The days are starting to blend together in my mind; please forgive me if I mix them up a bit.
Day 3
My personal favorite day, though it did not start out great. We had decided that perhaps day 3 would be a good day for a shower. We gathered up our towels and such things and headed toward the water station. We quickly ascertained we needed tickets for the shower- we purchased them and then got in line. For three hours. Three fucking hours. For a shower. In the hot hot sun. At one point a guy walked by and yelled "why take a shower, it's going to be another 110 degree day." and then something about peace and love. At first I snickered, but three hours later, I was in complete agreement with him.
The wait became a battle. We had already paid for the shower, so we didn't want to be out the $7. There was a lot of "we've already waited this long" going on. Walking away made the wait seem completely futile. At one point I think the showers shut down so they could empty the tanks. The smell in the air was like that of a rotting corpse wrapped in sauerkraut soaked gym socks trapped inside a warm port-a-john on the hottest day of the year in death valley. It was awful. Still, we would not be defeated by the wait.
The showers themselves were not glamorous and it was clear a majority of the women weren't versed in the ways of quickie showers. I did my best to not touch the sides of the shower stalls for fear of contracting a disease. It was refreshing though. Meghan asked me if it was worth it. "Uhhhhhh. Not really." Especially since within the time it took to walk back to camp, my feet were already filthy again. No more showers!
The Music
The music on day 3 was amazing. We decided to settle in at Which Stage to see Old Crow Medicine Show, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and Mumford & Sons. I took my blanket over, which was apparently against the rules, but it was one of those rules that meant nothing. This is also the blanket that got sacrificed to the Bonnaroo gods. At the end of the day, I didn't want it back anyway. Plus, during the Eminem show, it helped me save Meg's life. (See, she wasn't really interested in the show, so she curled up on the blanket with the rest of us surrounding her. A photo of this exists, but I'll refrain from posting it. Then some drunk guy came barreling through our area and almost stepped on Meg's head. Luckily I stopped him and said "hey hey hey - watch it." Then he went around. Life saved.)
The Mumford & Sons show was transformative for me. At the end they brought out Old Crow Medicine Show and the most amazing dobro player to play Amazing Grace with them. It really was amazing.
I was convinced enough by the amazingness of that show to stick around for the rest of the night. I'm not a super Eminem fan, but felt a Michigan loyalty thing happening, so I went just to support him. Because I assume that's what he really wants: half-hearted support from a nearly middle-aged obedient white girl who actually find most of his lyrics disrespectful. Well, that's what I offered. The rest of the night is a bit of a haze, but I believe there were some dinosaurs, sleeping in the street, Scissor Sisters, and Gogol Bordello. Also, by now we had discovered the taxi system. Totally worth the $5.
Day 4
A slow morning; just what we needed to recover from teh day before. Showers were not happening, so we again sat in our filth. I claimed to "have a relationship with these wet-ones" and I stand by that. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I grilled up some dogs and warmed up chili and we enjoyed quasi-campfire chili dogs. It's a perfect food.
I visited the comedy tent once more for John Waters and Tig Notaro. I had figured out the system by then and line wasn't as unbearable. We saw Ryan Bingham and G. Love. WE saw Robert Plant and Patty Griffin came out as a special guest. That was my favorite moment of the day- the best kind of surprise. There must have been others, but the heat is affecting my memory.
Widespread Panic was an insane show. I hadn't listened to them before, at least not on purpose. I think all of their songs are 30 minutes long. There were a lot of things being thrown through the air: thousands of glow sticks, regular balloons, beach balls, and water balloons. Heads up was a good idea, but it got difficult to maintain after a couple of hours.
The walk out was bittersweet. It was exciting because of all the people, but also it meant Bonnaroo was over. Sad face. We collapsed back in our tents. We got up the next morning, packed up as quickly as possible, and hit the road- for about 50 miles until we stopped at a Cracker Barrel. I won at breakfast, throwing my fork down on the plate to prove it, we shopped the country store, and then loaded ourselves back in the car for the 11 hour journey.
