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All the acts I saw were good. But I can’t really rate this a good Shaky for myself. I freaked out and blacked out I guess during The Mars Volta. My friends got me to the med tent. They dosed me up. And I guess I tried to stand up and busted my eye and arm up falling against the table in the med tent and then got brought to the hospital. My most anticipated acts were The Mars Volta, Tenacious D, Muse and I had late night tickets for The Walkmen. Missed them all. The beginning of The Mars Volta was fuckin incredible tho from what I remember tho. Lost my orange corduroy Bonnaroo hat I love and my brand new Muse shirt because of it. I think they just threw them both away at the hospital which I don’t understand. I’ll rank the acts I did see later. Wish this year was better for me personally. Because it would’ve been one of my favorites.
All the acts I saw were good. But I can’t really rate this a good Shaky for myself. I freaked out and blacked out I guess during The Mars Volta. My friends got me to the med tent. They dosed me up. And I guess I tried to stand up and busted my eye and arm up falling against the table in the med tent and then got brought to the hospital. My most anticipated acts were The Mars Volta, Tenacious D, Muse and I had late night tickets for The Walkmen. Missed them all. The beginning of The Mars Volta was fuckin incredible tho from what I remember tho. Lost my orange corduroy Bonnaroo hat I love and my brand new Muse shirt because of it. I think they just threw them both away at the hospital which I don’t understand. I’ll rank the acts I did see later. Wish this year was better for me personally. Because it would’ve been one of my favorites.
Damn sorry to hear the day got ruined for you but at least you're safe and sound now. Sounds like you've got a good group of friends around you. Flips were great I'm glad you got to fully enjoy that set.
All the acts I saw were good. But I can’t really rate this a good Shaky for myself. I freaked out and blacked out I guess during The Mars Volta. My friends got me to the med tent. They dosed me up. And I guess I tried to stand up and busted my eye and arm up falling against the table in the med tent and then got brought to the hospital. My most anticipated acts were The Mars Volta, Tenacious D, Muse and I had late night tickets for The Walkmen. Missed them all. The beginning of The Mars Volta was fuckin incredible tho from what I remember tho. Lost my orange corduroy Bonnaroo hat I love and my brand new Muse shirt because of it. I think they just threw them both away at the hospital which I don’t understand. I’ll rank the acts I did see later. Wish this year was better for me personally. Because it would’ve been one of my favorites.
Damn sorry to hear the day got ruined for you but at least you're safe and sound now. Sounds like you've got a good group of friends around you. Flips were great I'm glad you got to fully enjoy that set.
yeah I got a good friend. Apparently I was starting to take my pants off too and he grabbed me by the belt and walked me to the med tent. Could’ve been much worse. I don’t really remember anything tho just flashes of stuff. Everyone’s happy I’m safe and well now too so that’s what I’m trying to focus on.
Also I was watching Father John Misty and a guy next to me complimented my shoes and I realized I was standing next to the guys from Grouplove. Chatted with them for a little bit, really nice guys. I thanked them for squeezing in the Bojack theme song and they laughed and said that was all the lead singer's move. One of the other guys in the band said the lead singer just started singing it so the rest of them were all like "well I guess we're playing Bojack".
Also I was watching Father John Misty and a guy next to me complimented my shoes and I realized I was standing next to the guys from Grouplove. Chatted with them for a little bit, really nice guys. I thanked them for squeezing in the Bojack theme song and they laughed and said that was all the lead singer's move. One of the other guys in the band said the lead singer just started singing it so the rest of them were all like "well I guess we're playing Bojack".
nice! I was just watching Peaches from the side by the bush and both the lead girl and guy from Grouplove walked right in front of me and stood right beside me to watch for a song.
Post by uncle silly philly on May 8, 2023 16:14:54 GMT -5
this ended up being longer than intended but I had a few hours in the car to type it up and I was feeling sad. so here are my Thots n Feels™️
This was my first Shaky and it was so fuckin great because now I’m so horribly depressed it’s over. This is post-concert depression ten-fold. I don’t regret not doing Friday because I went to a different show (and for me, Man Orc was the band I was most bummed to miss and that didn’t matter anyway!) but next year I absolutely will do all three days.
