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!!
So I have been to 3 Roo's (08,09,11) and absolutely love everything Roo stands for and brings out in me. For the first time, this year my wife and I didnt go alone...instead we brought my sister and 3 of her friends. They are from NYC with respectable jobs and have always been told life should be lived a certain way, so needless to say I was very interested and intrigued to see how they would handle their first Roo and how it would affect them.
We all know that your first Roo is a very special moment in life that you will never forget. I know I left my first a better person than when I entered and hopefully this is the same for everyone else. So when I got this letter from someone who camped with us I was more than excited, I was moved to the point of tears. This truly encompasses everything that we all know Roo can be and is to most, if not all of us.
I did not know this person before Roo, but she is now more of a friend with me than most of my non Roo friends. Seeing all the negativity on here this year, I wanted to share this email with everyone in hopes it inspires you not to "Break up with Roo". BTW...as you read, I am the Doug she mentions.
And here we go (copied directly from email)........
Coo-Coo-a-Roo!! **Disclaimer: This email is long, and it is heavy, read when you are near tissues and without distractions**
I have been dragging my butt all day, still have no voice, you could carry groceries in the bags under my eyes but I'd still go back for more! Been busy emailing, looking at pics, downloading tons of new music (ALL MMJ albums - thanks, Doug) and reflecting....
I know that we all had a great time, we all brought in our "baggage" and left lighter, but I don't know if you 5 realized how profound of an experience it was for me. Here I am - a 29 year old sweet Southern people-pleaser - raised to do right by the world, follow the rules, build your 401-k and if it fits into your little box have some good, clean wholesome fun. I shop at Whole Foods and I thought conserving, recycling, sharing and caring were great thoughts, but wasn't really committed to the whole lifestyle. I thought Woodstock was great music but I could do without the hippie dippie "free love" and the crustiness of the festival.....
Have you heard of "trenches brotherhood"? After spending 4 days and nights in cramped, hot, dirty, grueling conditions with the "granola" side of the rainbow I learned alot more than a few new artists... I learned about life, love and most of all myself. I learned how refreshing and liberating it can be to just put your energy out into the world however that manifests itself - and to do so freely, completely, to the utmost of your desire. I learned that there is a place "over the rainbow" where people truly are good to one another with no agenda, expectation of repayment in kind or feeling of social obligation - but simply because you care enough about a stranger for them to have the best experience possible. I learned what love really is ... what peace really means... and that those can exist amongst 80,000 strangers.
Nicky, my first thought when I met you was oh, wow, she's beautiful... but I quickly learned how much more beautiful your soul is. You embody "free spirit" with every thought, smile and extension of yourself. I learned to be free from you ...
Jen, you are so generous with yourself. I know you're probably thinking I missed the mark on that one, but what I saw of you was a true selflessness that is really rare in this world. I learned to be selfless from you ...
Doug and Laura, your passion for life is infectious. Your love of life, music and for each other was awe-inspiring. So many times throughout the weekend I would stop and watch the two of you enjoying life together - praying that one day I will also find my perfect match the way you two have. Never has there been a more fitting quote for you two as "If music be the food of love... play on". I learned love from you ...
And Leigh Anna, ohhh Leigh Anna ... your sense of adventure is childlike - but in the best way possible. There is an openess in your mind and in your heart that allows you to experience things of this world that most would never take notice of. Watching you wander, but always find your way back truly embodies "All those who wander are not lost". I would be honored to wander alongside you some other day...
So many moments impacted me in ways that words cannot express... so many songs cut right through all of my pretentions, walls, hurt and worry. To say that I was "moved" is an understatement - I was changed. I always say that I could soundtrack my life because music encapsulate moments better than pictures and if I found anything describes my Bonnaroo experience it is...
"Lend me your eyes I will change what you see, but your soul you must keep totally free ... awake my soul..."
Like a cold shower from the mushroom fountain, I am awake ... and I am changed ... and I have you 5 to thank for that. You each brought something new and different to my life and I am eternally grateful to you for participating (aware or not) in my epiphany of my own life...
So what I am trying to say is I LOVE YOU ALL and I hope to do it again!!
EDIT: Changed title to better reflect message of thread.
GAH! I loooove that. How incredibly sweet.. this was my first year, and I can't even grasp what has happened to me. I love how she put it into words. That Mumford quote is perfect.
My 5th Bonnaroo, we brought several newbies too, and it was amazing to see them walk into Centeroo for the first time. I am so grateful that i have gotten to experience 6 bonnaroo's with some amazing people. (17 different people!) Bonnaroo has glued several us together for life. I love my friends and i love that we got to experience this alternate reality together. All we knew of each other was life at home. We got to know different sides of one another, and just love each other more.
One friend i was with for my first 2 died in 2009. Her mom gave us a little bit of her ashes and we spread them at a tree in Centeroo. Every time i go back now i visit that tree for a bit. I dont know if any of you might know, but its a very odd tree near That Tent. Ugh, now i am teering up.
