Bonnaroo 2008 in a Nutshell, by Yael

I am jittery and tired and excited today for loads of reasons so I have failed to conjure the energy and thought process required to do a nice write-up of my experience at Bonnaroo. Luckily, my brilliant travel companion, Yael (next to me below), who was with me every step of the way, took the time to put together a fantastic recap of our amazing extended weekend. She has given me the permission to re-post it for you below. So without further adieu I add only "what she said" and give you this:



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"Oh, This Feeling Is Wonderful, Don't You Ever Turn It Off"- A Bonnaroo Story.

I’ll make the pre-festival stuff fairly short. We flew into Nashville on Weds. night, got our Toyota Rav 4, and then hightailed it to Madison, TN to the 24 hour Walmart. Holy shit is stuff cheap when you're out of NYC. Talia and I had two huge shopping carts full of stuff (water, TP, food, more water & TP, battery operated fans, pool floats for sleeping on) and it was all under $150. It would've have easily been well over $225 at least in NJ/NY. Anyway, we headed back to Nashville and went to sleep pretty early (1:30) because we'd both heard that the earlier you reach manchester, the better. Apparently people used to sit in like 6 hours of traffic for just 1-3 miles outside manchester, just waiting for things to move. The gates open at 7:30 and it takes about an hour to get there (before you hit the part where you just...sit) so we set the alarm for 7:30. after being sidetracked by the free continental breakfast (bran & bananas for all!!) we hit the road at around 10.



So we head out and all is good. We see cars with BONNAROO OR BUST signs everywhere, just a great vibe. We stop for gas and meet nice Roosters. Things are good. Finally we get to the exit where we’re supposed to get off and there are police cars blocking the ramp and they tell us we have to go out of our way for another like 15 exits. Turns out this is not the worst thing in the world. Essentially, anyone who was going from West---->East was diverted around the whole site and then taken on a road that runs parallel to the interstate. There was decent police presence and everything moved fairly orderly. We got to the campsite about 2.5 hours later. It was pretty efficient. We would move for a little bit and then wait for 20 minutes to move again. Some people were getting out of their cars at this point but most of us stayed inside with the AC blasting .



So we get there and they basically just tell you to park in this field and you could already see a neighborhood was taking shape around us. The cars and tents were all in these neat little blocks with actual street signs. We even had a cul de sac on our block. The neighborhoods were all named after 80’s movie characters, I believe we lived in the Dr. Peter Venkman neighborhood on Victor Street. Also, there were these super huge colored balloon –like things floating over each neighborhood with a number. Just another way to be able to figure out where you live and how to get back there at 430 am. We had a pink bubble and it was #9. We had super nice Canadian guys on our left and three crazy college girls from Darmouth on our left. Everyone helped each other set up and it was great to be near such nice cool people. Which leads me to say that although I was nervous about 342465345 million things before I left, I now know that the only real things to be worried about beforehand are things that are not in your control. These things are: 1) who you camp next to. You could be stuck with drug dealers or just generally rude loud people who play their car radio all fucking day and 2) where you are camped/parked. You could be near the street with all the vendors, next to the port-a-potties, etc. Where you end up and with whom is totally luck of the draw. Luckily we had prime real estate (not too close, not too far- we were about a ¾ mile walk back and forth to Centeroo ) and wonderful neighbors. Hooray.

After we set ourselves up, we finally headed out to Centeroo- where all the action happens. First band we saw was…MGMT. Now, I liked their album well enough and there was no one else playing at that time that I wanted to see more so we went with open minds and modest expectations. They blew me away. They’ve got this trippy acid electro pop meets rock thing going on on their album but live, they really expand their songs and take on a more Muse/Secret Machines dynamic…just pushing the songs in all these different directions. Also, there is something to be said for thousands of people jumping around and *screaming* to this stanza on the first day of Bonnaroo…



This is our decision, to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do.
Get jobs in offices, and wake up for the morning commute.

Total anarchy ensued. I know it’s just pop music of course but you really felt this communal sense of letting go with this song. What a great way to start the weekend.



Next at the same stage was Battles who I was never really into but they were pretty good live. We had left the crowd after MGMT and just listened to Battles sitting on the lawn. I think their drummer is sick. He just keeps them all moving forward the whole time. Next, again at the same stage was Vampire Weekend who I totally heckled while Talia made me stay for 3 songs. After that she too was unable to take it any longer and we made our way across Centeroo to check out Lez Zeppelin. Holy shit they are something else. Their drummer could give Janet Weiss a run for her money. They sounded great and had a HUGE crowd. Totally hilarious. We went back to camp after that and Day 1 was over. I posted from my water floatation device inside the tent and fell asleep pretty quickly. All was well until like 6:30 when the sun was just full on merciless but spirits were high because it was…..FRIDAY!



