Bonna-blog 2013

p4NDemik

United States13896 Posts

June 11 2013 00:30 GMT

- Bonnarooooooooooooo. -

Christmas in June. My musical independence day. Sound orgies. Hallucinogenic harmonies. Call it what you will, most call it Bonnaroo. As far as US midwest music festivals go, it harbors the fondest memories for me. Hosted on a 700 acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee (basically the middle of nowhere by most people's standards), it is basically four long days of music, comedy acts, movies (for the exhausted), and silent discos. It's been a few years since I last went, but in three days I'll be making the pilgrimage once again, and it's all I can think about. Thus I feel compelled to share the excitement and build the hype along with other TLers who are going.

The scale of the event grounds and tent/car city of Bonnaroo 2011

Bonnaroo stands out among other similar festivals for me because it is a trip. In the both the traveling-fun and drug-induced hallucinating senses of the word. Leave behind a lot of the creature comforts of your home. Bring a tent. Bring some beers. Bring a portable grill. Most importantly of all bring an insatiable appetite for art, people, and experiences of all sorts. When you aren't attending a show, sit back and relax among friends with (very little) technological interference. Just human interaction. There's no going back to a hotel room. There's very little boundaries between your camp and that of relative strangers who may be from any place in the states or any place on the planet for all you know. Basically that's what it comes down to: strip away a lot of the things that shape the way you live normally every day and experience life a little differently for a weekend. To call it simply a music festival doesn't quite do it justice.

In addition to countless musical acts it really is the odd moments that I've only encountered at Bonnaroo that stand out. A girl tripping, decides to climb a low-hanging limb on a tree during an Explosions in the Sky show, succeeding in hanging upside down 5 feet off the ground while her (also tripping) friend frets and freaks trying to get her down, culminating in her inevitable dropping off the limb like an apple off the tree. Boundless laughter ensues. A random dude stumbles through our campsite in the middle of the afternoon spreading hilariously crazy conspiracy theories including one where River Phoenix was in fact responsible for the death of John Bonham (or someone else famous, I can barely remember, but it was River Phoenix who was responsible, that much I know!).

It's all fun and games until you're choking on dust and you can't find your bandana because you were fooling around...

Pre-Bonnaroo rituals include stocking up on all the essentials. This means buying disturbing amounts of food to satiate you and your friends meal needs. Hydration packs and huge water bottles to stay hydrated. Beer to stay enebriated (if you so wish). Camping equipment of all kinds. Thousands of glowsticks. Inflatable toys, beach balls, and basically anything that can be tossed around during a late night show. Walking around a Wal-Mart with two carts full of this shit is an adventure in and of itself.

At the center of it all though, are the musical acts. This year I'm really not so excited for the headliners as I am for the names that appear just below them. Pretty Lights, Matt and Kim, and Jim James are notable return performers from the last time I went in 2011, and its not likely I'll miss them. Alt-J, Passion Pit, Django Django, Japandroids, and Tame Impala head the long list of groups I haven't seen. The National, Foals, Grizzly Bear, Houndmouth, Ex Cops, Milo Greene, and more make up a body of work that I've seen recently already and know I will enjoy again. Safe to say, I'm stoked. Enjoy the videos below if you'd like to share in the excitement!

- Bonn-appetizers. -

Still getting chills two years later.

+ Show Spoiler [Past Favorites] +

+ Show Spoiler [Bonnaroo '07] +

+ Show Spoiler [Flaming Lips] +

Thousands of lazers + mirror = awesome.
- Warning: First & last 5 seconds sound like shit turn down volume accordingly

+ Show Spoiler [The White Stripes] +

"Icky Thump"

"Seven Nation Army"
Warning: Strobes

"Jolene"

+ Show Spoiler [Black Keys] +

"Have Love Will Travel"
Dan Auerbach was looking considerably more grizzly back in the day ...

+ Show Spoiler [DJ Shadow] +

Endtroducing ...

"Organ Donor"
I wish I had a video with better sound quality for this track. Loved it live. Hope this is adequate.

+ Show Spoiler [Wolfmother] +

"Woman"

"Joker and the Thief"
All I can think now is: "What a shame ..."

+ Show Spoiler [Bonnaroo '11] +

+ Show Spoiler [Arcade Fire] +

"Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"

"Power Out" + "Rebellion (Lies)"

"Month of May"

+ Show Spoiler [Pretty Lights] +

"I Know The Truth" + set video montage
Played until so early in the morning ... amazing show, can't wait for him this year.

+ Show Spoiler [Sleigh Bells] +

Intro + "Crown on the Ground"
- Warning: Excessive Volume + Strobes -

+ Show Spoiler [Florence + the Machine] +

"Dog Days Are Over"

"Cosmic Love"

+ Show Spoiler [Bassnectar] +

From inside the mass of humanity ...

