Hippie!

It's a long story (and one I won't go into now) but some years back I found myself in the enviable job of stage presenter at Belgian music festival 'Les Ardentes', an event of no small consequence, with big name artists (Morrissey, Pharrell, PIL). My role, then as today; simply to introduce the acts dressed in whatever bizarre outfit I could conjure up.
This year me and Laurent, my co-presenter, decided to dress as hippies for a Brazilian psych band 'Boogarins'. After re-enacting the Woodstock "Give me an F, give me a U" speech to a small bemused lunchtime crowd, we ambled offstage and I decided to stay and watch some of the excellent band.
My outfit consisted of striped elastic pants, boots, a purple eye-wrenching psychedelic shirt, ethnic waistcoat, various belts, buckles and beads, aviator shades, and topped off with a blonde Brian Jones wig with flowery bandana. I looked the dog's bollocks - the height of Astbury.
With some hours to spare before changing for the next act I decided to wander around the site for a bit, and that's when a strange thing happened. A beatific bliss descended on me. I was at a rock festival and my attire seemed to channel the primal seminal spirit of the Summer of Love. My gait became loose, my mood euphoric, my mind unshackled from trivial concerns. Refracting sunshine bounced through my shades and I simply wanted to love everyone. The people I encountered smiled at me, digging the vibe.
Festivals today are rife with sponsorship and brand whore plugging, tugging at the kids with promotional trinkets - mobile phone hats, temporary soft drink tattoos, selfie booths, but for a few hours I felt like the real spirit of festival was emanating from me like some walking time-portal from 1960s San Francisco.I wanted us all to twist,groove and frug in an acid daze, because, damn' wasn't that the idea?
Professionalism won out in the end, as I had other work to do (lots of it mad, fun and plain bonkers) and I had to prise myself out of that costume,but I could've stayed in that get-up all day man.