Reflections on Bonnaroo 2011: After having another Roo come and go, I thought why not try to remember some of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Having not been in a few years, I did have Homecoming feeling this time. The roads were still laid out the same, the stages still in the same place, the stench from the toilets still knocks you over, and the heat is still merciless. This year was a dude-only event with myself, Drew, John, and James camping and rocking out all weekend. We didn’t get much sleep, we didn’t do any drugs, but we caught around 30 bands and 2 comedy acts in 4 1/2 days. So onto the summary!
The Good: Tons of great bands. The best sets came from the groups that are at the perfect point in their careers like Arcade Fire, Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, and Gogol Bordello. The other great sets came from a few newer bands and really, really newer bands like Band of Skulls, Apache Relay, and J Roddy Walston and the Business (J Roddy was particularly awesome and mentioned he was going to ‘punch someone in the face’ during the performance!).
The Bad: The dust is now at Grapes of Wrath proportions. As I type my body is still trying to purge it. No amount of effort could stop the inhalation of dust. The once nice grass has been trampled into baked earth. It’s hard not to recall what it was like in 2006 when the area around This Tent and Which Stage were surrounded by nice ‘pick-nick’ like areas, where hippies could sleep comfortably at all hours of the day or night.
The Ugly: Drew having his iPod and cash stolen on Friday while at MMJ and Arcade Fire shows. AND not bathing for 4 1/2 days (except for the nightly wet wipes and purell).
Overall, it was a very fun festival. Maybe I’ll hit up something with more chances to sleep in a hotel and take a hot shower next year. Lollapalooza? ACL? We’ll see…
