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!!
Post by bellakabey on Jun 15, 2004 12:56:37 GMT -5
I'm curious about your impressions of the quantity of attendees this year. Even though it was only 10K more than last year (one of the links on another thread said Roo 1 was 70K, Roo 2 was 80K), it felt a lot more crowded to me. And more commercial. I hope they don't make it any bigger for next year, and in fact, I hope they make it a bit smaller.
Post by DetroitSteve on Jun 15, 2004 13:04:16 GMT -5
It seems to me there were a LOT mor people there than 90,000. So I did a little looking and found an article where the Sheriff said his office estimated up to 150,000 at one point. Superfly is insistant that there were only 90,000. I guess we will never know. It would have been REALLY easy to sneak in on Sat. or Sun. so...
I'd totally believe 150,000....there were just ppl everywhere. I too feel like it was way to commercialized! I also think it could have been a bit smaller......maybe just less bands!!!
You could definitely feel the difference in crowd size this year. What did you guys feel about the addition of an additional music tent this year??
Last year we were able to go to a stage/tent and hear just the music of that band. This year I found it hard to actually hear just one band (unless you were at the main stage) because it felt like the stages and tents were much closer together and you would end up hearing two bands at the same time.
Still a great time had by all... but I would almost rather see one less stage and a cap on attendance.
Post by spacebunny on Jun 15, 2004 13:42:13 GMT -5
too many. upon talking to a sheriff on friday morning, he said there were 94k there already and one death. this was FRIDAY folks. people tore down fences to get in, and they definitely stopped checking wristbands and one point. people could walk into the camps as they pleased...
The extra tent was ok. The extra campsites and people were too much. The heat was bad waiting in line, I saw people drinking beer and no water, this led to people just wiping out. The line getting in was too long, I waited 9 hours and it was at the hottest point of the day. I think the amount of bands and tents was fine but they need to cap it at 80k I thought going into Bonnaroo that they had sold 100k tickets, was it only 90? It seemed they had less toliets this year from last. Last year the back of the Main Stage area had them almost all over the wall. They needed more in the camp areas and in Centeroo. More food and ice trucks were needed in the camps as well, looking at the maps it seemed there were none the farther you got out. If they want to add more people that's fine but you have to have more toliets, with a better cleaning schedule, and more water and food. I enjoyed my time but when I had to pee and the bathroom was so bad I refused to use it something needs to be fixed.
I agree. This was my first year so it's hard to know what the last 2 years was like. All I know is that that was the most people I've ever seen in one place. But getting to the main stage was an enormous chore. It was definately too many people. And they couldn't put down some freakin hay or something between centeroo and the mainstage to soak up some of that mud? It was rediculous. I mean, I had a great time and all, but we had enough to deal with. They need to take care of the rest.
Post by xjenNjuicex on Jun 15, 2004 20:00:12 GMT -5
This was my 3rd Bonnaroo and I think it was way too big this year. The first year was the best. It just felt really commercialized this year. Don't get me wrong I had a good time but I just thought there was a kinda wierd vibe. The music was great and even though I had $100 lost/stolen I still had fun and I hope everyone else did also.
Way too big! Granted, this was my first roo. But still, I've watched the 02 and 03 DVDs multiple times. While waiting in lines, or struggling to get close to a stage, I was thinking that those 2 DVDs did not show anything to this magnitude! Like they must have shot some of the people and crowd scenes at 6 AM when most people were still asleep!
I would rather pay a little bit more next year for a ticket to have 20K less people there.
Post by millimoo13 on Jun 15, 2004 21:38:58 GMT -5
Way too many people, and way to commercialized, and way too hot!!! But...I had a great time!! It was a totally different atmosphere this year, I think because of all the radio airtime and coverage. I saw preppies and frat boys there! It wasn' t like the previous year at all!
It was so crowded with so many people climbing over us at Dave....we finally left! Our whole group! Dave!!
I had a good time, but it was very different this year.
This was my first time at Roo and I really didn't have much of a problem getting near the main stage. For dave I was not all the way up front, but I was close enough that I can make out heads. I had a problem with the second stage and not seeing everything. There should be a big screen like the main stage. I could not see a damn thing when Primus came on.
