Shots Across The Bow

Bonnaroo

I went last year and posted about it(Starting here). Apparently those posts are showing upon search engines because I'm getting a bunch of new comments, most of which object to the fact that I cast the experience in a less than favorable light.

Sorry folks, I just call it like I see it.

If you don't want to go back and read through all the posts, here's a brief summary:

I heard a lot of music I liked, and listened to acts I'd never heard of, but the aggravations of the festival outweighed the fun in my opinion. Getting in to the campground was a nightmare, and each entry into the festival grounds was an adventure in randomness. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy camping. I've got a nice setup with most of the comforts of home, but the quality of a campout is determined more by the people you are camping with than the equipment you use, and the Bonnaroo crowd contains too many of the people who can make camping miserable.

All in all, while I probably won't go back again, I'm glad I went. I met some very interesting folks, hung out with a crowd about as different from me as you can get, got a nice hat, and heard some great music. I want to find a different festival, maybe a bluegrass festival, and go to it.

Anyway,for those of you heading out to Bonnaroo, here is a collection of tips to make your experience more enjoyable.

• Come early, come late, it doesn't seem to matter much as far as the wait to get in to the campground goes.


• There are very specific rules on what you can and can't bring with you and the type of shelters you can use. They are available well in advance of the event. Ignore them; the folks searching your vehicle do.


• You will have a very limited amount of space to set up your campsite, roughly 100 square feet plus your vehicle. An 8' by 8' tent will take up most of it. Plan accordingly.


• Prices are high as you might expect. Make sure to bring everything you need.


• Bring extra ice.


• If you bring an extra stick of butter, you may be offered a lap dance.


• Plan on drinking roughly a gallon of fluids a day. This does not include alcohol or soda


• Bring your own toilet paper.


• Showers are $10. A solar shower from WalMart is $6. You do the math.


• You will want to take a shower.


• Your neighbors will want you to take a shower.


• You will want your neighbors to shower.


• The three most vital things to bring besides lots of water are


• A hat. Keep the sun off of your head and you'll stay cooler.


• Sunglasses


• Sunblock


• Traffic getting into the site is a nightmare so make sure you have plenty of gas to get in, and back out again.


• Cell phone service is available, but spotty. Encourage your family to send text messages instead. They get through easier.


• Plan ahead. Use your schedule to pick the acts you really want to see. Fill in the gaps with shopping, eating, or hearing an act you've never heard of. Challenge yourself.


• Be careful what you bring in to the venue. Just because they let you bring it in yesterday doesn't mean they'll let you in today.


• If you get turned away from one gate, try another.


• Take your time. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You've got three more days of this ahead of you.


• Try food you've never had before. Yeah, it's a little pricey, but it's nowhere near as bad as Disneyland.


• If you're turned away from the gate for carrying something you shouldn't, try another gate. (Yes, I mentioned this twice. It's important.)


• Get to know the folks camping near you. You're neighbors for the next 96 hours; you might as well be friendly.


• Drink plenty of water before you leave your campsite, and keep drinking it while you're at the venue. Bonnaroo provides free water stations, or you can spend $2.50 for a bottle.


• Bring a beach chair or something else to sit on. A three hour show feels a lot longer when you're sitting on the hard ground


• Arrive extra early to the venue of your choice. The main stage is surrounded by a huge field, and if you don't get there fairly early for the popular acts, you might be better off just watching MTV from the comfort of your couch at home. The other stages and tents are a little easier, but getting there 15 minutes early makes a huge difference in where you sit.


• Do not expect the rules to remain consistent. Just because you were allowed in one day with a camera, don't assume you will be allowed in the next day. Or the next hour.


• Allow extra time to get into the gates. Sometimes you won't need it, but most times, you will.


• If you're running your campsite off of an inverter wired to your car battery, start your car every couple of hours or so and let it run for 10 minutes.


• The number one tool for Friday (Day 2) is patience.


• Saturday, the venue is packed. Be prepared for large crowds and nowhere to sit. Hot, tired, and cranky 'Rooers will be sitting everywhere they can find the least bit of shade.


• Eating on site can be challenging on Saturday since there are, as I just mentioned, not many places to sit. A few dozen picnic benches would go a long way towards improving conditions in Centeroo.


• Flexibility is the watchword for Saturday. The large crowds make it certain you will miss something you wanted to see.


• To avoid waiting in long lines to get into the venue, here are two helpful hints.


• First, avoid the main entrance like the plague.


• Second, and this will seem counterintuitive, don't go early. Get to the gate with just enough time to make your show. The reason is simple; everybody else will be doing the same thing and a huge crowd will develop. Health and safety concerns will force security to speed up the inspection process, resulting in a line that moves about as fast as you can walk.


• Be prepared for the weather to change. Temperatures Saturday night dipped into the high 50's or low 60's which is very chilly unless you have a decent sleeping bag. Or a decent sleeping partner.


• When going to a show at one of the main stages, you have two options.


• You can get there several hours early and fight your way through the crowds to get somewhat close to the stage, then stand up for 5 hours straight.


• Or you can get there 10-15 minutes before the show, set up a beach chair and sit back under the stars and listen to the band play live.


• The night and evening shows are much more pleasant than the day shows. They are also more popular. Plan accordingly.


• My number one activity was people watching. We humans are a strange breed of critter, and you can see all of our strangeness on parade at Bonnaroo. When you're trapped in a crowd trying to get in or out of the venue or a show, watch people to pass the time.


• Most of the people working the event are volunteers, working for free or reduced admission to the show. They aren't paid, and they have zero power to change the way things are done, so cut them some slack.


• There are security patrols on horseback throughout the campground and at every gate. 4 legs are faster than 2 legs, and a half ton of horse beats 200 pounds of inebriated a**hole every time. But go on, challenge the mounted patrols. That's entertainment for the 300 people trapped in line waiting to get in.


• Bring ear plugs. Not for the shows, but for the inconsiderate folks back in the campground who want to blast disco remixes of Pink Floyd at 4AM.

Well,I hope this list helps somebody, and I hope you all have fun in Manchester. As for me, I'll be sitting on a beach in Florida, watching the waves roll in.

We will all have fun.

Posted by Rich at May 30, 2008 12:19 AM | TrackBack