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I posted some several negative things about this year but I'd like to point out that my problem wasn't with the people or the music, I loved both of those, it was with the festival organization itself. I still had a great time this year, it takes a lot to bring me down when I'm on vacation.
Yeah, the only think I disliked about this year were the kids who were there for the party and NOT the music... It seemed like there were a lot more of them this year. Other than that, I had a fucking blast.
Post by RxMarky Mark on Jun 13, 2011 10:26:22 GMT -5
This being my first year I'm blissfully ignorant to any of the organizational deficits as compared to previous years. I had an amazing time! Actually, amazing isn't even a strong enough word. It was so beyond what I expected and I loved everything about it. I didn't even mind being in POD 1 BFE, haha. Bonnaroo is definitely something special that regardless of the heat, the apparent lack of porta-potties, the line into Centeroo, etc, should not be taken for granted.
Laying in the grass on Friday night listening to MMJ and then Arcade Fire with all of the glow sticks, the lights, the dancing, the music, etc, I had my Bonnaroo moment and I finally realized what it was all about. Why everyone loves the farm so much. That this was something that doesn't exist anywhere else and I loved it. Can't wait for next year.
PS, thanks for the starting this thread, I was beginning to think I was the only one that had an absolute blast.
Ohhhhhhh man. They tore it up, and they did a super fun cover of Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top. As far as the supposed sound problems everyone heard this year, they were nowhere to be found at the metal tent that afternoon. They rocked that shit loud and proud.
I can't really remember, they closed with Winter's Wolves though, I remember that much. It was fucking badass, that's my favorite Sword song. I also didn't recognize quite a few songs because I don't have their newest album. I couldn't stay for Opeth because I had to head back to camp before MMJ but I saw Kylesas last song and the crowd seemed to really love it.
I can't really remember, they closed with Winter's Wolves though, I remember that much. It was quacking badass, that's my favorite Sword song. I also didn't recognize quite a few songs because I don't have their newest album. I couldn't stay for Opeth because I had to head back to camp before MMJ but I saw Kylesas last song and the crowd seemed to really love it.
I missed Kylesas set, and The Sword was amazing. They sounded huge. I was front row for Opeth, and I was blown away by how tight they were. The sound was kind of poopy. Michael dropped his guitar between songs lol. It was still amazing.
I'm seeing a lot of negativity on this board so I thought I would start this thread.
This was my first Bonnaroo and it was amazing. Great lineup, great people, and great memories.
Thank you Bonnaroo!
Honestly, I had an amazing time with a few minor issues, but nothing that would prevent me from going again. I would strongly advise AC/Superfly take the negative comments seriously, as some issues need to be addressed - providing air conditioned tents in the various camping pods so people don't suffocate in their tents being the one that comes to mind, a close second being resolving the dust issue one way or another. But I had a fantastic time.
I read in a previous thread, someone bitching about the young crowd? The crowd was awesome, great people and most of them seemed to be early 20's - 30's...not sure why that's too young, I think they handled themselves very well (except for the litter but you can't win em all)
This was my second bonnaroo and this one was the best. I haven't been in that state of peace and love in a long long time. We had no lines except an occassional bathroom but nothing worse than u'd see anywhere (bars,etc). I feel it was truely magical.
One of the coolest things for me were the blue lights the parachuters dropped before Arcade Fire.
OMG talk about "magic in the air at Bonnaroo" I just thought that was the coolest thing o lay in a field surrounded by people watching the stars fall from the sky. The orange lanterns being sent up were sweet too.
I enjoyed it. Had to pace myself due to the heat. And I agree there were a lot more "young people" (17-21). But it was a blast.
Highlights: Being on the Ferris Wheel during the fireworks after Eminem. Watching the lanterns rise in the night sky during My Morning Jacket. Watching the stars fall from the sky during Arcade Fire. Receiving a lot of love during Shpongle (I had the El Wire Cowboy and Trippy Ghost costumes). Scissor Sisters and !!! sets. And Shahidah Omar in the On Tap Lounge.
