Bonnaroo Music Festival, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee

Bonnaroo 4: Wedding in Mecca

The Preamble

I initially was not planning to do my now annual pilgrimage to Bonnaroo again this year. With much of my summer vacation already planned, having been to Bonnaroo the past two years, and without a line up that really blew me away as it had the past two years, I figured I’d take the year old. But in March my friends Greg and Alison announced that they planned to wed at the Bonnaroo festival grounds. When Greg told me, a big smile shot across my face as I instantly realized that I was going to have to make plans to attend. Come hell or high water, seeing my friends get married at Bonnaroo was an event that I could not afford to miss.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The actual trip down began at mid-afternoon on Wednesday when Lindsey and a group of her friends and friends of friends swung through DC on their way from New York City. After the normal group lag factor, we finally got on the road towards Manchester in pair of cars. We aimed to stop for the night at a motel outside of Knoxville instead of driving through the night as I had previously done. It would prove to be a nice change of pace to arrive at the festival having one last solid night of sleep.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

At my request to ensure that we met up with the wedding party on time to all go in together, we woke up early the next morning to get on the road. Greg requested that we get on the road even earlier, but seeing the tired demeanor of the rest of my group, recognizing that none of the rest of Lindsey’s group knew the wedding party, and all the additional energy I knew required expenditure, I only requested we get up early, not at the crack of dawn. We arrived at our designated meet up spot around 11:30am and were the last ones to arrive by quite a bit. The rest of the group, anxious to get to the camp ground and many having already began the festivities, piled into their cars prematurely as soon as we pulled into the lot, not recognizing that we were still waiting on an additional vehicle.

Our dozen vehicle, thirty plus person caravan made it into the campground in well under an hour to a decent camping spot. It was a little far away, but near food and bathrooms, and along a side-roadway so we had plenty of room. It was coincidently very near the place that I had camped the previous year. The wedding party’s campsite was quite recognizable with a huge white canopy perhaps fifteen feet wide by thirty feet long.

The small group consisting of the New Yorkers and myself had to do some tent wrangling to fit everything and assign sleeping quarters, especially when one assumed tent turned out to be a table. Clearly I wasn’t going to be amongst the most seasoned group of campers. We made due though, miraculously finding an additional old tent amongst our goods and cannibalizing yet another extra set of poles when others were unavailable. The whole process was a bit of a challenge especially considering the extreme heat.

I wandered into Centerloo around 4pm. After an introductory lap around the venue, we head to That Tent where we caught a bit of Futurebirds and Freelance Whales. I was looking forward to catching the latter but were not as good as I was hoping they would be since a lot of the electronic elements on their album did not hit as hard as part of a live set. I was not too disappointed when we decided to leave a bit early to go over to The Other Tent to see Karen Elson followed by Best Coast, though we were pretty far away for both. We then wandered around for a bit as the heat was dissipating, wishing that it could somehow be that pleasant during the day. Our last set of the day was Band of Skulls, a blue rock band similar in sound to the Black Keys and the highlight of the day, even though I wasn’t familiar with them beforehand. Afterwards, we decided to head back to the campsite and call it a night, making it likely my earliest night ever at Bonnaroo.

Friday, June 10, 2011

As expected, it was sweltering in the tent when the heat woke me in the morning. Lindsey and I only had a sheet and a blanket so we were a little chilly during the night. But as soon as the sun rose, we first shed our blankets, then opened the tent door and vents, then we were finally forced awake. This trend would occur each morning.

Friday was the actual wedding day, so everyone spent the first part of the day milling around under the canopy where the ceremony would be. Despite the minimalist nature of event, everything was well planned. We made a makeshift altar at one end of the canopy and set up chairs. We hung tapestries to provide a little relief from the sun as well as some pleasant atmosphere and a few streamers topped it all off.

At least thirty people were in attendance including some of Greg and Alison’s family members who instead opted to stay in hotels, including their parents and some siblings. The ceremony itself started around 1pm, a little later than expect so that the bride could wash her hair. Lindsey was happy that her contribution to the ceremony would be braiding said hair. Alison wore a simple white Lily Pulitzer dress and Greg pulled a white collared shirt on over his Phish t-shirt. Both already had a good bit of sunburn from the previous day. It was a refreshing change from many brides who obsess over looking perfect for their big day. The wedding was officiated by their friend, “Total Steve.” One of their friends videotaped the entire event so that those that could not be there could still see the event and one of the New Yorkers, Naomi, jumped in as the official photographer. Another of their friends, Seth, played the guitar. The moment when he forgot to stop playing so they could start their vows just added to the causal nature of the whole event.

