How many years I’ve been Bonnaroo: 4 ('06 - '09)

Favorite Bonnaroo sets:

Nickel Creek - 2006- That Tent
Radiohead - 2006- What Stage
Tool - 2007 – What Stage
Chali 2na (With Galactic) - 2008 – The Other Tent
My Morning Jacket - 2008- Which Stage
Portugal. The Man - 2009- That Tent
Pretty Lights - 2009 – The Other Tent

Most memorable performances:

My Morning Jacket – 2008- Which Stage
The nearly 4 hour set which included 7 cover songs and all my favorite MMJ songs was one of the best shows I have ever seen.  Surrounded by 20 of my closest friends in the poring rain and decked out in glow sticks it was pure bliss. I swear, MMJ was controlling the rain and it was awesome.

The Flaming Lips -2007 – Which Stage
How can you not remember a show with a UFO and a blow up ball with Wayne Coyne in it which turned from clear to red with the touch of a button as the crowd pointed thousands of laser pointers at it. I was so mesmerized by the performance that I ended up staying for the entire show and missed three other shows I was planning on seeing.  

Also, Snoop Dogg and Erykah Badu’s collaboration on “Lodi Dodi” on What Stage in 2009 was one of my favorite Bonnaroo moments.

About me: I’m a senior recording industry major at MTSU who loves live music. I first heard about Bonnaroo after a group of my friends returned home from the roo in the summer of 2005.  The next year I went with them and have been going every year since.  

Bonnaroo is like Disneyworld for music fans. It is 4 days of live music, friends, and the best times you will ever have.  Bonnaroo is by far my favorite weekend of the year, and I start looking forward to it the moment the festival ends.  

Having been to five different music festivals besides the roo, I say with confidence that Bonnaroo brings you the best assortment of musical genres and artist there is. Being a music fan with an eclectic musical taste, this is the perfect festival for me to see many of my favorite artists of different genres in one place.

In the words of The Dead, “there ain’t no place I’d rather be.”

What I bring

Preparation:
•    Every year before I go I look at the lineup and check out music of bands I don’t know.  Usually I end up with some new favorites.
•    Check out the schedule before you leave, a plan of attack is essential to make it to all the shows you want to see

Clothes:
•    Bandana (soaking the bandana in ice water feels awesome) And at the end of the weekend it serves as a good dust guard from the gravel
•    Hat
•    Chacos
•    Closed toed comfy shoes for nighttime
•    Clothes for hot weather and nighttime chilliness
•    Sweatshirt and socks are not to be forgotten!!

Gear:
•    Sunscreen
•    Antibacterial soap
•    Small hand soap to use at water stations (antibacterial only kills the bacteria, need hand soap to wash the filth off)
•    TP
•    Baby wipes (for the ladies, bring a portable pack to bring with you into centeroo in case the porties are out of tp)
•    Camelbak
•    Poncho
•    Head lamp or flashlight to bring to centeroo at night
•    Mini spray bottle with fan

Campsite:
•    Tent and air mattress, although my friends have slept on cots and hammocks and loved it
•    Tarps
•    Canopy to set up the chilling area (multiple canopies between a big group would be best)
•    Chairs
•    Battery powered lantern for campsite
•    Boom box with batteries to listen to Bonnaroo radio while your at the campsite
•    Extra batteries
•    Fold up table among a group of people is always nice to keep food/boom box/drinks off the ground
•    Power adapter for car to charge camera/phone

Food:
•    Snacks like protein bars, peanut butter crackers, fruit snacks to pack in your camelbak when you go to see shows
•    I try to bring mostly dry food with the exception of fruit. Ice melts fast in June and it gets expensive to keep a cooler cold.
•    I avoid bringing anything that needs to be cooked because it’s so hot you don’t want to be cooking over a hot grill. What I do is eat breakfast/lunch (pb and banana sandwiches, and Wal-Mart sells an overstuffed foot long sub for $5 that lasts the whole weekend) at the campsite and buy dinner from a vendor. Prices are affordable and you’ll see everyone else eating the delicious food, believe me you’ll want it.
•    Gallons of water (and drink often, I got dehydrated one year and it was not fun)
•    Case of beer in cans, koozie is always nice too
•    Alcohol in plastic containers
•    Red Bull (& Vodka) for the perfect morning drink
•    Plastic cups
•    Paper plates

Showers:
Sometimes I use a gallon of water to rinse my hair, but usually just do a poor mans shower with lots of baby wipes. There are water stations close to each campsite where I brush my teeth, wash my hands, etc.  Once you get over the dirty factor and realize everyone there is as dirty as you, you don’t really care about being clean.
crackcrackcrackcrack