Bonnaroo Festival
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9 reviews for Bonnaroo Festival
Bonnaroooo...So where else can you find Jimmy Buffet, Bruce Springstein and the E Street Band, Eryka Badu, Phish, Snoop Dog, Beastie Boys, Al Green, and Wilco all appearing on just ONE of the stages at a music festival? Yeahhhh.. no where. I saw about 30 artists.. made my own drum (sanded it, painted it, put the goat skin on, wrapped the rings, help put the strings on, helped with the tension, etcl).. met Don Hertzfeldt.. laughed at Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Margaret Cho, Aziz Ansari, Christian Finnegan, among other comedians.. ate a ton of Greek food (the most consistent and the most bang for your buck).. got some free stuff.. sent some postcards from the Bonnaroo post office on site.. and.. wheww.. what else?
Some tips/comments/general things that resemble a review.. ;P I'll probably add an "update" if I remember other things.. but off the top of my head..
-Throw out all your expectations, all your bitching, and seriously just enjoy yourself. Get into it, shake your booty, smile, and relax. You paid a little bit of change to get here, make the most of it.
-REMEMBER YOUR TICKET. I forgot mine in Boston (doh!) but I was able to pick up a reprint from Will Call (at a radio station a couple miles from Bonnaroo) the first day of the festival thanks to a lovely man on the MusicToday hotline.
-It only took us a half hour to get through the car line, but I heard it took some people 10 hours to get into Bonnaroo's campsite. Be prepared w/a full tank and munchies.
-SUNSCREEN, sunglasses, and a hat. The burns that we saw.. ouch, haunt me to this day.
-Make sure to bring a tarp for under your tent, otherwise you will get soaked if it rains. You'll probably get wet anyhow, but this will ensure you don't wake up in a puddle.
-If you plan on hanging out by your tent at all, SHADE TENT! And investing in one, isn't such a bad idea. We bought ours at WalMart and I stood there holding it up the first day. haha Chairs are sweet too. Some of that field grass is brittle and hard. I still have cuts on my feet from 2 weeks ago.
-If you're gonna make a pass through the Bonnaroo fountain, do it the first day. It gets yellower and yellower as the festival goes on. ;P
-If rain is in the forecast, get some sturdy footwear (boots or other), cuz you will fall. Or your friend will fall and take you down with them.
- Someone told me to bring tons and tons of water.. so my friend and I both bought a gallon of water for each of us for each day.. then bought a bunch of individual bottles. We used less than 10% of what we bought. Bonnaroo has a few water towers with free water. We brought Nalgenes and totally loaded up every couple of hours since we never really went back to our camp site. Plus, you could only bring sealed water bottles into the Centeroo area (no sneaking vodka in your container), so there really was no point in having water except for while you were at camp.. and we really didn't stay at our camp (could be different for you).
-Stow a lightweight towel, tarp, blanket for sitting. Sets won't always start on time and sitting/laying down for 5-10 minutes does a world of difference for your legs, back, and general well being. heh Quick naps also help you get through those shows that START at 2AM.
- Feelin' like you're about to die from heat? Go hang out in the movie tent. It's air conditioned and who knows, you might actually like whatever indie or cult movie they're showing.
- Every seat in the comedy tent is a good seat.. although if you sit on the right hand side (if you're looking at the stage), you may catch a glimpse or rub elbows with some of the other comedians while they're waiting for their turn on stage or sitting in the crowd catching the rest of the show.
- We bought 2 things of box wine but barely broke into 1 (no glass bottles were allowed on the premises). I don't know about other people, but I get hella warm when I drink. So drinking in the hot humid TN sun, wouldn't have made for a good Bonnaroo experience (for me). Also, frequent trips to the port-o-potties? Yeah no thanks. Going over to the Brooers tent is a must though. I'm all about trying local beers.
-BRING EXTRA TOILET PAPER. Along with that, having a small flashlight definitely helps in the middle of the night maneuvering yourself in the port-o-potty.
