Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
This was my 4th Roo and I had a great time. The traffic situation Thursday morning was definitely very frustrating, but it led to us getting a great spot; so no complaints there. I did have other people I was camping with mention they had seen the port-o-pots filled above the seat, but I didn't experience this.
The security was about the same as I'd seen before. However, there was one guy by the arch(bald guy, white bandanna) and he was getting a little excessive with his searching. He was opening every pocket of bags and sticking his face in there to get a good whiff. I mean come on...the only thing that he could possibly be sniffing for is corn; and seriously...is it worth all that to keep some kids from getting baked and enjoying music? It's interesting that someone mentioned them keeping the drugs for themselves. As I was walking out one day I heard the security saying "I've got PCP here, who wants it? Hey Bill, do you want this PCP?" Kinda gives credence to that theory. Also, for people having problems, did you not read anywhere on here when people said "If you see someone searching a bit too thoroughly and you have something to hide, switch lines" That's exactly what I did when I saw the security guy that was fulfilling his dream job of being a drug dog.
Water was fine, the lines for the filtered water stations only seemed long when you were at one that had low flow. The one between This Tent and The Other Tent always had a nice powerful flow and I never had any trouble filling there.
Yes, the heat was bad. However, this is Tennessee in the middle of June. Of course it's going to be hot. For those hoping to see a cooler roo next year, I can only say that this one really wasn't that bad.
All in all it was a great time. I missed a few bands because I didn't feel like trying to find a good spot somewhere else, but that's my own laziness. I'll definitely be there for the Roo 10th anniversary next year!
As an aside...I wonder if the cost cutting this year was to have a boatload of money to throw a truly epic 10th Roo.
There are way too many people camped out by pod 9 with insufficient infrastructure. They at least need another water station. Pretty sure there used to be a pod 10 and maybe even 11 in roo 06 and 07. Bring that Leno back.
Also I'm pretty sure it was the hottest Bonnaroo ever. Kudos to anyone who made it to John Fogerty or Regina Spektor and survived. It was way too quacking hot to not be in the shade at that time. (Actually, all the sponsiored tents helped here. The Crunch Den about saved my life Saturday afternoon.)
The portapotties were really bad on Thursday and Friday, but totally clean after that it seemed. Maybe they were having a hard time getting the cleaning trucks around early on.
Musically, though, it was absolutely awesome.
And the comments on security here don't reflect my experience. I was not searched at all, at any point, this year. Most lax roo ever.
i had a great fucking time, i really have no complaints about anything.
a lot of you are complaining about the porta potty situation, but it didn't seem much different to me from 08. there was one time when i opened several of them to find shit and toilet paper piling up over the top of the bowl, but the toilets in BFE in 08 were almost at that point at 6am on thursday morning.
security seemed a little tighter, but it never backed up as far as it did in 08 at the arch. i don't know when they added the section over by the ferris wheel, but maybe that's why. some security guys checked kind of extensively, especially some idiot on sunday afternoon, but i think a lot of it was people not having their pockets emptied when they walked up, which is fucking horse shit when you've been at the festival for 3 days already and know the drill. plus it was hot as shit. but there were other guys who hardly checked at all, so it didn't bother me.
i've seen people complaining about the number of bro's this year, but i didn't notice an overabundance of any particular type of person there. it was the same kind of mix as the last time i went, only i saw a ton of ridiculous people who made me laugh. and i only saw 1 wook, and that fucking rules. fuck those people.
I have to agree with the comments on pod 9. I was placed out there past the church and we had portapotties a few minutes walk away but no water, and no showers anywhere near. the taxis would not go all the way into the area either. It definitely affected my overall experience this year.
but again, as far as the heat, it's summertime in the South. Heat comes with the territory.
I had a blast but I definitely noticed the same things that everyone else has been bringing up. The traffic was ridiculous getting in. We got there at 4:30 in the morning early Thursday and didn't get in til NOOOOON!! The most upsetting thing was that our line on the interstate didn't move (we were 10 miles out) until 7:00 on the dot. Did they really close the entrance (I know people go in on Wednesday) and then reopen it at EXACTLY 7AM? What the buck?
This was my second year going and the differences in the crowd and vibe were SO apparent! The crowd was a little bit younger and newer--not UNfriendly but not a sweet little Phish fan like last year, either.
And I was seriously ready to slap those morons going in who told me I had to dump my water!! I went in with my sister who was dehydrated and had to miss part of Edward Sharpe--on of my FAVORITES--so that we could wait for water. The line wasn't moving whatsoever so we just said screw it and went and bought water. Maybe that was the plan?? I don't know--but it seems to me that if you really cared about dehydration and the well-being of your patrons you wouldn't DARE allow water to be thrown out. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen at Bonnaroo--and I've seen some crazy shet!!
