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I second all of the usual complaints about the fixable, yet steadfast problems at Bonnaroo: Which ditch, no sight lines outside of the tents, terrible sound at Which, acts booked for the wrong stage (holy jeebus the crowd at The Lumineers!), etc.
My only complaint outside that was the fucking all-nighter at the clock tower on Sunday night. Jesus H. Bonnaroo, the festival is over. Do we really have to hear the untz until morning? Some of us would like to get at least a couple hours sleep before trekking 8 hours back to civilization in our car. WTF! I don't need to hear "Autobots, Let's Roll" unless I'm eight years old.
As much as it'd make waiting more enjoyable, I'm not overwhelmingly pro-screens. It would increase camping at the tents tenfold, and it can already be troublesome enough to get into some sets. Plus, Bonnaroo wants people moving from stage to stage and walking past all of the vendors, so I'm not sure they'd have an interest in that either.
I think the screens should only be for the show that is currently on that stage, not a stream for the other tents. They would only serve to allow those outside the tents or back to see if they don't want to squish into the tents.
I was quite happy with most everything except for being brutally attacked by a hole which jumped up from its spot near This Tent and caused me to twist my ankle on Saturday. Almost jeapordized my being able to dance in the Soul Superjam...thankfully Billy Pilgrim got me some ice, Bonnie gave me some Advil and I elevated it for awhile.
Seriously, though, I may be a klutz but everyone walking with me agreed that hole never should have been there. I'm sure I wasn't the first person that it attacked.
Post by notdarkyet on Jun 18, 2013 19:17:44 GMT -5
I've always thought it would be cool if they could get google to do some high res. photos of the festival site via flyover and incorporate them into google maps satellite view and google earth. Then we could find our sites and tag them.
Here is my TOTALLY SUBJECTIVE list to improve bonnaroo next year:
1) We need more jam bands! Yes, I know, how cliche. But there is a SERIOUS problem when bands play sick covers of grateful dead and pink floyd songs and all you hear from the crowd is crickets. If you're going to have bands that will do covers of those bands, you should make sure you have a crowd that can appreciate it. Also, there is nothing wrong with a good old fashion glowstick war (which this was my first year not seeing one).
2) Less rap artist! I'm not saying get rid of it, just less of it. I think i counted 13 rap acts this year. It might be stereotypical, but this is probably the majority of the crowd that won't know when one of those covers songs are dropped. Plus, 90% of rap shows are TERRIBAD and everyone knows it.
3)The What/Which Ditch Build a bridge. Make a reservoir. Hell, quadruple the amount of rocks there... SOMETHING! One single piece of plywood does not cut it.
4) Camping Space IMO, it's been getting smaller each year. How does one have a tent and a canopy anymore!? I understand the need for a fire lane, but does it need to be 2 lanes wide? Also, don't threaten me hours after setting up camp that my car will be towed because it's "over the line" when that is where I was told to park.
5) Raise/Ramp the tent stages I'm 6'5" and i truly believe only people of my height can actually see the stages inside the tents. The only exception is The Other Tent, where the ground seems to be ramped up towards the back. This and That should also be the same. I know a lot of people are saying "add screens to the tents" but that isn't an easy solution. With screens you have to have more knowledgable crews across the board, I'd imagine that would greatly increase the cost of operation. Probably more than the cost of the screens themselves.
6) Filter the Fountain Water Since i stopped going into the fountain, I have stopped getting the bonnaflu (knock on wood). However, on saturday @ 2pm, I almost went in there. Water is the easiest way for bacteria to transfer. Not having a proper water recycling filter on that pump means that everyone that goes into the fountain will get contaminated with whatever is in contact with it. Sorry Bonnaroo, but your fountain is getting everyone sick.
7) DO NOT PAVE THE ACCESS ROADS it's already hot enough, asphalt will probably increase the ambient temperature by 5 degF in some areas.
8) Drinking Water Stations should have FILTERED water you are probably thinking "the drinking water stations are already filtered," which is true... EXCEPT FOR ONE. The water at the What stage near the Hill is a time warp back to the sulfur water of 2007.
9) Add another screen to Which Stage Because having one isn't symmetrical and bothers me.