- $7 showers... SO WORTH IT. If you go in the morning, you get your choice of water temperature. By afternoon it's just straight up cold water. Snag some free shampoo/conditioner/lotion samples whenever you can.
-Hit up the non-music tents.. free stuff might come in handy later.
-Bring enough cash. ATM fee was $3.95 PLUS BofA charged me (grrr).
So if you're interested in.. sleeping, not falling down in the mud/dust, eating super healthy (there are some vegan/vegetarian options but still), quiet neighbors, "normal" people, and "comfortable" temperatures.. Bonnaroo is NOT for you!
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Sorry guys, Bonnaroo isn't all that fantastic. Too many people, too many bands, too many stages. Your campsite is guaranteed to be an hours walk from the band you want to see. And the band you want to see is always scheduled at the same time as that other band you wanted to see. Meet someone you really like? You'll never see them again. On the other hand, I've always had a great time despite the faults. Tickets are expensive, as is everything else about Bonnaroo. It would be easy to attend 3 smaller festivals for the same cost. Smaller festivals where the other attendees are like family, your friend's are camped nearby, and there's time to see all the music you wanted and still hang out in camp.
Bonnaroo 2002: I've lived in Arizona and Florida, but I've never felt so close to heat exhaustion as the first Bonnaroo. My god was it hot. Water was scarce and selling for $7 a gallon. My friends made a small fortune by buying ice at the festival and carting it through the campgrounds at an unreasonable markup. The highway was backed up for eight hours to enter. Actually a lot of fun-- people playing music in the street, local girls flashing and riding by in the beds of pickups, and bottles of whiskey passed from car to car. Lots of great music. Lots of freaky people. I met some girl who was crying and she became very attached. Slept outside my tent because I.. wouldn't let her inside. Had to move my campsite when she went to the bathroom! Poor girl.
Bonnaroo 2003: Visited with friends who lived locally. Found a backroad in, waited less than 30 minutes on the road. Lots of great music. Campsite was even further from the stages than the previous year. Our neighbors had a nitrous tank and were selling balloons all night long. Unfortunately some of the patrons were acting obnoxiously, and people were stepping and falling onto our tent causing damage. The next morning they packed up and left early-- sold their nitrous and ran off with the profits. Except the $100 bill lying on the ground. The naked gutterpunks wallowing in a puddle of mud near the port-o-lets was memorable.
Bonnaroo is a fun thing if your college aged, or if you've never been to a megafestival. If I lived nearby, I'm sure I'd continue to go every year. If you have to travel a long distance, I think you could probably find better options for your Summer music festival.
The lineup for Bonnaroo 2009 was too good to be true so we decided to make the 14 hour drive from Austin, TX to Manchester, TN. I'd never been to a festival like this before though. http://inforoo.com was extremely helpful for all the questions I had about preparation.
First impressions weren't so good as we waited 8 hours in line just to be greeted by an intense rainstorm. The camping part of the experience could have been better, especially with a working shade canopy. We were pretty far away from Centeroo, where all the music & cool kids are.
The layout of Centeroo really seemed to help crowd & noise control. The avenues that are created by the setup of the different vendor booths split up the herd after a big set was over. Sets only really seemed to clash when on the Which & What stages simultaneously. Noticeable improvements to what I'm used to @ ACL.
The weather was not as hot as I was expecting, if it had been, I might have died. Loved the surprisingly cool breezes throughout the day.
Love the Bonnaroo radio, 101.5FM, for waiting in line, in the mornings before shows & for information.
Besides the music, there's side-shows, comedy, the fountain, free hair washes & cigarettes, Ferris wheel, silent disco, karaoke, community art projects, cell phone charging, and more I'm sure.
I really enjoyed most of the food, my favorite was definitely the samosas. Mostly ranged $3-10, not bad considering a beer was $6.
