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Who's planning trips to festivals? I recently learned I have the ability to go to coachella providing I can pay for it all, which isn't an easy task. Additionally, my father and I have talked about telluride, and seeing hayes carll and modest mouse at shaky knees
Below I've post many of the problems of bonnaroo. Below that I posted some tips for if you go anyway.
bonnaroo is dead. That festival went from sick to shit in a decade.
Cops everywhere. Like to the point where they'll walk through campsites and search people. Driving quads up and down the roads, and I'm not talking the main roads but the isles of cars looking for any small gatherings of people then running in there and issuing fines. If there's a group of people there's a good chance they can find at least a bowl and some weed. Obviously some people got arrested but a lot of people were getting huge tickets. It's all about the money. Cigs in tennessee are around 4.50 and packs of newports in the festival sold for $16.50 I think. Bring plenty of beer because you don't want to buy beer there. If you're light on beer buy some from the neighbors at the start of the weekend and hoard it.
Also anyone selling anything will have their shit confiscated to make sure that bonnaroo can make a stupid insane amount of money.
They need to deliver a massive lineup for it to be worth it imo. After the last year I went I'm never going back regardless. That said the lineup has been mediocre the last few years. 2009 was the last great lineup. You're talking about living in a field in the hot TN sun with no shade and walking sometimes an hour each way just to get to the entrance of centeroo. If you stay out super late you have to somehow navigate the whole way back at night when you're beat as fuck.
Also when I was there in 2012 they had added sweet corrals so even when you get to the entrance(on the main stage side) you have to spend a few minutes walking through a giant maze for no reason and aren't able to go around it even if there's no line.
Also the friendly vibe there is gone. Sure there are still friendly people but not like before. You used to be able to chill with anyone. No you say hello to someone and they get weird because you're not in the group they came with. The new crowd of roo comes in these little pods and doesn't socialize outside of them which defeats the purpose of going to a fest IMO.
There will always be some great acts on even the worst lineup. That said you better really like those acts or dig the lineup because there is plenty of shit to put up with to be there.
Tips for Roo
1. Bring a shit ton of water (It's fucking TN in june)
2. Bring a shit ton of booze. Grab some liquor as well to make sure you don't run out. Don't bring glass or you'll lose it at the gate
3. Bring a shit ton of food. Bonnaroo is fucking huge. It's impossible to leave sometimes. Food is expensive. Another good bet is to find somebody cooking food inside. That's not happening as much anymore because that crowd's getting driven out and security and cops are shutting it down but still an option if you run out.
4. Don't paint your car up with "BONNAROO ROAD TRIP 2014 YOLO CR3W 4 LYFE" Bonnaroo has happened for over a decade. If you don't think the cops in TN and even the states around know what Bonnaroo is you're an idiot.
5. DON'T SPEED ON THE WAY THERE. Sure you can save some time but you bet your ass they're looking for out of state traffic to fuck with and make some money. Also if you have anything illegal really THINK. Where your seat belt. Nothing can ruin a festival weekend more than getting in trouble before you even get there.
6. Save a water bottle. They have wells inside centeroo. That said they will be dry by the night each night. It goes from 4 or 5 fully functioning spots to only maybe 1 spout on one well by the night show. (This may have changed but who knows)
7. If you're not good at being fucked up on your own walk around with some friends and get a feel for the place. There are a shit ton of people there's a good chance of ending up on your own at some point.
8. Find out where you're camped at. Each camp area has a name. Right that shit in marker somewhere on your body honestly. The WORST thing is being fucked up out of your mind and lost alone in the middle of that festival with no idea where your tent is. Also if you meet the neighbors in your area. If you can get to your spot but can't find your tent the neighbors might be able to help you out. LOOK FOR LANDMARKS.
I know some of that is basic but serious. Bonnaroo is fucking massive. At night it becomes a total fucking shit show. If you go have a good time. See some good bands, meet some people. Hopefully you have a positive experience.
^Great tips.. especially the not speeding on the way to and from if you have drugs. Last year after moe.down I noticed troopers targeting cars hard leaving the festival. TN and down south must be 10x worse
Yes seeing even a small part of the Floyd would have been awesome, maybe Eavis thought they'd had their turn after their set at Live8, which was insane. Anyway, this was 6 years ago....
