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!!
I'm with your friend. If I don't know a band I want my first impression to be them live, not recorded where studio effects can change their true sound. I do have a solid network of people who I trust their recommendations for bands they know that I don't yet and I will listen/read about, but will not listen if I can help it.
Post by justinmn9319 on Jul 29, 2014 10:42:51 GMT -5
For festival type settings I usually make a playlist and play it on shuffle at work and will try to discover some new stuff.
Oddly enough I usually end up listening to the bands I see a lot more after I see the show, and re-playing the show in my mind, like "Blood on the Leaves" I just picture him running in and out of that fog.
Don't like to check setlists either, def like the surprise there
I'm with Billy on this one. I prefer to schedule festivals and have a good background of their songs. Best method is recent setlists and older live performances.
Drives me nuts that most of my friends just go w/o knowledge, but to each their own =)
Post by justinmn9319 on Jul 29, 2014 11:16:35 GMT -5
I guess I'm also going to a lot of shows where I've seen the act or have watched them on youtube in the past before even knowing they're coming to town
If it's an artist I know, I probably know the songs by heart and just go with it and don't do much or any research.
If it's an artist I don't really know, I will google their setlist and get familiar with the songs I know they will be playing at least. For roo, I spent months preparing. I generally have a better time if I can dance and sing my little heart out.
The bigger the festival, the more research that is needed. It's a horrible feeling discovering an artist you love that you missed at a fest because, at the time, you had no idea who they were or how much you would enjoy them.
Welcome back Bonz, but I do not find it strange that your presence being requested in the Orgy thread and then you showing up, like it was the quacking Bonzai Bat Signal.
Festival planning; obsess. Obsess. Obsess. Check lists.
Show planning; buy ticket. Join the FB event. Forget about event. Get reminded the day of on FB. Scramble for a babysitter. Get there. Drink in the parking lot. Happy dance.
For fests, I'll sample a few songs from every artist on the lineup on youtube, and then download the entire albums of artists I think I might enjoy. Then I put them all on a playlist on shuffle and listen to it while driving. I then start to keep a mental note of which artists I tend to want to skip halfway through, and remove them from the playlist. Then the remaining albums I listen to in full several leading up to the fests. Of those, I probably only actually see a third of the acts because of reasons. It's a process.
For regular concerts, I pretty much just show up. If I'm paying to see a single show, I typically already know the artist well enough to not need any research.
5.5/four tet, daphni b2b floating points, avalon emerson 5.12/neil young 5.19/mannequin pussy 5.21/serpentwithfeet 5.25/hozier 6.12-16/bonnaroo 6.28/goose 6.29/goose 9.17/the national + the war on drugs 9.23/sigur ros 9.27-29/making time 10.17/air
Lol so funny. I am exactly like OP. My gf is exactly like OP's friend. I listen to EVERYTHING. Get deep in it. Start following twitter, reading Bio's, everything. Sometimes it does me no good. Then some shows it adds so much depth. When you find out maybe twice in this artist history he has dropped X or played with Y and then all the sudden X is dropping you like 'awwwww shit here comes history'!..
It is more then that I remember reading during the Napster days artists would be vocal about how much they actually appreciated the music sharing because they would play shows and the whole crowd would be able to sing along, dance, raise the roof. Just gives back to the artist and yourself.
I agree with Bonzai if it is a large festival or a show I know i'm going to be on the rail for it will increase my obsession. If you are going to be front row for an artist be ready to give that artist everything and in return usually they will give it right back. Maaaaaagic
I can't believe there are people who pay for a ticket and go out of there way to see an act perform that they have never listened to before AND decided they even like. Sure, there are exceptions. I will go to a little rock bar, pay a cover/donation/free entry and have some beers while listening to whatever band takes the stage. Buddy bands or buddy's buddy band. Side projects of artists I like. But, I would not buy ticket and plan a night out to a concert without knowing I like the artist first.
When it comes to fests I do what I think most people probably do; I make a playlist of all the artists on the line up & go from there. I'll listen on shuffle and make mental notes of songs/artists I like. Generally what happens is I'll look at the artist for the songs I like while I drive. And if the same artist keeps popping up on my radar I'll go listen to the full album. This is the extent of my research though. Depending on my excitement level for the artist I may look up past set lists, but usually I like to be surprised my first time seeing them live.