10) More water troughs locaitons Maybe it was because I was camped in a area I'd never been (camp dutch), but I didn't see a single water trough this year. Not that I do much cleaning while at roo, but for others I'd imaging this is a big deal.
11) Book Conspirator again That was not a fair set time. More people should have been there to see the GREATEST ELECTRONIC SET OF BONNAROO 2013.
12) Block the backstage lights at What and Which This has always bothered me. Change their location so they are directly behind the stages, or change the lighting system entirely.
13) BRING BACK ART VS SCIENCE!! Seriously, their presence was greatly missed this year!
14) Get rid of that beer tent in the Middle of Which Stage that does nothing there but block views.
15) Raise the sound booth at What Stage put it in the air on stilts, like they do at a lot of fests over seas. That way more people can see the sage from the center.
Post by ignignoktroo on Jun 18, 2013 19:58:20 GMT -5
They could get the correct info about shower hours. An info tent guy told me they'd be open Monday morning. The little booklet says so too. But when I went for one around 7 AM... Nope! So we had to visit our friends with all our Sunday funk on.
Post by memphis1979 on Jun 18, 2013 21:30:38 GMT -5
I saw VAST differences in parking sizes. We were very restricted. Two lanes over, there was room for two six men tents and two 10 foot wide ezups. We had room for the tent, had to put the ez up over the truck bed.
I like the beer tent. I think they could get rid of the comedy tent, and put people with large draws on the what stage, and put the others in the cinema tent. Beer should be significantly cheaper. You're shitting me, 7 to 9 dollars for a 12 ounce beer? Either let me bring my own in, or allow the brewers to regulate their own pricing. I went to a beer festival last week and drank all I wanted for 25 bucks.
And speaking of the Comedy Theater, jesus christ were the lines for those shows absolutely ridiculous. It would take George Carlin coming back from the dead and performing to get me to waste so much time out of my day waiting in that line, only to likely get shut out.
^YES. This was my second Roo and I still have never seen a single thing in the comedy tent. Nor have I been to the Silent Disco, ridden the ferris wheel, nor had my hair washed. I refuse to waste my precious time on the farm waiting in line.
The one thing that seemed very awesome was chirpvision. Could you imagine being at any stage or location and be able to watch a live stream of the concert while being on the farm? I think Bonnaroo should invest in that technology more and give the majority of people a way to see different artists better than having to walk around like zombies and wait for hours to get a good spot....
My biggest concern is the lack of Bonnaroo Etiquette. Many people were grinding up against me the whole time while watching a show. I felt like I lost my innocence. These people were just moving through the crowd with no respect for the people standing there...It was horrible. I could not enjoy the show. Its one thing to need to use the bathroom and move through the crowd...but to have a continuous train of people moving through....geez. As a die hard music fan...I'm considering not going next year because there just seems to be way too many people at the festival.
I know Bonnaroo is a business but greed is not cool. I can see it in the development of the festival. Book a bunch of unknown artists and fill it in with a few greats.....Stop selling so many tickets. If you want to make more money have the festival twice a year. I'd probably go if it was in the fall.
^About the Chirpvision thing... it's totally cool in theory but I just turn my phone off and put it away when I get to the farm. When I'm on the farm, I insist on experiencing whatever is physically around me and trying to catch the acts I missed online when I get home. Gotta have something to treat the withdrawals, anyway. The grinding/pushing etiquette problems you speak of definitely have to do with having simply too many attendees... I totally agree with selling fewer tickets, even if it means a higher price tag.
4. Start the Roo Run at 8 instead of 9. Start it on time, regardless if the photographer is late. The temp at 10 (when I finished the race) was unbearable compared to 9:30 (when I should have finished). According to weather.com, there was a five degree difference between those two times. Taking into account the half-hour they made us stand in the heat before we could start, it was a potential disaster waiting to happen.
^Definitely agree with starting the Roo Run earlier, and having separate waves... the registration was already capped off before I ever even saw the e-mail about it.
Make it mandatory that more food vendors accept credit cards.
^As a young person myself, no. Just, no. Also, it's called "cash" and it's really great when you want to budget your weekend.