That section near the .down kind of sucks. I got pulled over and held for an hour going in 08(Also the biggest year) by the time we got in it was dark and about to rain so we just set up our shit on the corner by the portopotties next to the road/next to the lodge and started to get down.
If you don't have to work friday best bet is getting there thursday night. You can't set up camp unless you're vip but there's a line party and you can set up camp around 7 am get a good spot and already be there.
Same with most festivals. Getting there the earliest you can arrive a lot of times the operations aren't happening or not in full swing yet.
As far as bonnaroo, sorry I guess. Had some pretty traumatic experiences at that place. Won't go back unless Tupac and Biggie headline with Jesus on backing vocals. DOn't even remember the lineup for this year
Summercamp is always great. I think the lineup is a little bit week this year. Place sees some crazy fucking whether every few years. The last night last year rain was coming down sideways and one of the stages was under 3 feet of water and got shut down. Also scamp is farmland, you could dump a bottle of water and it becomes slick and sketchy.
The lineup is usually solid though. If you like moe. or umpreyes they each play 3 nights there.
The last few year there have been a lot more cops there. Huge operations in swing starting thursday night/friday morning on the roads. If you're going get there early thursday, you're able to camp with a pre party pass for like 20 bucks more.
Also if you have a car there's a carls jr down the road. Leave anything illegal behind, make sure the driver is sober. But you can save some loot on food, hit svc and grab cigs and beer.
You have to sneak beer in for some reason, but it's not that hard. We were bringing full 30 racks last year. It's a cool adventure. If you go VIP they bring out the tub of confiscated beer each night for you. Vip has access to a bar with $2 strong mixed drinks etc. I did it in 2011. It was fun.
The cops inside don't care about you smoking though. DOn't try and hustle at scamp. Had lots of friends get in trouble. Camping in the woods is recommended as it can get balls hot in that field. Getting there early is necessary to getting a spot.
All good moved to ohio but that's taking a year off this year. Also that festival is pretty fucked at this point.
The werkout in ohio is on the same grounds that all good moved to but only 3 or 4 thousand people. That was a great time when I went 2 years ago.
Wakarusa in arkansas is pretty awesome. The camp grounds there are super chill. I didn't see any problems. You need main stage area camping though as that's private property while the off site spots aren't and you need to bus back and forth. I hitch hiked there and ended up there with pretty much nothing, lost my bag on the way there. So glad I did it. Awesome time. Would love to go back. 2 years I couldn't make it because nobody could fit me in a car. Hopefully I can make it this year.
I don't get around as much any more and so much happens in the northeast but those are all kind of out that way.
other areas
LOCK'n in Virginia is awesome if you like the bands on the lineup. They had awesome artists playing with awesome artists. Zach Brown with string cheese, Trey with Furthur, etc. That said there aren't many bands there and tickets were over priced and the festival was super unorganized. Had a great time, the music was A+ and the people were great but still felt a little bummed over that.
The best year to hit a festival is in the first few generally
If they deliver a big lineup right off the bat the first year is the best. After that it gets on the map, the cops slowly get bad, shittier people start coming etc.
If there's an established fest and new fest with similar lineups sometimes the new fest is the way to go. Just remember that it's trial and error. Nobody knows how the cops will be, the campgrounds, price of food etc.
Alright I'll shut the hell up now. Hopefully there's something useful in there
I'll probably be at phish but I'm not sure. And ron, never made it out there. At this point never will. Feel like I should have gone years ago. Really don't know anyone going either. A friend of mine does fire poi there sometimes but that's about it. Seems like it would be a cool experience to hit once.
I'd like to hit gathering of the juggalos sometime. That's been on my list for years. Why? Why the hell not?
Where shoes if you go in the water. But don't go in the water.
I would recommend buying any beer or supplies more than 10 min from the fest. Fuck stopping in bridgeport.
There are cops at the gate. Generally several. Cops in the venue. Lots of them. Lots in uniform and plenty of UC's.