When it comes to individual concerts, I already like the band so I don't need to "research" as much. If it's my first time seeing them, again I like to be surprised. If I've already seen them before I'll look up the most recent set lists to see how much it's changed.
I can't believe there are people who pay for a ticket and go out of there way to see an act perform that they have never listened to before AND decided they even like. Sure, there are exceptions. I will go to a little rock bar, pay a cover/donation/free entry and have some beers while listening to whatever band takes the stage. Buddy bands or buddy's buddy band. Side projects of artists I like. But, I would not buy ticket and plan a night out to a concert without knowing I like the artist first.
It depends on the situation. I have friends that open up for bands, so I go for them. There are many cases where I never listen to the "headliner". Sometimes I'm surprised, most of the time I'm not. But hey, FREE BEER. E: but you got all that.
I do festivals a lot different. I put all the bands I don't know in a list. I play one album from each band. If I'm not feeling it, I move on to the next. If I am feeling it, I devour all the recorded output. Then I start watching live clips on Youtube. If they seem to be lacking live, I move to the next. Then I start with Setlist.fm. I'll repeat process till said festival. Then the schedule drops, I get pissed and realize I can't see everything.
Then I'll get there and everything goes out the window.
Last Edit: Jul 30, 2014 8:31:33 GMT -5 by Deleted - Back to Top
Post by heyyitskait on Jul 30, 2014 8:53:06 GMT -5
I usually don't go to a show unless I already like the headliner. Sometimes I'll check out the openers beforehand, but that's mostly to see if I should try to get there early/on-time or stay in the parking lot and drink/smoke.
Festivals... I make a list of all the bands I definitely know. Then I play this game where I judge a book by it's cover and pick a bunch of bands I've never heard of solely by their name. I give them 3 songs to impress me. I typically find one or two bands that I'll kinda obsess over. Then the schedule comes out and ruins everything.
It's nice to know some songs beforehand - especially to prioritise festival sets - but some of my favourite concerts have been acts I wasn't too familiar with at the time. It's a mixed bag. If I'm already going to a concert and there is an opening act I don't know, I'll often just let the show be my introduction.
Garageland is a lot more patient than I am. For festivals, I'll listen to 3-4 songs per act to get a general feel for their sound, and then I'll watch live clips on YouTube. I'll try to mix it up with hits and b-sides, older and newer. If I'm still into it at that point, then I'll listen to full albums. Vocals are a make-or-break deal for me, so it doesn't take too long to know.
Post by Roo'adelphia on Jul 30, 2014 9:22:45 GMT -5
For regular shows, its usually just check out the previous 5-6 setlist, and check out the undercard.
Festivals are like a 2-3 month process. I put all the early rumors & "confirms" into one setlist and just play it on shuffle, weeding out the songs I dont like (at first anyway). Then once I get that good and widdled down, I see how many songs per artist/album I liked at random, then go listen to said artist's catalog from first release to newest.
*Warning* My heart breaks when a band I just discovered turns out to not be on the Roo lineup as a result of this way.
When the lineup officially comes out, I do the same with all the bands I dont know, and get real familiar with the ones I just dont know much past the singles.
*Warning* My heart breaks when a band I just discovered and really like turns out to be playing against a band ive wanted to see for years as a result of this way.
Here is a related question: When do you guys stop listening to the artist you are going to see, and when do you start listening to them again after the concert?
This was a subject of hot debate in my circle of friends recently. One side was in favor of tapering off a few days or a week before seeing an artist, while the other side favored listening to the artist as late as the trip to the venue.
Here is a related question: When do you guys stop listening to the artist you are going to see, and when do you start listening to them again after the concert?
This was a subject of hot debate in my circle of friends recently. One side was in favor of tapering off a few days or a week before seeing an artist, while the other side favored listening to the artist as late as the trip to the venue.
I have gotten into arguments with friends about listening to Phish on the way to their show. My current policy is I don't intentionally listen to someone I'm going to see for a week or so before, but if they happen to come on the radio I won't turn it off unless I recently heard the song. After the show, no restrictions, but usually don't want to hear more of the same.
Here is a related question: When do you guys stop listening to the artist you are going to see, and when do you start listening to them again after the concert?
This was a subject of hot debate in my circle of friends recently. One side was in favor of tapering off a few days or a week before seeing an artist, while the other side favored listening to the artist as late as the trip to the venue.
