Well kids...here we go. It was a great trip with a lot of great memories. I was definitely not let down and it was worth every penny spent. I had a lot of time in the car to think about how to format this post, but I eventually decided to do this journal style in honor of my favorite summer book (soon to be a major motion picture starring Michael Cera), Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne. I will do each day of the trip as a separate post, and then at the end I will give away the 2009 Best of Bonnaroo Awards! A special thanks to Rob who helped me out with the brainstorming behind this. So let's get started...
DISCLOSURE: I apologize for the lack of personal pictures...I do not have a digital camera or a blackberry so all my pics are locked inside my phone.
DAY ONE
10:00pm Wednesday: The car is packed and we're ready to go. All provisions accounted for. Tons of beer, Clif Bars, and beef jerky. A quick stop to Country Fair to gas up and then it's on the road. We decide to take shifts this year...I'm up first.
4:00am: I can't believe I drove this long, especially after the 8 hour trip back to Erie on Monday. Either way, I drove through the entire state of Ohio, thru Columbus and Cincinnatti, and took us a little bit past Lexington, Kentucky. Rob's turn.
9:00am: Rob just drove through the storm of the century (we later found out after we got home that there were tornado warnings throughout the area when we were driving)! Amazingly we survived after hydroplaning several times in Bob's Monte Carlo. I manned the defrosters and Rob must've gone through half a pack of cigs as we held on for dear life. I swear the only thing that got us through was Dream Theater. Bob's turn.
10:30am: We are officially in the Bonnaroo line!!! We are excited. Last year it took us 2 hours to get in the gate. Time to start the jams.
04:30pm: You've got to be f$#king kidding me!!!! 6 hours to get in the gate?! The worst thing was it was raining off and on the whole time in line so you couldn't just stand outside the car. Saw a couple people run out of gas while waiting...sucks to be them. We passed the time playing Six Degrees...Rob proves again that he knows all the best B-movies to find major actors in and single handedly crushed Bob and I.
05:30pm: Our campground is super far away...named Camp David Wooderson (after Matthew McConnaughey's character in Dazed and Confused...thanks Brandon). Definitely a 15 minute walk to and from Centeroo (the concert area). We set up our tent in record time. Our neighbors were amazed. We took a couple minutes to relax then could no longer stand the anticipation. We decide to do some quick shopping and head into Centeroo to get some food and see the first concerts.
05:45pm: First stop food...the Samosa tent...we all decided to try them last year and they were awesome...been craving them for a year. They're like hot pockets, but a million times better. After satisfying the hunger we decide to head over to the first shows.
BONNAROO FUN FACT: Thursday night is usually reserved for more Indie bands. This is usually because a lot of the crowd doesn't come until Friday because of work. Thursday is truly for the Bonnaroo elite. The main stages are still closed down as the staff sets up for the weekend. It's a magnificent day to just relax with a much smaller and more chill crowd.
06:00pm-06:30pm: The three of us decide to stick together for most of the day due to the fact that we know little of the bands on Thursday, with the exception of a few. We decided to grab a few beers and check out Alberta Cross (That Tent) and Janelle Monae (The Other Tent). Alberta Cross was not bad...we stayed for a couple songs...they sounded very folky, but with more electic guitar...I would compare them to Kings of Leon. Not bad.
Janelle Monae had some interesting music. She was a great singer, but what made her act special was that during the one song she painted on canvas as the music played, and then showed the painting to the crowd at the end of the song. Kind of a cool gimic, but not my type of music.
06:45pm-07:45pm: We left Janelle Monae a bit early to drink some more beers. Then the rain started again...not just a little bit. It was like a good 10-15 minutes of solid downpour. The weekend was looking muddy. We sucked down a few brews and headed over to see the White Rabbits (This Tent). I heard about this band the day before when I was researching some bands to see on Thursday. I like what I heard from them. Solid sound, lots of energy. They're a New York Indie band. If I had the chance to see them again in this area I would.
08:00pm-11:15pm: The rains continue. We decide to hang out in the Brooers Festival (The Microbrew Tent...awesome!) for a few hours until the rain subsides. We hear most of Hockey's set on This Tent from inside the beer tent. I liked what I heard from Hockey...they're supposedly the next big thing in music. I don't know if I'd go that far, but it was very energetic. Chairlift followed them up, but we were too busy drinking exotic beers and bullshittin. Missed that one. We decide that tonight is the best night to see a comedy show so we grab tickets in advance to go see Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
11:15pm-01:45am: Passion Pit takes the stage on This Tent, which is 30 yards away from where we're waiting in line to get into the comedy tent. Passion Pit was by far the best show of the day. Their music was very energetic...mostly electronic with some electric guitars. If I could compare them to any other band of the weekend I'd say they had an MGMT kinda feel...more on that later. Either way...Passion Pit was very good. I'd love to see them again.
Anyway, before the show ends we're in the comedy tent. Triumph (of Conan fame) brings along with him a few guest comedians tonight...Kumail Nanjiani and Amy Schumer. Triumph himself is hilarious...lots of jokes on hippies and smelly people in the audience. Kumail takes the stage and sucks it up. He got really nervous when he got heckled and reverted to making jokes about the signer (for the hearing impaired) standing up front. Forcing her to sign some VERY obscene things which was actually hilarious. Overall though his material was garbage and the signer jokes saved him. Amy Schumer was a lot better...and pretty cute. A lot of female jokes...reminded me of a young Kathy Griffin/Chelsea Handler (check her out Ro!). Overall a lot of laughs, but not the best stand up I've seen.
We've had enough by 1:45am and call it a night. It sucks to leave shows early, but we had been up for almost 36 hours...and the weekend was only just beginning...
STAY TUNED FOR FRIDAY'S RECAP...
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