Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Bonnaroo Reflection



It's hard to jump back into blogging after being rid of technology for so many days. I would like to further comment on Bonnaroo, but this time, a bit more philosophic rather than plot details and highlights.

On the sites, obviously, there is no technology. All you have is your car, and you don't want to run the car for fear of a dead battery or lack of gas. Thus, cell phones and charging was a problem. But, I kind of started to enjoy the fact that I wasn't talking on my phone the whole time, and I really never had a sense of the time. It became more of a fun game. What time is it? Well, what time do you think it is? We weren't as dependent on the clock to determine where we headed; we relied more on the music and how much we vibed from it. (However, this did have drawbacks. I did miss some good shows because of it: Stephen Marley, Iron and Wine, Jakob Dylan, Rilo Kiley, Ben Folds).

And, for those of you going for future use, you don't really need to bring much of anything to Bonnaroo. You can survive by packing really light. The only necessities are as follows: tent, sleeping bag, pillow, tarp for shade, camel pak/water bottles, snacks to carry in, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, towel/rain gear, camera, cell phone, batteries. All food can be bought inside. Don't bring the whole grill/hot dog thing. We did that, and it made you rely more on the site than the concert. You're really only at your site in the morning and when you sleep, so plan on everything else being inside Centeroo.

The people there were a different breed too. I love them. I wish we could all flock to our own community. We were ready to hear good music, relax, not work for a while, talk about random topics, drink/etc, dance, and maybe dress up a bit. Dressing up was quite a theme there too. Wolverine attacked me a few times. Others just embodied the south to the fullest. You'll meet the strangest people here--and that's the best part. Talk to them, mix with them, be them. Enjoy it too. And don't forget to take many pictures and videos of them.

Don't worry if you don't see every band either. I was really upset when I didn't get to, but I got to see a TON of great bands as well. It's better to see an entire awesome set than just bits and pieces of a few. Enjoy a show--don't push it too much. Besides, it's hot. Save your energy.

And what I want to know is, who came up with this? Who runs this? I can't imagine how awesome this job is. I know it must be pretty rigorous and stressful (because it must be a year-round job that pushes all its energy into one solid week of entertainment, and a lot rides on it), but it must be so enjoyable. It must be stressful, dealing with equipments and setups and such, but they're working towards something so wonderful that the efforts must be worth it. Now that's a job someone could love doing. How would one get that job?

So, those are my last thoughts of Bonnaroo, at least for a little while anyway. Any Bonnaroo comments?

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