First-timer thoughts:
- I had GA both days and I never had to wait for a bathroom. Did agree the hand sanitizer is gross and sticky and viscous and smelled weird. And by Sunday afternoon, they were running low on TP. - It wasn’t awful refilling my water bottle and there were enough individual faucets that the lines were never long, but I would rather have smaller (but several more) hydration stations. Need one by the food area and by Crim Recs. - Having friends who do VIP every year is great because they can bring you free liquid death. - Sad I didn’t get to experience Ponce as a tent, mainly for the shade. Being able to sit on the hill and still see the stage was nice though. - Crimmy Recs Best Stage Hands Down. - Food was expensive but I knew that going in. I grabbed dinner near Ponce on Saturday which was a good move because there was hardly a wait. Next year I’ll do the same: get the Good Foodstuffs for lunch when lines are shorter, then hit up Ponce for dinner/nighttime snacks. - Roti Rolls 🩷 fave thing I ate - Locker was a 10/10 purchase decision. - Seeing sets by myself was more fun than I thought it would be. - Weather was great?
Some things to do different or new next year:
- Buy a camelback. I had a Nalgene bottle and carried it by the loop and it was fine but I would rather be completely hands-free. - Bring baby wipes. If I can’t wash my hands with water and soap and a towel then I need to have those with me at all times. Also bring some TP for when the pottapotties run out. - Possibly would be willing to upgrade to GA+ just for the air conditioned bathrooms + free water and soda + seats in the lounge. I don’t need the viewing areas VIP has. - Bring a bandana for sitting on the ground because it’s easier to carry around than a towel. - Get island noods because I didn’t this weekend. - Do some of the free experiences. Didn’t do any of those because I was more focused on seeing the sets. - Buy merch ASAP. - Have a picnic with friends at Crimmy Recs.
Stuff I’ll do the same:
- Buying a locker for the entire weekend so I could dump stuff and leave it each night. - Not drink until the sun goes down. - Bringing non-goopy hand sanitizer. - Wearing comfy clothes and shoes over something cute. No feet pain today from wearing my favorite Nike tennis shoes. Although some of the fits this year have me inspired to try to find a balance of cute and comfy for next year. - Sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen - Talking to people near me during the sets (if it was quiet enough to do so) - See sets I wanna see even if it means going by myself. Had a chill time at Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, Live and Phantogram and it was nice to recharge a little bit. - Bringing my small portable battery instead of my more powerful clunker of a battery. - Having Verizon as my network because I had ZERO issues with coverage lmaoooooo
Top sets:
1. Shame, because they’re one of my favorite bands of all time and it was my first Shame show. And that pit was bonkers. Fuck the king. 2. FIDLAR. Pit was arguably more bonkers than Shame’s but it was wholesome and respectful which is how it should be!!! Ladies Only Pits need to be more of a thing! 3. Muse, because their production is insane. If you have only seen them at a fest, I would absolutely recommend seeing them at an arena because they go All The Fuck Out. 4. Phantogram. This one was a last-minute decision due to the Big Boi announcement Saturday and no regrets. All my friends saw Ten D instead and after hearing how crowded it was, I felt good about my decision (and KERN left early and joined me at Phanto for that reason lmao) 5. FUTURE ISLANDS!! SAM HERRING YOU GOTTDAMN FUNKY MAN AND YOUR WIGGLY LEGS NC REPRESENT 💪😤
Disappointments:
1. Gaslight Anthem, because they cut the set short. 2. Black Angels, because the sound was meh and all their songs sound the same (sorry for any BA fans) 3. Soccer Mommy ONLY for the sound at Criminal Records. Otherwise was fun.
Anyway, cried this morning, absolutely can’t wait for Shaky next year and already wanna plan for another fest this year. I haven’t been able to afford to do out-of-state fests until recently it was soooooo great to finally be able to attend one that my friends have talked about for ages. And lovely to meet all y’all too!
Home in New Jersey, still basking in good Shaky vibes. Final ‘23 thoughts:
The Good - The Lineup- obviously. I would return for a fourth day just to see the undercard acts we couldn’t get to. - The Crowd- despite the huge crowd, I can’t recall even one example of someone being an asshole. - Logistics- these folks know how to run a festival. Entry/security was a breeze, never waited for water or a porta-potty, and food lines were short if you went early and were flexible on choices.
The Bad - Increased Crowd- Good for business and Shaky’s longevity, but harder to get a good spot at back-to-back sets. Getting reasonably close requires sacrificing some of whatever’s before- like a large festival. Locals and regulars I spoke with confirmed it’s more crowded than they’ve ever seen. My theory is that they were permitted to sell more tickets due to the big expansion near the Ponce stage- but it didn’t seem to draw enough away from the overflow Piedmont and Peachtree areas. Anyone hear attendance figures? - Sound Issues at Criminal Records on Saturday, and Piedmont Sunday (soft vocals, loud kick drum).
The Ugly- That Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. Cypress Hill conflict. That’s it.
