Well...I survived. I did it. I made it through in one piece...and have the photos to prove it!
Bonnaroo was everything I thought it would be..it was hot, sweaty, fun, and full of culture. Sure, there were times that I wished I had access to the photo pits so I could have delivered some gnarly photos...but then there were times where a dancing golden retriever would waltz on by in a tutu and remind me that life is beautiful.
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Fact: this dog is a fucking rockstar and has more spunk than I ever had on the dance floor! Check out his Bonnaroo debut HERE!
I could blog for hours on end about my experience at the ROO, but for the sake of your attention span, I shall cover 4 main things:
atmosphere, artists, graffiti culture, & the Joonbug media pass experience!
atmosphere, artists, graffiti culture, & the Joonbug media pass experience!
ATMOSPHERE.
This photo pretty much explains it all.. You go to Bonnaroo, well, correction: I went to Bonnaroo, to escape all reality. Escape the everyday grind, escape the familiar faces, escape the "norm." Well, I certainly came to the right place...
For those of you who don't know, Bonnaroo is a music and arts festival. There are a fuck-ton of vendors which offer all sorts of food, apparel, art and festi-goodies. When I wasn't sitting in the shade boppin' my head to all different genres of music, I was people watching and shopping with whatever little money I had.
Personally, I don't know what was better... people watching at the Walmart super center right outside Bonnaroo or within the festival itself.. To my surprise, people were camped outside that very Walmart, tents and all! I didn't know if this was a Bonnaroo thing or just a Manchester Tennessee thing.. in either case it was thoroughly entertaining.
For those of you who don't know, Bonnaroo is a music and arts festival. There are a fuck-ton of vendors which offer all sorts of food, apparel, art and festi-goodies. When I wasn't sitting in the shade boppin' my head to all different genres of music, I was people watching and shopping with whatever little money I had.
Personally, I don't know what was better... people watching at the Walmart super center right outside Bonnaroo or within the festival itself.. To my surprise, people were camped outside that very Walmart, tents and all! I didn't know if this was a Bonnaroo thing or just a Manchester Tennessee thing.. in either case it was thoroughly entertaining.
In a nut shell: A lot of RV's
A lot of HIPPIES
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A lot of party people
**Epic shot taken from the stage during The Beach Boys set**
ARTISTS.
RADIOHEAD. THE BEACH BOYS. RHCP. SKRILLEX. PHISH
Radiohead. Radiohead was pretty great.. they played a bunch of their old songs, one of which was Idioteque, a personal favorite! I enjoyed the songs but after a while it kind of just felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of dosed kids who were standing there like cattle. I didn't need a full set to enjoy the show...but, everyone else seemed to be quite content!
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The Beach Boys. To my surprise, The Beach Boys set was my all-time favorite of the whole festival...not to mention a moment I don't think I will ever forget. Imagine being on stage...with a world renown band...in front of hundreds upon thousands of people. Yeah, you could say my mind was blown. Throughout my time in TN, I managed to master the art of finagling my way into areas of Bonnaroo that I had absolutely no business being in, one of which was on-stage. These photos will remain special and dear to me for a very long time..
RHCP. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were honestly quite disappointing... they appeared to be some washed up band that really didn't bring the energy I had hoped for. Two thumbs..DOWN! Never the less, I was happy to cross one more band off my wish-list. Again, I managed to get myself into the "artist" area for their set...
SKRILLEX. Yeah...I am still trying to find my face, for I believe I left it there while being absolutely mind-fucked for a solid set. I know a bunch of people who love to hate on him, but truthfully, I find him to be extremely talented. I would see him again..and again..and AGAIN. He certainly contributed to my Roo experience to say the least :)
I decided to put the camera down and enjoy myself for this set.. I was however able to get a picture of the crowd trying to bust through the gates in order to get to him! Pretty great.
PHISH.PHISH.PHISH.PHISH.PHISH.PHISH.PHISH.PHISH.PHISH.
Honestly... I don't even really need to comment here...after all it IS phish...I'll leave it at that!
OTHER.
Aside from these huge acts, there were a number of other bands that deserve a few words... First of all, The Shins= major disappointment.. I would have been better off seeing FUN.
Childish Gambino & Flying Lotus killed it...
Childish Gambino & Flying Lotus killed it...
LEROY!
This man needs no introduction! Real cool guy.
BIG GIGANTIC.
Really wish I had a sense of what type of music they made, especially since we were interviewing them.. more importantly, I wish I caught their act the night before but I crapped out pretty early.
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Real chill guys.. especially Jeremy.. wound up having a nice little dance session mid-phish!
PHANTOGRAM
GRAFFITI CULTURE.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am an absolute graffiti fanatic! The last festival I went to that had some kick-ass graffiti was Camp Bisco.. check out the graffiti I stumbled across at Bonnaroo.
JOONBUG.
Got a fancy wrist-band different from the generic one that gave me a little bit more access than the average Joe. I also had access to the press tent as well as all the free water my little heart desired! Was definitely a plus!
In these photos:
Dax, Fitz, Kristen Bell, Dancing Retriever, Richard Gervays, Little Dragon and more!
Dax, Fitz, Kristen Bell, Dancing Retriever, Richard Gervays, Little Dragon and more!
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