Id also like to say that i didnt go this year. For the first time in 7 years i didnt go. We almost did but a couple of years ago we went in an RV, and i think that spoiled us and it couldnt happen this year. We went last year and it was pretty tortuous because we were so hot and couldnt sleep in. When it started i was very very sad i wasnt there. It really hurt. But thanks to technology (twitter, vevo) and some awesome inforoosters, i stayed connected the entire week. I was tagged in photos, i had a post cards sent to me, i watched and listened to live shows and i was constantly on twitter. I finally found out how to make twitter work for me. As much as it hurt not going, i am glad that i know now that i can miss a year. After 6 in a row, i started to worry that i wouldnt be able to stop. Not that its a bad thing, but i should probably focus energy towards other things. Now that i know i can miss a year, i realized that my energy still went towards seeing live music all weekend, Phish, who oddly enough i probably wouldnt have been major fan if it werent for my frist Bonnaroo in 2005.
In 2005 i loved DMB, and he is really who brought me to Bonnaroo. I was into music like the Killers and Jack Johnson, and not into a jam scene, and i left Bonnaroo on a completely different path. One show that i knew i had to see for some reason is Trey Anastasio's late night show at the Which Stage (to me i call it the Magic Stage, i have had some amazing nights there). That show changed my life. I will never forget that night. It might have been lame and or tame for others, but for me, a 23 year old who grew up listening to DMB it was almost religious. (with the help of MM) Now i am a Phishhead and have seen 9 shows in two years since they came back together. It kind of felt full circle in 2009 when they played Bonanroo.
Sorry so long, i just had a lot to say See you on the farm next year. Ill be in the RV lot.
awesome. it was so great of her to do that. thanks for sharing. i'm glad she had a great time.
we had a first timer in our camp too, she wanted to leave on wednesday but i convinced her to stay. i hope she had an amazing time, i really wanted her to experience the change i felt my first time. i hope she'll be back
She really hit the nail on the head with that quote. Roo has changed the way I view and approach life in general and it obviously had the same impact on her.
That was beautiful. It was my first bonnaroo and right now I am feeling a lot of the things she described. On sunday I had my wallet stolen with all of my money and the girl I spent most of roo with spent 50-60 dollars on me to make sure i had a good time. everyone was so helpful, friendly and amazing. i cant wait to see you all next year
My first Roo changed my life in so many ways as well.
Having been raised in an extremely conservative, evangelical Christian home and never allowed to escape the "bubble" throughout my childhood, Roo was a defining moment in my life.
Rejecting my religious upbringing and becoming a free thinker at 19, I had been non-religious in a very religious Bible Belt culture here in the south for 3 years when I decided to go to Roo. I never felt at home here in the South...I felt like my beliefs were not taken kindly to by most. I could never really be myself; I just had to fit in with society's mold in order to adapt socially.
Then I came to Roo.
I was overwhelmed with joy from the moment I stepped into Centeroo. I thought to myself, "This is home". The people I met that weekend will be forever etched into my memory. They taught me how to love. They taught me not to give up on humanity; that there is a lot of good people in the world. I understood the song "Imagine" as if I wrote it. I realized that being a hippie is a state of mind, not a lack of hygiene and dreads...and I embraced my inner hippie. More than anything, I learned that there was 80,000 people out there that understood me whereas society did not. Bonnaroo taught me how to live, and how to love...and taught me how silly our stupid little 9-5 society is.
My life now consists of "I'm at Bonnaroo" or "I'm waiting for the next Bonnaroo". If I may close out with another Mumford line:
"In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die...where you invest your love, you invest your life."
This was my fourth year and Bonnaroo has changed my life no doubt about it. My reasons are so similar to those who have posted above.
I have never felt a bond with so many people, in one place, and at one time. To me the traveling, the heat, waiting in lines, the walking, no showers, nasty Portos, the dust, the mud, etc all unite us in a common mission. We have to survive of course, literally, but we also have the burning desire to make the most of this time no matter what stands before us. We stand up to any challenge.
We come because we are music fanatics and it shows in how we respond to music. So many acts I have seen at Bonnaroo play their hardest because they know the Bonnaroo crowd will respond in kind. No one can top Bonnaroo in enthusiasm for music. No one on Earth.
We come because we want to create the ultimate society for 4 days and it happens every year. When I tell people back home that pretty much anything goes at Bonnaroo they don't believe me but it is so true. You will always have a few knuckleheads in any crowd but they are few and far between. It still is amazing to me that 80,000 people in the June heat of Tennessee for four straight days can get along the way we do.
We come to Bonnaroo because we know that we have something very very special and we want to preserve it as long as we can. We take that spirit back to our hometowns all over and keep that spirit going and growing all year long.
I was a snotty punk rock kid when I was younger and would have laughed at the thought of myself as any sort of hippie or even thinking anything hippie-ish.
But I will swear to anyone who will listen that Bonnaroo has changed me forever.
we had a noob with us this year and she kept saying "i can't believe with this many people there isn't fighting" we live outside chicago and people are always ready to throw down for some reason. she kept going on and on how nice people were. it brought a smile to my face.
we had a noob with us this year and she kept saying "i can't believe with this many people there isn't fighting" we live outside chicago and people are always ready to throw down for some reason. she kept going on and on how nice people were. it brought a smile to my face.
for sure.
its great to see other virgins having a great experience. my friend and i have sooo many anxiety issues that would make bonnaroo impossible on paper- people, germs- just- all of it. and our first year was life changing. we just kept turning to each other and saying how we had never been so happy
See you on the farm next year. Ill be in the RV lot. 