The Aftermath
Waking up on Tuesday was difficult, in a really depressing way. I was at home, and there were no amazing bands playing in my living room or in my cubicle. It was nice to shower and sleep in a real bed, but at what cost? Oh Bonnaroo, until we meet again.
Showing posts with label Bonnaroo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bonnaroo. Show all posts
Friday, June 17, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Bonnaroo: Day 1 and Day 2. A Review.
As I mentioned earlier, we made an overnight stop at a Days Inn, took a few showers, and then went on our way. We fueled up at Waffle House and headed down 24. At some point we were lied to- we were on the lookout for exit 112, but there was no exit 112. We were also foiled by the Wal-Mart parking lot, the VIP entrance, and basic knowledge of distances. No matter, we still made it through the line in pretty good time and to what would be our dusty home for the next four days.
Oh the heat. I don't know that I've been somewhere that just got so hot so fast. After being outside for about 30 seconds, I was ornery spitfire sweating balls hot. And we still had to set up our camp. This led to the shoddiest camp set-up ever. Put your tent anywhere, and that's where it stays.
We were given a map of the whole thing, but the thing about maps is that without any sort of reference point, they aren't very useful. Here's a piece of paper with pretty colors on it; it represents a 700-acre farm, and you are *somewhere* on it. Our first guess, which was that we were awesomely close, turned out to be very wrong. We were very far away. I'm amazed it was the same county.
We spent the first few hours there drinking a little bit and staring at the inexplicable map. We lathered on as much sunscreen as we could and moseyed on down to Centeroo. The first day is generally used for figuring things out- learning the lay of the land and leaning into how dirty your feet will be for the next four days. And once your feet are that dirty, you might as well just sit your ass in it too.
The Lay of the Land
My theory is that people would never really learn proper names for tents and stages anyway, so the Bonnaroo folks decided to just put up the most generic names they could think of. The tents and stages were named This Tent, That Tent, The Other Tent, What Stage, and Which Stage. There were a few other small stages with more specific names- Sonic, Lunar, and Solar I think. Of course this created an amusing who's on first routine every time you asked someone where an act was playing.
Well, you can see where that could go. And speaking of Childish Gambino, I was sure to make it over to This Tent for his show. It's slightly against type for me, but I really enjoyed it. The crowd was criz-azy, and for a moment, I was a little afraid. I'm not confident I was actually standing on the ground, I think I was being held up my those around me. Everyone knew all the words and several chants of "Gambino" broke out. Donald Glover wore a sleeveless Garth Brooks T-shirt and skinny black shorts. Normally I wouldn't think that would be a look, but apparently he can pull any look off he wants.
After Childish Gambino I huffed it back to the camp ground. Luckily I have an amazing sense of direction and was able to find it. I crawled in my tiny tent and my already deflating air mattress and drifted off to the perpetual sound of port-a-potty doors slamming. Oh, did I mention we were about 50 feet from a long line of port-a-potties? We were.
Day 2
The slam-slam-slam of the port-a-potty doors woke us up, along with the crippling heat. There came a point in the morning, and I believe it was approximately 30 seconds after the sun cam up, where lying in the tent was suffocating. The rain cover created some sort of greenhouse effect I think. I even had a little tent fan but it did nothing.
This meant getting up was simply transitioning from sleeping in a tent, to sleeping sitting up in our chairs outside. I feigned reading for about 5 minutes. Eventually we broke out some breakfast items - cereal and bagels; a few hours later, we were ready for the 2 mile hike again.
For me, day 2 was full of line waiting, comedy, beer, water, sunscreen, heat, sweat, and poor food choices. So, pretty much any other Friday. It was so hot. I just keep thinking about how hot it was. I tried to say as hydrated as possible. I could feel the sun burning through the layers of sunscreen I lathered on.
Day 2 was the day I started getting flummoxed- mostly over all the line standing and the pushing. Also, I don't understand why it's so hard to throw garbage in the trash can instead of on the ground. I enjoyed the Lewis Black / Kathleen Madigan show a great deal, but the waiting in line bit was a little over the top for me. I had wanted to go back to the campsite for lunch between that show and the next thing, but there was just no time, and I couldn't handle the walk. Instead, I moseyed over to the Broo'ers Festival- a tent full of microbrews! That was my kind of tent. I recommend the Asheville Brewing Company's Ninja Porter if you're ever in an area that sells it. Dark, yet still refreshing.
