Who: The Bonnaroo
When: June 10-12, 2005
Where: A Big Field/ Manchester, TN
With: Jenn
Of Note: IT WAS THE BONNAROO
So, congratulations to me! This is RTE's 50th post!! When I thought about what musical experience was important enough, big enough, exciting enough to be the 50th post, only one came to mind...the Bonnaroo.
There are not a lot of people that I would spend more than 30 hours in a car and sleep in a tent with for four days. There are even fewer people who would elect to do that with me, I would imagine...particularly given my strict "only stop for gas" road trip mentality and intense festival schedule spreadsheet. Enter Jenn, one of my very oldest friends. I like to joke that I'd still be wandering around the first floor of our high school looking for my freshman homeroom if it weren't for her. "Hey Jenny, do you want to head upstairs to homeroom?" Oh, upstairs, right. If anyone was going to rock the Bonnaroo with me, it was Jenn.
Armed with an old turquoise Jeep-o full of camping supplies, off we went. After 12 intense hours in the car (No air conditioning? No problem! It's not like it's 90 degrees out or anything...) and an overnight with a long lost friend of Jenn's who lived in Tennessee, we were off to the festival.
I had done enough reading and talked to enough people who had been to have a broad understanding of what I was getting into. What I wasn't anticipating was just how BIG everything was. The camping area went on for miles. Centeroo, where all the concerts, etc. were was huge. And, there were just so many people everywhere. It...was awesome and it was totally an excuse for me to shed some of my uptightness and let loose.
I am sure there are things I am forgetting here. This is what I remember.
Day 1
Joss Stone
Joss Stone was having a moment in 2005, I believe. Her set was sultry and her vocals went on for miles. I remember being really impressed with her. She was the only smaller stage band I saw the first day; I wanted to camp out at the big stage to get a good spot for the opening night's headliner, the Dave Matthews Band.
Alison Krauss and Union Station
Alison Krauss was the first act on the big stage the first day. Her band was incredible; they were all such amazing instrumentalists. I really liked that Alison was performing in overalls. They played a tight bluegrass set. I remember thinking that hers was one of the prettiest female voices I've ever heard. You could feel what she was singing.
The Allman Brothers Band
I remember being so excited to see ABB, they are an institution of American rock after all! I was excited to see Derek Trucks on stage with them, having seen his band a few times. The set was so much fun. I have a vague recollection of a couple of covers, but it really picked up at the end - both 'Melissa' and 'Jessica' were towards the end of the set. I had been making friends with those who were camped out around me for the day. We had a truly magnificent hoe-down for those last two songs. It's also worth noting that, sitting in the pit, it was hotter than balls. Their encore was 'Whipping Post' and it was as epic as you would expect.
Dave Matthews Band
At some point, and I can't remember when it was, Jenn got sick. Or, at least she wasn't feeling well. I'm going to assume it was dehydration. Being the amazing friend that I am, I told her that I loved her but that she looked like she'd live and could probably make it to the med tent herself and I was not leaving my spot in the pit nor missing Dave. (Like I said, there are not a lot of people who would want to do a festival with me. I get...intense?)
With all due respect to Jenn, I made the right decision. She ended up being fine and Dave played a pretty epic set. I remember the sense of camaraderie I'd built with all my fellow pit dwellers - this was definitely the closest to the stage I'd ever been at a DMB show. We were ready for a good night. And, holy crap, was it.
Dave was touring with the 'Stand Up' album, which I love and played a lot of songs from it. Specifically, I remember that Robert Randolph joined him for 'Louisiana Bayou' and it was maybe the greatest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I mean, you had Robert Randolph going nuts and Dave going nuts and Stefan going nuts and the whole crowd chiming in with the "Whoo!s" and it was amazing. I remember having to fan myself a bit during 'Smooth Rider'. I remember doing some square dancing during 'Hello Again'. I remember it raining and the rain feeling so good because it had been so hot. I vaguely remember a pretty epic 'Bartender'. I remember 'Steady as We Go' as the first encore song and how it hit me square in the feelings. I remember the whole thing being awesome.
