Quote :

"To be honest, the tales of the unbearable heat are what kept me from ever going."

6/13/2011 9:48:28 PM

you guys are pussies

6/13/2011 10:15:05 PM

^Somebodys dead. Its way too much to have an event that goes noon-5am in 100 degree weather. just way too much. Nobody can survive out there dancing that long and the people that do are skipping part of the show to rest from time to time. Not to mention many people are sleeping outside in 80 degree overnight weather.

6/14/2011 12:15:39 AM

^^
it really does suck getting woken up at 7am due to the sun blaring down on your tent

6/14/2011 1:13:25 AM

^^ literally everything you said is an exaggeration. it's unfortunate that guy died, and i'm not suggesting he was doing anything he shouldn't have been doing, but many deaths at bonnaroo occur for that reason compounded with the heat

^ it's true that you get woken up early by the heat early, but you can rig up tarps on your shade tent and sleep until 10. my friends have done it

6/14/2011 7:14:01 AM

You also have to factor in the drugs/alcohol. You put people in a position where they are encouraged to party, but also try to keep a level head about not getting dehydrated and overheated, and you are asking for two conflicting things in my opinion.

What would be the opposition to moving it up a couple of months? Is there some significance to the date?

6/14/2011 9:13:31 AM

They've gotten better every year about having free cold water available to everyone. Don't know if they added any more stations for this year. Honestly, I always used the most water after eating the spicy pizza

I understand the whole "party atmosphere" they create, but the key is preparation ahead of time. I bought a ripoff camelback from walmart for like $20. I would fill that up at one of the stations once I got in, and I'd also bring in two bottles of water from our cooler. Obviously wearing a hat helps, but last year they passed out free bandannas during the us world cup game, so I stuck it under my hat to make a makeshift one of these...it helps cut down on heat to your head/neck dramatically:



Sucks to hear about your friends death. Isn't that the second time someone from NC died at Bonnaroo? I vaguely remember that happening last year also.

[Edited on June 14, 2011 at 9:54 AM. Reason : -]

6/14/2011 9:51:02 AM

very sad about Chris. i met chris back in charlotte when i started the ultimate frisbee club at Catholic, and we played with Myers Park & Providence kids on sunday mornings. always seemed like a super sharp kid. RIP.

forever part of the wolfpack family

6/14/2011 9:57:33 AM

RIP. When I went to Bonnaroo, there were several times where I felt like I was going to pass out, and I was constantly hydrating. It's a giant frying pan and people die there every year. I agree that they should schedule the event during the cooler seasons. I will most likely not return, but I don't regret the experience, it was a blast.

6/14/2011 10:01:38 AM

Very, very sad about Chris Yoder. He posted on the Bonnaroo message boards under the name yoderoo, was pretty popular there. Never got to meet him in person, but he seemed like a good kid, sharp kid from his posts on there.

I don't know if you can blame Bonnaroo for the two deaths this year, though. When you're there, there's certainly a party atmosphere, but there are TONS of people there who will tell you to make sure you stock the fuck up on water before you start partying; like Rat Soup, not saying Chris was doing something he shouldn't, but I think a large amount of the deaths and near-deaths at Roo are due to a combination of drug use and the conditions...to be candid, most kids that experience some serious body trauma are rolling and don't think to load up on water before they start rolling and they dehydrate, simple as that. Most people that go to Roo know this and will tell you this and will offer up their water in a heartbeat when someone is clearly having a rough go of it. It's about personal responsibility, but there are thousands upon thousands of people there to help you out, too.

If you're smart about it, the heat is far from unbearable, in my opinion. It's uncomfortable, sure, but as long as you take the necessary precautions, you are most definitely going to survive (even if you party hard during the late nights). Would it be nice to sleep in a bed each night instead of a hot-ass field in the middle of Tennessee with the sun glaring down at you and waking you up at 7:30 AM? Most definitely. But, for me personally, it stretches what you can tolerate and helps in creating an unforgettable experience. It's uncomfortable while you're there, but again, you're going to survive.

