anyone else back from bonnaroo

[bluegrasschica]

Well i just returened yome from a weekend at bonnaroo. Although i do not regret going, i am hoping that wakarusa will be better. i never knew what 100,000 people looked like, and i can't say it is good. Could hardly see any of the stages! I go to festivals for the music, and i'm telling you, between the heat, rain, mud and crowds it was a struggle to enjoy. I had a good enough time, but i am SOOOO looking forward to next weekend. I would like to hear what anyone else who went to bonnaroo thought about it, and how wakarusa will compare! : )

jess

[Metalhead]

I didn't go, but I just read this:

By BILL POOVEY, Associated Press Writer

MANCHESTER, Tenn. - Two fans died during the weekend Bonnaroo music festival, which drew more than 150,000 people, and investigators said drugs appear to have been involved.



They were the first deaths in the festival's three-year history.


\"When there is drug usage and the heat has been like it has, we have been expecting it every year. ... This year our luck ran out,\" Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said.


Preliminary toxicology tests showed both victims had been using drugs, investigator Dale Brissey said.


Temperatures reached 90 degrees or higher on Friday and Saturday. \"The high humidity, high heat, alcohol and drugs ? it's not a good combination,\" Brissey said.


The festival, at a farm halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga, offered a diverse lineup that included Bob Dylan (news), Dave Matthews and The Dead.


Graves said there were hundreds of drug charges and some assault charges, but officers just handed out citations for possession of small quantities of illegal drugs.


\"Our jail is too small to put that many in there at one time.\" he said.


Graves said there was less violence than last year, when there were stabbings in the crowd.


___


On the Net:


Bonnaroo: http://www.bonnaroo.com/

[TeamB]

Just got back as well, wonderful music but there were lots of issues that makes me not want to go back. I'll share them later...

[groovinkangaroo]

i just got back from the roo as well. in short i wont be going back next year. too many people there just to get ****ed up on drugs. as someone who stays sober for most all musical events, i can take a certain amount of crap like that. but man, when hardly anyone even dances and most shows turn out lookin like a dave matthews crowd you know somethin is wrong. AND **** MAROON 5 TOO!

[kenny1]

Sounds like you need to \"light\"en up! :P just kiddin' PeAcE.

I DO NOT LIKE DAVE MATHEWS!!!! :evil:

Bonnaroo was definitely a hit or miss affair. I was very impressed with a lot of the acts I saw and was equally impressed with the variety available. I uninitentionally went to most of the sets that were outside of what is usually considered a jam band set up. Grandaddy, Calexico, Danger Mouse etc.

So from my perspective I thought the music was great but I think the promoters overdid it with wanting to squeeze every last dollar out of how many people were showing up. 13 bucks for a plate of chinese food is just too much. I understand the law of supply and demand in dealing with $5 bags of ice but that's still too much.

on top of that, Bonnaroo says no illegal vending but there is no way they could survive without it. the lines to the food stands in Centeroo were long as well as the ones in the lot. Without the ones in the lot people would have to wait hours for food like they did for ice. When is someone going to get smart and just bring a camper with an ice machine in the back?

add to that the scores of people freely distributing drugs to people of all ages without concern for their health or well being and people are going to die regardless of the temperature. this was the first year I was offered coke and I heard of other people being offered HEROIN?! What does heroin have to do with enjoying music.

It makes me wonder if any festival that is going to have top name bands has a shelf life of about three years before all of the unworthy elements creep in to the degree that makes it hard to be about the music, peace and love anymore. I can't imagine that next years Bonnaroo wont get even more negative feedback if they try to keep it the same size, and at the same venue for that matter if you ask the people who were stuck in line for 10 to 15 hours while others got in without having to wait at all (I got lucky).

just some thoughts hopefully others have comments as well. in my opinion the pros and cons evened out, i had a good time, i just had to know what to stay away from.


on the flipside, i think a lot of people that are coming to Wakarusa are coming for the music. it's a low key affair, as far as i know the crowd is maxing out at 30,000 which is a great size to see some good music.

i think if those of us that are there from the music spout our opinions to those who are obviously there just to make a profit hopefully they will feel unwanted enough to stay away next year. ok so i'm rambling.

[goodcrack]

that last post was me not that it matters.

[bluegrasschica]

just so everyone knows, i heard that bonnaroo was bought out by clear channel something like a week before bonnaroo took place. I belive that a festival can last a long time, just look at Telluride bluegrass. Granted it is bluegrass, but they have sci and what not. They have been goin for 30 some years and are NOT corporate at all. I would have been there this weekend, but had to hit up the locality of wakarusa. If you wanna see something even less corporate, but with out the kick ass lineup, but with the BEST all night jamming and picking scene, winfield is the place to go!

Peace
Jess

[goodcrack]

to make it clear on the clear channel subject, (no pun intended) Clear Channel worked on buying out Superfly (promoters for Bonnaroo) and were unsuccessful. There was a \"press release\" stating that Clear Channel was successful in acquiring Bonnaroo but was posted online by Melba Toast. Now I don't know about you but I haven't been able to find any other news regarding this so i'm gonna call bull****.