Post by paulgermain on Jun 15, 2004 22:26:14 GMT -5
yeah it gets bigger every year. seems to be getting out of control. security seems shadier and shadier. on sat wondering from robert randolph to primus my brother and i seen a guy out cold on the ground. i asked the person next to them if i should get a medic and they said yes. so i found someone on a golf cart and they just looked at me and said that they don't have a radio thus were unable to do anything. luckily someone else found a medic and the person seemed fine. also a friend of mine had a security guard take his pipe and bag from him.
Ok, I'm a first timer, so apparently I really missed out on something the first couple years...because I really can't find a whole lot to complain about! Sure, some improvements could have been made, but as a whole I thought it was very well organized & I had a blast.
**The mud was crazy, but I didn't mind.
**There really didn't seem to be any bathroom issues down near Camp Wonder Twins---people were just dealing with it.
**I got out in a fair amount of time, and got in beautifully.
**The only sound problem I encountered was Gillian Welch, up against SCI...but as quiet as she is, you had to expect some conflict!
**Outside of some sobriety issues, I was able to see almost everything I wanted.
I dunno, like I said...you guys have previous years to compare...so I don't want to sound like a pain in the a$$.
It was definitely too big. It was my first time at Bonnaroo, but it definitely didn't seem as laidback as I thought it would be. They needed more bathrooms and less people. I felt so claustrophobic in the camping areas because everyone was on top of each other. I also saw some guys camping with their Hummer. It just seemed to contradict many things I thought Bonnaroo was about. All in all, though, I had a really great time.
This was my 3rd year and it was too too big. they had a permit for 90,000 so of course thats the official count but I read in the paper there were 110,000. I am debating whether or not I will come back for the 4th. It's probably like labor -- you forget the pain and remember the joy. I did lose(stolen?) my wallet with cash, ID, cards..so I was stressed about flying home. I got to go backstage to security (after getting the runaround for 3 hours) to fill out an incident report that would make it easier to fly. There is another city back stage. And how about that MUD?
Post by PrinceCaspian on Jun 16, 2004 12:06:13 GMT -5
I dont really think it was too big at all. Sure, the shows were crowded but not so much so that you couldnt squeeze up and see. I worked my way up to about 20 rows back for trey and this was after leaving for the bathroom at setbreak. And all this talk about preppies and fratboys is kind of stupid i think. Are "preppies" not allowed to like good music. I have a friend who may have been viewed as a prep, but is 10 times more pure and good natured than some of the people i see, who seem to only be there for the party. I just dont think people with such open minds as bonnaroo folk should categorize and dislike people because of their appearance. So I dont wear patchwork and I dont have dreads, am I not allowed to be at Bonnaroo? 99% of the people there are there because of the great music. Why else would we go to tennessee? Sorry for the ranting but I just dont understand how "open minded" individuals can be prejudice over such stupid things.
I dont really think it was too big at all. Sure, the shows were crowded but not so much so that you couldnt squeeze up and see. I worked my way up to about 20 rows back for trey and this was after leaving for the bathroom at setbreak. And all this talk about preppies and fratboys is kind of stupid i think. Are "preppies" not allowed to like good music. I have a friend who may have been viewed as a prep, but is 10 times more pure and good natured than some of the people i see, who seem to only be there for the party. I just dont think people with such open minds as bonnaroo folk should categorize and dislike people because of their appearance. So I dont wear patchwork and I dont have dreads, am I not allowed to be at Bonnaroo? 99% of the people there are there because of the great music. Why else would we go to tennessee? Sorry for the ranting but I just dont understand how "open minded" individuals can be prejudice over such stupid things.
Thank you.
See my other thread a bit further down, specifically about this madness of labeling & prejudice. Just ridiculous stuff...
Post by fluffhead720 on Jun 16, 2004 13:46:08 GMT -5
It seems like the crowd has become very angry. On Thurs while waiting in traffic two of my friends got left behind on the road. I left the line and made sure it was ok with the people behind if I could get back in. I had to drive a 1/2-3/4 of a mile and on the way back to our spot people tried to run me off the road, gave me the finger, and cursed at me. I was also camped next to a fence by a main entrance in SnagglePuss. By Friday morning there were a couple spots ripped down around us.
I agree though it needs to be downsized. I can't handle it all, and $5 for a beer pissed me off so much!!!
Unless there are some major changes I don't see myself coming back.
Post by JayFromRochester on Jun 16, 2004 14:14:55 GMT -5
Fluff, you hit the nail right on the head when you said people were angry. And we have the concert promoters and "organizers" to thank.
