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Bonnaroo had always been the only fest I have attended (5 times), and I love it to death, but....
I went to Osheaga on the weekend, and it is freaking awesome for so many reasons. I'm not saying Roo should, or can do all of these things. These are just things that stood out to me this weekend, and Bonnaroo should take note.
Organization: Osheaga makes Bonnaroo look like it is run by a bunch of preschoolers (and Bonnaroo is pretty organized). -Set start/end times are to the exact minute. -The two main stages are side by side, and literally, when one band plays its final chord, the next band starts playing immediately on the opposite stage. -Incredible organization getting everyone into the festival in a timely matter. Tough to do when you have subway after subway of people rushing into the fest (subway goes directly into the park to the entrance of the fest). Same goes for exiting into the subway at the end of night. -One stage ended up pretty muddy on day one. Arriving to that stage the next day, the entire area is covered in 2 inches of fresh wood chips. Take that What/Which swamp!
Walking beer/food vendors: -No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth. -Also walking the grounds are ppl selling fresh cups of fruit, lemonade (spiked or virgin), popcorn, and more. You can get your vitamins without leaving a show.
Scenery/Relaxation/Shade!!! -This is a park, so there are literally thousands of trees to lay under. -Some of the smaller stages are completely surrounded by trees. -Walking from one stage to another, through large paths in the woods, is pretty awesome. -sooooo many hammocks and nets to lounge in, in the shade.
Vantage Points -Many of the stages have a hill at the back that is perfect for relaxed viewing, if you don’t wanna get up to close. And of course, as mentioned above, trees on these hills. -The view from the hill to the main stage, with the Montreal skyline in the background, is amazing. Especially at night. -Sound quality from the hills is amazing! Like a natural amphitheater.
Free Swag -Sure, people hate commercialization of music fests, but at least the sponsors at Osheaga give you good shit. -there was free unlimited: frisbees, hand-fans, cans of Coke, Jack Links beef jerky, inflatable glow sticks, and more. -I'm easy to please
Poutine -Need I say more? (on a side note, my friends and I have put semi-serious consideration into doing a poutine stand at Roo, as we think it would go over well, even without the thousands of Canadians at Roo. Once you try it, there is no turning back)
Walking beer/food vendors: -No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth. -Also walking the grounds are ppl selling fresh cups of fruit, lemonade (spiked or virgin), popcorn, and more. You can get your vitamins without leaving a show.
Walking beer/food vendors: -No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth.
I've been to many festivals and have never seen this. At least not festival staff selling beer, and never in the crowd at stages. Why have I never seen this? This needs to happen. Genius.
Walking beer/food vendors: -No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth.
I've been to many festivals and have never seen this. At least not festival staff selling beer, and never in the crowd at stages. Why have I never seen this? This needs to happen. Genius.
I'm guessing it may be risky to have someone wandering around with large amounts of cash through a crowd solo? I never thought of this until I saw a cart vendor get robbed at Coach a couple years ago.
I've been to many festivals and have never seen this. At least not festival staff selling beer, and never in the crowd at stages. Why have I never seen this? This needs to happen. Genius.
I'm guessing it may be risky to have someone wandering around with large amounts of cash through a crowd solo? I never thought of this until I saw a cart vendor get robbed at Coach a couple years ago.
I've been to many festivals and have never seen this. At least not festival staff selling beer, and never in the crowd at stages. Why have I never seen this? This needs to happen. Genius.
I'm guessing it may be risky to have someone wandering around with large amounts of cash through a crowd solo? I never thought of this until I saw a cart vendor get robbed at Coach a couple years ago.
Yea, sounds like a terrible idea when you put it that way.... but I still really like the thought of not having to give up my spot to go get beer. I have yet to figure out how to avoid that.
I'm guessing it may be risky to have someone wandering around with large amounts of cash through a crowd solo? I never thought of this until I saw a cart vendor get robbed at Coach a couple years ago.
Yea, sounds like a terrible idea when you put it that way.... but I still really like the thought of not having to give up my spot to go get beer. I have yet to figure out how to avoid that.