I worked my way up to the front of What Stage for the Decemberists show. Brilliant. Hearts and Stars. I love it. After that, I went over to This Tent for Florence + The Machine. It was so incredibly packed, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't actually see the show, so I settled in at a table near the food truck area and listened. It sounded awesome. After that, back to the What Stage for the end of My Morning Jacket, a piece of pizza, and a spot for Arcade Fire.
The sun went down and so did I. Wait, word choice. I headed back to the camp ground. There was still silent disco to be had, but I doubted my ability to get through it. It would have to wait for another day.
Oh the heat. I don't know that I've been somewhere that just got so hot so fast. After being outside for about 30 seconds, I was ornery spitfire sweating balls hot. And we still had to set up our camp. This led to the shoddiest camp set-up ever. Put your tent anywhere, and that's where it stays.
We were given a map of the whole thing, but the thing about maps is that without any sort of reference point, they aren't very useful. Here's a piece of paper with pretty colors on it; it represents a 700-acre farm, and you are *somewhere* on it. Our first guess, which was that we were awesomely close, turned out to be very wrong. We were very far away. I'm amazed it was the same county.
We spent the first few hours there drinking a little bit and staring at the inexplicable map. We lathered on as much sunscreen as we could and moseyed on down to Centeroo. The first day is generally used for figuring things out- learning the lay of the land and leaning into how dirty your feet will be for the next four days. And once your feet are that dirty, you might as well just sit your ass in it too.
The Lay of the Land
My theory is that people would never really learn proper names for tents and stages anyway, so the Bonnaroo folks decided to just put up the most generic names they could think of. The tents and stages were named This Tent, That Tent, The Other Tent, What Stage, and Which Stage. There were a few other small stages with more specific names- Sonic, Lunar, and Solar I think. Of course this created an amusing who's on first routine every time you asked someone where an act was playing.
"Where is Childish Gambino playing?"
"This tent."
"This is a pretzel stand. Which stage is he playing at?"
"No, which stage open tomorrow."
"What opens tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that too."
"What?"
"That's the big stage."
"I thought that was a tent."
Well, you can see where that could go. And speaking of Childish Gambino, I was sure to make it over to This Tent for his show. It's slightly against type for me, but I really enjoyed it. The crowd was criz-azy, and for a moment, I was a little afraid. I'm not confident I was actually standing on the ground, I think I was being held up my those around me. Everyone knew all the words and several chants of "Gambino" broke out. Donald Glover wore a sleeveless Garth Brooks T-shirt and skinny black shorts. Normally I wouldn't think that would be a look, but apparently he can pull any look off he wants.
After Childish Gambino I huffed it back to the camp ground. Luckily I have an amazing sense of direction and was able to find it. I crawled in my tiny tent and my already deflating air mattress and drifted off to the perpetual sound of port-a-potty doors slamming. Oh, did I mention we were about 50 feet from a long line of port-a-potties? We were.
Day 2
The slam-slam-slam of the port-a-potty doors woke us up, along with the crippling heat. There came a point in the morning, and I believe it was approximately 30 seconds after the sun cam up, where lying in the tent was suffocating. The rain cover created some sort of greenhouse effect I think. I even had a little tent fan but it did nothing.
This meant getting up was simply transitioning from sleeping in a tent, to sleeping sitting up in our chairs outside. I feigned reading for about 5 minutes. Eventually we broke out some breakfast items - cereal and bagels; a few hours later, we were ready for the 2 mile hike again.
For me, day 2 was full of line waiting, comedy, beer, water, sunscreen, heat, sweat, and poor food choices. So, pretty much any other Friday. It was so hot. I just keep thinking about how hot it was. I tried to say as hydrated as possible. I could feel the sun burning through the layers of sunscreen I lathered on.