Anyway, now that I'm done with that little spiel, this year's Bonnaroo was fucking amazing. I had an unbelievable time. I got in the What Stage pit for both My Morning Jacket and Arcade Fire consecutively (I didn't think there was anyway I'd be able to do that, considering the lines and them clearing out the pit after every show, but I did somehow). So, for both those shows, I was in the 300-person pit at the very front of a 50 or 60,000-person crowd. Arcade Fire was the best show I've ever been to (hearing 50,000+ plus sing along on "Wake Up" and "Rebellion (Lies)" is a feeling I'll never forget), and the MMJ show was up there as well. Also got in the pit for Buffalo Springfield on the Which Stage, that was amazing. Other highlights for me: Robyn, !!!, J. Cole, The Walkmen, The Strokes, Mavis Staples, Dr. John and the parade that followed, The Black Angels, Phosphorescent, etc. Saw an insane amount of fantastic sets. Only one that sucked was, unfortunately, Lil Wayne. Was really excited for his set but the sound was just beyond awful. Can't wait to be back on the farm next year.

6/14/2011 12:43:28 PM

I fucking missed that parade. I'm so pissed about that.

6/14/2011 2:18:45 PM

^^ yeah yoder was a year round poster on that forum not just a "oohh its that time again" kinda guy. He was a very smart kid that had a lot going for him. I personally am really going to miss him @ work.

In my opinion bonnaroo was chris' favorite thing in life. It combined music camping and everything he loved all into one week. He had been preparing for it for weeks. I think he went way way way too early but i hope that i am lucky enough to die doing whatever it is that makes me happiest.

6/14/2011 3:29:30 PM

just to chime in with what dillydaliant said, this was definitely the best bonnaroo i've been to in terms of the number and quality of shows i saw.

My morning jacket opening with "victory dance" as the sun went down with that ridiculous deep bass leading into another one of their signature awesome shows was so great. i'm torn between that and arcade fire as my favorites of the weekend. parachuters dumping LED lights over the crowd between those sets was so cool and is definitely something i won't forget.

Seeing dr. john perform desitively bonnaroo was also incredible, not only because the show was great, but also because it had never been done before and will never happen again. i also had the chance to see loretta lynn and wanda jackson, which is something i probably wouldn't do had they not been in the same place one weekend.

similarly, in years past i've had a lot of other incredible experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life because of bonnaroo. for that, i can't thank the festival and it's organizers enough. i don't know how much money i've spent on bonnaroo, but i can honestly tell you it's been worth every fraction of a penny. the fact that some of you are allowing something as silly as the heat to keep you away are doing yourselves a huge disservice. people don't just get hot and drop dead all over the farm. ke dillydaliant said, all you have to do is be smart and stay hydrated. get through the day, and you will be rewarded at night.

[Edited on June 14, 2011 at 3:47 PM. Reason : ..]

6/14/2011 3:31:41 PM

Yeah, really tough choosing between MMJ and Arcade Fire. I think if I were to give my top 10, it'd be as follows:

1. AF
2. MMJ
3. Buffalo Springfield
4. !!!
5. Robyn
6. The Strokes
7. Mavis Staples
8. Dr. John and The Original Meters
9. J. Cole
10. The Walkmen

6/14/2011 4:08:46 PM

I've gone four years in a row (before this year) and haven't died even once. Drink water, folks.

[Edited on June 14, 2011 at 4:50 PM. Reason : .]

6/14/2011 4:47:10 PM

One odd thing about this year's Bonnaroo: I didn't hear one person mention Eminem before or after his set. I heard tons of people mention Arcade Fire, Jacket, Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, The Strokes, and Lil Wayne, but I didn't hear one person talking about Eminem. Very bizarre. Not sure Roo realized just how irrelevant he really is at this point.

6/14/2011 5:45:32 PM

i saw consequence of sound i think tweet that dr. dre was spotted backstage, i assumed it was for an eminem collab if true or maybe he was just hangin out.

