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I had a great time this year, the music was incredible and they once again did a great job of organizing the fest.
This was my 2nd VIP purchase and it was once again pretty awesome. No doubt worth it just for the easy access to the main stage and centeroo. i was literally 100-120 yards from the main field. the bathrooms also make the price worth it. this year they had a guy cleaning the stalls. him and a lady were camped right next to the johns and they were there all day to clean them. awesome! i am very picky about clean bathrooms so for me i love it. there was no wait to get in or out which was great and the free shirt and poster was cool. of course the showers are great and the VIP party was a lot of fun with The Rebirth Brass Band and free beer!
now, i do have a few complaints. the food this year compared to last year was horrible. it was cold and really just bad. CREAM CORN!!! are you kidding me? anyway, they should have opened up the buffet line at 10:30 or 11:00 instead of at noon. It ended that I bought most of my food because i didn't have time to wait in line. plus i remember that last year they seemed to put some late night grub like hotdogs out on the line. not this year. you were left with cold shit. plus, last year they had free water and pop if i remember correctly, this year they charged. they gave me more camping room last year. this year we were packed in a bit closer, but that's not really a big complaint. but for the price, i would enjoy not parking side by side like the regular campers. anyways, it's worth the price but they seemed to take a step back overall on quality in terms of preparation for us VIP'ers.
my only complaint for the whole fest is those f'in webcast camera guys that get right in your way during the show. i was front row for oysterhead, malkmus, and sonic youth and i had a camera guy standing in my sight line. especially during sonic youth who i was most excited to see. the asshole stood right in front of me for the encore and the first 3 songs.
decided to move this post from the "saturday in VIP" thread -
I'm really glad we did the VIP thing this year, it really made a huge difference in my Roo experiences from last year to this. So many cool things, not the least of which was the absolutlely painless process of getting into the festival. The showers & shi.tt.ers = doubleplusgood. Not to mention the ease of getting into and out of Centeroo. The freebies were nice, too... but I do have a couple bones to pick:
Why encourage people to carpool if you won't then reward them for having done so? We packed four big dudes into my car, thinking maybe we could squeeze a little extra site space out of the deal. No such luck, and there was *A LOT* of unused space around VIP.
Hospitality tent. What's up, lunchline? Starting foodservice 15 minutes before the music starts each day is piss-poor planning. To say nothing of the "quality" of the fare. Probably the most palatable meal I had the whole time there was the hamburger Saturday before Beck. And, seriously - creamed corn?! Not one, but two big vats of it.
Perhaps my own fault, but what happened to the alleged "free water?" Had I known that we'd be paying (even at $1.50/bottle) for it all weekend, I'd have either made space to bring more down, or adjusted the budget accordingly.
Other than those very minor annoyances, this was one of the best weekends of my life.
VIP pros: 1) location - 5 min walk to centeroo or mainstage. we conserved so much time and energy and, as a result, saw much more music than in yrs past. 2) (lack of) security - we brought in beers and chairs w/ ease 3) bathrooms and showers - clean and convenient 4) thurs nite party - food and entertainment were great (and free booze was nice, too) 5) easy check in/ability to come and go in the a.m. 6) second beer tent behind the mainstage bleachers
complaints 1) food - thurs nite (chicken, fish and roast beef) and fri lunch (bbq) was good, but the rest was mediocre. lines were always very long, and they seemed to run out of food constantly...screamed poor planning to me 2) beer - wasn't it $2 last year vs. $3? 3) water - shouldn've been free. c'mon. 4) 2nd stage bleachers - was nice to sit down, but the bands looked like ants on the stage. didn't they have screens on that stage last yr? 5) campspace...the grass was a foot high in our area (VIP C), and we had very little space. completely wide open directly in front of us (looked like RV spaces that went unused). overall the space was fine, but i guess i was expecting more breathing room... 6) wish they'd had some sort of VIP tent in the centeroo/tent stage area...
All in all, i'd rate the VIP experience a 7 out of a 10....and would do it next yr. in a heartbeat.
For the million+ dollars SuperFly grossed off the VIP tix, some aspects did seem a little weak. That said, the positives FAR outweighed the negatives and I'm definitely going VIP from here on out. Here are my few complaints:
Foodservice was total shiite. Whoever thought that lukewarm buffet-style fish on a hot summer day was a good idea should be fired. Creamed corn, peas, rice, etc. were totally bad ideas too. They should ditch most of the crummy "hot" food and go with more salads (potato, pasta, etc.), sandwiches, fruit, and other fast, easy, cheap, summer-time kinda food.
Also, they should add another few VIP-only portajohns at various places around centeroo at at main stage... I ended up making the trek back to the "Royales" a couple times 'cause I couldn't handle the foul hot stench.
Another sweet addition would be VIP entrances to the Comedy/Cinema tents as well as some priority space at the tent stages.
All-in-all, it seemed like they were making an effort to make it feel like VIP was something special, but some aspects definitely fell short.