They don't really care about you smoking a doober but even then I wouldn't just walk down the road ripping a bowl past them.
I would recommend packing your shit up after you get up and drink a beer or eat breakfast on sunday. On sunday all the bridgeport people can come in for cheap and later on they start taking down fences and opening up the park side. Def lock anything valuable up that you didn't have locked up for whatever reason.
The lineup is great, it's actually a pretty sweet place. Luckily you can buy beer on sunday now. That was a problem before with the laws there.
Looks like I'm not hitting anything. I could hit jazz fest and scamp>waka before leaving but I don't have the funds now.
I'm going to suck at music this year. Drink somethin, smoke somethin, rage somethin for me.
I've reverted back to noob status. Hoping I can catch a couple shows in the fall at least. So bummed about vibes and moe.down. The vibes lineup is unreal and moe.down has been my favorite fest the last 6 years.
theabortionatorLooks like I'm not hitting anything. I could hit jazz fest and scamp>waka before leaving but I don't have the funds now.
I'm going to suck at music this year. Drink somethin, smoke somethin, rage somethin for me.
I've reverted back to noob status. Hoping I can catch a couple shows in the fall at least. So bummed about vibes and moe.down. The vibes lineup is unreal and moe.down has been my favorite fest the last 6 years.
So Coachella was amazing.
As my first festival, I'm already hooked.
The artists, bands, singers, art, area, people, camping, just everything made that one of the best weekends I've ever had.
Met so many new people, made some friends that I hope to keep in touch with, and discovered a ton of amazing new music.
Will do. I'm really sad about the .down. You'll have to rage it for me. Always the best vibe and honestly feels like home. Even if there wasn't any music I'd still go.
That said it would cost me almost 2k to pull it off. As much as I love it that's just not feasible for me. Maybe I can get my buddy Flarcus to throw up a stream from his taper rig.
going to vibes, frendly, hopefully hudson, granted I actually make some money before the rest of the tickets sell out, going to boston calling, and probably some more once I start receiving paychecks.
to add on to the abortionators amazing festival tips, the biggest one I can offer is if you are not car camping, LOCK YOUR TENT. The first year I camped at vibes I was like 15 or so with all of my other youngin friends and in the middle of the night someone tried to break into my tent while I was high out of my mind.
That and camelbaks save lives. Get one and use it.
It was expensive but another good buy for multi-day camping fests and even just campers in general is a solar powered phone charger. I can't tell you how many times I've lost my friends with a dead phone and then prevented that with a solar charger.
Fest food is expensive. One of the best things to keep in your tent is a cooler with bread and pb&j. Super easy and cheap and you don't have to waste mad money on fest food. Just like bring as much of your own food as you can so that you can avoid food courts as much as possible. Though I did give into munchies last year and bought $7 cheese fries.
And buy a goddamn test kit. We don't need any more festivals shut down because kids don't know what they're taking and we don't need any more headlines like "Girl Dies from 10 Hits of Molly."
The tent lock thing is up to you. Sometimes a lock on a tent might give people a reason. If you have anything valuable and don't have car camping keep your wallet on you. IF there's something you have to leave in your tent put it in your sleeping back or under your mat.
Solar charger def sounds legit. Some fests you can find outlets like summercamp in IL. Random outlets chillin different spots. Would def advise bringing a car and a regular charger. Also now that most phones run on only a few chargers you can always ask a stranger if you can charge your phone for 5 or 10 min and give them a beer or something. Also can do the same with yours.
Some fests you can walk to your car, charge your phone, leave to get food and supplies, and come back.
The test kit thing is huge. Buy a test kit and spread the word. Test kits save lives. I don't think I'm hitting any fests now but I was planning on bringing 100 test kits to summercamp. Unfortunately will probably hit up a small fest in NY, work as much as I can and then be gone for festi season.
As far as wanting to go to a fest but not having funds check out clean vibes, wet, or the festivals website. Clean vibes does a lot of festivals. You clean up trash during or after the festival. It can suck pretty hard but if you don't have the money it's worth it. I'd rather clean up garbage and rage all night than sit at home.