I usually listen to the artist a fair bit the week before the show, sometimes even the day of. I typically don't listen to the artist on the way to the show. After the show, I usually ride in silence. Gives my ears a break, and lets me reflect on the show NPR usually gets put on before I get back home though.
Here is a related question: When do you guys stop listening to the artist you are going to see, and when do you start listening to them again after the concert?
This was a subject of hot debate in my circle of friends recently. One side was in favor of tapering off a few days or a week before seeing an artist, while the other side favored listening to the artist as late as the trip to the venue.
Depends on the artist, really. For NMH I had Aeroplane on heavy rotation for months leading up to it without tapering off, and I've listened to it in the weeks since. For Circa Survive, I haven't listened to them in months and haven't listened to them since the concert.
5.5/four tet, daphni b2b floating points, avalon emerson 5.12/neil young 5.19/mannequin pussy 5.21/serpentwithfeet 5.25/hozier 6.12-16/bonnaroo 6.28/goose 6.29/goose 9.17/the national + the war on drugs 9.23/sigur ros 9.27-29/making time 10.17/air
Post by palmettokid on Aug 5, 2014 19:03:28 GMT -5
Headline camper here. Listen relentlessly to the headliners leading up to the show (cuz us old folks cant't remember words anyway). Then I park my ass on the rail (or pit line) and watch everything leading in. Its introduced me to dozens of acts that I've found myself listening to for weeks after. If you really enjoy live music and you're in the front row, its easy to get into good bands you never heard of (except CeeLo Green...he actually sucks)
Post by shakedownstreet on Aug 11, 2014 10:02:46 GMT -5
Depends on the artist or show. For a single show I'm paying for I'll listen to a few albums on shuffle while at work in the weeks leading up to it. Especially if I haven't listened to them in a while. When I'm paying for a single show I like to be able to jump right in and dance and sign along.
For festivals I'll usually go through all the bands early on after the line-up is announced and listed to a little bit of everything and then pull music from the ones I liked, make a playlist and listen to it at work or in the car before hand - and then latter on craft my schedule. I've discovered some really amazing bands from just checking out the tiny bands at the bottom of the bill for 'roo and they have turned into some of my favorite acts.
...and...totally against intentionally listening to the band on the way to the show. This falls into the same category of my brain as not wearing the band tshirt to the band show.
'13 Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Boston Calling '14 Mountain Jam, Boston Calling '15 Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Gathering of the Vibes, Boston Calling '16 Mountain Jam, Firefly, Newport Folk Fest '17 Mountain Jam, Newport Folk Fest, Boston Calling '18 Mountain Jam, Newport Folk Fest '19 Newport Folk Fest '22 Newport Folk Fest
Here is a related question: When do you guys stop listening to the artist you are going to see, and when do you start listening to them again after the concert?
This was a subject of hot debate in my circle of friends recently. One side was in favor of tapering off a few days or a week before seeing an artist, while the other side favored listening to the artist as late as the trip to the venue.
and I had this exact conversation this year at Big Ears (I think we were waiting for Earth to start). The way I see it, people generally break down into three categories:
1. listen to the artist you are going to see 2. listen to a mix of music of similar style/tone to the artist you are going to see 3. listen to a mix of music of antipodal style/tone to the artist you are going to see
Personally I tend toward #3. I want to be thirsty for what I will specifically get from that artist, so that it will be that much more satisfying. Same with the trip home, as a way of coming down.
Alright so first I call my boy murph and get some of the blazinest sherm this side of the Mississippi, right? Then I hit up Weigels and get a bag of honey mustard pretzels, soak em in vodka and put em back in the bag. Then reseal the bag with my itouchless bag resealer that I gots from Amazon and sit. So during the show when my first buzz starts to fade, I call up those pretzels and get crazy all over again.
Am I the only one that will go through a clashfinder-type schedule and highlight everyone you want to see first? Then I go through that schedule and put little boxes or dots or something on the acts that I want to see more between the conflicts. Then go through on another copy of the schedule and highlight the people who you will actually see (the winners of conflicts) to see what my day will look like...
I'm going through my ACL schedule and just realized that I have 4 separate schedules in front of me with all kinds of nonsense highlighted and starred and boxed.. I apparently like to have a plan.. which I never end up sticking to.
but I do not find it strange that your presence being requested in the Orgy thread and then you showing up, like it was the quacking Bonzai Bat Signal. 
NPR usually gets put on before I get back home though.