Overall, a great time at a great festival. I may consider VIP next time- can anyone share their VIP experience/recommendations or thoughts?
Home in New Jersey, still basking in good Shaky vibes. Final ‘23 thoughts:
The Good - The Lineup- obviously. I would return for a fourth day just to see the undercard acts we couldn’t get to. - The Crowd- despite the huge crowd, I can’t recall even one example of someone being an asshole. - Logistics- these folks know how to run a festival. Entry/security was a breeze, never waited for water or a porta-potty, and food lines were short if you went early and were flexible on choices.
The Bad - increased Crowd- Good for business and Shaky’s longevity, but harder to get a good spot at back-to-back sets. Getting reasonably close requires sacrificing some of whatever’s before- like a large festival. Locals and regulars I spoke with confirmed it’s more crowded than they’ve ever seen. My theory is that they were permitted to sell more tickets due to the big expansion near the Ponce stage- but it didn’t seem to draw enough away from the overflow Piedmont and Peachtree areas. Anyone hear attendance figures?
The Ugly- That Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. Cypress Hill conflict. That’s it.
Overall, a great time at a great festival. I may consider VIP next time- can anyone share their VIP experience/recommendations or thoughts?
sorry, i'm not rich so i can't share my experience
Home in New Jersey, still basking in good Shaky vibes. Final ‘23 thoughts:
The Good - The Lineup- obviously. I would return for a fourth day just to see the undercard acts we couldn’t get to. - The Crowd- despite the huge crowd, I can’t recall even one example of someone being an asshole. - Logistics- these folks know how to run a festival. Entry/security was a breeze, never waited for water or a porta-potty, and food lines were short if you went early and were flexible on choices.
The Bad - Increased Crowd- Good for business and Shaky’s longevity, but harder to get a good spot at back-to-back sets. Getting reasonably close requires sacrificing some of whatever’s before- like a large festival. Locals and regulars I spoke with confirmed it’s more crowded than they’ve ever seen. My theory is that they were permitted to sell more tickets due to the big expansion near the Ponce stage- but it didn’t seem to draw enough away from the overflow Piedmont and Peachtree areas. Anyone hear attendance figures? - Sound Issues at Criminal Records on Saturday, and Piedmont Sunday (soft vocals, loud kick drum).
The Ugly- That Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. Cypress Hill conflict. That’s it.
Overall, a great time at a great festival. I may consider VIP next time- can anyone share their VIP experience/recommendations or thoughts?
Two of the friends I was with do VIP every year and I can share some of their pros and cons.
the main thing they’ve complained about is that the price increases every year and there’s less stuff included. pre-pandie, VIP was $400-500ish and there was free catered food, shaded seated areas (iirc), a large beer, wine, and cider selection (also free), separate VIP entrance away from the main gate, A/C’d bathrooms, A/C’d lounge areas.
this year, it was $800 and they’ve eliminated the free food, the beer selection is down to three choices (PBR, Bud Light, something else?) and no wine or ciders, and obviously they got rid of the separate entrance this year, although they did have a separate lane. there were food trucks and stalls in the VIP areas which had smaller lines, just still had to pay normal prices.
the major Pro that is different than years previous is the VIP viewing areas have increased in size. now that Ponce isn’t a tent, VIP has like, half the barricade. Also good size viewing areas at Peachtree. They were able to get a really good spot for the Killers with minimal effort and got to the front for Snail Mail. of course this is all to the detriment of the GA folks. they also still appreciated the air conditioned bathrooms, and were able to take advantage of unlimited mediocre beer. free beer is free beer!
they’ve said that they will continue to do VIP despite the decrease in perks. since you haven’t done it before (and neither have I), I can’t say if $800 is worth the stuff that’s included now. in 2018? absolutely worth the price. now? dunno. just depends on what’s important to you to enhance your Shaky Experience.
The main draw to VIP over GA is easier access to better views. That's really about it. "Free" beverages and stuff like that are basically a mirage. The advantage of Platinum over VIP is that those better views require less planning. Platinum still gets catered food and mixed drinks for "free" but in reality you're paying to be able to walk over to the Flaming Lips set a minute before they start and be roughly 5th row dead center stage and have a good foot of space in all directions.
Ultimate to me is the head scratcher money burn option. It's such a huge leap from Plat to Ultimate. All stage viewing areas are the same other than having a separate Peachtree side stage view, a sound booth view (I think just at the main two stages), and a golf cart to haul you from one stage to the other. I'm pretty sure every other perk is exactly the same as Plat, other than free late night shows but those are definitely not "free".