Greg and Alison wrote their own vows, which included a big focus on friendship. Again, I found the casual and honest nature of it all very touching and it was perhaps the first time that I teared up during a wedding ceremony. The ceremony itself was short but sweet. Afterwards, we cracked open the bottle of champagne that I had brought and distributed a few cigars. We cooked kabobs on the grill and ate some wedding cake, a pile of stacked donuts with the traditional bride & groom topper.

I headed in to the fest about 2:30pm with Lindsey and Sarah. The line to get into the venue was unbelievable as it wrapped around the exterior of the venue as far as the eye could see. We ended up just cutting the line even though I felt like a jerk for doing so, but I had shows to see! In years past, when the line hit critical mass, security would stop checking bags and just let a group of people through security until the line became a little more reasonable. However, no such luck this year. It seemed that because they had set up a series of cattle chutes to funnel people up to the front, it created a disconnect between the long line and security so they didn’t realize just how bad it was. Later, other festival goers mentioned to me that they were in line for an hour and half and thought that others were in line even longer. It was unacceptable to me that Bonnaroo would allow such a thing to happen.

After finding our way in the venue, we headed to Which Stage to see the original line up of Béla Fleck & the Flecktones. Though it was a treat to see such talented musicians in person and they were on point as always, I only half payed attention because we were so far away and I could only concentrate on the complex instrumental music for so long before my mind would start to wander.

After Béla we wandered over to see dance punk duo Matt & Kim. Even from a great distance, we could feel the energy coming from This Tent. We could also see the massive amounts of dust that was kicking up from the dry earth. Throughout the weekend, the site just got more and more dry. Dust was everywhere and when a large group of people migrated from one place to another (pretty much every time a large show ended and people moved on to the next thing), it would kick up even more. Bandanas tied around faces were a common sight and everyone’s feet were filthy.

Later in the afternoon, we were joined by Sarah’s sister Kat who flew in from Boston. This smaller group would be who I would go to shows with for the majority of the rest of the festival. Our first order of business though was a trip to the Mushroom fountain to cool off, even if the water was brown with dirt. Later in the afternoon, we caught our first set at the What Stage with indie rockers the Decemberists. Though they put on a solid set, we decided to leave early so that we could catch all of Florence + the Machine. We found a good spot at the edge of That Tent and enjoyed the show as sun finally started to relent as evening crept in. Though we could not see well, we were able to get a glimpse of Flo’s bright red hair from time to time.

As the sun was finally setting, we walked back over the What Stage to see the headliners for the evening, starting with My Morning Jacket. Though I had trouble getting in touch with him via phone, we coincidentally ran into Greg and Alison in the crowd towards the back of the lawn. It was not particularly crowded where they were, so we had plenty of room to ourselves but still a decent view of the screens and could hear very well. Knowing what a big fan of them Greg was, it made my day to get to run into the man of the hour at such an opportune time. I had never been a huge fan of My Morning Jacket, but it was an amazingly hard hitting set, so I resolved to give them a more serious listen in the future. At almost two hours, it would also be the longest set that I would see the entire festival. After My Morning Jacket, we waited through the long set break for Arcade Fire, a personal favorite of mine that I had seen twice before, including a few months prior at Jazz Fest. They were great as always though my anticipation to see them could not match what it had previously been for past shows. Nonetheless, they played a great set and my trusty yellow paper refractive glasses were a hit amongst the group. By the end of Arcade Fire, I was exhausted and ready to get some sleep in anticipation for the following day, which would prove to be even more draining.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

We woke up early Saturday morning as always and soon headed into the venue. Everything that Lindsey and I wanted to see during the day was on the Which Stage, so we decided to just head there early and get a good spot. The highlight would be the indie bluegrass sensation Mumford and Sons who would close out the daytime shows before the evening’s headliners. After my experience in the photo pit with Mumford and Sons last year, I think Lindsey wanted her own experience of being as close as possible. Our group of four arrived at the Which Stage at 10am while the staff was still cleaning up the area from the previous night. We were the first people to arrive, though others soon filled in behind us. Recently, Bonnaroo had begun a new “European” festival style policy at the two largest stages where they separated a large section closest of the stage with gates. Festival goers could wait in line to be in this section, but after each set, it would be cleared out and a new group would come in for the next show. In this way, we were only able to spend the day in a section within about 75 feet from the stage, so we still had a great view, even if we were not immediately next to the stage. It’s a good idea in my opinion because it gives a number of people the opportunity to get a spot right up next to the stage instead of just a select few who camp out all day.

