Little has captured the nation’s attention in the summer of 2019 like a simple, straightforward plan being discussed on Facebook, an event inviting everybody who’s interested to gather in the Nevada desert to “storm Area 51” to “see them aliens” because “they can’t stop all of us.”
Even though it was clearly a joke, the Storm Area 51 event ballooned well beyond the creator’s intentions, with more than 2 million people signing up with the intention of going. Come on, who doesn’t want to see them aliens?
Faced with the prospect of 2 million strangers possibly showing up in the middle of nowhere, Matty Roberts, the event’s creator, changed his focus.
Instead of inviting hordes of strangers to bake in the desert sun, miles away from any signs of civilization, where some might actually think it’s a good idea to stage a raid on a fully functional, highly classified military installation, he thought he’d turn it all into a music festival. He called it AlienStock.
But, with just over a week to go before the festival was set to begin, reports started to filter out that it had been canceled.
And, in fact, Roberts has pulled out of AlienStock.
He says he has some good reasons for parting ways with the festival. In a statement, Roberts said, “Due to the lack of infrastructure, poor planning, risk management and blatant disregard for the safety of the expected 10,000+ AlienStock attendees, we decided to pull the plug on the festival,” according to KVVU .
“We are not interested in, nor will we tolerate any involvement in a FYREFEST 2.0,” he continued. “We foresee a possible humanitarian disaster in the works, and we can’t participate in any capacity at this point.”
Roberts’s concerns do sound reasonable.
AlienStock was planned to be held in tiny Rachel, Nevada, with a population of just 54. The needs of visitors in excess of 10,000 people could easily overwhelm what little is there. And the very real odds that someone could have a medical emergency so far from a hospital is indeed worrisome.
However, at least a few of the locals, as well as one of Roberts’ former partners in AlienStock, are determined to go ahead.
Connie West, who owns the Little A’Le’Inn in Rachel, is going ahead with the music festival.
In fact, just a day after Roberts announced his departure and plans for a new gathering in Las Vegas , sponsored by Bud Light, a new website was up and the festival announced its lineup of 20 musical acts and two comedians.
KTNV also confirmed that West has addressed some of Roberts’ concerns, having signed contracts for portable toilets, security, and emergency personnel.
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West wants to emphasize that the show will go on in Rachel.
“I’m going to do it on my scale,” she told KVVU. “I’m going to do it the way I know how and what I’ve been planning for because I know no other way to do it. But it’s still happening.”
And we’re all very curious to see just how many people will in fact show up to the Nevada desert in hopes of seeing some aliens.
