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!!
On the 27th of October, one of my nearest and dearest friends very unexpectedly decided to take his own life. We were in two bands, and music was pretty much his life.
He deeply loved Bonnaroo. It completely inspired him. It warded off demons. He claimed that when he died, he wanted his heaven to be the roo for eternity.
Out of all of us, he was that guy that would be saying at the end of June, "Well, only 350 more days!!"
A huge part of me was buried with him on Halloween. I don't really have much to live for anymore. I don't really have anything.
But i can say this and mean it with every fiber of my being:
I need Bonnaroo 2008.
I'm taking things an hour at a time, sometimes a minute at a time, but i now have one ultimate goal from here on out. I have one thing to annually look forward to. All i will do from now on is work and get by until the next Bonnaroo, year after year.
I had a fear that i would be alone at some point next year and it would hit me real hard and i might have a temporary breakdown in the middle of that farm somewhere, and this did give me the fear. But i thought it through. If it happened, i could approach nearly any one of my bonna-brothers and sisters and they'd surely hear me out, right? Then i could hoist up a bonnadoob in my beloved friend's name.
i'm thinking, surely i'll be able to handle my emotions out there, it's the greatest celebration of life.
Anyway, i need the roo worse than ever. If you do too, or if you've ever needed Bonnaroo, then feel free to share why here.
Post by cheeky resurrection on Nov 13, 2007 11:17:13 GMT -5
My heart goes out to you Ray. I have no reason nearly as touching as yours. I just love the music, the people, the vibes, and the sense of family and appreciation of life. You will be in my thoughts brother Peace easy.
I've had a hard year too. I lost my mom after a long fight with cancer. My mother-in-law is gone because of a very sudden brain anuyrism. My children are both exhausting My hubby is gone a lot, so I'm kinda isolated and the real world is mean sometimes
Post by easymorningrebel on Nov 13, 2007 11:44:31 GMT -5
I've been to 5 of the 6, only missing the 1st year. When you add up all the days I've been to roo it's about 20 days out of my life. I need Bonnaroo so that when someone comes up with a statistic of how long the average person spends standing in line throughout their life time I can say, well I spent (TBD) days at Bonnaroo!!!!!!!!!
mantaRay, I'm very sorry to hear about your friend and to come unexpectedly must have been a big shock to say the least, hang in there.
I need the Roo for the brotherhood I felt there that I have never felt anywhere else in my life. I usually come home from a trip or fest completely exhausted. I came home from Roo enlightened, and I know that might sound cheesey, but I honestly mean it.
Post by mulcherry0420 on Nov 13, 2007 15:06:43 GMT -5
I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Family, friends, and music are the only things that really matter in this world anymore. Bonnaroo is salvation from the grim reality of the world. Bills, relationships, and jobs are all the dust that floats in the air, just think of it being there instead of floating in our concious mind. Thats what I told myself to help me cope with the dust this year(made sense at the time). I am also located in Lexington KY, right off Man O' War and Palumbo. I know it sounds weird but if you ever want to hang out with some cool dudes..then PM me or something.
Post by strumntheguitar on Nov 13, 2007 17:26:35 GMT -5
I've grown up in a home with ultra-conservative (no offense to you righties on here...) and ultra-strict parents. Just watch Almost Famous, and my mom is almost as bad as the mom on there. She absolutely flipped the first time she heard Grateful Dead playing from my room. My dad goes berserk if he finds even a lighter in a car seat, even tho it's perfectly legal for me to smoke. I need 'Roo for the freedom that comes with it. At Roo, I am my own boss. I can decide when to start my day, end my day, and what activities I partake in at whatever obscene hours of the day and nobody will ever tell me I'm wrong for wanting to do that. Even at college, I have those people who play the "angel on my shoulder" role and try and convince me that I'm making a bad decision. I have the type of personality to where if I'm making a bad decision, I'd rather make the decision and see the consequences myself rather than just avoid it because somebody said it isn't a good idea.
That basically sums it up I guess... a lot of my feelings can't be put into words it seems. Sorry for your loss Ray, atleast now Roo holds even more of a special meaning to you.
strumntheguitar, I know exactly how you feel. I've got it pretty much the same, especially when it comes to the parents. Music (and my girlfriend) is my salvation, and to be able to come together in this great peaceful, loving community in the middle of a field and listen to music for four days is like my heaven on Earth. I've only been to the Roo once (this past summer), but I will be back as often as I am able to go. Within the first hour of being there, I knew there was something different that didn't exist in the real world: FREEDOM.