Security was SO lax--I was never, ever even searched. Some people were just checking for bracelets and one guy told my boyfriend if he had anything and lied about it he'd take it but if he just told the truth he'd be fine. It was hilarious, but I'm glad I didn't have any hardcore searches this year--it made my life lots easier.
And I was seriously ready to slap those morons going in who told me I had to dump my water!! I went in with my sister who was dehydrated and had to miss part of Edward Sharpe--on of my FAVORITES--so that we could wait for water. The line wasn't moving whatsoever so we just said screw it and went and bought water. Maybe that was the plan?? I don't know--but it seems to me that if you really cared about dehydration and the well-being of your patrons you wouldn't DARE allow water to be thrown out. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen at Bonnaroo--and I've seen some crazy shet!!
Were your water bottles factory sealed? That's the only way you can bring water into Centeroo.
In response to the OP, I have to agree that this year's Bonnaroo was by far the worst I've attended (out of five)-- I think the lineup really attracted a different crowd/vibe this year.
That being said, though, a worst-Bonnaroo-ever is still one of my best weekends of the year. I'm looking harder at smaller jam-centric fests for next year though.
the flaming lips is my new favorite band, i wish i could just walk out my front door everyday and see tons of giant balloons bouncing around. def a great time. there did seem to be more people and no more facilities, this was our 5th year and the heat seemed normal, we didn't get a monsoon on Thursday like last year which i was bummed about but we were right up front on third ave, close to everything. the addition of the lunar stage was probably the best thing I saw. more wooks than usual but we were prepared with our wookie survival gift bags. The thing I am most disappointed about is the fact that they took my laser during the initial search of out car but they didnt have any problems with the digi or the fireworks.....they just wanted my laser
Post by phantasytourist on Jun 14, 2010 23:39:53 GMT -5
Yes I did see some great music this weekend. Amazing music. however, one Vendor shuttle driver was so wasted I had to ask him 3 times if his shuttle went outside or just back to Vendor camp and Center Roo. Next guy was totally tweaked. . No I am not a troll, and I believe I have the right to express my opinion. When I arrived on site Weds, and NONE of the Safety people could tell me where Vendor Camping was, I had to walk around in the rain till I found it myself. Unreel.
It sure has become a way to separate the haves from the have nots Def a cash grab for the promoters now, but they are going up against Live Nation, who is way worse.
And I was seriously ready to slap those morons going in who told me I had to dump my water!! I went in with my sister who was dehydrated and had to miss part of Edward Sharpe--on of my FAVORITES--so that we could wait for water. The line wasn't moving whatsoever so we just said screw it and went and bought water. Maybe that was the plan?? I don't know--but it seems to me that if you really cared about dehydration and the well-being of your patrons you wouldn't DARE allow water to be thrown out. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen at Bonnaroo--and I've seen some crazy shet!!
Were your water bottles factory sealed? That's the only way you can bring water into Centeroo.
Figured that out the hard way already. Ha! But the problem I was having was the inconsistency. This wasn't a rule last year and nobody enforced it past Friday morning this year--I walked in with my aluminum water can in my hand and a full camelbak the rest of the weekend--ready for someone to tell me I couldn't have it.
Oh, and it was SO FUNNY--this staff member was just grilling the heck outta this poor guy, asking him if he had anything in his pack, ripping it apart, etc. He was so clearly aggravated that he didn't find anything but let him go. As he walked away, I noticed he had a joint behind his ear. I was absolutely cracking up--it was HYSTERICAL...but I guess he didn't lie--there truly wasn't anything in his bag.
Post by tobiasfunke on Jun 15, 2010 0:13:30 GMT -5
On the way out today I will confess that I was bothered when a roo employee told my friend to "get back in her fucking car" when she stepped out to see why the traffic was backed up.
The heat definitely made me grumpy at times, but overall I had a better time than last year, mostly because I paced myself better and got to see a lot more bands.
I was a little concerned about the long lines to get water (which tasted just fine to me), but this problem was fixed once I met the MVP of Bonnaroo, the guy with the hose at the Budweiser tent. He would fill up your water bottle and mist you off, and there were some awesome shows there as well.
Fact is, there are problems every year with Bonnaroo. Last year, I had to wait 8 hours to move 6 miles to get off the highway into the farm. I ended up having to miss half of Robyn Hitchcocks set because the line for water was so long and I was about to pass out. When you are trying to organize 80,000+ into any area, its going to take awhile, and its not going to happen flawlessly.
I had some problems (such as being stuck in BFE ) but all in all, I had an amazing time this year, saw some fucking amazing sets, and will be anxiously awaiting what I'm sure will be a legendary 10th anniversery fest.
Also, Camel, I met that dude at the Troo music lounge too, he gave me a free budwiser cold cloth, a spray and camelback fill up.