I made an effort to chat with people around me because I knew that we would all be getting really close as the day wore on and the extra space we tried to reserve with our blankets disappeared. In particular, we befriended two guys behind us, Nate and Ryan, pooling our water and sunscreen and positioning ourselves throughout the day to maintain an optimal footprint for the six of us. As impressive as I thought that our plans were for the day, to camp out in a single spot from 10am till 8pm, their day was much more aggressive, as they planned to stay the actual entire day, until String Cheese Incident finished their set around 3am that night. This made our ten hours look paltry in comparison to their sixteen. Most of the other people surrounding us were only there until Mumford and Sons as well. Furthermore, the ten hours that we were there were certainly the hottest and most uncomfortable part of the day, which was the true test, not the cramped quarters. Lindsey and I sucked down a five hour energy each every four hours or so to keep us going throughout the day.

The day started around noon with gospel/soul group Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens to warm up the crowd. They were fine but completely unknown to me and mostly forgettable. Following was local Tennessee band Old Crow Medicine Show, who kicked off the bluegrass/folk theme of the afternoon. I first experienced them last year when they joined Mumford and Sons for their encore the previous year. I was excited to see them on their own, as they played up their Tennessee accents and heritage as part of a solid set.

The heat made me not want to eat much. On top of that, even though I was applying copious amounts of sunscreen, I still felt my skin getting too much sun. It was just plain old hot, sitting and baking in the sun without anywhere to escape. Fortunately, we had plenty of water. Some people around us were either not prepared or still just unable to handle the heat and had to leave or be escorted out by medical staff when they started to become faint. I took my last bathroom trip of the afternoon following Old Crow Medicine Show. From here on out, I minimized my liquid intake so that I wouldn’t have to fight the crowd as it got even more dense.

Next up was Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas continuing the bluegrass theme of the day, though in a much more mellow demeanor. Despite it not being anything that would really energize the crowd, it was still a great set to be up close. Jerry Douglas’ extended steel guitar solos, including one point where he had the stage to himself, were especially impressive. Alison Krauss and friends played a lot from their great new album, Paper Airplane as well as plenty of older stuff, including music from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack (which put her on the map as far as I’m concerned). I was hoping that Robert Plant would join them onstage, since he was slated to play on the What Stage the following evening to play a selection or two from his joint album with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, which ruled the dominated the charts (relatively for bluegrass) and Grammies a few years ago, but no such luck.

After Alison Krauss & Union Station was the show that we had all been waiting for all day, indie bluegrass/folk rockers Mumford and Sons. By this point, I was dehydrated and famished, just running on nothing but caffeine and adrenaline. Nonetheless, I joined the rest of the crowd in ecstasy as they took the stage. The four regulars were also joined by a horn section for the majority of the show. As expected, they played much of their freshmen album but also added in four or five new songs, all of which I instantly loved and hoped would show up on their next release. For their encore, they invited Old Crow Medicine Show and a bunch of other players (nineteen people in total) for an impromptu “Amazing Grace” jam session.

After the show, Lindsey asked me how it compared to last year’s set, which was one of the most amazing shows/experiences of my life. I had to admit that it did not quite live up to last year’s experience, but that was mostly because it was the second time around and nothing can really compare to the first time you’re able to see a band you love. Of course this time we also were not as close, which was a surreal experience in and of itself. However, there were a few elements that were actually an improvement as compared to the previous year. For starters, it was great to have someone with me, especially Lindsey, who was just as excited to see them this year as I was last year. Second, unlike last year, where I lucked out and got rock star accommodations, being escorted into the photo pit, this year, was more earning in that we showed up so early and waited so long. It made it all feel much more rewarding, including the communal feeling of watching it with other fans that had been waiting just as long. Finally, their set was technically better. They were more improvisational with their music and their set list flowed better. They rocked just as hard and were just as excited to be there. Overall the set was amazing and as I heard latter a huge draw at Bonnaroo, attracting way more people to the Which Stage than festival planner had anticipated.

Nonetheless, when the show was over, I was very relieved to leave that space. The area really cleared out and there was a lot of turnover after that show, which makes sense considering that the Black Keys would be playing on the What Stage in short order and the long wait until the next set on the Which Stage. We made our way to the What Stage in time for the beginning of the Black Keys set. However, we were all just wiped. For the first half of their set, I was either just zoned out or focused on hitting the bathroom, eating some dinner, and replenishing my fluids. Looking for a spot on the lawn near where we were the previous evening, I ran into a casual friend, Sam, that I did not know was at the festival and then Caroline a little later.

