Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by spookymonster on Jul 17, 2008 12:10:37 GMT -5
There were fewer stages at Rothbury, so naturally there were fewer things to do. That being said, there was still plenty of things to do, especially at night:
Spinning monkeys!
Trippy forests, with spontaneous drum circles and dancing hippies!
Marching bands and a side show!
A secret stage hidden in the forest that doesn't appear on the map or schedule!
And, of course...... CARL!!!!!
('Carl!' is to Rothbury what 'Corncat!' is to Bonnaroo)
The site and the weather seems better at Rothbury, but the lineup just didn't compare in my opinion, at all. And with all the legal trouble I hear Rothbury is in, hopefully there will be a 2009 so I can try it for myself.
The site and the weather seems better at Rothbury, but the lineup just didn't compare in my opinion, at all. And with all the legal trouble I hear Rothbury is in, hopefully there will be a 2009 so I can try it for myself.
why is rothbury in legal trouble? i'll be pissed i missed out on a fantastic 1 off festie...
Post by spookymonster on Jul 17, 2008 12:29:06 GMT -5
The Michigan economy is horrible. The owners of the Double JJ ranch have several million $$ out in loans. About $17M came due 6 months ago. The week the festival ended, the creditors filed to have the ranch's part of the profit frozen in escrow and eventually applied to their loans. A judge approved the order, even though it's not clear how much money the ranch was due, how much of it will be applied to the loans, and what happens to any other loans the ranch owners have outstanding.
It sounds worse than it really is. This festival is worth more to ranch owners and their creditors 'alive' than 'dead'. If they're hoping to recoup their investments, the festival (and the notoriety it brings to the ranch the rest of the year) is their best bet.
Post by spookymonster on Jul 17, 2008 12:36:47 GMT -5
Oh, and the part of the land that would be foreclosed due to the $17M doesn't include any of the festival grounds. For the record, the Double JJ Ranch has over 2,000 acres, of which only 300 were used for camping, stages, and attractions.
As for the lineup, that's just a matter of opinion. IMHO, Rothbury's lineup beat 'Roo's this year.
<--Concurs. And yeah. The festival does not have legal trouble, the site owners do. Rothbury is what's keeping them alive. And they definately signed a contract for next year already. I heard that they signed for 3 more years, but I was pretty drunk, so I don't remember if that came from the grape vine or directly from a official dude. I know I asked the official dude. Hmmmmm
Post by strumntheguitar on Jul 17, 2008 12:40:46 GMT -5
Hmm... I wonder how many people who aren't on a Bonnaroo forum are considering abandoning Roo for Rothbury. Common sense would say more, but somehow I highly doubt that...
Post by spookymonster on Jul 17, 2008 12:51:02 GMT -5
For me, it really comes down to lineups. I love both festivals. I can't imagine never seeing the farm again, and yet... the forest calls.... If I have to make a choice (i.e., both festivals have a powerhouse lineup but I can only afford one), I'm probably going back to Rothbury. The weather, the festival grounds, the smaller (for now, at least) crowds, and even the drive (Ohio has some great wineries!) were right up my alley.
Now.... if I hit the lottery..... WHOLE different story .
^Oh yeah! If I was rich I'd do every freakin festie I could! But I doubt that is gonna happen anytime soon. Maybe I should start shopping around for rich dudes. Hmmm......
conundrum. that looks *awesome*. kind of reminds me of pictures ive seen from giant phish concerts.
dumb questions i could probably look up: how many people were at rothbury? anyone do VIP? whats the shower situation like? and how about security? what about no no words?
For me, it really comes down to lineups. I love both festivals. I can't imagine never seeing the farm again, and yet... the forest calls.... If I have to make a choice (i.e., both festivals have a powerhouse lineup but I can only afford one), I'm probably going back to Rothbury. The weather, the festival grounds, the smaller (for now, at least) crowds, and even the drive (Ohio has some great wineries!) were right up my alley.
Now.... if I hit the lottery..... WHOLE different story .
i kept thinking that Rothbury was a shit ton further, but it's only about 3 hours further. That is quite a bit of time at the end of the day and at least an extra day off from work. I branched out and did All Good. it was fun, but the music just doesn't compare at all(don't get me wrong, i saw some great sets).
For now, Roo is comfortable for me, kind of like an old pair of shoes that you mow the grass with and just can't seem to throw away(even though the dog vomits when he smells them, and he licks his own butt)...
As for the lineup, that's just a matter of opinion. IMHO, Rothbury's lineup beat 'Roo's this year.
See, I totally disagree on this one, but I'd still like to give Rothbury a shot next year. The lineup was a little too-generic-festival for me - it was like they went down some Mad Libs-style checklist:
"Insert semi-jammy pop headliner here: DAVE MATTHEWS BAND"
conundrum. that looks *awesome*. kind of reminds me of pictures ive seen from giant phish concerts.
dumb questions i could probably look up: how many people were at rothbury? anyone do VIP? whats the shower situation like? and how about security? what about no no words?
OK here goes 1. They haven't announced an official number but I think I heard around 35,000 were there 2. spookymonster did VIP. I've heard mixed reviews about it 3. There were pay showers in GA. They looked about the same as Roo's, but I didn't take one 4. Security getting in was kind of a joke. I thought secuirity getting into the venue was easy too, but I have heard a few ass hat stories 5. Yes
As for the lineup, that's just a matter of opinion. IMHO, Rothbury's lineup beat 'Roo's this year.
