To top it off, heavy rain and thunderstorms on the first two nights swept away much of the music fans' joy. Thousands planned to camp overnight, but many tents became swimming pools.

"It became icy cold after the rain," complained an attendee surnamed Zhang. "My plan to count stars on the grassland and barbeque was ruined!"

By Saturday morning, many exhausted visitors were gone for good.

According to Liu Yifan, the total rainfall during the festival equaled the total amount the county had received all year before the concert. "Too much water and mud and sand," he said. Organizers debated whether to end performances before deciding to put carpets on stage and filling mud holes with vehicles.

There are still eight years to come. But many reporters told me they would not come back next year. Most of the reporters who were here last year were not here this year.

Those who attended both years say the festival has improved, and we should be grateful.

For one thing, the government did see some improvement in the local economy for the county unknown before the music festival. Last year, the county's service industry earned more than 12 million yuan (US$1.76 million) during the three-day event, according to data from the county's commerce and tourism bureaus.