Bonnaroo 2008

[Roos]

Bonnaroo 2008

An AMAZING time that just ensured I will go back again next year. While the crowd this year was quite a bit younger than 2007, I don't think this will be an issue in 2009. The young crowd didn't care about the 'green' aspect of Bonnaroo and they tended to leave a lot of trash lying around. They were also there to see some artists who won't be invited back (Kanye in particular). However, there was still a wide range of people of all ages and walks of life. We also scored one of the best camping spots on the 700 acres of land. We had less than a 10 minute walk to the main festival area, and we were within 1 minute of the showers, bathrooms, ice trailer, and several food vendors (although we brought all our own food). If you've never been, then you have to understand that it's nearly impossible to see all the bands you want to see, but we did what we could and caught the ones we knew would provide a great show. We also loved our time at our camp listening to Radio Bonnaroo (they have their own radio station that plays AMAZING music) as well as meeting new friends, relaxing, getting some sun, etc...

Here's a basic rundown of our trip:


Wednesday 6/11

Left Dallas 6:15pm. Intended on leaving at noon but had unexpected car issues.
Drove approx. 750 miles.


Thursday 6/12

Arrived at campsite 8:30am after sitting in traffic for about an hour.
Set up camp by 10:30am.
Met neighbor (Brent from Kentucky) whom we spent most of the weekend with.
Drank Bloody Marys with Brent, took a short nap, drank more through the afternoon.

Groupo Fantasma 9p-10p

FANTASTIC 11 piece Latin Funk group from Texas. Amazing performance. This band was chosen by Prince to be the house band for his Vegas nightclub 3121, as well as back him in his 2007 Superbowl performance.

11p - Walked around the site for an hour then went back to camp, cooked hot dogs, and crashed out around midnight. The all night drive wore me out and while I wanted to see other groups, I also wanted to be well rested for the rest of the weekend.


Friday 6/13

6:30a-11:30a - woke up, cooked breakfast (eggs, sausages), drank Bloody Marys, showered, snacked (cheese, crackers, summer sausage), had vodka/7s.

Drive-By Truckers 12:30p-1:45p

Athens, GA 5-piece Country/Rock group. Great show. Fun story-tellers, one of which was a song about the singer's mother dating a trucker. "... and every god-damn word of this fucking story is true!"

Stephen Marley 2:45-4p

Exactly what you would expect. Good vibes, the smell of herb (which was everywhere during the entire weekend), and original songs as well as tunes made famous by his father.

!!! (Chk Chk Chk) 4p-6p

By far one of the most energetic and best performances of the afternoon. This is the show I wanted to see, as opposed to the mediocre performance at The Loft in Dallas a few months back. Phenomenal energy and crowd reaction.

Willie Nelson 6:30-8p

Your typical Willie show. Always good. Lots of sing-a-longs that the crowd loves.

8p-9p - Wet back to camp to get booze for the evening. It turns out this was a bad mistake on my part (see below).

Metallica 9p-11:30p

We arrived to see Metallica and I actually saw them kick off the show. Of course, they sounded amazing as they always do, even though I am not a huge Metallica fan. However, I decided it would be smart to bring in a liter water bottle filled with straight Vodka to mix with Sprite once we arrived at the show. The problem was, I forgot to mix it with Sprite and I ended up swigging straight from the bottle as we fought our way through 80,000 people to get to the front of the stage. By the time we made our way up to the front (a few hundred feet from the stage), I was so drunk that I had to tell Amy to get me out of the crowd. As she pulled me through the crowd to get to the back again, I repeatedly fell over while pulling her down with me. This was THE DRUNKEST I have EVER been in my life. After we finally got to the back, she decided it was best to get me away from the crowd and back to the camp.

We stopped off at a porta-potty on the way... and either Amy missed me coming out or I stayed in there too long... I don't remember which. Either way, she left me and went back to camp. I STAGGERED back (and can't believe I found the way) falling down repeatedly as I walked. Due to my drunken antics, we missed seeing My Morning Jacket, Tiesto, MSTRKRFT, and Disco Biscuits... all artists that we wanted to check out. I awoke the next morning with a black eye, an entirely sore body, and my shorts were outside of the tent with the phone and camera in the pocket... and they had been rained on overnight (but I lucked out and they both worked the next morning).

[Roos]

Saturday 6/14

7:30a-2p - Despite the stupidities of the night before, I actually woke up feeling fairly normal. We got up around 7:30a, made some breakfast, had Bloody Marys, and sat around and laughed about my dumb decision to drink straight vodka. During this time, we had ice delivered to our tent for our coolers by someone just being nice, we had another fellow come by and he brought his 'uncle Sid' who we decided to keep around for later that night, and we bought a bottle of Tennessee Moonshine from another guy who came by the tent. One of the benefits of Bonnaroo is the ability to find anything and everything you could possibly want, and usually it comes to you. We also purchased some glass from a glass-blower who was walking through our camping grounds. We ate some lunch, drank beers, whiskey, and moonshine, and eventually decided to start our day/night.


