Bonnaroo: A Student Recap

By Broadside Correspondent Marian McLaughlin

Every June for the past three years, a few friends and I have made the long trek down Highway 81 and all the other routes and roads to get to Manchester, Tennessee for Bonnaroo, a four-day music and arts festival. The drive itself is an estimated 10-hour trip, but all the necessary pit stops and festival traffic sometimes doubles the travel time. Many people I know feel that the ticket cost, which can range between $200 to $300 depending on time of purchase, and the hassle of getting there is not worth their time, but once you arrive to the grounds and get settled in, you’ll find that the experience as a whole is worth every cent.

This year, Metallica, Pearl Jam, and Jack Johnson took the mainstage, along with some other well know artists such as Kanye West and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. There were numerous other acts as well, ranging in all sorts of genres from folk music to experimental math rock. The eclectic nature of the festival was apparent when one could go from Abigail Washburn’s Appalachian quartet to Mastodon’s progressive metal riffs within minutes.

Out of the headliners, Metallica won the audience over by far. Bonnaroo fans felt skeptical at first that a band with such rough tonality and powerful energy would be the stars, since festival favorites in the past tended to be of more mellow, jam-band nature, like Phil Lesh and Friends or The Grateful Dead.

But within the past few years, Superfly and AC Entertainment have branched out to allow popular rock and roll and experimental bands to take the spotlight. Metallica’s performance of old school songs as well as new licks from their upcoming album, Death Magnetic, unified their die-hard fans and the once doubtful. The melodic guitar and vocal harmonies worked together well with their fast-paced rhythms, leaving the crowd energized and satisfied.

A huge percentage of the festival attendees were awaiting Kanye West’s late night performance. Originally supposed to take on the main stage around sunset, his set moved to 2:45 A.M. in order to display his “Glow in the Dark” theme better. All of the hype left viewers in excitement, some of them leaving the dance scene of Ghostland Observatory or Phil Lesh’s ensemble so they could catch Kanye’s show in time.

But around 3 a.m., the show had not yet begun. The anticipated wait continued on until 4:25 a.m., when Kanye finally took to the stage. At that point, the audience could not hold in their anger any longer and began to boo and throw objects at the stage, damaging one of Kanye’s screens. Half of the tired and irritated crowd had already left by the time he began, disappointed to miss his show, but upset that there was no proper apology or reason for the delay. Because of the late start, Kanye had to end his set within an hour, due to the sunrise. For the rest of the festival, “Kanye sucks” became a joking motto that attendees would say to each other to express their anger towards the hugest letdown of the weekend.

The Icelandic band Sigur Ros was the hidden jewel of the festival. They gently swooped up their audience for two hours and cradled them with swells of peaceful, sonic sounds. Their falsetto vocals sung in the nonsense Hopelandic language (which resembles the phonology of Icelandic) were accompanied by multiple instruments such as guitar, bass, keyboards, and organs. The four-piece quartet Amiina joined them during their set, adding more emotionally ethereal layers of music to their already moving songs. During one piece, a marching band came out and snaked across the stage. The blaring brass instruments and the toting tuba brought a sense of hope and triumph to the music.

Once they finished, the crowd demanded an encore, to which the band fulfilled. Afterwards, the crowd stood and waited for a second encore, stunned that they just experienced such a transcending concert. The angelic ensemble came back out, stood in a line at the front of the stage, and stared back at the crowd, just as shocked at the amount of love and appreciation that they were receiving, but ended up bowing for a second time, calling it a night.

Other noteworthy bands that played were Lez Zeppelin, an all-girl tribute group that flawlessly embodies the energy of Led Zeppelin; stephaniesid, a small indie band from Asheville, N.C. that crooned and owned the Troo Music Lounge; and Battles, a math-rock group where the members can play their keyboards and guitars at once, creating strange glitches and moving, dance numbers. The list of amazing performers goes on and on.

One can go to Bonnaroo and not even see any live music, but this route is not recommended. It’s only a statement worth saying because there is so much activity going on that it is hard to be disappointed.

First of all, the festival itself is a camping experience, where you get to pitch your own tent and cook your own food. There are delicious meals available in the main center, but for prices not worth paying. The campsites become little communities where you make new friends and get to know your neighbors. Overall, people are all good-natured and the only annoyance is being surrounded by drunk people.

But Bonnaroo is too much fun to let idiots ruin your time. There is always some sort of art exhibit, like the fire shows from the Art of Such and Such, or the personal collaborations that take place at campground centers.

Each campground has a pod where people can get free water, assistance, and medical help. There is also some sort of art activity to make the pods unique.

When it comes down to it, a festival this huge and diverse is all about experiencing moments that will become highlights and favorite memories of summertime. Being able to see so many acts, hear amazing live music, and interact with an artistically inclined community is a rewarding and altering feeling. By the end of such a festival, one can only feel satisfied, yet withdrawn and waiting for the next year to come, with a plethora of stories to share.