My wish list: 1. EXPAND TENT-ONLY CAMPING. 2. More knowledgeable volunteers would be really nice. I had to scan out Friday night to go to the airport and reenter and the clueless volunteer at the exit/entrance to Pod 1 tried to send me the wrong way. Better yet, extend the Nashville airport shuttle service beyond Friday afternoon! Some people have jobs which do not allow them to just take weekdays off and go to Bonnaroo. 3. Get rid of the random beer stand smack in the middle in front of Which. 4. Open Which on Thursday night. Alt-J belonged on a stage IMO. 5. For the second year in a row I have linked my wristband with Facebook and Twitter and nothing worked. Just sayin'. 6. Book Elton John... and Cake. 7. Bring back Django Django!
And on a personal note, if a headliner cancels, replace it with ANYONE BUT Jack Johnson.
David byrnes was fucking awesome. That dude doesn't know what he is talking about.
No, I like carrying around one card, that I can cancel with a phone call. Idiots steal my camel back like they did this weekend can have cash with no strings. Credit cards leave trails. And I had cash, but carrying around 200 bucks a day for beer, food, and fuck off money is just to expensive. If it costs 20 dollars for a meal and a drink, then they need to be forced to accept plastic.
I loved tom petty and Paul McCartney. Mumford was supposed to be the younger guys this year. I didn't even see jack Johnson. Put a near, hot act with mass appeal on Saturday night.
And speaking of the Comedy Theater, jesus christ were the lines for those shows absolutely ridiculous. It would take George Carlin coming back from the dead and performing to get me to waste so much time out of my day waiting in that line, only to likely get shut out. Maybe they can have a lottery for Comedy shows BEFORE Bonnaroo for current ticket holders? That way you get your "pass" to the show before hand and can schedule your day accordingly. I know I would have LOVED to see Daniel Tosh but the line was a joke.
One more thing about the comedy tent that always pisses me off. There are a bunch of sections on the top/back of the floor section (before the bleachers) that gets roped off with caution tape that is for VIP attendees. Basically, it's like a little section with the folding chairs they use on the floor (as opposed to backless bleachers in the upper sections) that VIP members can use. I don't have a huge problem with that but what I do have a huge problem with is when they go completely unfilled but I'm not allowed to move into one of those more comfortable/better viewing seats when the show starts. They prefer those chairs go unused then to let people move into them.
After working the comedy tent this year, I can say that at least 2 of those sections are blocked off for Access. A few sections are used for Roll Like A Rock Star and FUSE, Superfly & AC Entertainment have the other blocked off sections. I worked both Daniel Tosh shows, the David Cross & Comedy Bang Bang shows on Saturday and the people who ran the comedy tent did a good job of trying to fill the house wall to wall. I think they were definitely getting a feel for it the first 2 days but by Saturday, they knew that if no one from the Reserved sections was showing up, they were trying to fill those seats. I talked with people and honestly felt disappointment for them knowing that they wouldn't be able to get in to see a big name show after waiting all day. I think increasing capacity sounds like a splendid idea in theory but there's also a feeling of exclusivity of being seated in a 1,300 capacity tent to see a big name in Comedy. A screen sounds awesome, as well but with Which being in such close proximity there is already the issue of sound.
David byrnes was quacking awesome. That dude doesn't know what he is talking about.
No, I like carrying around one card, that I can cancel with a phone call. Idiots steal my camel back like they did this weekend can have cash with no strings. Credit cards leave trails. And I had cash, but carrying around 200 bucks a day for beer, food, and Quack off money is just to expensive. If it costs 20 dollars for a meal and a drink, then they need to be forced to accept plastic.
I loved tom petty and Paul McCartney. Mumford was supposed to be the younger guys this year. I didn't even see jack Johnson. Put a near, hot act with mass appeal on Saturday night.
Ah, see, I only brought $40 cash to Bonnaroo. I brought lots of alcohol, food and cookin' stuff to consume in the comfort and convenience of tent-only camping. How on earth was someone able to steal your bag?
And I mean, yeah, Chilli Peppers were on Saturday last year, right? One "young" headliner a year is enough IMO... let the big boys have the big spots.
I get that a lot of people like cooking all three meals while out there.
Once I made it in centroo, we generally didn't leave. You may like cash, but many people, I'd say a healthy percentage, prefer to carry a card around, and not a war of cash.