If they ever incorporated banking or credit card info to our RFID chips, I imagine this kind of thing would be pretty easy.
Put some screens up at the tent stages!! Seems like the only way I can actually see the bands is if I'm lucky, get there during the end of the previous set, or if I go in like a jerk and step on a bunch of people. VIP didn't seem to help at all with that. Sucks that you have to pay $3k/pp for RLARS to get pit access, but I guess that's the way it is for bigfests nowadays.
Speaking of which, why were there backpack checks for VIP'ers going in to Centeroo? Perhaps I'm naive, but one if the perks of VIP ought to include a "trusted" status going about the fest grounds. They were also doing checks for VIP'ers going in to GA camping for the first day (WTF?) but eventually they came to their senses and fixed that.
Also, reiterating what everyone has said about organization and lack thereof. Seems like after over a decade of running this fest AC/Superfly would have gotten logistics locked down, but every year there are still problems and miscommunication. Even in VIP it was pretty abysmal. I have to applaud bunny for her fem-cojones in taking initiative when the parking people tried to put us in the BFE of VIP camping despite getting there right when they opened. Next year if they pull that crap again I'll be all and park right up by the front!
Other than that I think the pluses outweigh the negatives by a LARGE margin! I'll keep coming back for sure. =)
I'm guessing it may be risky to have someone wandering around with large amounts of cash through a crowd solo? I never thought of this until I saw a cart vendor get robbed at Coach a couple years ago.
Yea, sounds like a terrible idea when you put it that way.... but I still really like the thought of not having to give up my spot to go get beer. I have yet to figure out how to avoid that.
Just go VIP and bring it in with you! I was successful most of the time. ;-)
Yea, sounds like a terrible idea when you put it that way.... but I still really like the thought of not having to give up my spot to go get beer. I have yet to figure out how to avoid that.
Just go VIP and bring it in with you! I was successful most of the time. ;-)
I was good at Roo this year because I was staff. I rarely even had to scan my wristband to get in and out. But, I doubt I'll be staff again and that still doesn't help the getting a *cold* beer when you're deep in a crowd waiting.
sidenote: I'm having flashbacks to Outkast at Forecastle where I was 3rd row and ran out of beer before they even started. Luckily I had some cool people around me who were willing to hold my spot and I just went potty and got beer anyways. On my way out I was yelling "I'M GOING PEE AND COMING BACK! I'M GOING PEE AND COMING BACK!" When I came back I yelled "I WEN'T PEE I'M GOING BACK, I WENT PEE I'M GOING BACK!" On my way back in this one girl started yelling "SHE'S LEGIT! I REMEMBER HER! SHE REALLY DID JUST GO PEE!" It's all about making an impression
Walking beer/food vendors: -No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth.
I've been to many festivals and have never seen this. At least not festival staff selling beer, and never in the crowd at stages. Why have I never seen this? This needs to happen. Genius.
I'm sure there are some legal issues with this, being as Bonnaroo is in the US and in TN. Hell we can't even buy wine in grocery stores.
I've been to many festivals and have never seen this. At least not festival staff selling beer, and never in the crowd at stages. Why have I never seen this? This needs to happen. Genius.
I'm sure there are some legal issues with this, being as Bonnaroo is in the US and in TN. Hell we can't even buy wine in grocery stores.
A lot more potential for: underage sales, increased legal liability (and therefore insurance costs), product loss due to employee theft...and good luck finding someone who would rather tote around a giant fucking cooler full of beer all day in the hot sun through a mob of sweaty, wigged out crazies when they could sit under the shade in the relative safety of a vendor stand.
Why is everyone being so rational about this?! I'm just lazy and selfish and want my beer brought to me. Why are you all so against this dream of mine?!
Yea, sounds like a terrible idea when you put it that way.... but I still really like the thought of not having to give up my spot to go get beer. I have yet to figure out how to avoid that.
If they ever incorporated banking or credit card info to our RFID chips, I imagine this kind of thing would be pretty easy.