Most if not all require a deposit equal to the ticket value. This is to make sure you show up to your shifts. If you don't you won't get that money back ensuring people don't "volunteer" and then disappear once the fest starts.
For campsites def scavenge sometimes and see what you can find. We grabbed tarps at waka in AR and Scamp in IL and were able to tarp off a massive area at bonnaroo. Just ran it between cars and easy ups. Kept the site a lot less death.
Easy ups are a big one. Worth the investment. Don't buy a cheap shitty one. The $50 will not hold up to wind. One good wind storm and those legs will bend. It's worth it to drop 100. I got 3 or 4 years and 20+ fests out of one. On my second now.
You can find coolers and camping chairs that people couldn't fit or just didn't care about.
I'm still feeling funky from this last concussion so I apologize if I'm not making sense.
For phone charging while camping we bought a DC to AC converter and bring a car battery. The smallest converter is around 30 bucks. Also, great for plugging in computer speakers for music. Cell phone chargers don't draw too much power so the charge last a while. If you wheel-barrow your stuff to your spot the battery shouldn't be too much of an inconvience.
rudagerGotta love a festival where I can go home and sleep in my bed after
Personally I'd rather be camping out even if it's only a short walk from my house.
Camping with strangers is one of my favorite parts of festivals. Get a lot of time to really meet people, hangout, jam, and just kick it before, between or after the music.
theabortionatorPersonally I'd rather be camping out even if it's only a short walk from my house.
Camping with strangers is one of my favorite parts of festivals. Get a lot of time to really meet people, hangout, jam, and just kick it before, between or after the music.
It had a ton of ups, and I had no problem with sleeping or anything since I was usually intoxicated and exhausted I'd just pass out the moment I laid down.
Don't get me wrong, the camping was amazing. Socialising was amazing, waking up at 7 am and starting to drink and morning party was amazing.
But there's just something about going to your bed after (or a couch if I head somewhere else), that just takes the cake.
Plus. This is really close to downtown Calgary, so there is no camping option.
And I live less than a $12 cab ride there.
so it's nice.
rudagerIt had a ton of ups, and I had no problem with sleeping or anything since I was usually intoxicated and exhausted I'd just pass out the moment I laid down.
Don't get me wrong, the camping was amazing. Socialising was amazing, waking up at 7 am and starting to drink and morning party was amazing.
But there's just something about going to your bed after (or a couch if I head somewhere else), that just takes the cake.
Plus. This is really close to downtown Calgary, so there is no camping option.
And I live less than a $12 cab ride there.
so it's nice.
If there's no camping and you don't have to drive that's clutch. Last year in may I was at a fest half an hour away and it got down to 37 at night. It was the night before the fest really started anyway so I just went home and slept and it was lovely. My tent could stay there set up in the cold, I cooked some dank food and slept like a champ.
theabortionatorIf there's no camping and you don't have to drive that's clutch. Last year in may I was at a fest half an hour away and it got down to 37 at night. It was the night before the fest really started anyway so I just went home and slept and it was lovely. My tent could stay there set up in the cold, I cooked some dank food and slept like a champ.
That would be pretty sweet too, I wouldn't have a problem with that. Plus the luxury of being able to go home in case of an emergency or something is always a bonus.
I can see it snowing at this festival; a few years back when it was just a one day thing, it hailed for about 30 minutes.
As much as I'm bummed out for not getting myself together and going somewhere else for a festival like Sasquatch or Squamish, I'm happy this Calgary is finally getting big. Especially with those headliners.
I was incredibly disappointed when AMs only tour stop were Toronto and Vancouver (2 days in van city too).
So this is a huge relief to have something where all I have to do is buy a ticket, and that's that.
On Thursday I head to Belgium for Groezrock! So stoked to see the Wonder Years, Saves the Day, Touche Amore, New Found Glory, Brand New, More Than Life, the Hives, Menzingers...... Gonna be sick!
Oh ya New Pornos rock! I've seen them 4 times. I doubt Neko will tour with them though because she's been so successful on her own. (not saying that Newman's solo stuff isn't fantastic as well). Although I do have a soft spot for Katherine Calder too, so missing Neko isn't that bad.
