My Bonnaroo experience exceeded expectations.

This is going to be long so I’m going to summarize here and if you want to hear and see more, then read more. The 5 day weekend was filled with heat, love, comedy, music, food, a lot of driving, walking, and about 80,000 stoners. As far as shows went I got to see Wavves, Childish Gambino, The Decemberists, Matt & Kim, NoFX, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, Lil Wayne, Ratatat, Henson’s Alternative Stuffed and Unstrung, Mumford and Sons, Bootsy Collins and the Funk University, Eminem, Scissor Sisters, Girl Talk, G. Love and the Special Sauce, The Gregory Brothers, John Waters, Cold War Kids, and The Strokes. I had the most glorious food known to man called a Wonder Waffle; it’s a waffle ice cream sandwich as pictured in the Read More.

Most nights you’d go to bed at 4 and then by 9 am your tent was so hot there was no more sleeping. It only got up to about 93 degrees everyday but with no cover and being out in a field in the middle of nowhere you are just sitting in your own sweat. Getting through that makes it all worth it. First off here is a picture of the Wonder Waffle, I had 5 of these this weekend.
 

Getting down there was fun and I stayed entertained on the 12 hour drive. My original ride ended up getting in a car accident so I had to scramble to find new transportation. I asked one of my old friends form high school that I knew was going and it was great because we all really bonded over the weekend when before I really didn’t know the others so well. They didn’t like all the same music I did so I ended up going to a lot of the shows by myself but that made it a lot easier because I’d make new friends and be able to get up front faster.

When we made it down there I pitched my tent in less than 5 minutes while four of them were pitching their tent still. Thanks, being an Eagle Scout. After we set up camp we chilled out for a little bit but I was very tired on the first night so I went to bed early. They stayed up and got stoned with these hippie guys. Apparently one showed them his triple pierced penis and another one called “Doc” told them how the world was a terrible place. He had a fifth of rum with him that was his “medicine” and he managed to finish it by the time he left the camp. The next morning I woke up at 9 dripping with sweat, luckily I had my own tent as to sleep nekkid. As far as hygiene goes for the weekend, imagine going 5 days using baby wipes and a rag with water to clean yourself. It was one of the dirtiest times of my life because everyday you just get covered in it. There were raging dust clouds blowing by at most times of the day. You’d think you’d have a tan until you started rubbing it and it just came off. They did have showers there for 7 dollars a pop but the lines were always incredibly long and they only ran during the day. So I didn’t get a shower although I did run through a mushroom fountain that they had with a free sample of Garnier Fructis. It was pretty dirty but it felt so good. Oh and I brought toothpaste but I forgot my brush so my teeth felt neglected, but at least my deodorant kept me smelling good. I wish I could say that for other people though. My camp was a half hour walk away from where all the shows were. I took that walk multiple times during the trip, especially when it came to walking back at 5 in the morning after staying out dancing to various shows; I could have taken a taxi but I saved 5 dollars every time I walked. There were port-a-potties for all of your bowel pleasures. Even with all of these conditions the shows made everything worth it. And that’s probably what you want to hear about anyway, so I’ll try to get down to it.

Wavves: First show that I saw at Bonnaroo, I only knew one song but they were decent.

Silent Disco: This had to be one of the coolest events I took place in. Everyone gets headphones that are all synced up. So if you are on the outside watching you can’t hear any of the music that the people are dancing to. The DJ wasn’t that great but it was still so much fun.

Childish Gambino: We were waiting for something else and just so happened to be standing close to where he was performing. Donald Glover makes up for his voice by the hilarity of his lyrics.

That was Day 1.

The Decemeberists: I would see them again in a heartbeat, I fell even more in love with them while watching. They were the first show I saw on the mainstage (aka “What Stage” and they were effortless.

Matt & Kim: I think this is the show that surprised everyone that saw it at the festival. As the week went on I’d hear people always ask did you see Matt & Kim? They were so good. And I hadn’t seen them before but I had watched videos and I knew they were going to be fantastic. My only regret is not seeing them at Ram’s Head three days before I left for Bonnaroo. Kim even did her booty dance standing on top of the audience’s hands.

NoFX: My goodness NoFX has gotten old. I only really ever listened to War on Errorism over and over. I had the choice between seeing them and Florence and the Machine and I figured I’ll always have another opportunity to see Florence anyway. It’s nice to see an aging punk band still doing what they love.

My Morning Jacket: I didn’t really know any of their songs, I just knew that they put on a great show and they truly did.

Arcade Fire: Everyone I talked to had mixed reviews about Arcade Fire after seeing them. I for one loved them. It’s probably because I was one of the few that actually knew all of their songs. They had awesome stage presence and a bunch of cool effects to go with their songs. If you like them, they are worth it to see live.

Lil Wayne: I like Lil Wayne, his show was a joke. I felt like I was listening to a radio on scan because he kept changing through songs because he only sang a small part in them. I stayed for about 20 minutes before I went off to find something more exciting.