At Bonnaroo, if you want to stay up for 72 hours straight, you can. At Bonnaroo, if you feel the need to shout profanities because you can't contain all the excitement, you can. At Bonnaroo, if you need to light up with 80,000 other people, you can. The point is, at Bonnaroo you can do anything.
i dont have anything as profoundly disturbing as the suicide of a close friend... but I love 'roo for the community. everyone is friendly - maybe not the super sketchy wooks, but your average joe is awesome to be around. the freedom of the weekend is one thing...
i was going to sort of attempt to debunk the freedom aspect - but i do remember one of the first things i did this year was pull up a chair, sit down at my campsite, and just sit there looking at it all - thinking - "im at bonnaroo...and all is good". so you guys are right - that feeling at bonnaroo is a form of freedom
Last Edit: Nov 13, 2007 21:40:44 GMT -5 by idio - Back to Top
its at rough times like those that i need roo. roo helps you get through. you meet amazing people. its 4 days that you can forget about anything and be free. i need roo to keep my sanity!
i didn't mean to come off as profoundly disturbing or to rain on the inforoo parade or anything like that.
The overwhelming need to be one with Bonnaroo has been obvious to me since the 27th, and i wondered if anyone else has ever just really needed it before, for any reason; but i did hold off on posting until i felt comfortable about it. I wanted to come off as having found peace with the subject and with a sense of closure on the matter, and not really bum anyone out or anything.
I know i'd never really thought about it before, and so i also wanted to bring it to our attention that there are folks out there that need Bonnaroo, and that's a beautiful, special thing!
Dirty Ernie loved everything about the roo, and one of his favoritest things was the Companion Pass. He really struggled to get it for 2007 He endured a lot of shitt, but ended up with it, and since he rode with me, i actually ended up with the voucher ticket, which i hung on my wall with my bracelet, my ticket, my field guide, and my current Bonnaroo LED light necklace thing. I ended up taking down the Companion Pass and slipping it in his suit pocket during the visitation. I had noticed that nobody gave him any Bonnaroo gear, and so it felt good sending him off with that particular item. I Also gave him his signed Nightwatchman cd that had a blue bracelet required to meet Morello inside. He was very very proud to have the opportunity to meet and say what he needed to say to Tom, and we certainly enjoyed that set together. I've read some nightmare reviews on The Nightwatchman's set around this board, but i have to say that passing a spliff back and forth trippin balls with Ernie during "Let Freedom Ring", looking around the tent and seeing people smacking around inflatable floaty balls, blowing bubbles, the fountain in the backround, the sun shining, leaves on the trees blowing in the backround, pretty girls hoola-hooping, guys throwing frisbee on the side of the tent, and everyone smiling because they were alive and living life full-throttle at Bonnaroo.... it's something that i will never, ever, ever forget and will cherish forever.
My sympathies to you and friends of your late friend, mantaray. I have been in a similar situation and I know how much it blows so good luck over the next few months.
And why I need Roo 08?....to retain my sanity....its already slipping and we've got 200 something days left so it better hurry...
Post by BrokenLight on Nov 15, 2007 2:41:15 GMT -5
I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I'm very fortunate to have never lost anyone that way or that close to me, so I can only imagine what it's like, actually I don't even think I can imagine how it is. But I now understand what it's like to truly need Bonnaroo. I always thought I needed it for my few, minor problems, and I do a little, but often I lose sight of what's really important in life, and that is the people around you and what you share with them. I hope you have the best time of your life at Bonnaroo from here on out, hopefully I'll run into you, or hopefully you'll connect with lots of good people down there, I know you will because it's easy, because some of the most friendliest, good hearted people I have ever met, are those that go to Bonnaroo.
Someone give mantaray some karma...I would but I'm not sure how to...
done.... and hit the exalt button under karma brokenlight
I have lost a friend in a similar way manatRay. He left a suicide note to me and another friend on a e-mail, then opened a propane tank up in his car. It will take you some time to heal, but you will.
I needed roo this year because I was going thru radiation and needed SOMETHING to look forward to. I need it next year because I want to see all of you guys again ;D
I need Bonnaroo for the complete separation from the "real world" for a few days. Although we're gonna be there in a semi-working capacity, it's def one of my fav places in the world now. Nothing better than sharing an amazing weekend of music and fun with 80,000 new friends.