Babelgum Takes Ice Cream Man Road-Trippin’

Given escalating ticket prices and equally rising summer temperatures, the concept of attending a summer music festival has lost some of its appeal lately — for me, at least. But that’s because I didn’t know there was the slightest chance of getting free ice cream while there.

Self-titled “Ice Cream Man” Matt Allen has been giving away ice cream from a truck since 2004, but it’s only in the past few years that he’s made it into a modern-day bohemian dream job, acquiring sponsorship from Levi’s, Pac Sun and other companies to enable his passion for going to music festivals and handing out frozen treats to the attendees.

Babelgum is the latest company to sign on, but instead of just handing Allen cash for gas and dry ice, the web video platform has adapted the concept as a quasi-music-variety web series called Road Trippin’ With Ice Cream Man, combining Allen’s antics with live performances and in-depth discussions of classic ice cream treats.

So far, Road-Trippin’ has spotlighted the bands Chairlift, White Rabbits, and MGMT, who all performed at the Bonnaroo music fest, and will be moving onto Rothbury, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits down the line. Performances are raw and unplugged, with band members perched on the back bumper of Allen’s truck, and showcase some of the fresher indie bands coming up right now in an extremely intimate setting. And props to the production team for getting great sound at a crowded outdoor venue; it’s not exactly Phil Spector’s wall of sound, but it’s clean and clear while still capturing the energy of a live performance.

The first episode sets up the show’s not-that-complicated premise — we open with Allen tossing ice cream to festival support staff — which leaves more than enough time for two musical guests and a chance to get a good look at the Bonnaroo festival. The second installment puts slightly more emphasis on actually getting to know Allen and his team, which is a smart move, as Allen especially looks to be a fascinating character, an offbeat adventurer who’s just the sort of crazy that gets stuff done. Allowing audiences to understand exactly why, for him, giving away ice cream is “the best job in the world” may be enough of a mystery to keep people coming back — even when the ice cream runs out.