I wasn't in love from the minute I arrived. Sometimes the humidity, dirt, walking, & exhaustion got to me. But once you figure out how to stay cool so you can enjoy the music and the company, Bonnaroo can be an amazing experience. We've already started making plans for next year.
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I went to Bonnaroo in 2005, when it was still fairly new.
I had a great time. You don't have to pay for a shower, just bring some water and dump it over your head. Or don't be a priss and get dirty for 4 days. Just please wear deodorant. :)
Even when I went in 2005 a lot of previous Bonnaroo lovers told me it wasn't the same and I shouldn't go. I haven't gone recently because I haven't had the money to swing it, plus the drive to Tenn.
The crowd does get bigger every year from what I've heard. So this summer I went to Rothbury instead. Only 45 minutes from my parents house in MI and way less people/heat. Amazing.
2008, Very good, but not really great.
The festival vibe was almost there, but not quite. I really like that there is a large mix of music available though. I always find myself exposed to some new bands and unexpectedly great music at events like this. This may not be the Be All/End All to summer festivals, but here are a few reasons that it might be worth going:
Well Organized: Everything went about as well as you could hope for a festival of its size. Entering and exiting were easy. They did really well keeping everybody informed.
Silent Disco: Where else can you shake your booty to some of the country's hottest DJ's while only you can hear the music. Everyone puts on wireless headphones and shakes it like there is no tomorrow. From the outside, you cannot hear anything but cheering and the sounds of people getting their groove on. It is bizarre to watch, but unforgettable to participate in.
Variety of Experiences: Everyone can have a different Bonnaroo experience. There are many different types of music being played simultaneously. There are performing arts of many different natures. There is physical art on every medium you could hope for. There is some of the best people watching you can get anywhere. There are fountains to run through and a ferris wheel. You can rock on stage with some killer karaoke. You can get Indian food while watching the best musical talent that New Orleans has to offer. There are so many things to do, the hard part is deciding which of the many experiences are most appealing to you.
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I wish that Bonnaroo was more friendly to locals. They make it almost impossible to just go for a day, because you can only buy a festival pass as opposed to a one day pass. I don't care for camping, so for the past two years we just driven back and forth. It's surprisingly easy. It takes just a little over an hour each way, and getting in and out has never been a problem. This past year was my favorite of the two I've attended, mainly because it rained early on and kept the temperature down a few degrees. They joke that Bonnaroo is a town for the four days that it takes place, and it really is. There is a general store, an arcade, a movie theater, a record shop, restaurants, shopping areas, a post office, an internet cafe, fitness classes... They even have a hair salon (free if you want to wait in line!).
The bands represented truly offer something for everyone, almost to the point that they offer too little for any one person in particular. But if you have really varied tastes, then you will find plenty at Bonnaroo. If you only like really obscure indie bands, you might not. On the flip side, if you only like big mainstream bands, you'll only like the night-time bands on the two big stages.
Definitely a Tennessee experience that you should try at least once in your life!
Bonnaroo, first started in 2002, is a four day music and arts festival that takes place on a 700 acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee in June and is attended by more than 80,000 annually.
Hippies, hipsters, young and old alike, all come together to experience music in all forms, which includes but is not limited to: rap, rock & roll, jam, alt-rock, hip-hop, jazz, americana, bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, reggae, world, classical, electronic, house, metal and many other, more specific, genres.
A pass to Bonnaroo, which includes camping, parking, and access to over 100 live shows over 4 days, costs $215.
Bonnaroo is a city. Its downtown area is called Centeroo. Centeroo is alive 24 hours a day. This is where all the music takes place. Centeroo features the two main stages at Bonnaroo (What Stage and Which Stage), three large music tents (This Tent, That Tent and the Other Tent), the Bonnaroo Market (craft, food, drink and merchandise vendors), an arcade tent, music sharing areas, a cinema tent, a comedy tent, a silent disco, a beer tent, a jazz club, rides, live performances and many other special events and areas.
Bonnaroo is amazing, Bonnaroo is 5 stars.