The music was completely stellar this year... as for everything else... well, I'm not gonna go into it. But lineup pending, I won't be back. I'm really happy a lot of you had a good time. Folks that didn't, I'm really sorry.
we had an amazing time...been to the farm 3 times prior and this was the best. throughout each day we witnessed complete strangers being so nice and friendly to each other... everytime we come we feel like we are connected to the fellow roo'ers , like we are one big happy fam. never saw a fight, or anything like that. just everyone loving life and each other. and then on sunday at about 6pm, me and my buddy were napping under our ez-up ... our backpacks were right next to us. while we were sleeping someone walked off with my buddies backpack . totally un-roo like.
traffic is not a problem at all...if you know how to avoid it. We left murfreesboro Thursday at 10:15am we took the back road route, and we had our tents up and partying by 1pm thursday. it was amazing! we were on 2nd and 5th so we only had a 5min walk to centeroo .
i agree with beltwala. no question the music is best thing ever. in that regard bonnaroo is the best place on earth. but the fact that after 9 years they still don't know how to handle the traffic, don't know how to keep toliets clean, water stations working, etc. it's hot out there. people are dying literally. i know, the deaths are probably NO NO WORD!!! but i am really surprised that there are not more deaths caused by the heat and lack of hydration. and on top of that what's with this dumping your water and stuff out before you can go in? i had to dump pout 2 powerades. what if that's all i had? and it sometimes took so long to get water. what if i died in that time? is it worth bonnaroo? in the name of greed. is it worth it? seriously, i am so disenchanted with the whole thing right now.
This is exactly where I am, at the moment. Not to mention the increase in total asshats and decrease in love and looking out for one another. I really kinda feel Bonnaroo is loosing it's heart and they've realized no matter how much they fuck up, folks are gonna be there, cash in hand, every year.
Post by shaggyfort1e on Jun 15, 2010 2:29:58 GMT -5
I already posted this in the "'You're kidding me right?" thread, but I figured its actually more appropriate here...
For the record,
This was my 9th Bonnaroo, and while certainly not the best one, I still had a great time.
The not so great things:
-Water stations: Less in centeroo this year than years past. Definitely a let down -Portajohns: If you think they were bad this year, you should have seen them the first year. I'm more disappointed that none of them had those grab bars on the doors that you could use to assist in the hover maneuver. -Heat: Hottest year to my memory. But hey, AC and Superfly can't control the weather. Just come as prepared as you can for any weather. Umbrellas were a lifesaver Sunday. -Police presence: Personally did not notice it, but it is evident that a lot of roosters did. It sucks that the man has to come down so hard at a place like Bonnaroo. I always tell people that it is a place that you can get away with anything you want to do that does not bring down someone else's good time. It sucks that that is not as true as it used to be. However, it is still better than the real world. -Poor Scheduling of acts: The Lips not being on What Stage, WTF?!?! Crowd was so tightly packed that even at the bobble heads, I was feeling nauseous from the claustrophobia. On top of that, Bassnectar completely overpowered them, and I couldn't hear Leno from the Lips. Lunar Stage had terrible placement. Definitely the most disappointing thing for me. -No glass allowed on shakedown: nuff said
The great things:
-Stevie Wonder: Definitely one of my favorite Bonnaroo shows. Good music, good vibe, and awesome crowd. -Cinema Tent: Lifesaver on Sunday during the heat. Tim and Eric was a plus too. -Steve Martin: Orange Blossom Special as a closer, and King Tut as an encore. All around great show. -Tenacious D: I was about to leave to go to Steve Martin, when they started covering one of my all time favorite albums, Tommy. Had to stay and sing along. -Ozomatli: Barely any crowd there. But thats ok, more room for me to get close. On top of that, Big Sam came and jammed with them. Great energy, despite the heat, and lack of a crowd, they did not hold back at all. -Those floating lantern hot air balloon things: That was beautiful during DMB. I was at the ferris wheel when they released those and actually managed to catch one when it came down. -The people: I have seen much worse crowds at Bonaroos past. Sure this one wasn't as good as when there are more jam bands, but still met some great people. I think it really comes down to what shows you are at. The crowds for OZO and Steve Martin were great. If you are complaining about the bad crowds, keep in mind you are one person in that crowd. How did you contribute to making it better?
So once again, I had a great year this year, and will definitely being going back next year for my DecaRoo. If you didn't have a good time, I'm sorry to hear that, and wish your Roo could have been all that you hoped it would be. Either try again next year or don't. Complaining and comparing this year to past years and other festivals won't change the fact that you didn't have a good time, in fact, it will reinforce that belief. Everything is all that you make it. Remember, if you don't have expectations, you get to enjoy pleasant surprises, and don't have to worry about disappointment.