You all had a great vibe and I love you. My wife and I were so tuned into the Bonnaroo Vibe that when we went to Starbucks after leaving Bonnaroo, we had a hard time forming sentences with the outside world.
Great time as always! Out of my 8 appearances on the farm, I'd say it was top 3, but I'm still caught up in the moment.
People will always find something to cry about, and we just gotta deal with it. Sure I'd love things to run smoother, and for the weather to be cooler. But all things considered, there is no place in the world where you can have so much fun for a weekend.
Hope everyone else had an awesome time as well! Except for the asshole who stole my coolers (with all my waters, beers, and energy drinks) sunday morning. I hope you die a slow, aids related death!
Post by abasslinelow on Jun 13, 2011 17:54:17 GMT -5
The funny thing is that even though I'm 26 years old myself, I found I had a lot more problems with the mid-20s age ranged people than I did from the younger crowd. It seemed like a lot of people were closed off and antisocial. Don't get me wrong, I met a LOT of people and had an absolutely incredibly amazingly phenomenal time, but some people just flat out scowled at me when I randomly asked them how their Bonnaroo was going. Several times I got the "Why the fuck are you talking to me?" look from people. I also had a person yell at a friend and me for dancing during The Black Keys. Huh? I'll chock that one up to the heat, I think.
My top 5 shows, from least to most favorite: Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Atmosphere, Widespread Panic, Greg Allman, and NOFX.
Post by runninglouisville on Jun 13, 2011 19:40:15 GMT -5
This was my first Roo and it was the first of many. I will definitely be back.
Yes, it is a lot of hassle getting there and dealing with the heat and walking and lines. But good planning on my part meant I had shade to sleep in my tent until 10ish every day, I had sun shirts to prevent sunburn, I stayed hydrated and I had multiple fans to keep me cool.
This being my first time, I have nothing to compare it to. What made it worth it to me was two things:
1) So much good music in such a short time! Forget everything else, the music is what I came for and Bonnaroo delivered.
2) So many great people! Every time I found myself next to people with time to kill, we always struck up a conversation. Sometimes we bonded, sometimes not, but people were always ready with an introduction. I think part of this is the festival being in the south. Southern people are used to being friendly to strangers.
Things I would do differently? I would bring my own phone charging solution instead of relying on the Fuse barn. That was a waste of time. I would also go to tent only. I visited Camp Inforoo and found that not only were they friendly, but so was everyone else there. I ended up chilling in tent only for most of that afternoon.
I can't wait until next year. I'm already planning!
I already posted my vents in the other thread so I thought I'd post some positive things. With the exception of Saturday afternoon (heat, dust, surprise visit from Aunt Flow and a major migraine caused me to miss most of the acts I wanted to see), Bonnaroo 2011 is one of the top three Roos out of the 5 I've been to. For the most part, I thought the people were wonderful. There's always going to be jerks who think they can push their way up to the front but I thought most people were respectful. A lot of people shared their water, held spots up front for strangers while they ran to the bathroom and were just plain friendly. All the sets I saw were amazing. I think my favorite set was Buffalo Springfield. I've been wanted to see him live for as long as I can remember and I finally got that chance. I was somehow able to get into the pits and had the perfect view. It is a show I will never forget. There were so many great sets that I'm not even going to get into them. I loved Bonnaroo 2011!!
I loved Bonnaroo. The only thing that got to me was the dust. We had a great camping spot in pod 3. however we were right by either street or avenue 2 and by the time Saturday rolled around it was getting hard to breath at camp.
I had that Bonnaroo moment on Thursday night, I was wondering around thinking of all I had seen that day, and I'd probably had a little too much corn in my system. But I started doubting that it was real. About this time I saw a man with a dog walking around centeroo, this caused me to completely flip out. I went back to camp and was able to sleep I woke up Friday and realized that was my moment.