Little Feat 2:45-4p

If you've never seen Little Feat, then you should. Classic band who always puts on a great Rock, Blues, Funk show. Nuff' said.


Mastadon - 4p-5:15

I had never seen Mastadon... but I knew they were hard rock. I didn't realize just HOW hard they were. Nevertheless, they were a great Metal band. Not necessarily someone I would go see again, but I enjoyed their show. Tight, fast, and made my head bang.


B.B. King - 5:30p-7p

I can never see the Blues legend enough. Amy had never seen him, and after the Mayor of Cook County, TN gave B.B. King the key to the city of Manchester, B.B. put on an incredible show that brought tears to peoples' eyes. I'm glad I got to see him one more time. At 82 years old and dealing with Diabetes, I wonder just how much longer he will be around. Still performs like the legend he has always been though.

Jack Johnson - 8p-9:30p

Wow. What a fantastic lyricist. While I have heard his CD NUMEROUS times (because my wife loves his music), I had never actually seen him perform... or listened to his lyrics. The guy is a great writer. I think a lot of his stuff sounds very similar, but when he performed it live and you listened to the stories he told, you couldn't help but appreciate him. Really good show. Very chill, honest, and humble performer who gave the audience exactly what they screamed for... and believe me... they wanted some Jack Johnson. Money Mark (who is the producer of... and considered the fourth Beastie Boy) came out and played a Flugelhorn on a song. Eddie Vedder came out and sang a song as well. Both cool surprises... these happen all the time at Bonnaroo.

Pearl Jam - 10:15p-12:15a

I've seen PJ at least 10 times since they started, and I've always been impressed with their show, energy, and music. However, this was the best I have EVER seen them. THESE GUYS TORE IT UP. I'm a fan of their older material, and I could do without the political remarks, the B-Side/Unreleased songs, etc... I like the hits... But damn, they tore it up. Eddie sounds great, Matt on the drums kicks ass, Stone was killing it... the entire band fucking rocked. They played all their biggest hits and they sounded tighter than I have ever heard them. I'll give them an 8.5 out of 10. It should also be mentioned that 'Uncle Sid' decided to pay us a visit around 11:30 or so, which made the night even more fun.

Money Mark - 12:15a-12:45a

Why this guy and his band only played for 30 minutes is beyond me because it was one of my favorite performances. While I expected it to be experimental keyboards which he is well known for, it turned out to be 30 minutes of pure Soul and Funk that had me doing the chicken neck the entire time. All I know is that I will be downloading his latest CD this weekend. Damn, it was a funky show.

Chromeo - 1a-2a

These two EDM funk-a-teers took the stage in full force. And while most of their music was sequenced, they hit the vocoders, guitars, bass, and keys with all they had and they had at least 3000 people getting down and shaking their asses. Lots of glowsticks, rave lights, silly costumes, and just plain old fun. Thoroughly enjoyable. Sid enjoyed the light show as well.


By this time my body was getting pretty tired although my mind and eyes were going full force. However, we decided it would be best to make our way back to camp. On the way we stopped and stared at the Bonnaroo Circus and their amazing fire show, several statues that seemed to be talking to us and wiggling around, and we stood for about 3 minutes and listened to Sigur Ros before we both agreed that if we stayed there we might not ever make it back. After arriving back to camp about 3am, we stared at the breathing tent, listened to Phil Lesh & Friends perform Grateful Dead hits, and we wondered when Kanye would start his show. Since we were less than ten minutes away, we could actually hear the performances from our tent, as well as see them from the top of our car.

Kanye West - 4aish-who cares when?

First of all, I am not a fan of Kanye's music. I am not a fan of Kanye's attitude. I think Kanye is one of the worst rappers I have ever heard. I think he's a decent Producer whose ego is so huge that he can't stand to be behind the scenes, so he made himself a front-man. He should have stayed behind the scenes. However, I wanted to know what his show would be like because of his mass appeal, and I waited with an open mind (more open than usual) and I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

That being said, his is the Bonnaroo performance that will go down in history as the worst ever. And he has made me (and thousands of others) hate him with a passion. There are tons of quality hip-hop acts at Bonnaroo (The Roots, Jurrassic 5, etc...) and there always have been, but I think they were trying to appeal to a more mainstream crowd when they added Kanye to the bill... BAD move.