This was my first Bonnaroo, and it was completely amazing. I never got patted down by any of the security--in fact they didn't even bother to look at our truck (my friend and I joked it was because he is black). I did get asked a few times what my insulin pump was.
The music was amazing. It was the most fun I've had in 4 days...ever, also the most sunburned I've ever been. I did notice that some of my neighbors were not as friendly as I hoped they might be, and they all seemed like they were in the 18-20 year old range. I was expecting a more mature, hippie crowd... but it was totally awesome all the same.
The hilight of Roo for me was The Dead Weather. I knew it would be awesome, but I was totally blown away by that band.
-Poor Scheduling of acts: The Lips not being on What Stage, WTF?!?! Crowd was so tightly packed that even at the bobble heads, I was feeling nauseous from the claustrophobia. On top of that, Bassnectar completely overpowered them, and I couldn't hear Leno from the Lips. Lunar Stage had terrible placement. Definitely the most disappointing thing for me.
Forgot to mention this! Does anyone know why the Flaming Lips and Weezer were at Which (and we were packed in like sardines) while smaller acts like The Dead Weather and The Zac Brown Band were at the What Stage? I thought maybe Dead Weather were there just so Conan could interact/introduce Jack White because they're friends--but the effing Zac Brown Band? I really didn't understand that.
-Poor Scheduling of acts: The Lips not being on What Stage, WTF?!?! Crowd was so tightly packed that even at the bobble heads, I was feeling nauseous from the claustrophobia. On top of that, Bassnectar completely overpowered them, and I couldn't hear Leno from the Lips. Lunar Stage had terrible placement. Definitely the most disappointing thing for me.
Forgot to mention this! Does anyone know why the Flaming Lips and Weezer were at Which (and we were packed in like sardines) while smaller acts like The Dead Weather and The Zac Brown Band were at the What Stage? I thought maybe Dead Weather were there just so Conan could interact/introduce Jack White because they're friends--but the effing Zac Brown Band? I really didn't understand that.
I don't know for certain, but this has been a problem at every roo. The White Stripes were on the Which stage a few years ago and the crowd was massive. I think it has more to do with the musical tone that they are trying to create on the What stage. Sunday had a lot of jam oriented stuff going on the What Stage, and all the other big acts ended up on the Which Stage.
It was my first Roo, too. It may be my last. I love the concept. I love being able to see so many bands.
Honestly, the heat did me in. After being out in the sun all day Friday, by Saturday morning I was full-on dehydrated and never recovered after that. I thought growing up in Florida had prepared me, but I had no idea I was walking into Hell. Even with a Camelback, a spritzer, and a fan, by Saturday I was done. I only saw half of what I wanted to see, and I'm a little frustrated.
If Bonnaroo was anywhere from September-April, I'd be all over it. June in the South? It's just too much.
P.S. Just want to add here THANK GOD for the Cinema Tent. That saved me on Sunday morning.
I wasn't there this year but I do have to say this to all that went and are saying it was the worst Bonnaro ever - bonnaroo is what you make of it -
if you go there with a good attitude and go with the flow - you will have a great time If you go there prepared - you will have a great time
But - like most things - if you have a bad attitude and lack patience and want to bitch and moan and complain about stuff - of course you will think it was the worst thing you have ever done.
I missed being there this year - I didn't think it would be that bad to not be there - but it was. I thought going to The Hangout Festival would be a good substitute (I had a blast at The Hangout) it just wasn't the same
The heat killed my vibe this year. Sunday was only about finding air conditioning, shade, water ... I just couldn't get into the music. But that's not 'Roo's fault.
That said, the Flaming Lips show will go down as a high point in my life. And the people I hung with this year were like the best Roo Tribe ever. So in retrospect, the heat and the bands I missed are secondary to the amazing experiences I did have.
This was my fourth Roo and I had a blast. Yea, the heat was consuming, but we had plenty of water and down time to pace ourselves through the weekend. We stayed in pod 8 just a minute walk from the porta-potties and I loved the location. Just a 15 minute walk to Centeroo. As everyone else, I didn't see every band I wanted to, but I felt that I got more than my money's worth. Our neighbors were great to hang out with when we were at camp and we even dined together a couple of times. As for security, I never had an issue and, in fact, I was able to bring in open bottles of water everytime i went in. As for the staff, I thought they were extra friendly this year.
Post by 3DeadStripes on Jun 15, 2010 11:52:28 GMT -5
I personally had a great time this year. If I only had one complaint it would be the amount of trash being thrown on the ground. After Norah Jones set on Which I turned around to leave and it looked like a landfill. I was expecting sea gulls to start swarming. I am sure I have left a butt or 2 on the ground before but I mean, damn.
Every Year is right. Meg. Some people just can't deal with the effort of going to Bonnaroo. For me, it was all good. Great people, music, and fun times! See ya next year!