Langerado, South Florida's six-year-old little-music-festival-that-could, may soon be ready to compete with summer's mega-size music events. That is, as soon as it overcomes a few growing pains and logistical problems.

What started in 2003 as a small Fort Lauderdale music festival, attracting around 3,500 fans, has blossomed into a four-day music-and-camping extravaganza, drawing more than 20,000 attendees and hosting five stages, featuring 85 artists, including 311 [ tickets ], Matisyahu [ tickets ], Thievery Corporation [ tickets ], The Roots [ tickets ], Ben Folds [ tickets ], Of Montreal [ tickets ], and Phil Lesh [ tickets ] and Friends. Although to run with the big dogs, it probably needs more diverse and major names on its roaster, the previously jam-band-minded Langerado earned more clout this year by featuring such famous acts as Beastie Boys [ tickets ] and R.E.M. [ tickets ] Thursday through Sunday (3/6-9) the 2008 lineup attracted just as many Abercrombie-clad frat guys as dread-heads and tie-dye-wearing hippies of all ages.

This year marked the festival's first year at Big Cypress Indian Reservation, the same location as the infamous Phish millennium concert. While hosting thousands of music fans, day-trippers and campers alike on 50,000 acres of swampland seems like a great idea, it does have its drawbacks. For starters (as the Phish followers learned), corralling thousands of vehicles from Alligator Alley to a 12-mile path--a single-lane road surrounded by reptile-heavy canals and wetlands on either side--can be pretty dangerous, as was proven early on Sunday morning when a concertgoer was killed due to a collision on Snake Road involving a bus and truck. Although there were no major accidents on the other days, traffic backup was inevitable. Unlike the entry to the Phish show, which suffered from four and five hour delays; Langerado concertgoers experienced, on average, only a 20 to 45-minute wait to the entrance.

Getting inside the appropriate gate proved to be equally as challenging as navigating the roadways to them. The specific areas for long-term camping and daily parking were difficult to find, and were mostly unmarked. Gatekeepers weren't any help with directions, and were basically clueless about the festival's physical layout.

Aside from the confusion upon entrance and a shortage of festival directories on-site, the weather played its role in creating some havoc for everyone. Downpours on Thursday caused some power outages, which were repaired in time for a dry day on Friday, when fans took in acts like Sam Bush, G. Love & Special Sauce and !!!.

Under a storm-threatening sky, huge gusts of wind and a tornado watch, Beastie Boys brought the highlight performance on Friday evening. Suffering from a few minor sound issues, the Brooklyn rap trio, joined by Mix Master Mike and Money Mark, entertained the mass of hippies and preppy onlookers. The band recklessly tore through their 90-minute set with favorites including "Sabotage," "Body Movin'" and "Intergalactic," while constantly giving shout outs to the Everglades. The Beasties definitely seemed happy to be here, and, despite the large Grateful Dead demographic, this audience was into them, too. As the weather intensified, late-night performers STS9 and Phix carried on, but eventually ended their sets around 3:30 a.m., about half an hour short, when raging wind and rain took over. The storm blew down a few campers' tents, but a tornado never developed.

A blustery but sunny Saturday brought performances by Arrested Development, Dr. Dog, Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood and Pelican, to name a few. However, hands down, the most impressive show of the day was given by R.E.M. Although attended by a few thousand people, it was surprising that the band didn't garner an even wider audience, especially considering it was the only performance in the 9:30-11:30 p.m. timeslot. The band opened with "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" from their ninth album, "Monster." Singer Michael Stipe donned a green T-shirt with "OBAMA" written across the front in black letters. After a few songs Stipe tossed it into the audience, and then changed into a stark white suit for the remainder of the set. In addition to several new songs from their forthcoming album, "Accelerate," R.E.M. performed hits: "Orange Crush," "Drive," "Imitation of Life," "Losing My Religion" and "The One I Love." They ended the show with "Man On the Moon." Stipe was extremely chatty, political and in good spirits, dedicating a song to Martin Luther King, expressing his interest in politicians who speak of hope, and how excited he was to be here, as this was his first time performing in the Everglades.

The only downfall of the night was the extreme cold front that sent a lot of fans dashing out of the festival as soon as R.E.M. finished. The hand-made mitten vendor was probably the only one who benefited from the dip in the temperature (which was around 40 degrees, without the gusty winds), while the frozen margarita tents and icy lemonade stands were better off to close shop. For those who could endure the drastic temperature change, Sunday brought performances by Ani DiFranco, Blind Melon, Shout Out Louds and Phil Lesh and Friends.

Aside from being a reminder that the Deadhead scene is still thriving, multiple day festivals like Langerado make it obvious that these kinds of events attract people who are clinging to the spirit and idea of a temporary, fantasy community. A lot of the attendees seem more into the communal aspect of this event, rather than the bands and artists featured. Some guests spend more time partying at their extravagantly decorated campsites than trekking around the concert grounds to see the bands.

Hanging at the campsite may have been popular, but it's not as if the Langerado planners didn't work hard to entertain fans in more ways than one. Following in the steps of larger festivals like Bonnaroo, but adding its local flair, Langerado offered guests a variety of things to do: Ferris wheel rides ($5 each, when it was actually working, which appeared to be about half the time), alligator demonstrations given by the Seminoles, Green-A-Rado Workshops (discussing sustainability), Kid-A-Rado (the kids' tent), Red Bull TNT stunts, a batting cage, a silent auction of artwork, and countless organic and hippie-inspired merchandise vendors.

While all the Green-A-Rado talk and environmental-friendly practices said to be in place were a feel-good addition, it was hard not to notice the irony in 20,000-plus humans stomping on natural swampland, eating seemingly-wholesome foods and treats that usually ended up all over the ground, while the wildlife had to be enclosed in fences (alligators were fenced in to keep them away from the crowds), herds of RV's roared on generators and a ridiculous number of on-site patrol vehicles surveyed the area.

As Langerado continues to expand, there are certainly some kinks to be worked out (perhaps there are several reasons why a swamp isn't the best location for a festival--for people or wildlife). Nonetheless, the crowd who braved the storms, power outages, thousands of ant beds and heaps of cow dung at the campsites, and the long, tedious drive (regardless if you're local, Fort Lauderdale is still 30 minutes away), will be the judge as to whether this kind of experience and a few great bands are enough to warrant spending four days in a swamp.