Ratatat: And that I did. By this point it was 2am and I was exhausted. I found “The Other Tent” where Ratatat was playing and with my eyes closed just kept jamming out to every song they offered. I couldn’t stop moving even though I was about to fall asleep. So great live and the music just keeps you going.

That way Day 2.

Henson’s Alternative Stuffed and Unstrung: The comedy tent was air conditioned and after waking up at 9 and sweating for 3 hours it was nice to get out of the sun, but what was even better was the show. Brian Henson, the son of Jim Henson runs this company. Not only was the show great but we witnessed some of the original pieces from Jim Henson when he first started; pieces that haven’t been performed live in decades. So, yeah, wow. Jim Henson never meant for Muppets to just be for children and so his son carries on the tradition of the puppet improv show. They would act in front of a camera and so we’d see two shows in one. WE SAW HOW MUPPETS WORK IN FRONT OF OUR VERY EYES. Jim Henson has always been one of my heroes and seeing his son perform was about the closest I’ll ever be to meeting him in my life. This performance meant a lot to me.

Mumford and Sons: I don’t think I really need to say how great they were. What I do need to say is that they played three new songs from their album that they are currently working on. Which they hope to finish this summer. GREAT NEWS. The other thing to not about this show was that they had most all of the folk bands come out on stage at once and they did a rendition of Amazing Grace. Each artist had their own solo and that much talent in one place overwhelmed me. I got to see something that no one else will ever see like that. (By no one I mean besides the at least 40,000 people all gathered around the stage.

Bootsy Collins and the Funk University: I knew Bootsy Collins because of Old Gregg but I of course knew more of his fame than just that. We had been sitting watching the Black Keys and we couldn’t see anything so my other friends and I went off to see Bootsy Collins. This show was hands down the highlight of my entire weekend. 

This is a picture from when Bootsy decided he needed to reach out to his audience and touch them. He parted them like the Red Sea and then came down and started dancing with everyone. At one point I ended up with my arm around his shoulder as we jumped up and down to the song. They didn’t have any fancy synthesizers or special effects, in fact they had two pianists and each of them had 8 pianos set around them to play on. The set that was only supposed to last an hour and 15 minutes went on for close to three hours. I never knew I liked funk so much but as it turned out I funked so much my back hurt. I’ll remember that show for a lifetime.
 

Eminem: This show was too packed. I went close and didn’t want to fight the traffic so I stayed around for a while and watched him play on the screen. It was great to know he was there and then after sitting down for a couple of minutes I decided to move on.

Scissor Sisters: Scissor Sisters and Girl Talk were under the same tent so I went an hour before the Scissor Sisters started as to get a great spot. I did and ended up four rows from the front for the duration of both. It got packed real quick once Eminem was done. I was so worn out from funking that I didn’t know if I’d be able to make it all the way through but when the Scissor Sisters came out on stage they brought with them this huge ball of energy. They were just so full of life. I knew they’d be extremely over the top and I loved them for it. I couldn’t have asked for anything more than what they gave me. Another show I’d see again in a heartbeat.

Girl Talk: By this point everyone knew who Girl Talk was but I don’t know if they knew how great his show was going to be. He took us until 4 in the morning, constantly moving, balloons flying, confetti blasting, jams pumping, audience screaming… you know, the usual.

That was Day 3.

G. Love and the Special Sauce: The first shows started at 12:30 in the afternoon. This was one of them. I just went to hear My Baby’s Got Sauce and was there the whole time because they were so good.

This was when I realized how diverse all the bands I’ve seen so far were. Over the course of the weekend I grooved, I funked, I jammed, I danced, I chanted, I shouted, I rocked it, I sang my heart out, I watched mesmerized… Each band provided a completely unique experience, not only for me but for everyone around me.

The Gregory Brothers: I got to hear the Bed Intruder Song and Double Rainbow song live in person. I was one of the only ones in the audience at the Comedy Tent to know all the words to those two songs. May seem crazy to you that I was one of the only ones but that’s just because we’re all internet people. The singer actually pointed and smiled because he knew I was there to soak it up.

John Waters: I can’t believe I had to leave Baltimore to finally see John Waters. The man is a legend. He told us all kinds of stories about his life and just about what he would do. He is one messssssed up man and I love him for it.

Cold War Kids: The singer’s voice is what has always made this band for me. By this point I was stuck in a melancholy though because I knew there was just one more show after it. I wanted to go home by this point because the weekend was so great but I also wanted to stay and watch the shows for as long as I could.

The Strokes: The last band I saw and so worth it to end on. I love The Strokes and I will keep loving them. The only thing I want to say left about them and a lot of these bands that I saw is that I really thought I knew more lyrics than I actually do. But on the songs that I knew all of the lyrics I was belting them out. I think the singer might have been a little high, but still just hearing his voice in person was awesome. John Waters stopped by on stage to watch them perform. 

After the last show it was a fiasco to get out of there, but after a lot of moving around and walking to get my stuff and coming back, we went and stayed in a cheap hotel and I got the best shower of my life. 

If the line-up is good next year I’ll probably be back, but if anything I can’t wait to go to Lollapalooza now!

(Source: prozac34)