It’s odd to say, but I fell in love with the festival from 3,000 miles away while living just outside New York City. I obviously couldn’t go attend the festival those few years back, but I still wanted to see my brother, Andy, play. It was one of those moments you sit back and thank the universe for Skype.

I watched from the tiny, cracked screen of my Android as Andy poured his soul into each chord that sounded from his old brick-red guitar. He was on a stool at the Art Lab, strumming his heart out. From 3,000 miles away, I could feel how much playing this kind of festival meant to him as a musician.

Despite my less-than-stellar view, I saw something in his eyes that reminded me that music is forcefully humanizing — it connects us in this sort of transcendent way. Not unsurprisingly, FoCoMX has consistently reminded me of this each year.

I can’t imagine a single reason to miss FoCoMX. Seeing 200 bands over the space of two days for $35 is the kind of gold that should be accenting our college memories. This year, FoCoMX stepped up the student engagement with a pre-concert event at which they sold 101 student-rate wristbands to the festival for $15. That sort of price makes the festival way more accessible to students on a tight budget who still love music.

We’re lucky. I often take the Fort Collins music climate for granted, and to be perfectly honest, it has taken me almost three years to fully comprehend that our music scene is greatly unique and lovely. In the years since my first run-in with FoCoMX, I’ve met a lot of people who really love music and and a lot of people who really love the community. What I’ve learned about Fort Collins is that our success as a growing music destination comes in part from the existence of city-wide events like this, a majority of which include a rich musical component.

Getting out and being involved in community events like FoCoMX isn’t just an opportunity to experience something incredibly cool, it’s a call to action for any fun-loving, adventure-seeking, community-loving Rams out there. #NikeApproach: Just do it. 

If you create an account, you can build your own schedule and save yourself from wearing out your new Nikes. #Winning.