Friday was fucking killer. We got into Centeroo pretty early (after a $7 shower, which I highly reccoemnd because we had DBT at 12:30. I don’t need to tell you guys that they were totally on fire and the crowd just ate it up. I love P. Hood the mostest but Three Dimes Down always kills me too. We were sort of near the back for this so we could see so well and just had a great time. Oh, of course, Putting People on the Moon is just ridiculous. That song always reminds me of all the good things that are in rock music…brilliant. For something completely different we headed to hear Adele who is this new young thing from the UK who is sorta like Amy Winehouse but totally sober and gorgeous and soulful. Talia loves her so I went with an open mind and turns out I really liked it too. After Adele, we walked all the way back to the mainstage for….THE RACONTEURS. Holy fucking fuck balls. We were pretty close and I was a beast. This guy motioned to me and asked his friend, “what do you think she is on?”….umm water and granola and the fucking raconteurs. They didn’t change their setlist too much from when I had seen them in NYC but it just did not matter. Consolers of the Lonely is one of those albums where I can just listen to the whole thing straight through..no need for skipping or anything. Anyway, the Racs were just absolutely fierce and it was one of the best shows ever. We stopped by the Rilo Kiley stage for like 25 minutes before we went back to the main stage for Chris Rock. He practically did his whole new HBO show. I don’t need to tell you that he is pee in the pants funny, right? After Chris Rock, there was no one up that we wanted to see so we headed back to camp to regroup and take a pre-MMJ nap. Funny thing is that as we were leaving Centeroo all of these creepy metalheads were coming in for Metallica. They looked totally out of place. Hilarious.



I have to say here that somewhere in the middle of Chris Rock my right leg starting shaking involuntarily. I was so excited for MMJ I thought I was going to throw up. For real. The leg shaking continued through the pre-MMJ naptime. Needless to say, I did not rest much especially since Metallica was superloud. Also, it was seriously threatening to rain and I was nervous about our tent staying dry. At around 11 o’clock we got our ponchos and flash lights ready and headed back to the Which Stage. At this point I am so overwhelmed all I can do is make that homer simpson donuts noises (you know exactly which I mean, right?) and jump around. Again, I am asked what I am on. Nothing. Just MMJ and nerves. NERVES. I thought I was going to pass out. We get pretty close again JJames-side and everyone around me thinks its hilarious that I am not only non-verbal but have the shakes. We’re surrounded by diehards and they still think I’m nuts. I am nuts! This is crazy!

I won’t even get started on the setlist in depth. You’ve seen it. It was unreal and otherworldly and just absolute perfection. The rain seemed to be synchronized with the climaxes of songs. After 3, which was the scheduled time for it to be over, some people left but it was ok- it made the crowd more intimate. I have never ever ever ever ever seen a show like this in my life. I was so happy I thought I was on drugs. Just total absolute elation. I have never felt so lucky (dare I say blessed?) to be part of something like this. The music and the rain (I didn’t even bother with the poncho…I was totally soaked and my fingers were pruney by the end.)… I’ll just say this one last thing- we’ve all seen pearl jam and we know how that energy thing goes..between a band an an audience. They pick up on us, we serve it back, etc. Now imagine that but multiplied by like a zillion. It was just electric. I am so glad that I saw this show out of any show I have ever seen in my whole concert going life. I am getting weepy writing about it. For serious.

Back at the ranch, it was 4:30 and POURING. Our tent stayed dry and we were totally OK. It actually worked to our benefit because the sun didn’t wake our behinds up at 6.30 and we actually could bank a little more sleep than normally. We wanted to get to Centeroo for the Against Me! show at 2:15 but that totally never happened. We moved really slow since we were so drained from the MMJ show the night before. Instead the first show we caught on Saturday was Cat Power. We didn’t really see anything at all, we were laying down in the outer part of the field, just chilling out. That’s the great thing about Roo which is different than Lolla- there’s more space and because its 4 days and can be so grueling at parts, people are just inclined to bring sheets and stuff and just lay out. I loved that. It let you rest up before you acted like an animal at the next show. Iron & Wine was the next at the same tent so we stayed put. We eventually made our way to the main stage halfway through Jack Johnson because Pearl Jam was up next and we wanted a decent spot. We weren’t going to kill ourselves to get one though as both Talia and I are seeing them repeatedly in the next 2 weeks but we wanted something decent. Anyway, again, unlike Lolla, people are less inclined to push and be evil so we got a great spot pretty close with very little squeezing in and waiting for hours in the heat. Side note- why is Jack Johnson famous? ZZZZZZZ.

PEARL JAM, RIGHT? Ok. So we had been reminding ourselves all day that it’s a festival and we should expect a festival setlist. That means, a greatest hits show with a random bone thrown at the diehards once or twice (think: education at Lolla). Well, we were WRONG WRONG WRONG. They came blazing out of the gate with Hard To Imagine and it just took off from there. Who You Are was unrecognizable at first but then once we realized what it was, all hell broke loose. Same with WMA. I mean, WMA?! REALLY? A WHOLE SONG?! Jesus. Ed was in great form and his voice sounds amazing. Better than 2006 for sure. Also, THEY TURNED JEFF UP. I COULD ACTUALLY HEAR JEFF. Thank god. Perfect. What a set. What a performance. And just when we think we’re off the hook, he comes and kills us with Release at the end. I cried, I won’t lie. Thank you, Pearl Jam. I have to say I have pretty high hopes for this mini- tour. They’re not supporting an album so they can do whatever they want and they sound killer. Can’t wait to see them tomorrow in Camden.