We zipped up the rain fly on our tent, but we put our camp lock on the actulual tent door. We sat our camel backs out in our chairs at night. Saturday night some folks apparently invaded pod 4 and stole a bunch of folks stuff. I found my packs, with the food half eaten and my toilet paper gone, about 4 cars down from my camp in a trash pile. So, we got the packs back. We sanitized everytging and went on with life. If some stupid moron needs food or toilet paper, just ask, I'd have given you some.
We did cook at camp, but just breakfast. I did have beer and whiskey at camp, I had whiskey in cwntroo. But I'm 34 years old, and I can drink way more then I did in my 20s. I drank two twelve packs and a bottle of bourbon over the weekend. Shared the rest. Still barely caught a buzz. If beer and food is 10 dollars or more, credit cards should be accepted everywhere.
The comedy tent madness is my chief complaint. Over 6k people had "scheduled" Saget's earlier show according to the app(which I understand most people didn't use). If you want to bring in big names, give them the venue to perform in. Workers also need to know what is going on, heard 3 different stories about VIP access to comedy tent.....nobody has a clue and another year that I saw no comedians. Why not put Tosh or Saget on the What on Thursday? They could also have a comedy tent show later over the weekend for those that aren't on the farm on Thursday, but PLEASE give us a quacking chance to see the comedians. Shouldn't have to miss 3 bands to make this work
Technology. I'm over it. What they have doesn't work, so let people know what the quack is going on by Tues so that we can plan out our weekend. I'm all for surprise guests, etc- but I need to know about schedule changes and where bands are playing in advance. Posting something on Facebook or Twitter doesn't help when: phone isn't working properly due to cell coverage lacking, many don't use these, many want to put their phone away and just have fun on the farm. Would have loved the P-spree show
I'm not against screens for the tents, but I believe that grading them at an angle would solve everything
Another great year on the farm. My hat goes off to Jack Johnson. Don't care if he's not your cup of tea. The logistics of pulling this together on short notice is nearly impossible, and most other festivals would have just moved someone else on the bill into that slot. Great job Jack and Roo. Here's to hoping that they're never put in that situation again. Looking forward to seeing Mumford next year
My biggest complaint is one that I'm sure will never be answered, and I kinda understand why, but it still frustrates me: please tell us what insecticide you spray the farm with. So many of us are allergic, and I feel like knowing what I'm dealing with would make it somehow more manageable. Maybe I could get a prophylactic shot or something. That said, the solution for me is probably to go RV next year and just not spend so much time on the ground.
We spoke to them about this last October and they said that they do not spray any kind of insecticide on the grass.
I remember reading this here, but even though they say that, there's still some industrial chemical on the grounds there. I've camped all over the country and never once gotten severe contact dermatitis; only happens on the farm. I'm sure that they're not lying, per se, but I'm also sure there are industrial chemicals on the grass and/or in the dust...it could be from off-season usage, blowover from nearby farms, or legacy from the farm's past. Either way, I will probably take a soil test kit with me next year, because I like to know these things.
14) Get rid of that beer tent in the Middle of Which Stage that does nothing there but block views.
This is really the most crucial change for me. It's semi embarrassing that half of the possible good viewing angles at a stage are block by a quacking beer stand. It makes no sense. I'm fairly certain that we'll survive if they don't have that one stand there. I would even venture to speculate that it didnt make all that much money comparable due to the fact that you basically had to go through a crowd to get to it.
Most of the other issues I didn't find any real problems wih, but this was my first roo. I got most of my water at pod 7 and it tasted better than the most. The tents don't need screens. If you neeeeed to see an artist get there early.
Also, the people who I felt didn't fit with the bonnaroo vibe were not brought by rap/hip-hop artist. At least to me (I'm 24 and felt like an old man complaining about this) it was 18-21 year old college kids with parents that bought them patigonia shirts just for the roo. I feel like when I attended my first fest at 17 I knew some proper etiquette. Mainly don't shove your way in front of someone just to talk through the show.
For the most part though this festival was perfect. Yeah some things could be better to make it easier but I love the roo for its perfections and imperfections
And one more thing. I think they don't fix the ditch between what and which tent in order to better control how fast the crowd moves from one end of centerroo to the other.