Post by downonthefarm on Aug 8, 2014 17:00:43 GMT -5
I have been to bonnaroo three times and the problem of not having a beer brought to me has never come up. It has literally never been an issue, I grab a beer when I am moving from stage to stage if I must or I chug a few in line at the checkpoint. I guess it is cuz I am dosing up with other unmentionables which are much more easily concealed,
I have been to bonnaroo three times and the problem of not having a beer brought to me has never come up. It has literally never been an issue, I grab a beer when I am moving from stage to stage if I must or I chug a few in line at the checkpoint. I guess it is cuz I am dosing up with other unmentionables which are much more easily concealed,
You mentioned it. Don't do it. And I drink when I can't do anything else. Which has been the case for a lot of this summer. Also, there are a surprising amount of people who only drink at Roo (&other fests at that) that would love to have a beer brought to them.
Bonnaroo had always been the only fest I have attended (5 times), and I love it to death, but....
I went to Osheaga on the weekend, and it is freaking awesome for so many reasons. I'm not saying Roo should, or can do all of these things. These are just things that stood out to me this weekend, and Bonnaroo should take note.
Organization: Osheaga makes Bonnaroo look like it is run by a bunch of preschoolers (and Bonnaroo is pretty organized). -Set start/end times are to the exact minute. -The two main stages are side by side, and literally, when one band plays its final chord, the next band starts playing immediately on the opposite stage. -Incredible organization getting everyone into the festival in a timely matter. Tough to do when you have subway after subway of people rushing into the fest (subway goes directly into the park to the entrance of the fest). Same goes for exiting into the subway at the end of night. -One stage ended up pretty muddy on day one. Arriving to that stage the next day, the entire area is covered in 2 inches of fresh wood chips. Take that What/Which swamp!
Walking beer/food vendors: -No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth. -Also walking the grounds are ppl selling fresh cups of fruit, lemonade (spiked or virgin), popcorn, and more. You can get your vitamins without leaving a show.
Scenery/Relaxation/Shade!!! -This is a park, so there are literally thousands of trees to lay under. -Some of the smaller stages are completely surrounded by trees. -Walking from one stage to another, through large paths in the woods, is pretty awesome. -sooooo many hammocks and nets to lounge in, in the shade.
Vantage Points -Many of the stages have a hill at the back that is perfect for relaxed viewing, if you don’t wanna get up to close. And of course, as mentioned above, trees on these hills. -The view from the hill to the main stage, with the Montreal skyline in the background, is amazing. Especially at night. -Sound quality from the hills is amazing! Like a natural amphitheater.
Free Swag -Sure, people hate commercialization of music fests, but at least the sponsors at Osheaga give you good shit. -there was free unlimited: frisbees, hand-fans, cans of Coke, Jack Links beef jerky, inflatable glow sticks, and more. -I'm easy to please
Poutine -Need I say more? (on a side note, my friends and I have put semi-serious consideration into doing a poutine stand at Roo, as we think it would go over well, even without the thousands of Canadians at Roo. Once you try it, there is no turning back)
I love the beer idea and I've read through the other comments regarding this. I may be going out on a limb but are you implying the crowd was less hostile so that beer sales moved freely and without issue? How was security there? Did you notice any problems?
I'm basing my generalizations on Canadian temperament in general.
I'm also curious since there is no camping onsite how the transition from "shows over" to "leave the park for the night" went.
Last Edit: Aug 8, 2014 22:57:42 GMT -5 by scud - Back to Top
Post by downonthefarm on Aug 9, 2014 9:52:23 GMT -5
And alot of times the crowd is too thick for a vendor to move easily anyways. The beer guy is great at a poorly attended show or on the fringes. But up front at a packed tent? Up front between the pre headliner and headliner at what? Anywhere you would really like this service it isn't realistic.
They seem to be able to pull it off pretty well at Red Rocks for most shows. Granted there is more room to move around there. At some 'Roo shows the pit is packed like sardines. You're in it for the long haul or not at all.