Post by bluevelvet on Jun 20, 2006 11:25:50 GMT -5
This was my first Bonnaroo and I had a blast, but we were put on the very outskirts of the campground and the walk to the stages killed us. We missed Tom Petty and Radiohead, because we just couldn't bring ourselves to walk all the way back down. The water, port-a-porties etc situation were fine for me - I was impressed with how clean they were. I'm not prissy and don't mind being dirty, but I am not so young and anymore, so closeness to Centeroo is key for me.
How much extra did the VIP cost? I think we will definitely look at it for next year.
now, i do have a few complaints. the food this year compared to last year was horrible. it was cold and really just bad. CREAM CORN!!! are you kidding me? anyway, they should have opened up the buffet line at 10:30 or 11:00 instead of at noon.
Wow... I had exactly the opposite impression. I was expecting crappy cafeteria food-- and I ate flounder, marinated flank steak, a burger (that wasn't amazing, but so-so), decent BBQ, and roast beef. I thought the cream corn was awesome with the black beans (I went back for seconds). I ate salad every meal and usually tried the veggie options too. Plus, I could stuff a backpack with granola bars and chips- or hell, ice cream sandwiches if I wanted to.
It did suck that drinks were charged for... But it's not as if they prevented you from bringing your own. In fact, the only restriction was that they asked you not take your camp drinks into the What Stage area (and we all did anyway). So I could bring my own beer, water and sodas no problem. And the cheaper drinks did help.
But I totally agree on the timing. 11am should have been the start. There was always a massive early line... But later? DURING Radiohead, Petty, Lesh I could at any time go get food. Very cool.
- As long as I can afford it (i.e. tax return), I will go VIP. The pros still way outweighed the cons. - Lack of hassle from staff/security was great. - We were in an RV and the spaces were large - Proximity to Centeroo a must for all-night dancing, recharging human batteries and going back for drinks/toilets/showers - I wish the showers/nice bathrooms were more centrally located, but hey I wasn't bothered - I already commented on the food- but I just did not have as bad an experience; lots better than what I would have eaten at my own camp - The drive in and out was heavenly compared to regular camping - Rebirth show was fun, comedian was so-so - I'm nearly 30 but look much younger and I did get a few looks from the older VIP'ers who actually would look for my red wristband to make sure I was supposed to be there. - Great place for families, and we're planning on taking our little girl VIP next year
I went GA this year and got stuck in BFE--the walk alone was enough to make me consider VIP. Also, my neighbors were all loud as hell until about 8 am. I expect the VIP'ers are a little older crowd, not as much "bonnaroo" being hollered at the top of everyone's lungs all night.
Post by lopsopdop510 on Jun 20, 2006 13:22:41 GMT -5
I've done the RV thing two years now, did ga one year, and now I think I want to try VIP. I'd like to know if there are tent only areas of VIP? I can't afford VIP and an RV. At the same time I'm not going to fork up $1000 to breath generator exhaust all day. Thanks for the info!
There were way too many blue-banded people (guest passes) for the Radiohead show - people who didn't pay anything for the show, who didn't mind crowding the VIP stands, talking really loud during the show and ignoring the music the whole time.
Post by bellakabey on Jun 20, 2006 15:13:28 GMT -5
This was my second VIP experience and my fourth Roo. We had as good an experience as last year, with some slightly different pros/cons over last year.
* This year the food wasn't as good (I liked the more snacky items from lst year, like hamburgers, hog dogs, make-your-own nachos, etc) and it seemed like they ran out of chips and cookies sooner. The food was a bit of a disappointment (who eats peas in such quantities? odd food choice, among others). * But security was better than last year (and it was good last year) -- ready to help when needed and leaving you alone otherwise. We brought chairs in each of the three days. * I don't remember that VIP had port-o-lets outside the hospitality tent last year; a nice perk. * Exiting on Monday morning was a cinch compared to last year -- we exited the way we came in (last year we had to go out w/the rest of the Bonnarooers, so we were on Bushy Branch Rd for a couple of hours leaving). * We had tons of space this year -- went in an RV again, and the pre-marked RV spaces were plenty big. Plus we had a couple of companion cars, so their presence gave u s a little extra space, too. (I did notice the vast middle RV area that was empty, and I noticed many RVs that didn't take up their whole spots and instead crowded a bit together ... wished for the cars that they could've had a bit more space, as the cars in VIp were surprisingly close together.) * I don't remember having free water and soda last year -- I thought beverages were always discounted (vs free), so I wasn't disappointed in the prices. And I didn't remember free drinks on Thursday night last year, and it was a welcome treat this year!
We had very cool neighbors, the loudness seemed the same as last year (far quieter than the main campgrounds), and the vibe was about the same. Totally worth the extra money, without hesitation.
There were way too many blue-banded people (guest passes) for the Radiohead show - people who didn't pay anything for the show, who didn't mind crowding the VIP stands, talking really loud during the show and ignoring the music the whole time.
Which is odd, since blue-bands have their own bleachers on stage left. That sucks.