This was my Roo and my first festival and my first time "roughing" it in any way really so here are are my beginner suggestions:
1) Better/fresher/more diverse food options: I eat meat and I love greasy french fries but I was craving fresh fruit the whole time and the only thing I could find was some mediocre watermelon (which I appreciated anyway)When it's so fucking hot and I'm already dehydrated, the last thing I want to do is sink my teeth into something hot and greasy off a grill.
2) More Screens:I rarely got to actually SEE any of the bands in the This or That. I know I could have done a better job making sure I got in a tent early and waited but I don't do well with being rubbed up against or pushed around so I don't really enjoy being in the front of the crowds. I tried my best to get close during Purity Ring but missed all the visuals. And now looking at the gallery, I'm really annoyed cause the visuals would have really enhanced the experience. If I had been able to see her on a screen it would have made it so much better.
3)Definitely get rid of the stupid beer tent in front of Which. Outrageous.
4) Less vehicles in Centeroo-I mean the little ones. I always felt like I had to watch my back walking. They constantly were sneaking up on me and I was always paranoid my feet were going to get run over.
Screens on all the tents. Something has to be done about the trash everywhere. Sound bleed was bad at times like r Kelly an the superjam. More ac places with actual doors that keep the cool in.
Really my biggest way gripe is the people with the pushing and trash
The problems you had with the fest are not things the fest can change they are things that the people attending need to change. Roo can not make you throw a cup on the ground or push past someone
More trash cans in the field would help especially closer to the stage. They don't take up a ton of space and if their up close people are standing so they wouldn't be blocking a view. I think screens would help with the pushing as we'll as people wouldn't feel the need as much to push forward so they could see.
Post by seacatlady on Jun 19, 2013 10:34:51 GMT -5
13) BRING BACK ART VS SCIENCE!! Seriously, their presence was greatly missed this year!
[/quote] Agree with many elements on your list but bringing back Art vs Science... I really agree with. Caught their show at the Miller stage last year and would like to see their name on the line-up again.
Post by railroad436 on Jun 19, 2013 10:51:28 GMT -5
A few more things:
1) Our camping space was tiny and we didnt have room for our EZ Ups or any room to just hangout. Luckily, our friends two spots down were able to adjust everything and make us a little circle for our chairs. Everyone should be able to setup their tents and EZ Up. I wanted an EZ Up over my tent but our three small tents were all touching each other because we didnt have room. In fact, we had to steal some of our neighbors space to do it. That's not cool. Had it just been our car, we wouldnt have had a campsite to hang out at.
2) Have craft brews at every beer vendor. Nearly all the generic beer vendors just had generic domestic swill. I dont drink that shit and neither do a lot of other people. Last year, I was able to get Sierra Nevada and that other brewery at every tent. This year, outside of the Brooer's Tent, I only found two selling craft brews.
3) Put a temp cell phone tower in that place. I did have far better coverage this year but my phone still drained in a few hours. I wish I could just turn my phone off the whole fest but some of us have responsibilities and need to be able to be reached. I have small children at home and need to be able to be reached 24/7 in case of an emergency.
Turtles are, actually quite sexy, if you think about it. I’m getting an erection just thinking about turtles. No, not a stripper named turtles, that’s not funny. Actual turtles.
—?Thom Yorke
Post by railroad436 on Jun 19, 2013 12:44:30 GMT -5
One more thing and the absolutely most important - move Roo back to the previous weekend or just a way from Father's Day. I got a way with missing Father's Day this year but I cannot do that every year with my kids being so young. It was only because they know how important seeing Bjork and Macca was to me that I got a pass on it. If they dont move it, I probably wont be coming for a few years and that makes me sad.
Turtles are, actually quite sexy, if you think about it. I’m getting an erection just thinking about turtles. No, not a stripper named turtles, that’s not funny. Actual turtles.
