Bonnaroo
Music Festival
Manchester, Tennessee
June 9-12, 2011
Review and Photos by Stan Kruslicky
Late on Tuesday, June 7th I found myself once again putting my home on my back and preparing for another last minute decision, to hitchhike to Bonnaroo. Only 623 miles stood between me and Manchester, Tennessee’s hot-as-hell empire of dust and music.
Leaving around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, I headed out the door really not knowing what I was getting into. Around 10 a.m. I was greeted by a man named Philip who would help me begin my journey; a larger than life figure who shared stories about the first Woodstock, raising lions, living in Kenya, and producing for Betty White in the 60’s, Philip had lived one hell of a life. After getting stuck in traffic in Atlanta, eating at some nasty ass buffet, wondering if I'd survive the next hour, getting stuck in more traffic in Tennessee, and cruising down a few winding roads, I finally made it to Manchester, a small country town in the midst of being transformed into a city for four outrageous days. Philip and I traded a few experiences and stories before parting ways. F*ck yea, I made it to Bonnaroo...and I did it in under a day.
After finding the long line of cars headed into the farm I jumped into a car packed full of camping gear, food, clothing and everything else you can imagine. I twisted my way into the front seat with my backpack and camera, this time my driver was a college grad who just lost his job. A veteran at the “Roo,” he told me what to expect: an unreal amount of music, drugs and really nice people. I thought to myself, “I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
After spending a few short hours with him we made it into the farm entrance. Cops and event security glanced at the car and let us through the gates. A confused escort led us to an open field where I would leave the car and my driver would spend the next four days camping. I thanked the kind gentleman with a handshake and a few rolling papers and started walking. An hour of stumbling around in the dark later, I finally found Centeroo, the main area where all the stages were erected. Exhausted and sweaty I set my tent up in the “Tent Only” section and passed out for the night.
From the moment the sun’s heat kicked me from my 3-hour slumber every morning after partying until 4 or 5 a.m., I was ready again to battle through another day.
From the moment the sun’s heat kicked me from my 3-hour slumber every morning after partying until 4 or 5 a.m., I was ready again to battle through another day. Crawling out of my green tent, with my green hat and green boardshorts, I threw my camera on my shoulder and made my way into Centeroo.
The lineup for Thursday wasn’t that great, a lot of bands that I had little interest in other than the late-night party hosted by Sleigh Bells. The sounds coming from the double-stacked Marshall Amps blew through the evening, sending the unexpectedly large crowd into their first heavy dance. After a long set, lead singer Allison Krauss yelled “You want me out there Bonnaroo!?” and jumped into the crowd, wrapping up her performance.
Friday’s lineup was nothing you could prepare for, some tough decisions on which bands to see created by conflicting schedules. The lineup included Atmosphere, The Decemberists, Florence + The Machine, NOFX, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, Bassnectar, Lil Wayne, Pretty Lights, Shpongle and about another 80 bands playing all in one day.
By nightfall on Friday, my mind was completely opened by so many events and bands. I had even met up with an old friend who spotted me coming out of a photo pit. Her friends and I sat under a magical tree to escape the heat as we listened to Atmosphere.
As the sun started to set I made my way back to my tent to take a quick nap before the late night parties started. Waking up to Lil Wayne at 1:30 a.m., I ventured back to the stages. Making my way backstage I was in awe looking out at the hundreds of thousands of fans watching Wayne tear up the stage. After a few moments of taking it all in, I made my way over to the Pretty Lights show. I could not believe what I was seeing, thousands of glow sticks being thrown in the air, people wrapped up in anything that would light up, and hugging and dancing with hundreds of their now closest friends. The bass from the amps shook my brain as I walked to the front of the stages; standing on the barricades looking back I was able to see everyone gathered for these epic late night raves.
The bass from the amps shook my brain as I walked to the front of the stages; standing on the barricades looking back I was able to see everyone gathered for these epic late night raves.
I made my way over to Shpongle only to be blown away again. I was slapped back into reality as a girl approached me with a mixture of neon lights and glow sticks, we danced for a quick minute before I moved on again into the night.
Still feeling the beats from the night, I took a rest in my tent just as the sun was coming up. Sleep only turned out to be a quick nap as I awoke in the early morning to the sun cooking me in my tent.
As crazy as Friday’s lineup was, Saturday was just as insane. Earlier in the day I met Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Steve Stills. Looking up to the seven foot tall Kareem, I was asked via text message to relay a question to him, “How did he master the hook shot?” His reply was that he was extremely ambidextrous when he was younger and just took it from there.
I walked over to Steve Stills and thanked him for writing the song “For What it's Worth” before saying hello to Jerry Greenfield, co-creator of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.
Wading through the dust storms and thousands of sweaty people I made it to the stage where Wiz Khalifa performed at 5 p.m.
At other stages, thousands gathered for shows by Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Buffalo Springfield and Eminem.
Florence + The Machine
Sunday’s line up brought a few acts in the process of blowing up to the stages. At 2 p.m., Neon Trees put on a highly energetic show, followed by Junip, Robyn, Beirut and Explosions in The Sky on the other stages.
The long nights and weekend was wrapped up by Widespread Panic. By the time John Bell and Dave Schools walked on to the stage, the sleep deprived and completely exhausted crowd cheered until their hearts exploded into the sky.
While I still have dirt that cannot be removed from under my fingernails, being able to share what I saw through my photos and stories gives me all the joy in the world. See you at the “Roo” next year. I'll be wearing my green hat.
Make sure to check out Stan’s review of Gogol Bordello’s Bonnaroo performance at here.
Connect with us on Facebook or Tweet Us @outloudonline
Florence
Florence
Crowd
Press Conference