See, I totally disagree on this one, but I'd still like to give Rothbury a shot next year. The lineup was a little too-generic-festival for me - it was like they went down some Mad Libs-style checklist:
"Insert semi-jammy pop headliner here: DAVE MATTHEWS BAND"
...and so on. Didn't have the eclectic feel of artists that Bonnaroo had, but still.
I was OK with the first string lineup, but the second tier was the shiz! Iron & Wine, The Black Keys, Rod y Gab, Gomez, Brett Dennen, Franti, Yonder. Need I go on? Plus Trey's first show back and the almost but not quite Phish reunion. Come on!
I was OK with the first string lineup, but the second tier was the shiz! Iron & Wine, The Black Keys, Rod y Gab, Gomez, Brett Dennen, Franti, Yonder. Need I go on? Plus Trey's first show back and the almost but not quite Phish reunion. Come on!
i'll give you the 1st part, but i would say 98% of people had already bought their tickets before Trey even got added...
I don't think they released an official number, but the newspapers all estimated 35-40k.
anyone do VIP?
Yup Wasn't as nice as 'Roo, but still had its perks, the biggest being the VIP area at the main stage. It was gigantic, had 2 shade tents, an improved bar selection, massage tables, and couches on the lawn. The VIP campgrounds were no closer to the festival, although there was a shuttle that ran from it to the main stage. All in all, it was worth the $450, but barely. Definitely not worth the price of a 'Roo VIP. I sent them a note suggesting they do something like 'Roo's VIP party for next year (free food for 1 night, private performance by one of the artists, etc.). One of the maitre 'ds told us that if they got the contract for VIP next year, it'd be a whole different ballgame...
whats the shower situation like?
Cargo containers. Free in VIP, cash in GA.
and how about security? what about no no words?
Mixed bag. The first day, there were a few hardasses and outright thieves (some people reported security taking cash from their wallet during the search). They eventually hit their stride and things were fairly normal: as long as it wasn't obvious, you were good. There was one big incident where 2 nitrous dudes beat up a security guard that tried to shut them down. Security then responded en masse. VIP security was very cool...just a wristband check for the most part. Security getting into the festival was a breeze: show them your cooler, and you're in.
There was a Shakedown Street, and it was easy to find. There were several door to door salesmen making their way thru GA as well. Spunion count was fairly low, surprisingly. There were 2 deaths, however, and odds are they're party-related, although toxicology won't be in for a few more weeks.
^^ nice beard, you goober i didnt recognize you! (directed at spookay, not clarity...)
I call it my Serpico look... he's a narc legend, you know...
hmm, driving to michigan sounds easy, aside from that damned lake. could probably do it in a day. a long, long day.
We left NJ at 5AM, drove 9 hours to a winery in Ohio, had a nice 'lunch', then drove thru a monsoon the next 5 or so hours to Walmart in Muskegon, arriving at 9:30 at night. A long haul, but nice scenery, all highway, and bear-free .
The Rothbury atmosphere/grounds/vibe looks so unbelievably quackin' cool. I have to agree with some others that the lineup, for me personally, just does not compare to Bonnaroo. I'm not big on the jam scene, myself. Now, I'm not saying Rothbury needs to bring in acts like Metallica, Tool, Kanye (obviously), but if they just added some diversity I'd be very likely to go. I'd like to see some good "indie" bands (although I hate to use that word, cuz there's so much crap music that gets tossed into that general genre these days).
Bands I'd like to see there that'd almost make it a sure thing for me:
My Morning Jacket Ween Flaming Lips the Hold Steady Raconteurs or the White Stripes
Last Edit: Jul 17, 2008 14:24:56 GMT -5 by sunnyd - Back to Top
Holy crap, those pics are amazing. Looks like it would be really fun. But I'm not ready to leave 'Roo yet, this was only my first year.
^^this. That forest looks like... well, there are really no words for it. Next year, I will definitely wait to see the lineup for Roo, Rothbury and APW (if that happens again) before making my decision which festie I want to go to. APW is much closer to me than Roo, whereas Rothbury is about 200 miles (3.5 hours) closer to me than Roo, which doesn't amount to a whole lot in the long run. I dunno, I'll have to see.
Holy crap, those pics are amazing. Looks like it would be really fun. But I'm not ready to leave 'Roo yet, this was only my first year.
^^this. That forest looks like... well, there are really no words for it. Next year, I will definitely wait to see the lineup for Roo, Rothbury and APW (if that happens again) before making my decision which festie I want to go to. APW is much closer to me than Roo, whereas Rothbury is about 200 miles (3.5 hours) closer to me than Roo, which doesn't amount to a whole lot in the long run. I dunno, I'll have to see.
ditto, but i have a feeling that Bonnaroo 2009 is going to be one of the best yet, they understand the whole Kanye fiasco and their ambitious booking caused some headaches and some WTF's. So they are going to try to make it right... i mean the BLOG QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS "Who do you want to headline in 2009?"
i've only seen 1 other festival do anything like that, and that's All Good last year. And pretty much all the bands i wrote down were at the festival this year. :-)