Bonnaroo had always been the only fest I have attended (5 times), and I love it to death, but....
I went to Osheaga on the weekend, and it is freaking awesome for so many reasons. I'm not saying Roo should, or can do all of these things. These are just things that stood out to me this weekend, and Bonnaroo should take note.
Organization: Osheaga makes Bonnaroo look like it is run by a bunch of preschoolers (and Bonnaroo is pretty organized). -Set start/end times are to the exact minute. -The two main stages are side by side, and literally, when one band plays its final chord, the next band starts playing immediately on the opposite stage. -Incredible organization getting everyone into the festival in a timely matter. Tough to do when you have subway after subway of people rushing into the fest (subway goes directly into the park to the entrance of the fest). Same goes for exiting into the subway at the end of night. -One stage ended up pretty muddy on day one. Arriving to that stage the next day, the entire area is covered in 2 inches of fresh wood chips. Take that What/Which swamp!
Walking beer/food vendors: -No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth. -Also walking the grounds are ppl selling fresh cups of fruit, lemonade (spiked or virgin), popcorn, and more. You can get your vitamins without leaving a show.
Scenery/Relaxation/Shade!!! -This is a park, so there are literally thousands of trees to lay under. -Some of the smaller stages are completely surrounded by trees. -Walking from one stage to another, through large paths in the woods, is pretty awesome. -sooooo many hammocks and nets to lounge in, in the shade.
Vantage Points -Many of the stages have a hill at the back that is perfect for relaxed viewing, if you don’t wanna get up to close. And of course, as mentioned above, trees on these hills. -The view from the hill to the main stage, with the Montreal skyline in the background, is amazing. Especially at night. -Sound quality from the hills is amazing! Like a natural amphitheater.
Free Swag -Sure, people hate commercialization of music fests, but at least the sponsors at Osheaga give you good shit. -there was free unlimited: frisbees, hand-fans, cans of Coke, Jack Links beef jerky, inflatable glow sticks, and more. -I'm easy to please
Poutine -Need I say more? (on a side note, my friends and I have put semi-serious consideration into doing a poutine stand at Roo, as we think it would go over well, even without the thousands of Canadians at Roo. Once you try it, there is no turning back)
Couldn't agree more. I loved Osheaga. The main stages side by side were incredible. Nick Cave ending with Stagger Lee and the lights going out only to have the other stage light up and Jack white open with Stagger Lee was amazing. That was the best one-two punch I've ever seen. The shade and the hills surrounding a couple of the stages made for some really enjoyable day shows without being burned by the sun. The beers were expensive, but they came to you, so maybe it was worth it. I will definately go next year. The organization was above what I've seen at any other festival.
And alot of times the crowd is too thick for a vendor to move easily anyways. The beer guy is great at a poorly attended show or on the fringes. But up front at a packed tent? Up front between the pre headliner and headliner at what? Anywhere you would really like this service it isn't realistic.
The fact that it DID happen, at Osheaga, counters everything you just said.
Even the most packed crowds were more than willing to make room for the beer guy to get through.
I love the beer idea and I've read through the other comments regarding this. I may be going out on a limb but are you implying the crowd was less hostile so that beer sales moved freely and without issue? How was security there? Did you notice any problems?
I'm basing my generalizations on Canadian temperament in general.
I'm also curious since there is no camping onsite how the transition from "shows over" to "leave the park for the night" went.
Crowd atmosphere at shows was exactly the same as roo. Security was very organized. We saw one guy blast through the entry gates with a backpack, and two security chased him about 500yards before finally bringing him down. We watched them search his bag and it was full of baggies and booze, lol.
As for the transition at the end of the night, I was very impressed. The majority attendees take the subway to the island. This means they need to load over 40,000 people back onto the subway. The herd appeared to be overwhelming, but actually moved well. It never took us more then 10 min to get on the subway. They definitely had extra trains running, so there was not much wait between the next train's arrival. There were a lot of police at the gates as well, to ensure people funneled in safely.