... and out.

OHHH YES. PINK ELEPHANTS.

+ Show Spoiler [Matt and Kim] +

MATT AND KIMSANITY

"Daylight"
Not great visuals but great audio!

+ Show Spoiler [Man Man] +

"The Ballad of Butter Beans"

"Piranhas Club"

"Top Drawer"

+ Show Spoiler [Wavves] +

"In the Sand"

"King of the Beach"

+ Show Spoiler [Ratatat] +

"Loud Pipes"

"Wildcat"

My heart sings as I jump up!!!

+ Show Spoiler [Personal most-anticipated 2013] +

+ Show Spoiler [Alt-J] +

"Fitzpleasure"

"Something Good"

"Matilda"

+ Show Spoiler [Japandroids] +

"The House that Heaven Built"

"Fire's Highway"

+ Show Spoiler [Tame Impala] +

"Elephant"

"Feels Like We Only Go Backwards

+ Show Spoiler [Passion Pit] +

"Moth's Wings"

"Take a Walk"

"Little Secrets"

+ Show Spoiler [Empire of the Sun] +

"We Are the People" & "Walking on a Dream"

"Standing on the Shore"

+ Show Spoiler [Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros] +

NPR Little Desk Concert
Featuring "Janglin," "Home," and "40 Day Daydream"

+ Show Spoiler [Animal Collective] +

"Brother Sport"

"My Girls

"Peacebone"

+ Show Spoiler [The Lumineers] +

"Stubborn Love"

"Ho Hey" & "Big Parade"

+ Show Spoiler [Portugal. The Man] +

"So American

"Got It All"

+ Show Spoiler [Django Django] +

"Love's Dart" & "Firewater"

+ Show Spoiler [Local Natives] +

"Sun Hands

"Who Knows Who Cares"

"World News"

+ Show Spoiler [Wild Nothing] +

Live in NYC

+ Show Spoiler [Wolfgang Gartner] +

"Undertaker"

"Animal Rights" Tuscon, AZ montage

+ Show Spoiler [Reptar] +

In Through the Eyelids, Out Through The Mouth

Sebastian

+ Show Spoiler [Of Monsters and Men] +

Lollapalooza '12 Full Set
Set list/times in comments. "Six Weeks," "Mountain Sound," "Little Talks" highly recommended

- How About You? -

Anyone else going to this year's installment of Bonnaroo? It is summer (at least this side of the equator) and the time is ripe for other music festivals, anyone planning to go to another similarly spectacular festival? Sónar Barcelona? Glastonbury? Pitchfork? Osheaga? Outside Lands? Lets all get excited together! What's your favorite festival? Why? Most importantly, have fun and be safe guys!

flamewheel

FREEAGLELAND26780 Posts

June 11 2013 01:33 GMT

haaaaaaaaawt

Darkren

Canada1841 Posts

June 11 2013 06:00 GMT

those ms paint skills

slyboogie

United States3423 Posts

June 11 2013 06:05 GMT

Japandroids are so rock. It's like listening to a power rock chorus for 6 minutes - I love Fire's Highway, great call. A northern soul in southern lands.

Canada24 Posts

June 11 2013 15:14 GMT

I'll be there. Can't waiiiiiiiiiiiiit. Bjork is gonna be amazing. Thursday is gonna be amazing. Friday is gonna be amazing. Saturday is gonna be amazing. Sunday is gonna be amazing.

Fritti

Netherlands52 Posts

June 11 2013 19:21 GMT

Had not heard of it before (shame on me!) but I go yearly to Lowlands Festival @ the Netherlands. Not as big, but still big at ~ 50.000 people. If you're ever over here, I would advise you to check it out as well -- except that tickets have been sold out in about an hour at the presale, for the second year in a row. So you kind of have to get lucky to not get scammed out of a lot of money for illegal aftersales tickets...

I usually let myself be suprised by the various stages (they have a lot, including movies and theatre), but this year I'm REALLY looking forward to Nine Inch Nails. Can't wait until the end of the summer!

Anyway, have a lot of fun @ bonnaroo!

EDIT: whoops forgot site for info: http://lowlands.nl/en/program/

forgehammer

United States79 Posts

June 11 2013 21:03 GMT

I'll be there. The schedule is pretty brutal though, like the Friday clusterfuck of 15 minute overlaps of a bunch of bands I want to see.