One of the coolest things for me were the blue lights the parachuters dropped before Arcade Fire.
OMG talk about "magic in the air at Bonnaroo" I just thought that was the coolest thing o lay in a field surrounded by people watching the stars fall from the sky. The orange lanterns being sent up were sweet too.
YES!! I heard the whole set clear as a bell at my camp, and those lights seemed to fall right over our pod...it was magic.
I had a blast! My second favorite year (2008 was my first and will always be my favorite year) since I've been going. I probably won't do VIP again but, nonetheless, it was a great time! Met lots of inforoosters and saw some great shows. As always there are varying experiences, but living in Tennessee, I was prepared for the heat and knew when I should take it easy.
Post by windowoffice on Jun 13, 2011 23:46:17 GMT -5
It was my first Bonnaroo. I came alone (live about 3.5 hours away) after several years of not getting my friends (kids, don't want to camp, yadda yadda) to come. I'm 41, had two guys in their 30s right next to me that I hung with most of the time. We were way out in BFE (the triangle on the very bottom right corner that isn't big enough to print a name on). They helped me get a lay of the land and we spent the morning/early afternoon under their canopy drinking beer & water & chilling out. They also suggested a few bands I wouldn't have seen otherwise.
Thursday: Futurebirds (never heard of; alright) Lewis Black with Eugene Mirman/Ted Minchin/Ted Alexandro (awesome; would have liked more Lewis, but the other three were all funny) The Knux (end of set) Band of Skulls (nice) Henry Rollins (Rollins is the fucking man, talking about everything from his visit to North Korea to his visit to Costco; his openers sucked)
Friday: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (the bassist was awesome, but I actually liked Fleck better when I saw him with the African musicians) Warren Haynes Band (EPIC, my highlight0 Part of Opeth (not really my thing, but somewhat enjoyable) NOFX (Big Mike ripped hippies and Tennessee the whole fucking time. That's a feature, not a bug!) Primus (great) Arcade Fire (alright, but I don't see why the millenials lose their nut for them so much)
Saturday: Black Uhuru (just part of the set, but i like some reggae) Allison Krauss (just a few songs) !!! (last song of a mini-set on a smal stage) Jovanotti (the end of his set, wish i saw more) Gogol Bordello (an unannounced mini-set, all acoustic) Devotchka (pretty new to me, but I really liked) Mumford & Sons (boring, bailed) Loretta Lynn (just one song, but she deserved at least a moment) Black Keys (whole set, pretty good) Buffalo Springfield (Neil Young & Stephen Stills are awesome, how the fuck did Richie Furay ever get to hang out with them) Eminem (only the first half hour, I really don't like him) The end of the bellydancers and the burlesque show. String Cheese (great lights and stage show, I'm sure the people on mushrooms and acid liked it even more)
Sunday: Left around 1 PM, both because 3 days of festival is enough and I needed to work on Monday. No problem getting out because although I was way out in BFE, it was a relatively uncrowded and about as undusty as you would get. I felt bad for people set up right next to the main roads and the port-a-johns.
Hope to be back. will work on some friends, but now with first-hand stories. Maybe I'll pony up for VIP.
This was my first Roo...and I have to say, it was quite magical. Despite the fact that we were way out in Pod 11, and the dust was so insane that every time I blew my nose it was straight black, I loved every minute of it. I felt so prepared because of this board. Who's counting down to next year already?!
Post by localweather on Jun 14, 2011 9:03:21 GMT -5
Positive things about Bonnaroo 2011 -
Sold our extra ticket to a Marbles on Wednesday night in Murfreesburo. In line 10 minutes to get in. Best camp location I have ever had. Hilarious neighbors who partied with us every day Great shows every day
The only negative thing I can say it yes it was dusty and the bathroom situation on Thursday was pretty terrible.
Otherwise this may have been the most fun Bonnaroo of the 5 I have been to.