5th Roo, 2nd year in the VIP. Overall, a great experience and will never do GA again. Complaints this year, and only a few:
* They packed in the cars way too much. And there was TONS of leftover space all weekend. Last year we had room to stretch. I won't say it's as bad as the GA, but it's getting close if this is the direction they are headed.
* Food....quality similar to last year, but QUANTITY was HORRIBLE. How do you run out of tots by 12:30 when you only start serving at 12:00? I mean come on. Cookies and chips were basically gone by Friday afternoon. Ice Cream was gone by Friday night. Catering staff was often rude at times when asking questions (what are you serving? will you have any more of...? etc). There was one lady that was there all Thursday and Friday that was very nice, but the rest were often rude. ANd honestly, what is wrong with just having plain vegies??? Why make them in to all these concoctions? Just give me some brocolli spears or something.
* Potties weren't opened till late Thursday. Showers too. Did you not expect folks to need to pee or poop or take a shower after setting up their sites in the hot TN sun????
Post by jovanna1974 on Jun 21, 2006 16:06:09 GMT -5
I must agree the time for the food did suck compared to last year. We payed for an r.v. pass and they put us in a reay small spot, I think some of my nigebors were pissed off becuse I took some of there space but I payed 50 extra bukcs and it is not my fault the parking natzie put me in tent area. I was right next to he hospitly tent and that was nice. And over all o.k. the shortage of nugs blew more than anything you could smell it but we had none... The roo goers felt for us and kept us in a buzz when they could witch was so cool.. And you know what gets me I read here that they had a delivery man in v.i.p. I never ran across him I guess I was way to close to the hospitly tent.
Post by bellakabey on Jun 21, 2006 20:43:42 GMT -5
Question for VIPers -- did you guys get a free CD this year? Every year they give out two free CDs, and we didn't get any this year when we checked in for our bracelets. Then they whisked us so quickly through security as we entered on Thurs morning that we didn't even get any Clean Vibes bags (picked 'em up in Centeroo later). Anyway, I thought maybe the CDs were a thing of the past, but then I read another post that referred to them.
I am pi$$ed now that we didn't get the CDs; they usually rock. Did any of you get a CD set?
Got mine at the gate on the way to BFE. Hey, finally, a perk for being a 5 yr GA scenester!
Next year, VIP, period. Now I got in much better shape this year, and caught some of both late nights for the first time (at age 44), but I'll bet I walked an average of 6-8 miles daily. It definitely cost me that Sasha set.
But NEXT year...I'm shutting down the Silent Disco, my friends. See you then.
Post by glittergirl1970 on Jun 23, 2006 6:29:21 GMT -5
my boyfriend and i attended for the first time, with VIP tickets. our tent was next to 2 RVs running constantly (no seperate camping areas).
my take on the experience was not the best. i am in agreement on the food being pretty crappy and i was also suprised at being charged for water. at one point i asked a worker in the VIP tent where i could find the free water and he laughed and said he had no idea.
i was also unhappy with the number of stages and the sound bleed. during cat power's show i could hear the music from 2 other stages. to me, if the music didn't sound good, the whole thing missed the point. we decided to leave early.
that being said, i was lucky to catch bright eye's set before leaving. and i met some really wonderful, kind people. probably wouldn't do it again, but i don't regret going.
my boyfriend and i attended for the first time, with VIP tickets. our tent was next to 2 RVs running constantly (no seperate camping areas).
Sorry you had such a bad experience. What time did you get there that you got put next to RV's? I'm not even sure how that happened since there were separate camping areas and at any time anyone could have moved to the giant empty unused RV section inbetween (that were nearly the size of a football field).
Post by glittergirl1970 on Jun 23, 2006 13:35:07 GMT -5
we did get there after dark on thursday, so that could have been part of the problem.
but don't be sorry! i am so glad we went, and by the time it was all over (including leaving right when the horrible accident happened on the freeway w/ ricky skaggs tourbus) we were closer for the experience.
and meeting some wonderful people reaffirmed the good experiences i had at dead shows many years ago.
Post by gatordaveatl on Jun 25, 2006 15:30:27 GMT -5
We also missed getting the CD set this year and wondered if anyone on the board would be willing to burn and send me a copy. I would really appreciate it!
Gator Dave- are you one of the many UF fans at Roo this year? Thankfully, I'm a Gator by heart (both my parents went, my Dad knew Spurrier as a student) - and it was AWESOME to see all the Gator representation...
I've been wondering, and maybe someone here could tell me... how much are VIP tix? My husband and I are considering going VIP next year, but I'd like to know now what we'd be getting ourselves into.
5 year Roo Vet, 1st year VIP. I will never EVER EVER go GA again, though I will be at every Bonnaroo as long as it's in Manchester. The Food Could've been better, and the hospitality tent could've opened earlier. But believe me, after having been through the GA experience for 4 straight years, I realized how unbelievably GREAT VIP is simply for the proximity and lack of security going in. I had the best experience I've ever had at Bonnaroo this year in VIP. I highly recommend it to anyone who is older, out-of-shape, doesn't like walking long distances, or is simply trying to catch as much music as humanly possible (me). see ya in VIP in 07!