Day 2 was the day I started getting flummoxed- mostly over all the line standing and the pushing. Also, I don't understand why it's so hard to throw garbage in the trash can instead of on the ground. I enjoyed the Lewis Black / Kathleen Madigan show a great deal, but the waiting in line bit was a little over the top for me. I had wanted to go back to the campsite for lunch between that show and the next thing, but there was just no time, and I couldn't handle the walk. Instead, I moseyed over to the Broo'ers Festival- a tent full of microbrews! That was my kind of tent. I recommend the Asheville Brewing Company's Ninja Porter if you're ever in an area that sells it. Dark, yet still refreshing.
I worked my way up to the front of What Stage for the Decemberists show. Brilliant. Hearts and Stars. I love it. After that, I went over to This Tent for Florence + The Machine. It was so incredibly packed, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't actually see the show, so I settled in at a table near the food truck area and listened. It sounded awesome. After that, back to the What Stage for the end of My Morning Jacket, a piece of pizza, and a spot for Arcade Fire.
The sun went down and so did I. Wait, word choice. I headed back to the camp ground. There was still silent disco to be had, but I doubted my ability to get through it. It would have to wait for another day.
Bonnaroo, I Hardly Knew Ye
I am most surprised by the fact that I actually woke up this morning. One of the first things I did when I got home last night was shower. It was the greatest shower of my life. And then I went about my night, as though it weren't after midnight. Bonnaroo got in my blood.
I have to admit, there was tipping point for me. Or a wall if you will. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. Between day 2 and day 3, I was just flummoxed. The heat had gotten to me and I was in pain. Little annoyances were building up and I was convinced I had gotten in over my head. But I powered through. And then the most amazing thing happened- I came down on the other side; I broke through the wall. It happened during the Mumford&Sons performance when I just knew I was witnessing something amazing. A wash came over me and the frustrations from earlier- the heat, being stepped on, sulfer-water, lines- just faded away. Bonnaroo 2012, count me in.
I've been thinking about how to organize my thoughts for Bonnaroo, and I think I should do it just the way I do everything else - Bird by Bird. So, I'll do complete bird-by-bird review of Bonnaroo over the next few days. A small preview:
Things We Lost at Bonnaroo: One pair of sandals and a blanket. We lost them the way you lose things in the fray, or in the fire.
I have to admit, there was tipping point for me. Or a wall if you will. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. Between day 2 and day 3, I was just flummoxed. The heat had gotten to me and I was in pain. Little annoyances were building up and I was convinced I had gotten in over my head. But I powered through. And then the most amazing thing happened- I came down on the other side; I broke through the wall. It happened during the Mumford&Sons performance when I just knew I was witnessing something amazing. A wash came over me and the frustrations from earlier- the heat, being stepped on, sulfer-water, lines- just faded away. Bonnaroo 2012, count me in.
I've been thinking about how to organize my thoughts for Bonnaroo, and I think I should do it just the way I do everything else - Bird by Bird. So, I'll do complete bird-by-bird review of Bonnaroo over the next few days. A small preview:
Things We Lost at Bonnaroo: One pair of sandals and a blanket. We lost them the way you lose things in the fray, or in the fire.
Monday, June 13, 2011
One More From The Road
Bonnaroo is over. The cars are loaded up and right now we're driving down rural Tennesee roads with corn fields on either side. Also, the cars are air conditioned and it's never felt so good. There was a forecast for thunderstorms, but other than a few drops Friday night there was nothing. It was 100million degrees with 10,000% humidity for four days. All the sunscreen in the world couldn't help me. I used SPF 110 many many times a day but there was no escaping a bit of a burn.
I spoke too soon about driving through rural Tennesee roads. Everyone else is too, so there's a bit of a jam. As long as they're not all heading to DC, we'll be just fine.
I'll be sure to do a proper review of Bonnaroo for the rest of the week. I think it requires a decent amount of reflection.
Also, I just wanted to say hi to Mary. "Hi Mary!"
I spoke too soon about driving through rural Tennesee roads. Everyone else is too, so there's a bit of a jam. As long as they're not all heading to DC, we'll be just fine.