It was the first Osheaga experience for many in our group, as we all usually do Roo. The word of the weekend, when talking about the fest, was "Organized".
And alot of times the crowd is too thick for a vendor to move easily anyways. The beer guy is great at a poorly attended show or on the fringes. But up front at a packed tent? Up front between the pre headliner and headliner at what? Anywhere you would really like this service it isn't realistic.
The fact that it DID happen, at Osheaga, counters everything you just said.
Even the most packed crowds were more than willing to make room for the beer guy to get through.
"-No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth."
That fact that it happened at Osheaga does not counter my saying "the beer guy is great at a poorly attended show or on the fringes."
You did not go into specifics about exactly where this was going on in the crowd or when. The crowd is a very different thing at different places and at different times during the day. This we can all agree on I think. Also different festivals have different feels. Camping festivals with late night sets are much different than inner city festivals which finish by 11PM.
I do not doubt that this could be easily done in some areas of the bonnaroo. I already said this. On the edges of what or which under the trees, this would work. Poorly attended shows would be great for this. If I am on the edge or in a lightly attended show I don't mind going to get a beer because I don't miss much
How many times have we been at shows at bonnaroo where people are literally right on top of each other? I have been up front for many festivals and it is difficult for a single skinny guy to get through the crowd a lot of times. I do not see it feasible for a beer guy with a tray of beers or a backpack cooler full of beers (or however he would do it) to get through seriously packed crowd. This is when I want a cold beer brought to me the most. That is what I am saying. When it is most needed it is least feasible.
The fact that it DID happen, at Osheaga, counters everything you just said.
Even the most packed crowds were more than willing to make room for the beer guy to get through.
"-No need to lose that great spot at a great show, the beer guys (god bless em) are always wandering through the crowds to provide cold beer! -Same goes for mixed drinks. Get a mixed drink, or they’ll even just pour a shot from the bottle to your open mouth."
That fact that it happened at Osheaga does not counter my saying "the beer guy is great at a poorly attended show or on the fringes."
You did not go into specifics about exactly where this was going on in the crowd or when. The crowd is a very different thing at different places and at different times during the day. This we can all agree on I think. Also different festivals have different feels. Camping festivals with late night sets are much different than inner city festivals which finish by 11PM.
I do not doubt that this could be easily done in some areas of the bonnaroo. I already said this. On the edges of what or which under the trees, this would work. Poorly attended shows would be great for this. If I am on the edge or in a lightly attended show I don't mind going to get a beer because I don't miss much
How many times have we been at shows at bonnaroo where people are literally right on top of each other? I have been up front for many festivals and it is difficult for a single skinny guy to get through the crowd a lot of times. I do not see it feasible for a beer guy with a tray of beers or a backpack cooler full of beers (or however he would do it) to get through seriously packed crowd. This is when I want a cold beer brought to me the most. That is what I am saying. When it is most needed it is least feasible.
I think the fact that I have been to roo many times, I can fairly compare the crowds at both fest. They were the same. Not sure where the "poorly attended show" comment comes from, Osheaga was a sold out festival. A packed festival is a packed festival.
I got a beer in this mess. It was as packed as any What Stage show I have ever been too.
Primavera had/has dudes with pony kegs wandering the crowd selling beers. It was a beautiful beautiful thing. Everyone moved out of the way when they came through because, well, beer.
The other thing they had that made it wonderful? Adding a few pop up urinals to keep the lines at bay. Image may be slightly NSFW.
Post by downonthefarm on Aug 10, 2014 17:50:44 GMT -5
onion, by "poorly attended show" I meant a tent or stage show at bonnaroo what is not jam packed. I did not mean to imply that Osheaga was poorly that tended. I am just trying to understand. Are you implying that the beer guy was walking freely and easily through the first twenty to forty rows directly in front of the stage? That is the area I find the beer guys being most problematic. The wide angle shots you presented leave lots of possibilities as to where exactly you were when you got a beer from the beer guys. This will be my last post on the topic. Thanks!
and park right up by the front!
