I'm not sure if I'd enjoy the big festivals, for the same reasons you say, but there are any number of small festivals near me, all season long, and they are great fun, a chance to hear just tons of good music at a reasonable price. The Nelsonville festival in particular gets top headliners and wonderful supporting acts, the atmosphere is wonderful, the price is crazy reasonable since it's the weekend after Memorial Day, and it's really small and intimate. Both times I've been, I've come home with like six new favorite artists. Maybe I shouldn't tell you all about it ....

I've heard performers say they really prefer the festival atmosphere since they only have to prepare one set themselves, and might get a chance to jam with or at least listen to one or two of the other bands. I know whenever we've heard Yonder Mountain String Band at festivals, they've been tighter and more "on" than the couple of times I've heard them in clubs.