The garage/blues band The Black Keys rocked hard and put on a solid show. Unfortunately, I was a little mentally removed from the first half of the show, instead working to get back into a good physical and mental state. So it was a little disappointing when their set only last an hour, ending a half hour early and just as I was getting into the swing of it. I ventured closer to the stage to find out it would be the last song of their set, a bit of let down.

Afterwards, we waited quite a while for things to clear out before venturing over to see folk legends Buffalo Springfield on the Which Stage. We didn’t bother to venture too, too close to the stage, but for some reason it was really hard to hear from a distance, so we got just close enough to hear. For the first time during the festival, we saw lightning and felt rain drops. Fortunately, that a storm seemed imminent, none came. It would have been more welcome if I would have thrown a rain fly over our tent and the thought of our campsite might be getting the worst of it. Fortunately, we later returned to camp to find that it stayed relatively dry.

We returned to the What Stage for the beginning of Eminem. From the stage set up and booming voice introducing him, it was clear that this show would be the remnants of his recent Recovery Tour. Joined by Mr. Porter of D12, Slim Shady took the stage to all the flash and hype expected of such a high profile hip hop star. He cycled through all of his hits or at least partial versions or medleys of them. There were several songs that I didn’t recognize, presumably from his newest albums. I also forgot how depressing some of his songs are, such as “Stan” and “Love the Way You Lie.” It was certainly not Jay-Z the year before, but it was a pretty good show. Again, there was a mass exodus out of the venue via the side entrance that was the only to the rest of the festival grounds and there was a major traffic jam created by the bottleneck at the entrance. The problem was exacerbated a ten foot wide muddy trough at the peak of the bottleneck with only a few foot bridges to get people across without stepping into the mud. The vast majority of people waited patiently to get through the crowd, but of course there were a few jerks who tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to somehow push their way through as if they were trying to get someplace that oblivious to everyone else in the sardine case.

Eventually, we made it back to the Which Stage for the String Cheese Incident, who took the stage a half hour late themselves. I thought about Nate and Ryan up in the very front closing out their night after an very long day. Thought the show was certainly enjoyable, and I would have stayed any normal night, we only stuck around for another twenty to thirty minutes before a few girls wanted to call it a night. Surprising even myself, I could have stayed a little longer, but it did not take me much convincing to call it a night. Despite it being our earliest and longest day, it was also our latest. It also completed our seeing at least some of every act that played the Which Stage that day, another first for me.

Other than a bit of String Cheese Incident, this was also the first Bonnaroo that I did not see any of the late night sets, which are often some of the sets that I and look forward to the most. Had we not been out and about for so long, I could have definitely stayed out and seen more String Cheese or gone to one of the many other things going on including Gogol Bordello, STS9, or Girl Talk, but they were all bands that I had seen before anyway, so returning to camp to get some sleep did not sound like a bad idea.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Early the next morning as I was waking up, a group including Greg and some of his college friends were still up from the night before enjoying a few drinks and whatnot. Sometimes around their bodies as they started to fall asleep, we packed up camp. A lot of people were heading out immediately. Our group went into the festival early to see the The Head and the Heart, an indie folk band that Lindsey had recently discovered and had quickly become a big fan and I was on my way to doing the same.

Despite being the first set of the day at the Other Tent, especially on Sunday, it was pretty crowded at the show. For that hour of the day, which often features up and coming performers, it was also one of the best sets that I had seen at any Bonnaroo as well even though being as new as they were, they only had enough material for about 35-40 minutes. Afterwards, we caught the tail end of indie rockers the Smith Westerns while sitting underneath a nearby tree, laying in perhaps a centimeter of dust, a layer of which would cake itself onto any body part that touched the ground. I was pretty mentally checked out at this point so the dust barely fazed me. Our final act of the festival was Neon Trees, who I had not heard of previously, so I only moderately attentive.

Afterwards we ventured back to the camp to head home. I was pretty disappointed to be leaving so early considering that there was a lot more later that night that I wanted to see including Iron & Wine and Explosions in the Sky, but these are the compromises that you make when traveling with a group and made an improper assumption that the status quo would be to stay till the end of the festival. Nonetheless, I welcomed the opportunity to spend the night in a hotel and get a shower and a decent night’s sleep before returning home the following day.