See, it actually started on Wednesday night. We were hanging in the Wal-Mart lot waiting for the right time to go in when the local fuzz told us to go over because the gates were open. So we hauled a$$ over there and after an hour or so in line--with a retarded search that required me to step out of my vehicle--we got in and got shuffled out to the boondocks.
But when we got there they told my group that we'd have to split up--campers weren't allowed to park with cars.
I had e-mailed Superfly specifically about this question--TWICE--and gotten an official response that said that camping with campers and tents together would be permitted. But the dipsh!ts parking cars claimed not to know this, so I wind up going Chernobyl on some moron with a flashlight and a safety vest. (Meanwhile, my man Pat is using the Jedi Mind Trick to quietly redirect the four other vehicles in our party so we all wound up together in the end, with our vehicles only slightly scattered around and moderately inconviently located.) It wound up being okay, but it set a tone for the weekend...for a lot of people.
Next, Pat's wrist band fell off sometime during the night and the concert folks refused to replace it. They essentially told him, 'Tough luck. No bracelet, no shows. We won't replace them.' He even showed them his ticket stub, mailing envelope and receipt to no avail. They said they couldn't replace it without the credit card bill that the charges appeared on, like anyone would bring that! And while we were inquiring about this, we found out that this was a BIG problem and quite a few people had lost theirs because they were improperly applied by the gate staff.
We made Pat a new bracelet out of duct tape and the dog ends of our bracelets and he used the Jedi Mind Trick on the gate security without incident, but again, it set a real tone for the festival.
Security over all were unpleasant this year. Last year I talked to a lot of real sweet people in security/safety shirts. This year every single one of them was an overt Hippy Hater. It was really too bad...
Then there was the mud issue. And the porta john issue. And the fountain still sprayed filthy water.
I had the over all impression that the things that needed to get fixed after last year hadn't been fixed at all--they'd just crammed in some more people.
Superfly screwed the pooch with this right from the get-go. They really showed an undercurrent of greed this year that wasn't visible before.
Now please don't get me wrong here. I had a really good time over-all. However I had expected a lot more out of the people that put on Bonnaroo in 2003. I'll have to very seriously consider whether or not I'm going again next year. Last year that question was a no-brainer, and that makes me kind of sad.
We had the same damn things happen to our group. There was an RV with our van and we couldn't park together. My friend also lost his bracelet because of the weak fingers of the ticket takers. It took him half of Sat. to get another one. I would have lost mine but I made sure I put it back on tightly. I don't think that it would seemed so bad if they would have taken care of the necessities. Make sure our feet will stay relatively dry, make sure the water that we drink is drinkable, keep the portipotties clean. I mean we had enough to deal with with the weather. They need to be making things easier on us to survive the elements, not more difficult. I'm done complaining, the music was amazing, some other things weren't.
yeah it definitely sucked being put in "day parking 2" which was not day parking at all... it had no porta johns, no wash stations, no vendors, no nothing, and it was at least a 25 minute JOG to centeroo...
Post by bootsincincy on Jun 16, 2004 19:09:52 GMT -5
this was my first roo. I do think there were too many people, and perhaps to many bands. however my experience was awesome. we had no trouble with security, other roosters, portopots, or ice trucks(except 3.00 a bag, which on sat. we caught up with some independent bonnaroo ice vendors selling it for 2.00 a bag). heres some things ive learned about life in the short time ive lived mine, mabey they will help some others. 1. portolets are filthy, always expect the worst. 2. rain happens. even unexpectedly sometimes(however not in this years case) be prepared, have dry socks at the very least. 3. poeple are people, everyone is different but everyone wants to fit in. stereotypes are a necessary part of society, the trick is to not buy into them. no one is only a prep or only a stoner or only a hippie nomatter how hard they try. realize that when you stereotype someone that this is only one facet of their personality. 4. good planing usualy turns out a good time. the only things that i disliked about the experience are things that i would have done diffrently. it's a bummer that things go wrong and people get shity, but i think that bonnaroo since the first year was more about music than anything else. i dont know what the first two years were like but this year was one of the least commercialized events that ive ever been to. especially considering the size. if they were to commercialize it more, than it would be easier for them to provide us with the things that we were complaining about. i think that the freedom granted to us there, to be users, and even abusers, and the law overlooks because we truly are not trouble makers, is worth the trade for a few inconvieniences. not to mention kick ass music.
