Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Bonnaroo '09: Conclusion



"The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

"Write without pay until somebody offers to pay."

-Mark Twain





Of all my posts, this was definitely the most difficult to hammer out. It didn't come to me as easily. It didn't have any obvious flow or direction. I was forced to do something all writers hate, try harder. Even though it says it was posted in June, I have edited and re-edited this piece countless times. How do you sum up a truly life-changing experience? The best answer, I tell myself, is to remember it over time. That's why it took me so long, and it was the most bothersome to write, right?

Bonnaroo was a trade off, total freedom for mild to vast discomfort, on various levels. There was the obvious physical discomfort. Tent dwelling, the elements (heat/rain), lack of quality food, port-a-johns and bodies everywhere. There was also the mental. Keeping a hectic schedule that could change at the drop of a hat (or the cancellation of a show), little sleep and interacting with thousands and thousands of strangers. Throw in heavy drug use, and you get the idea. In both cases, I was forced to push myself to the limit and I am proud to say I came out a better, more rounded person in the end. I am more confident, as a writer, and as a man, thanks to the experience.

Electricity was in the air, something was happening every second. All I could do was attempt to document it, which I did a fairly good job of (in my opinion). Dr. Gonzo would be proud, Freak Power was alive and well in Manchester, Tennessee.

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Packing up the gear was dispiriting. As all good things must, our wild ride was coming to an end. I was hung over from the poisons in my system and from the stark reality that this chapter of my life was writing it's swan song. I was ready to go home, sleep in my bed, and shower, but I didn't want to leave. "Torn" is the word that comes to mind. The vast campsite was 75 percent vacant as the last stragglers bundled their belongings into their vehicles and got the hell out of Dodge.

The drive home was uneventful. The weather was nice, and I slept the whole way. I have never been able to sleep in a car, I guess that's a testament to how warn and broken I truly was. The best quote from the ride came from Dylan. He summed it up pretty well:

"In one day," he reflected, "we went from Jimmy Buffett to MGMT."

We quite literally spanned the musical spectrum. I had discovered new favorites and re-connected with old. My love for music, which has grown as I have, was never enforced more. I couldn't wait to tell my friends and burn them compilations. Since returning I have started reading Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield, and his words may have never rung as true without Bonnaroo. Do yourself a favor and read it if you've ever made a mix for anyone for any reason.

Life was different at the Roo. Time lost all meaning. You kept track of the hours that passed by who was playing where, and when. We smoked pot like cigarettes and drank alcohol like, well Phish (couldn't resist). We hallucinated, made new friends while growing closer all the while. In four days, I saw one fight and one arrest. 80,000 of us proved that, if only for a short while, utopia is possible as long as everyone can apply common sense and kindness. We all rallied around one goal or interest. In this case, music. It was amazing there weren't more problems. A truly beautiful sight indeed. I thought about that cold Columbus night, back in February, when my plan first began to take shape and I had to chuckle. Steve's words had rung true; he was right on all counts.

As I sit hear, listening to CDs (I think I may be the only person alive who still buys them) of bands I have discovered, the festivals true power becomes clear. My life has been forever altered. I know that I can push myself to the limit of physical and mental endurance and come back begging for more. On a broader scale, it brought greater awareness to nagging problems that man has plagued the earth with. On a physical level, things like global warming, strip mining and the need to recycle (thousands of pounds of solid waste created at Bonnaroo was diverted from the landfill thanks to Team Clean's efforts).On a fundamental level, the need to love one another and get along. I had received environmental and social educations as well as musical.

To concluded my story I can think of only one thing to do and it is by far the hardest, even harder than writing this post. It is impossible to pick one moment or one show as the definitive best and as many shows as I saw I missed even more. The following are my awards for Bonnaroo '09. Please let me know what you think and for those of you who were there, let the debate begin ...

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Best Show: Phish feat. Bruce Springsteen, and MGMT (cheating, I know, kiss my ass, it's my blog).

Best Performance/Performer: Bruce Springsteen

Best find: TV on the Radio, and Band of Horses (see comment on Best Show)

Best Cover: Mustang Sally, performed by Phish and Bruce

Best Guitar Player: Nels Cline of Wilco

Best/Sexiest Lead Singer: Karen O of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

Best Outfit: the guy dressed as Spaceghost

Best Stage Show: Nine Inch Nails (this was very close, Phish gets honorable mention)

Best Surprise: tie between Bruce w/Phish and Jimmy Buffett w/Coral Reefer All-Stars

Most Impressed By: Beastie Boys (had no idea they had it in them and they can play!)

Best Crowd/Fans: Phish (because of seer size, MGMT was rowdier)

Best Beards: Band of Horses

Defining Moment: dancing/making out with anonymous hottie during MGMT's Electric Feel

Most Bummed I Missed: Snoop (honorable mention: Cage the Elephant, Delta Spirit, Ani DiFranco, Elvis Costello, and the Decemberists)


and now the other side of the coin ...