I'll be sure to do a proper review of Bonnaroo for the rest of the week. I think it requires a decent amount of reflection.
Also, I just wanted to say hi to Mary. "Hi Mary!"
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Driving Through The Night
Leaving after work for a 10 hour drive always seems like a good idea. That's because driving through the night, through the Appalachian Mountains, sun roof open, playlist blaring, eating popcorn, and drinking gas station coffee is fucking awesome. With the right car load you can go seamlessly from Cyndi Lauper to Alabama without missing a beat.
Of course someone is bound to fall asleep, but as long as it's not the driver it's allowed. We pulled into a Days Inn about 60 miles from Manchester for a few hours of sketchy sleep and take the last showers we'd get for four days. We topped off with a Waffle House breakfast and are back on the road, preparing for the massive line that awaits.
Having spent the last several years living on the coast and in cities I forgot what the middle of the country looked like. Huh. There are a lot of trees. Nice.
Bonnaroo!
Of course someone is bound to fall asleep, but as long as it's not the driver it's allowed. We pulled into a Days Inn about 60 miles from Manchester for a few hours of sketchy sleep and take the last showers we'd get for four days. We topped off with a Waffle House breakfast and are back on the road, preparing for the massive line that awaits.
Having spent the last several years living on the coast and in cities I forgot what the middle of the country looked like. Huh. There are a lot of trees. Nice.
Bonnaroo!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Apparently, Satan's Birthday
Bonnaroo! Woo! I'm attending this year's Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, TN. This is something I was more likely to do when I was younger, but I decided to let loose, throw caution to the wind, be forever young, and all that other cliche stuff people like me say when we pretend we're not old.
Also, that's my way of saying that I won't be able to update Oliver for a few days. I don't know what the IT department at Bonnaroo is like, but I'm guessing minimal at best.
I'm planning to do the whole camping, not showering, tent-sleeping, hippie ordeal. I'm leaning into it. I will have a good time, even if every fiber of my Midwestern fear-based upbringing being tries to fight it. Eating hot dogs and drinking beer for four days is good for me. I'm sure of it.
The title of the post is a reference to a ridiculous article put out by *someone* and posted on a crazy Christian website. I don't know if it's a parody or not. I'd link it, but if it is real, I don't want to give it any more credence. All you need to know is they pointed out Bonnaroo is scheduled on the same day as Satan's birthday (nope, that doesn't make sense) and they have histograms predicting the likelihood of "your daughter doing mouth sex." You know what, fuck it: the article is here: Bonnaroo - Happy Birthday Satan! It's actually pretty damn funny. As long as nobody takes this shit seriously.
I'll take some pictures - at least 10, and then they'll be up on the One day, Ten photos blog I participate in when I return. My weekend starts early, with a 10 hour car trip down to Tennessee. I hope it's as nice as I've heard.
Also, that's my way of saying that I won't be able to update Oliver for a few days. I don't know what the IT department at Bonnaroo is like, but I'm guessing minimal at best.
I'm planning to do the whole camping, not showering, tent-sleeping, hippie ordeal. I'm leaning into it. I will have a good time, even if every fiber of my Midwestern fear-based upbringing being tries to fight it. Eating hot dogs and drinking beer for four days is good for me. I'm sure of it.
The title of the post is a reference to a ridiculous article put out by *someone* and posted on a crazy Christian website. I don't know if it's a parody or not. I'd link it, but if it is real, I don't want to give it any more credence. All you need to know is they pointed out Bonnaroo is scheduled on the same day as Satan's birthday (nope, that doesn't make sense) and they have histograms predicting the likelihood of "your daughter doing mouth sex." You know what, fuck it: the article is here: Bonnaroo - Happy Birthday Satan! It's actually pretty damn funny. As long as nobody takes this shit seriously.
I'll take some pictures - at least 10, and then they'll be up on the One day, Ten photos blog I participate in when I return. My weekend starts early, with a 10 hour car trip down to Tennessee. I hope it's as nice as I've heard.
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