Post by bellakabey on Jun 16, 2004 23:25:30 GMT -5
I agree with boots. Somebody's gotta be parked in the boonies (did I owe it? I had a great spot last year), portolets are always stinky (although they seemed to abandon cleaning them on 'Sun vs Mon this year), and with nearly 100K people you'll find some good ones and some bad ones.
That said, this is year 3 for Roo. The problems should be closer to being solved as Superfly refines their system, learning from one year to the next, making improvements. Then you add on, when you're prepared to deal with new problems. But it felt like they raced too fast this year, for monetary or other purposes, I don't know. If you can't be prepared for all 90K people (day parking for campers, totally full portolets by Sun that weren't emptied with 24+ hours to go, no plan B for mud), then don't invite 90K people.
Bonnaroo 2 was one of the best experiences of my life, life altering in a way, and I hope that it can retain its innocence and glow instead of morphing into some behemoth that's better than what's around but is still a far cry from where it started. I'm with Jay, it makes me sad. I'm willing to give Roo 4 another shot, because Roo 2 was so amazing. I'm planning to send comments to Superfly, in hopes that my small voice will make some difference. Maybe some of you will too.
i dont think i saw one place to get actual fresh water, everything was all recycyled water, saw people filling their water bottles from the wash stations, like they didnt know or care what they were drinking, im sure quite a few of them got pretty sick from that. how hard would it have been to drill a few extra wells, for to get fresh water instead of recycyling it, you would think superfly would have a little more concern for that, but i guess not
i dont think i saw one place to get actual fresh water, everything was all recycyled water, saw people filling their water bottles from the wash stations, like they didnt know or care what they were drinking, im sure quite a few of them got pretty sick from that. how hard would it have been to drill a few extra wells, for to get fresh water instead of recycyling it, you would think superfly would have a little more concern for that, but i guess not
Bad news, that was fresh water. The well's around the site are a bit, well, they smell like rotton eggs. I asked a guy last year about it. I tried drinking it last year and said screw this, I'll pay for water.
My teenage son and I came to Bonnaroo seeking community and hoping for a spirtual awakening. Even after he had a cast put on, and the doctor said it was okay for him to go; I hesitantly agreed to still take him. We traveled over 1,100 miles (and I did all the driving).
We arrived on day one, and the ADA camping area was full. The security people were less than helpful in giving us an alternate campsite, but they were quick to inform us where we COULDN'T camp.
Despite the fact that we missed most of Friday's daylight activities, we were bound and determined to catch Dave & Friends and SCI. The SCI crowd was friendly and joyful - everything we expected. We didn't catch the whole show, but we enjoyed what we saw. The Dave crowd - our crowd - were the rudest and most obnoxious people I've seen (and I've been to NYC to see Dave a few times). People kept stepping on my kid no matter how far back in the crowd we moved.
On Saturday, we wiped out the unpleasantness of the previous night, and began to plan our day. We decided it was best to rest up so we could see the Dead. Well, if you were there, I don't need to tell you how that went. I was unhappy to find that there was mostly DEEP mud everywhere. I don't know how the handicapped people in chairs survived.
Still, Sunday we once again decided to rest up. My son's cast needed to dry up, we washed up and ATTEMPTED to meet our neighbors (who were not at all interested in meeting an old lady & her kid). We caught some Medeski, Martin & Wood - but then the rain came again. We made it back to camp, took a walk down shake down to do some shopping while listening to Trey in the distance.
We decided to break camp and go to a hotel, and the car battery was dead! I walked to the "ADA guest services" area to find it empty. I proceeded to walk through the paths to find a tow truck. I began to cry when no one - not even security would help me. I began to lose control of my legs due to a medical condition I had. Suddenly a guy stopped with his friends to ask me if I was okay. He directed me to more friendly security guys on horses. They directed me to an area where I could sit & wait for the tow trucks to come back on duty. A woman helped me through the mud to the chair. soon I realized my son was alone & headed back. We slept in the car, got a jump the next morning, and got THE HELL OUT OF THERE. I hated Bonnaroo. I encountered FEW people who actually gave a d**n about anyone over a size 12, and the age of 30. And there was no compassion for a kid on crutches for crying out loud. It was the worst investment I ever made. I'm glad to be home.