obviously there will be some fights since it’s a concert, but I’m not in charge of that,” said Cortez, laughing. There were problems in the restrooms, though. “I have to be telling these kids to keep the graffiti outside, to show some respect,” said Madera.
The men’s restroom was found with graffiti on the mirrors, and Madera was upset. “I had to make an announcement to make the audience stop.”
Madera also threatened to remove all graffiti made that day because of these incidents. “This is a poor community, and if you mess with other people’s property, it costs us money.”
No more problems were reported after this, and the event ended peacefully.