Day 2
I woke up earlier than a person should wake up at a festival Day 2 because it was SO HOT. I sponge bathed myself, lamented my crazy frizzy hair (not a darn thing you can do about it at 90% humidity), checked to make sure Jenn was okay (she was and wanted to sleep in) and made possibly the best decision ever. It was like 8am and I headed for the air conditioned movie tent. They had big couches. I settled in for a screening of 'Napoleon Dynamite' and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up, I felt refreshed and ready for another day.
(The line-up archive online tells me that Kings of Leon were there. Probably should have checked that out, huh?)
Yonder Mountain String Band
One of the other really smart things I did (being a lawn and Oozefest veteran) was buy & bring a large number of emergency ponchos. Though it was out of the question to wear (wrapping yourself in saran wrap when it's that hot? no thanks!), they were perfect for spreading out on the ground to sit on (because the ground was always wet because it rained on and off all three days). I had a great system where I spread out a poncho and laid down with my head on my purse (using my vodka spiked Gatorade [hydrating and dehydrating at the same time!] bottle as a neck support). I stayed a ways back, up the slight hill and settled in like this. For this set, there was an incredible blue sky and it was early enough that the heat didn't make you want to kill yourself. It was perfect. I remember laying on that hill, bopping along to the banjo, watching people dance. One of my favorite memories of the festival.
I think that I saw bits and pieces of Assembly of Dust, some Tea Leaf Green, a bit of Jack Johnson, some Trey Anastasio.
O.A.R.
The next band I remember seeing is O.A.R. I got right up close. I know Jenn made it to this one, preferring to stay a little bit further from the stage so as not to get overheated/crushed. This was an amazing afternoon set. O.A.R. is such a crowd-pleasing, sing along, dance your butt off band and this set was no exception. I remember 'Black Rock' and 'Anyway'. I remember being SO PUMPED that they did their 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday' cover. I remember 'James' being beautiful. And then, as per usual, the whole place went nuts for 'Crazy Game of Poker'. Super fun set.
I think we saw some Keller Williams? Some Bela Fleck?
Widespread Panic
The big headliner was Widespread Panic. We stayed way away from the throng, got a good place to sit and took it in. I know that I probably should have been more excited about Panic; everyone else was. Mostly, I remember how incredible it was to see that many people. And the stars. And the glow sticks.
Day 3
I know we packed up camp and got ready to leave before we saw any music. I know that I later determined that it was pretty dumb of us to leave on Sunday night and drive straight through the night to Buffalo. I remember feeling really, really gross. I don't, however, remember a ton of the music from Day 3.
Umphrey's McGee
I was SO obsessed with their album 'Local Band Does O.K.' and was excited to see them. They did not play anything from that album. Whoops. They were still good. And, I should dig that album out. Man, I loved that.
I remember Jenn being really excited about Bob Wier & Ratdog. I don't remember much about them.
Other Observations
The first night we got there and went to check out Centeroo, we stopped by the internet tent to check email. I pulled up webmail.buffalo.edu and someone who had used that computer had already been to that URL. Weird, right? Weirder was they didn't clear the cookies so the username was visible and it was this guy Jeff that lived around the corner from me in the dorms freshman year. I didn't run into him, but that was weird.
The people watching was absolutely top notch. Body paint, hula hoops, running through the flower fountains, arcade games, bros, hoes, people tripping balls, people confused about their name, guys in Crocs, girls in close to nothing....it was a great cross-section of humanity.
Overall, I'm so glad that I did the Bonnaroo; a festival takes everything that is good about live music and everything that is bad, cranks both up to 26 (out of 10) and separates the weak from the strong. I loved seeing that many music fans in one place. I hated not being able to shower. At the end of the day? A fantastically rewarding experience, if only for those moments that seven years later I can so clearly remember.