I might be overlooking some aspect of each but this should be pretty close.
Home in New Jersey, still basking in good Shaky vibes. Final ‘23 thoughts:
The Good - The Lineup- obviously. I would return for a fourth day just to see the undercard acts we couldn’t get to. - The Crowd- despite the huge crowd, I can’t recall even one example of someone being an asshole. - Logistics- these folks know how to run a festival. Entry/security was a breeze, never waited for water or a porta-potty, and food lines were short if you went early and were flexible on choices.
The Bad - Increased Crowd- Good for business and Shaky’s longevity, but harder to get a good spot at back-to-back sets. Getting reasonably close requires sacrificing some of whatever’s before- like a large festival. Locals and regulars I spoke with confirmed it’s more crowded than they’ve ever seen. My theory is that they were permitted to sell more tickets due to the big expansion near the Ponce stage- but it didn’t seem to draw enough away from the overflow Piedmont and Peachtree areas. Anyone hear attendance figures? - Sound Issues at Criminal Records on Saturday, and Piedmont Sunday (soft vocals, loud kick drum).
The Ugly- That Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. Cypress Hill conflict. That’s it.
Overall, a great time at a great festival. I may consider VIP next time- can anyone share their VIP experience/recommendations or thoughts?
We didn't do VIP this year for 1st time in 7 years bc prices just kept going up and perks kept going down. Honestly didn't miss it that much, would have loved to have gotten closer to certain shows like Tenacious D and YYYs at piedmont but never had issues at other stages. We calculated how much we saved and we would have to have spent over $550 over the weekend to equal the price of VIP early bird. Didn't spend anywhere close to that amount. Snuck some minis in so we wouldn't spend as much on alcohol and ate big lunches before we went in so only at 1x at the food areas each day. Only thing I truly missed from last year was the Jersey Mike's booth and the free Sammies!
Also, maybe it's just bc of the huge space, but Ponce always seemed empty and hardly anyone there (at least on Sunday it was really noticable but that's maybe bc I was at CR nearly all day and its a more compact area
For the value, the 3 day GA early bird broke down to like $82 a day, that's still a great value IMO
Post by uncle silly philly on May 9, 2023 12:03:14 GMT -5
pleased to announce that after two COVID tests (just to be on the safe side before I return to work) I am negative which means I have once again evaded this virus
pleased to announce that after two COVID tests (just to be on the safe side before I return to work) I am negative which means I have once again evaded this virus
Fingers crossed, but it can take some time - I didn't test positive until five days after I returned from Bonnaroo last year.
pleased to announce that after two COVID tests (just to be on the safe side before I return to work) I am negative which means I have once again evaded this virus
Fingers crossed, but it can take some time - I didn't test positive until five days after I returned from Bonnaroo last year.
Home in New Jersey, still basking in good Shaky vibes. Final ‘23 thoughts:
The Good - The Lineup- obviously. I would return for a fourth day just to see the undercard acts we couldn’t get to. - The Crowd- despite the huge crowd, I can’t recall even one example of someone being an asshole. - Logistics- these folks know how to run a festival. Entry/security was a breeze, never waited for water or a porta-potty, and food lines were short if you went early and were flexible on choices.
The Bad - Increased Crowd- Good for business and Shaky’s longevity, but harder to get a good spot at back-to-back sets. Getting reasonably close requires sacrificing some of whatever’s before- like a large festival. Locals and regulars I spoke with confirmed it’s more crowded than they’ve ever seen. My theory is that they were permitted to sell more tickets due to the big expansion near the Ponce stage- but it didn’t seem to draw enough away from the overflow Piedmont and Peachtree areas. Anyone hear attendance figures? - Sound Issues at Criminal Records on Saturday, and Piedmont Sunday (soft vocals, loud kick drum).
The Ugly- That Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. Cypress Hill conflict. That’s it.
Overall, a great time at a great festival. I may consider VIP next time- can anyone share their VIP experience/recommendations or thoughts?
Pretty sure AJC said it was over 40k although that was on Sunday night so not sure if it was just a guess or not
Thanks for the feedback, folks. This and 2018 are our only Shakys- my recollection of high $400's/ low $500's for early-bird VIP is way out of date! There's no right or wrong on GA vs. VIP- we all must choose how to budget our entertainment dollars, and what's most important between music/food/drinks/comfort. I can honestly say I've never had less of a good time in GA than in VIP. There's value either way- in my area, Springsteen cheap seats cost more than SK 3-day GA passes (easy choice there), and we could've done SK VIP for less than the cheapest Taylor Swift tickets!