So Lupe Fiasco was playing way at the other side of Centeroo but we hustled as best as we could amongst the 80,000 other people leaving the main stage. As you all know, I am a tremendous Lupe fan and he never ever disappoints. There was a “Lupe! Lupe!” and he came right back with “Audience! Audience!” He is so great with the crowd, is an excellent rapper and the arrangement of his songs are just spectacular. He’s got great things to say and I am always curious to see what he’ll tackle next. A real artist.



So here comes the messy part. The part that breaks my heart. When the Roo line up came out and I saw Kanye West on it, I thought “ok, definitely I am going to this thing”. And when he had this crazy Glow In The Dark tour go all over the country and the ticket was less than cheap I thought, “well, I don’t need to buy a ticket, I’ll see him at Roo”. Basically, I was so so so psyched to see him. At first he was scheduled to overlap with Pearl Jam toward the end but a few days before we left we got a Roo email saying that his set was moved to 2:45 after Pearl Jam. I thought my prayers had been answered. Umm, I was wrong.



So after Lupe, we head all the way back to the Main Stage area and spread our table cloth out to sit on since we’re pretty early. We make friends with some really nice metalheads who listen to Kanye and MMJ. 2:45 comes and goes. Then we get a Festival Alert on the big screens at the sides of the stage that say Kanye has been bumped up to 3:15. A few people boo but all in all we all figure it’s OK since Pearl Jam went over and Kanye’s got this elaborate setup so we think that maybe his crew needs some extra time to set shit up. Then we get another Festival Alert- Kanye is coming at 3:30. Now people are getting angry. The boos aren’t cute anymore; theyre become sort of serious and sinister. People are saying that they would have gone to Talib Kweli in between had they known Kanye would be coming out later. Talia gives up and takes a nap on the table cloth. I’m just rocking out to the awesome mix they have going and jumping up and down to stay awake. 3:30 becomes 4. 4 becomes 4:15. Talia tells me that if he does not come out by 4:30 then we are heading back to camp. I agree reluctantly but I know that she is right and that it makes sense. We can’t wait forever. Meanwhile two other things are going on. Tons of these dirty neo-hippie types were tripping on acid and god knows what else all over the place. They must have gotten high to be in conjunction with the Kanye show but what the didn’t happen, they were just high and rowdy and freaky and weird. Also, you had plenty of people who did want to see Kanye, just leave in a mass exodus. Everyone is going on and on about what a diva he is, I keep telling people it must be technical and to give him a chance. At this point I’m thinking that if he is indeed being a diva and throwing a hissy fit backstage, he’s really spiting himself this time because not only did he lose half the crowd, the other half who was sticking around was going to have to be won over in a serious way. At 4:28 the guy comes out to…Good Morning. “wake up, wake up mr. west”. People are booing the shit out of him, screaming KANYE SUCKS, etc. The sun is coming out. It is just a generally crepy vibe at this point. Also, it is unbearably loud, almost offensive. I go to plenty of shows, I’m used to loud music but this was something else. Long story short, we stay for a few songs and then leave. He sounded great but it was just all wrong. Once that vibe got out, there was no turning back. It was definitely the biggest disappointment. We got back to camp and passed out. (I took this particularly hard. I have been defending the dude for months. I have a serious case of “he hits me because he loves me” for Kanye. )



Since Friday and Saturday were our main days, Sunday was spent sitting under the canopy/tarp we were sharing with our neighbors and just chilling out. I had half a lite beer and it made me pass outWe got to Centeroo at 6 to see Broken Social Scene who were totally amazing (I always forget how much I love them until I am reminded only to forget again) and then we finished up with Death Cab. The festival closers were Widespread Panic whom we both didn’t care to see. We walked around Centeroo and just chilled out. A very relaxed day which is good because last year at Lolla that last day was too fucking intense and almost killed me. On the other hand though, it was semi anticlimactic for the same reason. All in all though, good times on Sunday.



We slept over that night, woke up, and was out of the site by 9.30. Had my first Sonic milkshake- holy shit it was delicious. Then we used the pool at the hotel we stayed at on Weds night because we were filthy and didn’t want to go on the plane like that. Little did we know that our flight was cancelled and we’d have many opportunities to shower at the hotel they put us up in in Nashville. It was full if other Bonnarefugees and we all got a shuttle to go into the main drag in Nashville, went to a bar, good times, etc. We left the hotel at 4:45 the next morning.

I would say I had a pretty good trip.