Bonnaroo event page: http://www.yelp.com/ev...
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Oh. Bonnaroo 2007.....
What fun you were. How hot you were. How tired I was.
Pro's: Awesome music and comedy line up. Fun camping. Lots of good times. Especially David Cross, White Stripes, Tool, Lily Allen, Franz Ferdinand, and Lewis Black.
Con's: Hot. REALLY Hot. The crowd was so huge to get to centeroo for the Tool show, and The Police, that everyone unanimously erupted in mooing. Rightfully so, at 80,000+ fans, we felt much like cattle. Very, Very, Sweaty Cattle. Very long lines at the ice truck. Showers are $7.00 a pop. Oh, and when your watching shows in centeroo, odds are someone is stealing stuff from your campsite. The only thing security tries to stop, is people vending un-licensed Bonnaroo merch. What really summed it up was the ride home. After four days of port-o-potties, That first truck stop bathroom seamed like a pristine white marble castle.
Somehow though, after seeing the 2008 lineup........ there's a part of me that wants to go again.
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When it started in 2002, Bonnaroo was essentially a jam band festival - Widespread Panic, the String Cheese Incident, Gov't Mule, etc., holding down the core of the music experience.
I don't really like jam bands. The Grateful Dead and Phish were cool and iconic and all, but I don't personally respond to the notion of the 20-minute-long jam. Hell, a 20-minute song that's NOT all jam-y and improvised is hard enough. And I'm writing this review of Bonnaroo, as I attended the 2007 festival and had the time of my life.
Wait, wtf? How did that happen? Rest assured, I have not transformed into a person who plans to follow the next best Grateful Dead tribute band around on tour. But I have transformed into a now die-hard fan of the 'Roo.
The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival has essentially become a combination of Woodstock and Coachella - classic hippies meet ultra-hip desert attendees. While the festival still lines up the Bonnaroo OGs of Gov't Mule and String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic (who close out the festival every year, from what I gather), it has also evolved to include Coachella-friendly bands/musicians like the White Stripes, the Flaming Lips, Franz Ferdinand, Feist, the Decemberists, Spoon, Regina Spektor, Kings of Leon, Lily Allen, and then an assortment of hip hop/DJ/jazz acts like the Roots, Mavis Staples, Ornette Coleman, DJ Shadow, Aesop Rock, etc.
Basically, any/all music fans would fit in at this festival in its current form (except for Ashlee Simpson fans, I can't really vouch for them in any way), and find multiple acts to enjoy. And if that wasn't enough, Bonnaroo 2007 had a comedian tent that featured David Cross, Dave Attell, Lewis Black, Flight of the Conchords, Nick Kroll, and more.
Due to the mix of people that are drawn to this festival, the 80,000+ crowd was ridiculously eclectic - and since, at heart, Bonnaroo is still stitched together from hippie ideals, you'll probably never meet a nicer or more laid-back festival population. The gigantic farmland of Manchester, TN (60 miles outside of Nashville) is transformed into the City of Bonnaroo for several days in June, a huge festival community where the music is amazing and the whole experience is life-changing.
It's hot, but not Coachella hot (i.e., unbearable). It's dusty, but that's what bandannas are for. The person standing next to you during the White Stripes set hasn't showered for three days, but that's ok, because you haven't either. There's a guy with a beard in the middle of one of the Star Wars-named campgrounds who's selling secret garlic grilled cheese sandwiches for $1. There's plenty of clean/free water. There are stages and tents called the Which Stage, the What Stage, This Tent, That Tent, and The Other Tent. There's a silent disco that goes all night and yoga at 6:00 a.m. There are dreadlocked hippies and shirtless frat boys hanging out at the same shows and smoking weed together. Everything you buy is recyclable. There are giant piles of hay in your campground that people have made into light installations, and a guy hanging out there who implores you to "come quit your day job and play in the hay!"
There's no experience quite like Bonnaroo, that's for sure.
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