For other festivals, Forecastle Fest is going to be awesome this year. It was bought by the same people who do Bonnaroo and their Saturday lineup this year is positively ridiculous. http://lineup.forecastlefest.com/

docvoc

United States5491 Posts

June 11 2013 21:34 GMT

I wish I could go

. It looks like so much fun, but there is no way I ever could lol.

EDIT: guess i'll watch from youtube like a loser... like I do every year T.T

p4NDemik

United States13896 Posts

June 12 2013 04:21 GMT

On June 12 2013 06:03 forgehammer wrote:
I'll be there. The schedule is pretty brutal though, like the Friday clusterfuck of 15 minute overlaps of a bunch of bands I want to see.

For other festivals, Forecastle Fest is going to be awesome this year. It was bought by the same people who do Bonnaroo and their Saturday lineup this year is positively ridiculous. http://lineup.forecastlefest.com/

Nice! Forecastle is #2 on my short list of music festivals I will be attending this year. Louisville is the bomb. Got some friends and family down there, really looking forward to it. The fact that the lineup is incredible is just icing on the cake.

pbjsandwich

United States443 Posts

June 12 2013 06:15 GMT

#10

I was at Coachella earlier this year. My 3rd year in a row

Love festivals. Wish I could afford to go more than 1 a year

I feel so lucky to have Coachella though. They usually set up the festival line ups for the season

Targe

United Kingdom14103 Posts

June 12 2013 09:34 GMT

#11

I wish I could draw a hat that well on paint TT\

Only festival I'm going to this year is Jersey Live, which pales in comparison to any real festival :/

decafchicken

United States19917 Posts

June 12 2013 15:58 GMT

#12

Haha tennessee isn't exactly the midwest

Just went to my first music festival a couple weeks ago (EDC Chicago!) and camped out there all weekend. 65,000 people partying all weekend till 4 in the morning despite the cold and rain. Was the best weekend of my life and made tons of friends. Going to hit Spring Awakening for a day this weekend and then go camping again all weekend at Electric Forest at the end of the month in the middle of a forest in Michigan which will be amazing:
[image loading]

Obviously i'm more into the electronic festivals, but I would have loved to go to Bonnaroo. Got a bunch of friends driving down from detroit and chicago all the way to go see it.

p4NDemik

United States13896 Posts

June 12 2013 21:13 GMT

#13

On June 13 2013 00:58 decafchicken wrote:
Haha tennessee isn't exactly the midwest

Obviously i'm more into the electronic festivals, but I would have loved to go to Bonnaroo. Got a bunch of friends driving down from detroit and chicago all the way to go see it.

Yeah, I suppose people consider Kentucky and Tennessee part of the "South" but I might as well live in Ohio so I consider myself a "Midwesterner" more so than Southerner. I then proceed to bring the misnomer to events/places that don't really fit the billing.

yokohama

United States1116 Posts

June 13 2013 02:03 GMT

#14

Oh man Alt-J I wish I could go, my friend in America went to Coachella and saw that performance, he said it was amazing.

Node

United States2159 Posts

June 13 2013 06:40 GMT

#15

I went to Bonnaroo in '09 and had a blast, but unfortunately I haven't been able to make it back since then on account of having moved across the country and not having enough money.

But my mom and her boyfriend have made a tradition out of going every year since then, and I always enjoy living vicariously through their reports of how it went.

If you're going this year, SEE SWANS. Possibly the most amazing live band on the planet right now. I'm not too sure how they'll hold up for a day show in a festival setting, but if they're half as powerful as they are normally you'll be utterly floored.

abei1234

United States89 Posts

June 16 2013 04:11 GMT

#16

Usually I'm able to come across Bonnaroo soundboards uploaded to my favorite private tracker. This is awesome, and I wasn't able to go last year (2012 - best lineup so far) - but I was a first-timer in 2009 and went back in 2010. 2011 I didnt like the lineup and 2012 was literally physically impossible for me to go.... This year I don't like the lineup that much. But i will listen to all the resulting audio streams i can find on the net.

Also: The rest of the festival circuit this year should be very nice as well; -> I have tickets to Camp Bisco (NY) the Disco Biscuits festival.

p4NDemik

United States13896 Posts

June 18 2013 03:35 GMT

#17

On June 13 2013 15:40 Node wrote:
I went to Bonnaroo in '09 and had a blast, but unfortunately I haven't been able to make it back since then on account of having moved across the country and not having enough money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R31AWhv02Y

Just seeing this upon my return home. I've failed you. I didn't see them. They ran into Edward Sharpe and Tame Impala, two bands I was dead set on seeing. I've not listened to them before either, but you've got me intrigued now!

New blog with pictures/videos/etc. incoming as soon as I get over my 72-hour hangover.

Please or register to reply.

Bonna-blog 2013

Completed

Ongoing

Upcoming