Worst Show: Heartless Bastards (sorry, just wasn't feeling it)

Worst Fans: Bruce Springsteen (most were drunk assholes from New Jersey)

Worst Line Up: Day 1, plus it rained

Biggest Jerk: Elvis Perkins

Worst Act: Jimmy Fallon (dude fucking sucks)

Most Unoriginal Fashion Statement: Tie-Dye

Worst Smell: Patchouli, it was ever present

Worst Encounter: Jeff Walden, Manchester's Finest

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There you have it. My take on the best weekend of my life. I look forward to doing it all again next year. Until than, keep reading, and I'll keep writing. New and fresh topics to come. To those of you thinking about whether or not it's all for you, I leave you with this; in the words of Hunter S. Thompson, "Buy the ticket, take the ride." What do you have to lose?


-J.R.





Bonnaroo '09: Day 4



"Jane says ... I'm gonna start tomorrow, I'm gonna kick tomorrow ... gonna kick tomorrow."

-Jane's Addiction, Jane Says





Vivid dreams filled my sleep. Kaleidoscoped images of the last three jam-packed days played on my closed eyelids like a movie screen. I saw a midget on stilts. A massive steel stove pipe, shaped like a clown, spouting fire. Belly dancers, hula-hoopers, naked women painted like butterflies and leopards, and a seven foot bearded hippie holding a sign claiming he was a spiritual shaman. Visions of the concerts played back as if on fastforword. It was sensory overload and then blackness as I left REM and entered Delta Sleep.

I didn't wake up until after 1 p.m., 06/14/09 and neither did anyone else in my group. We had most certainly missed Cage the Elephant. Lame. I was sore all over from sleeping on the ground the entire weekend and from walking the miles upon miles we had criss-crossed on our endeavors. I crawled out of the tent and stretched for a good 20 minutes to get my blood circulating. Slowly, the rest awoke and over a meager breakfast of whatever was left, they told me of their escapades. Dylan's, Steve's and Janis' story was the funniest.

"We were on our way to Wilco," Dylan said, smoking cigarettes like a freight train. "There was this large work truck parked, still running, next to some food stand. Out of nowhere, this kid, no older then 17, comes tearing through with three security guards in tow. He hops into the cab of the truck, chugs the rest of his beer, crossess himself, puts the vehicle in gear, and takes off onto one of the back access roads. The guards just look at each other like dumbasses. The leader began squawking into his walkie talkie as they gave chase. All of it happend right in front of us. Fucking classic!"

I had to agree. Let's hope the joyrider got away. I'd been hyping The Boss the whole ride down, so I asked Steve his thoughts on the show.

"Huge," he said candidly.

While we exchanged laughs and remembered anecdotes, my thoughts became privately reflective. I wasn't in over my head anymore; I was just starting to feel at home, but this was our last day in paradise. Someone wiser than I, once said, "experience is something you don't get until just after you need it." Now, I knew exactly what they meant. Finding myself dreading our return to the real world (of jobs, bills, and obligations), I poured a stiff Bacardi and Sprite. Despite the late start, today was going to be a blow-out no matter what!

Everyone was pretty much spent from yesterday, but I was ready to go, wanting to get to a show. Citizen Cope played Which Stage at 2:15, and he was one of my top-5 must-sees. No one else was as keen on seeing him as I was so we agreed to meet at This Tent at 3:30. I packed my things for the day and took off, on my own again. As I made my way along Shakedown, one of my favorite Rolling Stones' songs, Give Me Shelter, was blaring from an anonymous stereo. It was a truly retro-moment, as I imagined the energy of Woodstock and other festivals past being channeled through me.

Citizen Cope was just how I pictured him, laid back and smooth. He came out in a charcoal gray suit with no tie, playing a standard, powder blue Fender Stratocaster. His voice reminded me of a more soulful John Mayer, and he seemed a little bit shy on stage, talking very little or not at all between songs. I credited his aloofness to the mellow tunes and the large crowd. He broke into my favorite track, Bullet & A Target early, with the crowd clapping along to the beat. Later he brought out a truly gifted female vocalist who was part Beyonce and part Mary J. Blige. I walked to meet my friends with Let the Drummer Kick reverberating behind me.

After a short wait, I saw them walking towards me. I was happy to be part of the group again but still couldn't help feeling a small bit of regret that I wouldn't be solo today. It took an adjustment, after a nearly a full 24-hrs alone yesterday. Since we were already at the proper place, we decided to watch Robert Earl Keen, one of the great American story tellers of all-time. He was large, as most everything from Texas is, and he was wearing a 12-gallon cowboy hat. In his Southwest accent he wove yarns of Leaving Tennessee and living off money from tip jars. It was like a country-western Jimmy Buffett had taken the stage.