While every single other performer at Bonnaroo puts on a show and connects with their audience by talking to them, screaming "BONNAROO", and making the audience feel like part of the show... Kanye had an over-rehearsed, scripted performance that was dull, self-centered, and had no appeal to the audience at all. He didn't even say one word to the crowd. He indulged his own massive ego with samples of computer voices that repeatedly said his name, while he spewed his ignorant, monotone, horrible lyrics with no feeling or soul whatsoever... and he just expected the audience to eat it up. Instead, they gave him what he deserved. They booed him, threw glow sticks on the stage, and they poured out of the venue before he was even close to finished. as well, the entire venue on Sunday was covered with graffiti, flags, and signs that said "Kanye SUCKS". I even saw a t-shirt a guy had written on with a marker that said "I put more effort into this T-Shirt than Kanye did at Bonnaroo."

No need to say anymore. Kanye was pure shit. He showed it that night... he'll never be back... and he alienated the thousands of younger fans who came to the festival for his performance.

[Roos]

Sunday 6/15

7a-2p - Well, staying up all night made us pretty tired on Sunday. So we showered, drank a bit of Whiskey, sat around and talked about how great some of the bands were and how horrible Kanye was, we ate a bit, drank a bit more, and made plans for the day and night. We decided that since we were pretty tired and had seen Widespread Panic before, we would go see the couple artists we wanted, then pack up and leave for Nashville to get a hotel, a shower, a bed, and a head start for the long drive back.

Robert Randolph's Revival - 2:45p-4:15p

Wow. The second best performance of the weekend in my opinion. A master of the slide guitar and a fantastic Funk and Blues band. From an instrumental version of Michael Jackson's 'Rock With You' that the crowd provided vocals for, to the hits that Robert Randolph made, to one of the best bass players I have ever seen. It was the hottest day of the weekend and I was covered with sweat from head to toe... but the music and energy of RRR gave my body chills for the entire show. 9.5 out of 10.

After RRR we went to the internet cafe, logged online, and booked a hotel for the night. Then we headed back to camp, packed up all of our stuff in the car, and came back to the main stage for the highlight of the weekend.


Robert Plant, Allison Krauss, &T Bone Burnett - 6:15-7:45

The best show of the weekend. Plant and Krauss have a new album out together that's filled with American Standards, Bluegrass, and originals. I knew this show would be amazing, but I didn't realize just how good it would be. They blew my mind. I literally stood there with my mouth hanging open for an hour and a half. Not only did they do their album material, but they did Led Zep songs in ways that I never dreamed of hearing them. Plant doesn't miss a note and his voice is better than ever, Allison Krauss is a beauty whose voice is enchanting and haunting all at once while her fiddle playing will blow you away. And to add the genius that is T Bone Burnett, a man who toured with Bob Dylan at the age of only 24... well, let's just say it couldn't have been any better. Not at all. The perfect ending to the perfect weekend.


We left immediately after Plant/Krauss and we drove the back-roads through the hills of Manchester, TN. We arrived at our hotel on the South side of Nashville at about 9:30p, took showers, ate burgers, and slept in a comfy bed for our drive the next day. On Monday morning we woke up and made the 11- 13 hour trek back to Dallas, smiled all the way, honked and waved at all the other dirt-covered, camping-gear-packed cars that we passed who were obviously just as thrilled about their time as we were... and we talked about the few things we can do next year to make the perfect 4-day music and arts festival even better.

On a side note, this trip also opened my eyes to just how much time I spend wasting with negativity (UB) when I could be focussing on more positive things. I'm sure there will be many negative comments or jokes about the 'hippies', the bands, etc... but it only shows the lack of knowledge or understanding of what goes into this festival... and it only shows that some people are just going to always find ways to be miserable, insult, complain, and down-talk others for something that they love and find happiness in. Go for it. More power to ya. It truly is your loss. And you will never know how much until you experience this festival and the people there.

Bonnaroo 2009, here we come. And those of you who pass it up again next year will once again miss out on a fabulous time full of great community vibes, positivity, music, art, partying, and just plain fun.

* I have some pictures. Unfortunately, our camera battery died during Jack Johnson's set on Saturday, so we didn't get as many pictures as we wanted. It was a borrowed camera (THANK YOU PAIGE!!!!) and it took way too long to recharge the model's battery. But I'll post a link to the pictures as soon as I get the USB cable from Paige and can transfer them to my computer.

[PETA]

Originally Posted by Roos

I was so drunk that I had to tell Amy to get me out of the crowd. As she pulled me through the crowd to get to the back again, I repeatedly fell over while pulling her down with me. This was THE DRUNKEST I have EVER been in my life. After we finally got to the back, she decided it was best to get me away from the crowd and back to the camp.