[Edited on June 14, 2011 at 5:47 PM. Reason : .]

6/14/2011 5:47:06 PM

There was no Dr. Dre guest appearance. There wasn't even a Weezy guest appearance. I didn't go to his set, but someone else told me no guest appearances.

6/14/2011 5:53:48 PM

I'm with Bweez. If you get dehydrated and sick/die, it's tragic, but your own fault. Went three years in a row with last year putting up 110 degree heat index...yea, the heat was horrible, and I put a lot of bad things in my body, but I also drank a ton of water. It's not that difficult to strap a slim camelbak and keep it filled.

6/14/2011 6:50:34 PM

Quote :

"One odd thing about this year's Bonnaroo: I didn't hear one person mention Eminem before or after his set"

one of my friends was making his way through the what stage area for black keys and said he heard people saying shit like "who the fuck are these guys? when is eminem coming on?" so there were definitely some idiots waiting for him. we went back to our camp to chill out and drink after a few buffalo springfield songs, and a pregnant woman and her husband or boyfriend just pulled their car up and parked by the tent rental areas, presumably for eminem since they said they were only gonna be there for a few hours (they were worried about getting towed). they seemed like they were locals. white trash going to see eminem? go figure.

did anyone else notice how fucking terrible sleigh bells were? i had never seen a tent so packed and overflowing on a thursday, but a lot of people started leaving really early into it. their singer was awful. she mumbled her way through the lyrics and sounded out of breath. then she'd just say a bunch of nonsense into the microphone and throw BONNAROO!! at the end to get people to yell or something.

i was really annoyed by how many shows started late. bootsy collins was the worst. i left loretta lynn to see an hour of his set before going over to see the black keys, and i left at 8:15 because he still hadn't showed up. i watched the rest of the black keys' set, which didn't even go the full hour and 30 minutes, and then went back to bootsy. his band was playing a few songs, but he still didn't show up until about 15 minutes later. he pulled kareem abdul jabbar up on stage, though. that was weird. i think both of dr. john's shows started late, but superjam was delayed because of gregg allman. not sure why he started late though. robert plant was late. girl talk may have been late. i'm sure there were others.

i also would've traded this year's dust for last year's heat. that shit fucking sucked.

[Edited on June 14, 2011 at 7:23 PM. Reason : .]

6/14/2011 7:21:28 PM

eminem was the biggest act there.

Did anybody see Wiz Khalifa?

How about Girl Talk?

Mumford and sons?

How were they?

6/14/2011 11:24:29 PM

I saw a little bit of girl talk, but i was way far back. i missed the dr john parade as a result

And eminem might've been the biggest act in terms of name recognition, but arcade fire was probably the biggest act in terms of fan anticipation, and that matters way more than becoming a household name because you started your career on shock value

[Edited on June 15, 2011 at 7:49 AM. Reason : .]

6/15/2011 7:45:05 AM

I really don't get why hipsters like Girl Talk. He puts together a bunch of shitty music and somehow it turns into good music?

6/15/2011 11:54:18 AM

Girl talk is just fun, plain and simple. The way he layers and arranges the music is creative and you can dance your ass off. Its a good break for hipsters from introspective folk guitar songs with no words.

Plus he looks hipsterish and plays on a macbook pro.

6/15/2011 12:16:14 PM

Girl talk has a pretty broad appeal among a lot more demographics than hipsters

6/15/2011 12:19:08 PM

Hipsters are starting to move away from Girl Talk it seems to me. He's starting to belong more to the jammy electronic crowd that fawns over Pretty Lights and Bassnectar. Maybe that's premature, but I think it's in the process of happening. I'm kind of sick of Girl Talk myself, although his music can still be really fun in the right setting. And, yeah, like Rat Soup said, his appeal is pretty broad in general at this point.