When: June 10-12, 2005
Where: A Big Field/ Manchester, TN
With: Jenn
Of Note: IT WAS THE BONNAROO
So, congratulations to me! This is RTE's 50th post!! When I thought about what musical experience was important enough, big enough, exciting enough to be the 50th post, only one came to mind...the Bonnaroo.
There are not a lot of people that I would spend more than 30 hours in a car and sleep in a tent with for four days. There are even fewer people who would elect to do that with me, I would imagine...particularly given my strict "only stop for gas" road trip mentality and intense festival schedule spreadsheet. Enter Jenn, one of my very oldest friends. I like to joke that I'd still be wandering around the first floor of our high school looking for my freshman homeroom if it weren't for her. "Hey Jenny, do you want to head upstairs to homeroom?" Oh, upstairs, right. If anyone was going to rock the Bonnaroo with me, it was Jenn.
Armed with an old turquoise Jeep-o full of camping supplies, off we went. After 12 intense hours in the car (No air conditioning? No problem! It's not like it's 90 degrees out or anything...) and an overnight with a long lost friend of Jenn's who lived in Tennessee, we were off to the festival.
I had done enough reading and talked to enough people who had been to have a broad understanding of what I was getting into. What I wasn't anticipating was just how BIG everything was. The camping area went on for miles. Centeroo, where all the concerts, etc. were was huge. And, there were just so many people everywhere. It...was awesome and it was totally an excuse for me to shed some of my uptightness and let loose.
I am sure there are things I am forgetting here. This is what I remember.
Day 1
Joss Stone
Joss Stone was having a moment in 2005, I believe. Her set was sultry and her vocals went on for miles. I remember being really impressed with her. She was the only smaller stage band I saw the first day; I wanted to camp out at the big stage to get a good spot for the opening night's headliner, the Dave Matthews Band.
Alison Krauss and Union Station
Alison Krauss was the first act on the big stage the first day. Her band was incredible; they were all such amazing instrumentalists. I really liked that Alison was performing in overalls. They played a tight bluegrass set. I remember thinking that hers was one of the prettiest female voices I've ever heard. You could feel what she was singing.
The Allman Brothers Band
I remember being so excited to see ABB, they are an institution of American rock after all! I was excited to see Derek Trucks on stage with them, having seen his band a few times. The set was so much fun. I have a vague recollection of a couple of covers, but it really picked up at the end - both 'Melissa' and 'Jessica' were towards the end of the set. I had been making friends with those who were camped out around me for the day. We had a truly magnificent hoe-down for those last two songs. It's also worth noting that, sitting in the pit, it was hotter than balls. Their encore was 'Whipping Post' and it was as epic as you would expect.
Dave Matthews Band
At some point, and I can't remember when it was, Jenn got sick. Or, at least she wasn't feeling well. I'm going to assume it was dehydration. Being the amazing friend that I am, I told her that I loved her but that she looked like she'd live and could probably make it to the med tent herself and I was not leaving my spot in the pit nor missing Dave. (Like I said, there are not a lot of people who would want to do a festival with me. I get...intense?)
With all due respect to Jenn, I made the right decision. She ended up being fine and Dave played a pretty epic set. I remember the sense of camaraderie I'd built with all my fellow pit dwellers - this was definitely the closest to the stage I'd ever been at a DMB show. We were ready for a good night. And, holy crap, was it.
Dave was touring with the 'Stand Up' album, which I love and played a lot of songs from it. Specifically, I remember that Robert Randolph joined him for 'Louisiana Bayou' and it was maybe the greatest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I mean, you had Robert Randolph going nuts and Dave going nuts and Stefan going nuts and the whole crowd chiming in with the "Whoo!s" and it was amazing. I remember having to fan myself a bit during 'Smooth Rider'. I remember doing some square dancing during 'Hello Again'. I remember it raining and the rain feeling so good because it had been so hot. I vaguely remember a pretty epic 'Bartender'. I remember 'Steady as We Go' as the first encore song and how it hit me square in the feelings. I remember the whole thing being awesome.
