I'd like to say that my first blog post was a beautiful and gripping description of my life thus far...how I've grown as a human being, lessons I've learned, relationships I've had, family memories, etc. But I've decided to keep things less intense and discuss one of my new favorite events...Bonnaroo...aka...Roo. I'm sure this post will be all over the place but please bear with me, as it's my first.
I love music. I can't imagine living life without it. Since the time that I first started making money, I was in search of the next concert. In the early 90's, my older sister got me hooked on The Dave Matthews Band. We would sit up on her bed with our "Under the Table and Dreaming" cassette tape and listen for hours. As soon as I got the chance to go to my first "Dave" concert, I jumped all over it. My Father works at Madison Square Garden and was able to get me and a few of my friends into his MSG show. We ended up front and center about a foot away from the stage. Yes, I am one of those girls who left the show saying "Dave and I locked eyes...we connected". I really thought we did! It was an amazing experience.
Concert fever took over after that show. There was something about live music that brought me to an amazing place. I began searching for shows in my area and went to as many as I could afford. My music variety grew and I still find myself appreciating music I never thought I would.
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Now to focus on the topic. Roo. My first Roo was last year, 2010. I was on a plane heading to India with my Father. Before I boarded, I stopped in the convenience store to grab a magazine for the 12+ hour flight to Dubai. I found myself getting pretty bored after about hour 6 on the plane so I decided to open up the "Spin" mag I had purchased. After reading a few great articles, I flipped the page and saw the Bonnaroo Ad. The lineup was mind blowing. I started reading off the bands quietly to myself and then aloud to my Father because I couldn't contain myself. I announced "I am going to this!".
After returning to the States, I called my boyfriend of about a year and told him about the Festival. I was overly excited and also very nervous that he was going to shoot down my idea with the classic "mayyyyybe, if we can save the money." Alas! He said no such thing! He agreed that we would split the cost and buy the tickets that day! Five-hundred dollars poorer we began planning our trip.
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Months passed and we were packed and ready for our 11 hour drive down to Manchester, TN to see some amazing performances, including: Mumford & Sons, Stevie Wonder, DMB, Phoenix, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Here's the link if you care to see the entire lineup. http://www.bonnaroo.com/artists/2010.aspx
We arrived Thursday morning at about 7 a.m.—bumper to bumper traffic didn't seem to phase us—we were almost there. We pulled in and quickly started to setup. We did a terrible job at setting up our eight person tent (for the two of us) and we were a little flustered by the burning sun already scorching us at 8 a.m. All was well though, we had arrived. We knew this weekend would be EPIC.
Everything kicked off Thursday afternoon. We were exhausted from the drive, but ready to go! We explored a bit and then made our way down to Centeroo. Music was all around us. We were a little lost due to the fact that the stages names were: "What Stage," "Which Stage," "This Tent," "That Tent" & "The Other Tent," but we managed. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros was one of the first shows of the weekend we caught. I hadn't listened to them much before Roo but thanks to an good friend's advice, we decided to check them out. Amazing. Perfect start to the weekend.
The campsite was not my ideal setup, due to the fact that we had barely any room, but we made it work. We ate most every meal at the campsite. When we got too hot, we would walk over to the "Jesus Tent" which was a tent set up by a local church. They provided free cold drinks, snacks, wifi and had a few giant fans.
Our first Roo was a success! Besides the fungal rash that I got from walking through a germ infested swamp late Friday night, we ran into no hangups! Not only did we make it to most of the shows we had planned to see, we also were able to catch the World Cup Soccer game and the NBA Celtics Playoff game (which the Celts won). JBT, Phoenix, The National and Mumford & Sons were the most memorable shows of the weekend.
**Update** Bonnaroo 2011 has come and gone. Stay tuned for an updated post! In the meantime, check out this year's lineup. Pictures to come! http://www.bonnaroo.com/Artists.aspx