But yeah, I would agree with Rat Soup about Eminem vs. AF. It seems like for most of the young and young-ish crowd, the MMJ>Arcade Fire thing was much more relevant and exciting. I mean, it's gonna be nearly impossible for Bonnaroo to top those two back to back on their biggest stage on Friday night. You're talking about two of the biggest-sounding and most popular bands out there amongst people under 30, and some over 30. I will never, ever, ever forget that 4 and a half hours on Friday night. You'll always have the opportunity to see those two bands again since they tour so often, but you'll almost never get another opportunity to see them in that kind of atmosphere playing back-to-back to fans who are not only ready to party, but are huge fans of the two artists and know all the words to all the songs. It's crazy, it's a tremendous vibe.

And, at the risk of sounding too gushy, the vibe at Bonnaroo in general is something to behold; I don't know if I've ever felt a stronger sense of brotherhood anywhere in my life than at Bonnaroo. Everybody is soooo willing to help each other out. Just by being there, you have 50,000 friends who are looking out for you. I realize that sounds hyperbolic, but it really is true.

I didn't see Black Keys (was at Buffalo Springfield), Girl Talk (was at the parade), or Mumford (was at !!!), but supposedly those three crowds were three of the biggest non-headlining crowds of the weekend, behind Jacket.

[Edited on June 15, 2011 at 12:22 PM. Reason : s]

[Edited on June 15, 2011 at 12:23 PM. Reason : .]

6/15/2011 12:21:27 PM

^^
I know that. I'm asking why hipsters like him, since the music he samples is generally considered terrible among hipsters.

I mean sure you can dance to it, but there are so many better artists you can dance to as well.

/rant off

[Edited on June 15, 2011 at 12:22 PM. Reason : .]

6/15/2011 12:21:39 PM

^ i get what you're trying to say, but he samples stuff from radiohead, the velvet underground, beck, bruce springsteen, etc, so anyone with decent taste in music can appreciate what he does. hipsters wouldn't just write him off because he plays popular club/dance songs. if anything, they'd love the irony in it

also, wiz kalifa, mumford and sons, and old crow medicine show can all eat dicks

[Edited on June 15, 2011 at 1:23 PM. Reason : .]

6/15/2011 1:20:49 PM

Quote :

"Its a good break for hipsters from introspective folk guitar songs with no words. Plus he looks hipsterish and plays on a macbook pro."

stupid

and wrong

6/15/2011 1:36:51 PM

criticizing people for being hipsters is the new being a hipster.

6/15/2011 1:56:59 PM

this board seems to have an obsession with hipsters, or whatever their idea of hipsters is

also, in regards to Girl Talk... pop music does not equal terrible music

6/15/2011 2:07:38 PM

^
I used the word hipster as a definer for people who like the type of music on Pitchfork. It doesn't have a negative connotation for me. I just don't know a better word for it.

When I saw Girl Talk at Moogfest, he sampled a bunch of Ke$ha, Britney Spears, and other undeniably terrible artists. To be honest, I didn't really like it because it was the same thing over and over. Just a bunch of pop music melded together with the same rhythm for an hour. I don't fault anyone for enjoying it, just not my thing.

[Edited on June 15, 2011 at 2:18 PM. Reason : .]

6/15/2011 2:16:32 PM

you went to moogfest, which has plenty of artists you'd find on pitchfork, and you're talking about other people being hipsters. anyway...

did anyone else see/talk to the guy running around in a loin cloth with a stuffed fox head on the front and a little tail in the back? he approached me and my friends because he thought a group of people would have drugs

6/15/2011 2:33:21 PM

Quote :

"you went to moogfest, which has plenty of artists you'd find on pitchfork, and you're talking about other people being hipsters. anyway..."

haha...never said my musical tastes aren't "hipster". like i said, not using it as an insult, just a descriptor for people who like a certain array of music.

[Edited on June 15, 2011 at 2:40 PM. Reason : .]

6/15/2011 2:36:39 PM

holy shit. presale for next year this friday

6/15/2011 3:48:54 PM