Day 2
I woke up earlier than a person should wake up at a festival Day 2 because it was SO HOT. I sponge bathed myself, lamented my crazy frizzy hair (not a darn thing you can do about it at 90% humidity), checked to make sure Jenn was okay (she was and wanted to sleep in) and made possibly the best decision ever. It was like 8am and I headed for the air conditioned movie tent. They had big couches. I settled in for a screening of 'Napoleon Dynamite' and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up, I felt refreshed and ready for another day.
(The line-up archive online tells me that Kings of Leon were there. Probably should have checked that out, huh?)
Yonder Mountain String Band
One of the other really smart things I did (being a lawn and Oozefest veteran) was buy & bring a large number of emergency ponchos. Though it was out of the question to wear (wrapping yourself in saran wrap when it's that hot? no thanks!), they were perfect for spreading out on the ground to sit on (because the ground was always wet because it rained on and off all three days). I had a great system where I spread out a poncho and laid down with my head on my purse (using my vodka spiked Gatorade [hydrating and dehydrating at the same time!] bottle as a neck support). I stayed a ways back, up the slight hill and settled in like this. For this set, there was an incredible blue sky and it was early enough that the heat didn't make you want to kill yourself. It was perfect. I remember laying on that hill, bopping along to the banjo, watching people dance. One of my favorite memories of the festival.
I think that I saw bits and pieces of Assembly of Dust, some Tea Leaf Green, a bit of Jack Johnson, some Trey Anastasio.
O.A.R.
The next band I remember seeing is O.A.R. I got right up close. I know Jenn made it to this one, preferring to stay a little bit further from the stage so as not to get overheated/crushed. This was an amazing afternoon set. O.A.R. is such a crowd-pleasing, sing along, dance your butt off band and this set was no exception. I remember 'Black Rock' and 'Anyway'. I remember being SO PUMPED that they did their 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday' cover. I remember 'James' being beautiful. And then, as per usual, the whole place went nuts for 'Crazy Game of Poker'. Super fun set.
I think we saw some Keller Williams? Some Bela Fleck?
Widespread Panic
The big headliner was Widespread Panic. We stayed way away from the throng, got a good place to sit and took it in. I know that I probably should have been more excited about Panic; everyone else was. Mostly, I remember how incredible it was to see that many people. And the stars. And the glow sticks.
Day 3
I know we packed up camp and got ready to leave before we saw any music. I know that I later determined that it was pretty dumb of us to leave on Sunday night and drive straight through the night to Buffalo. I remember feeling really, really gross. I don't, however, remember a ton of the music from Day 3.
Umphrey's McGee
I was SO obsessed with their album 'Local Band Does O.K.' and was excited to see them. They did not play anything from that album. Whoops. They were still good. And, I should dig that album out. Man, I loved that.
I remember Jenn being really excited about Bob Wier & Ratdog. I don't remember much about them.
Other Observations
The first night we got there and went to check out Centeroo, we stopped by the internet tent to check email. I pulled up webmail.buffalo.edu and someone who had used that computer had already been to that URL. Weird, right? Weirder was they didn't clear the cookies so the username was visible and it was this guy Jeff that lived around the corner from me in the dorms freshman year. I didn't run into him, but that was weird.
The people watching was absolutely top notch. Body paint, hula hoops, running through the flower fountains, arcade games, bros, hoes, people tripping balls, people confused about their name, guys in Crocs, girls in close to nothing....it was a great cross-section of humanity.
Overall, I'm so glad that I did the Bonnaroo; a festival takes everything that is good about live music and everything that is bad, cranks both up to 26 (out of 10) and separates the weak from the strong. I loved seeing that many music fans in one place. I hated not being able to shower. At the end of the day? A fantastically rewarding experience, if only for those moments that seven years later I can so clearly remember.
LOVE IT!!! it was worth the wait!
ReplyDeleteLove you Jen! I will comment more later but need to say 1) I remember Joss being at least a little bit tipsy on stage :)
2) ummm the dave thing...sucked...me missing it I puked on myself it was so gross!
3) omg the glow stick during wide spread panic were out of controll I loved it!
congrats on your 50th post!