My Bonnaroo

My 2006 Bonnaroo Experience – The Guinea Pig

Although a little fuzzy at this point, it’s an interesting read. If anything, you’ll learn how to come prepared. Regardless, Bonnaroo was a blast that year.

I was just a fledgling the first time I attended Bonnaroo, I graduated college a month prior and flew (ugh) down to Richmond, VA to meet a college buddy of mine to drive the rest of the way. I toted  two full-sized wheeled upright bags and a backpack (back when it didn’t cost more to check those things in). He handed me my first ever Bonnaroo ticket and we drove ten hours in his beat up Honda from Richmond to Manchester.

Had I known that packing lightly was pretty much a necessity I wouldn’t have stuffed my entire closet into those bags- you’ll most likely be in swimwear throughout the entire adventure. After a pretty lengthy wait at the gate (GET THERE EARLY GUYS) we presented our Bonnaroo Ticket and staked our claim about a ten minute walk away from Centeroo…

Luckily, having a car means that you can carry more than you would traveling otherwise, so we had a pretty nice setup with a tarp tied to the car for shade, a mini stove, tons of food and baby wipes (LOTS, back when they didn’t have showers). Regardless of the setup the heat was still pretty intense when we weren’t walking around so we did end up spending a bit on their delicious vendors (if you can find the stand with the garlic grilled cheese for a dollar, HIGHLY recommended and remember to bring extra money!).

The first night was dedicated to acclimating and getting our bearings around the 700 acre landscape (see a sample map below). Which can be helpful because Thursdays usually have smaller acts on board. My friend decided to crisp a little without sunblock and remained a painful shade of crimson throughout the entire trip. I, on the other hand came prepared and enjoyed the sun for what it was worth. If you’re going to purchase a Bonnaroo ticket, you have to come prepared!

We woke up at 7:00 AM on the second day, which you’ll come to expect because the sun has a pretty powerful effect.  It was fun to people watch while dazed Roo’ers stumbled out of their beds, still adapting to the weather. I tried my hand at Yoga near the Solar Stage before planting myself in front of Bonnaroo’s famous psychedelic fountain.

Friday consisted of the Ben Folds set over at Which (which was worth the tan), a division between Mike Gordon at This and G. Love at The Other Tent and finding a home over at What during Oysterhead. Seeing Les Claypool and Trey Anastasio reunited was pretty sweet. Les, in his usual wacky ways, was wearing a pig’s mask and Trey was smiling as usual- I’d say the climatic point of that performance was during “Little Faces.” Next was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and a late night division between Umphrey’s McGee and My Morning Jacket. Note that there were a ton of other performances I wanted to see that day – Cat Power and Robert Randolph were up there. The pinnacle of Friday, June 16th, 2006 was the 2:00 AM Disco Biscuits performance.

My Morning Jacket

I’m still pretty peeved that I missed Les Claypool’s afternoon gathering over at the Sonic Stage as my buddy and I drove down the road to grab some supplies (easier when you have a car guys!). You wouldn’t believe the amount of people outside the grounds begging for Bonnaroo tickets! Another reason why you should buy Bonnaroo tickets early, not only do the prices go up, so does the demand! So the likelihood of snagging affordable Bonnaroo tickets goes way down!

We actually ran into a huge group of college friends on Saturday morning, Bonnaroo is definitely a place to go with large groups- and remember to make friends with your neighbors! Now about 8 people deep, we were like kids in a candy store. We saw Gomez at That Tent,  Beck at What (who did half of his performance as a puppet), a twenty minute detour over to Which for Cypress Hill before a long wait for the piece de resistance – Radiohead at What.

I can’t even begin to form an accurate description of seeing Radiohead live- all I knew was that it made spending my graduation money on Bonnaroo tickets totally worth it. Thom Yorke seemed mesmerized by his own voice, and rightfully so, and the rest of the band went into a trance-like state- I wish I had a video camera! The latter end of the night was dedicated to the Silent Disco (which is quite comical) and Sasha over at the Other Tent until sunrise.

Beck’s Puppet

After an extremely late start to our Sunday, something we could not have done without the tarp for shade, we saw Bela Fleck, Matisyahu, who put on an amazing performance despite the heat, Sonic Youth over at That Tent and Phil Lesh and Friends at What to top off the night. Sundays usually end early to give campers a chance to pack up, we stayed overnight and were pleasantly surprised to wake up at noon to an overcast (you’d never think a gloomy day could be so inviting!). I spent the rest of the week in Richmond coveting my Bonnaroo ticket and entrance bracelet. More to come on my Bonnaroo 2007 experience. Anyone have any unique Bonnaroo stories?