—?Thom Yorke
Black Dynamite
Showerless Shakedown Vendor THE Bongo Guy
Post by Black Dynamite on Jun 19, 2013 15:23:03 GMT -5
It's pretty obvious what the problems are, and frankly, I don't care what they do to fix them. The Tents get overcrowded. It's a fact, and it really keeps people who aren't over six feet tall from enjoying the show. Thursday is officially too busy now. Couple this problem with the tent problem and you get Alt-J. The ditch is just stupid, and is a really cheap fix. Honestly though, none of this is nearly as big a deal as Which stage. The second biggest stage at Bonnaroo, with many of the festivals biggest performances, has by far the worst sound quality. This really is unnacceptable. Once you see the beer tent dead in the middle of the field, it just makes the whole situation laughable. It would be one thing if these complaints were new. I understand things don't happen over night, but I've been reading about these issues before I ever stepped foot on the farm. If something isn't done next year about Which stage, I might be trying out a different festival. A large part of my 300$ was going towards bands playing on Which stage, and I only stayed for 1 show.
Luckily I didn't have too many shows on the Which this year, but even just walking by on my way to This I could tell that there was way too much sound bleed. Not just like "oh I can sorta make out what they're playing over there", but more like "Wow I know which songs are playing on both this stages". It's kinda cool for a couple seconds when you're intoxicated, but after that it's just annoying.
I also agree that fresh fruit options are a necessity. I started to tire of the vendor food much quicker this year than I did last year. Luckily, they had smoothies, but what I would have given to bite into a cold peach..
The Which Stage is a good place to start. Add a second screen, fix the sound, move the beer vendor, and FOR THE LOVE OF YEEZUS USE IT THURSDAY!
Also, I get a good chuckle watching them make the "fresh fruit smoothies". All those fresh fruits lining the counters of the vendor and then you get to watch them pour Sunny D and canned fruit salad into the blender
Post by thepeppers on Jun 19, 2013 15:44:29 GMT -5
1) Fix the whole comedy set-up. The tent is way to small for the comedians that get brought in. I heard over the weekend that it only held 1,400 people...should be around 4k capacity. It also needs to be soundproof. Saw two different shows in the comedy tent, and both times at least during one point I could hear live music. Also need to fix how they give out tickets, I don't know how but they need to.
2) Put in a video screen in the tents. Would have been nice for me in Tama Impala.
1) Our camping space was tiny and we didnt have room for our EZ Ups or any room to just hangout. Luckily, our friends two spots down were able to adjust everything and make us a little circle for our chairs. Everyone should be able to setup their tents and EZ Up. I wanted an EZ Up over my tent but our three small tents were all touching each other because we didnt have room. In fact, we had to steal some of our neighbors space to do it. That's not cool. Had it just been our car, we wouldnt have had a campsite to hang out at.
2) Have craft brews at every beer vendor. Nearly all the generic beer vendors just had generic domestic swill. I dont drink that shiz and neither do a lot of other people. Last year, I was able to get Sierra Nevada and that other brewery at every tent. This year, outside of the Brooer's Tent, I only found two selling craft brews.
3) Put a temp cell phone tower in that place. I did have far better coverage this year but my phone still drained in a few hours. I wish I could just turn my phone off the whole fest but some of us have responsibilities and need to be able to be reached. I have small children at home and need to be able to be reached 24/7 in case of an emergency.
There were mini cell towers out there. Cellular works like a radio. When you have 80000 little transmitters everywhere, your transmitter has to talk louder, because you're basically all talking in a crowded room. Just like at a party with to many folks, you're screaming to just hear the person next to you.
More towers won't help your battery life, condensed humans with phones drains your battery.
Luckily I didn't have too many shows on the Which this year, but even just walking by on my way to This I could tell that there was way too much sound bleed. Not just like "oh I can sorta make out what they're playing over there", but more like "Wow I know which songs are playing on both this stages". It's kinda cool for a couple seconds when you're intoxicated, but after that it's just annoying.
I also agree that fresh fruit options are a necessity. I started to tire of the vendor food much quicker this year than I did last year. Luckily, they had smoothies, but what I would have given to bite into a cold peach..
Take your own. I took a couple pounds of apples, pears, oranges, and a couple of bushels of bananas. I had a little insolated lunch box that went in my backpack and chowed on fresh fruit all weekend.
Turtles are, actually quite sexy, if you think about it. I’m getting an erection just thinking about turtles. No, not a stripper named turtles, that’s not funny. Actual turtles.
—?Thom Yorke
So we had to visit our friends with all our Sunday funk on. 