We stopped off at a porta-potty on the way... and either Amy missed me coming out or I stayed in there too long... I don't remember which. Either way, she left me and went back to camp. I STAGGERED back (and can't believe I found the way) falling down repeatedly as I walked. Due top my drunken antics, we missed seeing My Morning Jacket, Tiesto, MSTRKRFT, and Disco Biscuits... all artists that we wanted to check out. I awoke the next morning with a black eye, an entirely sore body, and my shorts were outside of the tent with the phone and camera in the pocket... and they had been rained on overnight (but I lucked out and they both worked the next morning.

see this is why drugs are so much better for you at events like this Michael... silly man

Originally Posted by Roos

Robert Plant, Allison Krauss, &T Bone Burnett - 6:15-7:45



The best show of the weekend. Plant and Krauss have a new album out together that's filled with American Standards, Bluegrass, and originals. I knew this show would be amazing, but I didn't realize just how good it would be. They blew my mind. I literally stood there with my mouth hanging open for an hour and a half. Not only did they do their album material, but they did Led Zep songs in ways that I never dreamed of hearing them. Plant doesn't miss a note and his voice is better than ever, Allison Krauss is a beauty whose voice is enchanting and haunting all at once while her fiddle playing will blow you away. And to add the genius that is T Bone Burnett, a man who toured with Bob Dylan at the age of only 24... well, let's just say it couldn't have been any better. Not at all. The perfect ending to the perfect weekend..

this was the gig on the line-up I most wanted to see. Sounds like it scored big!

[Roos]

Originally Posted by xian

see this is why drugs are so much better for you at events like this Michael... silly man

heh. I dunno what happened. The Moonshine didn't help. OH! And I forgot our other neighbors busted out Absinthe too. The REAL stuff. Yeah. Drunkest ever. Never again. And my black eye isn't too bad. It'll be gone in a few days.

Hey, at least nobody got hurt and we can laugh at it the next day. The trip wouldn't have been the same without me pulling a 'Scholwinski'.

[reddaisy6]

I cannot believe you missed seeing MMJ. SHAME SHAME SHAME! The bf & I watched the live coverage on Fuse & Kirk Hammett came out & performed One Big Holiday with them. As always they seemed pretty fucking amazing.

But cool to see you had a good time!! Festivals are hardwork & you never get to see all the things you planned out........

[PETA]

Originally Posted by Roos

heh. I dunno what happened. The Moonshine didn't help. OH! And I forgot our other neighbors busted out Absinthe too. The REAL stuff. Yeah. Drunkest ever. Never again. And my black eye isn't too bad. It'll be gone in a few days.

Hey, at least nobody got hurt and we can laugh at it the next day. The trip wouldn't have been the same without me pulling a 'Scholwinski'.

Yeah, real stuff fake stuff... its all bullshit with regard to absinthe. Real drugs Roos, real drugs... lots of them... often. You don't stumble and fall (though I did trip over Chad Smith at Coachella while he was sitting on the ground eating pizza... nice guy... didn't make me feel like the asshole I deserved to feel like) you just sweat a lot and forget what the hell you were just talking about but it doesn't much matter because its all a great time anyway.... plus... so much easier to carry and so much less hassel with mixing w/Sprite and what not. I can give you a tutorial on this stuff you know...

[Alexis Gold]

Originally Posted by xian

see this is why drugs are so much better for you at events like this Michael... silly man

ah, took the words right OUT of my mouth.

Looks like ya had a blast too bad you weren't able to control yrself & ended up getting OOC & passed out.

Better time next year.

[umalak_]

you better watch out with all that positive talk about Pearl Jam lol

[monarch]

thanks for taking the time to write such an thorough review!

[DataBass]

I'll bet there was a lot of crappy bands and no competitive schlong sucking at this hippie fest.

[pickle]

Longest review ever - Glad you had a kick ass time!

[catfish]

I think you might have to count me in on next year , it sounds like a blast. I need a nice band weekend again. I love dj's dont get me wrong , but its been a while since ive seen some good live music outdoors. Drive by truckers are awesome mike! Ive got a fair share of there older stuff

[Funkenstein]

I know what you did this weekend and I approve!



Seriously though, I prayed for you and the missus to make it there and back safely. I know that you two don't get to vacation as much as you would like to. Hopefully this is something you can recount to your kids about in the future and with many anecdotes/pictures to tell/show.

Welcome back, bud.

[thumpcbd]

In case anyone that was there, or wasn't, wants to hear some of the sets performed go to http://panicstream.com/. So far, they have Metallica, WSP and Pearl Jam up...listening to the Metallica one now...not too shabby.

Casey