Not a huge fan of country music, Dylan was itching to check out Andrew Bird across the way. Always in the spirit to try new things and hear new music I decided to join him. Firsts is what Bonnaroo is all about. Bird's stage had the most bizarre set up yet. It was an organized clutter of instruments, phonographs, and various other musical machines. He played his violin beautifully. Its pretty and peaceful melodies, looped via his various contraptions were a pleasure to my ear. He seemed at ease with his guitar, too. I would brand it pot-smoking, mood music. Apparently it was his drummer's birthday as well and during a break in the music he led the crowd in an a cappella version of Happy Birthday.

"You're all like one big person," he said after we had finished. "One really cool person."

We left before the end to catch yet another living legend, Merle Haggard. Now I wouldn't classify myself as a country music fan by today's standards, but I have grown to love the legends of the genre. Names like Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt, and Willie Nelson come to mind. Merle's name also belongs on this list. Their breed of Outlaw Country will forever remain timeless. He came out in an off-white cowboy hat and jet black sun-glasses. Before introducing himself and his band, The Strangers, he led a stirring version of Mr.Cash's Folsom Prison Blues.

At some points in the show, ten people cluttered the stage, all of whom played second fiddle to Merle's fiddler. He seemed like a man possessed, bounding around with his bow waving at incredible velocity, all hercky-jerky. It was in total contrast to Andrew Bird's controlled, methodical approach to playing. Momma Tried, followed by Going to Jackson (his back up female guitar player sang June Carter's part) were the other highlights. That, and the man himself, who was smooth as silk, sweet talking the crowd the whole time.

All at once it hit me. Bonnaroo was like some giant zoo, but for music. The acts were the animals, the stages acting as the cages. The inhabitants of this music zoo were just as varied and exotic as the creatures that dwell in any wildlife park around the country. They had handlers, spectators, and specifically timed appearances, just like the animals. Sometimes I don't even know where I came up with this shit, blame it on the alcohol and drugs.

Before making one the hardest decisions of the trip, we watched Haggard finish up with Proud to be an Okie from Muskogee. Next came the dilemma. Snoop Dogg was on What Stage at 6 and Band of Horses was playing at Which Stage at 6:30. I had loved Snoop and his music for a long time, but had never seen him perform. I had just recently gotten hip to BOH and had never seen them in person either. A river of people was flowing to the main stage to catch the Dogfather, plus it was already 6:15, and he hadn't started. We pow-wowed and made the executive decision that we would get a better view and show from Band of Horses.

I never wanted to be two places at once more but settled on staying with my friends, for a change. We set up shop and waited for them to start. A surprisingly large crowd had gathered despite the loud bass infused beats thumping from the main stage. The band came out looking like the classic 70's Southern rock 'n' roll cliche'; tight vintage pants, embroidered button down shirts and designer shades. Three of them were sporting full beards as well. I was not yet impressed. I would soon be blown away.

The sun was setting in the West, casting an amber orange and yellow light on the stage adding to the ambiance. Where we were standing, it was to our back but unfortunately for the guys in the band, it was glaring right at eye level.

"We need that to go away," the lead singer said pointing to the sun. "I can't hardly see anything!" He was tall and rail thin. He played a slide guitar and his vocal was surprising strong and eerily haunting, especially on Is There a Ghost. The reverb they used draws comparisons to My Morning Jacket. If they toured together (how sick would that be) you'd be dead pressed to tell the lead singers apart blindfolded.

On several songs they broke down wonderful vocal harmonies with little or no instrumental accompaniment. Great Salt Lake was amazing, but they brought the house down with The Funeral. It was already my favorite song but when the heavy guitar came in, and they all went nuts, chills ran down my spine. These guys were very serious. By the end of their encore I had officially eclipsed mild fascination and become a hardcore fan. I was still upset I missed Snoop, but I already knew I loved his stuff. If I hadn't stayed I might never have grown to fully appreciate Band of Horses. Besides, the D-O double gizzle tours all over, and I wouldn't pass him up a second time, at any price.

After the show we ate more carnival fare for dinner and made our way to What Stage for the last shows of the trip. Phish was closing it out with two full concerts, and I was mildly excited for no other reason than I heard they were great to trip to, and I had a handful of Shrooms left. Janis and Steve had saved theirs specifically for this show (hardcore fans, closet hippies) so together we gobbled down the rest of the hallucinogens. We were off, and there was no turning back. We sat down, securing our spot. Not even 10 minutes passed before someone, obviously twisted on LSD, walked by babbling some nonsense.

"Does anyone have any chicken wings?" he asked. "Earlier I was looking exclusively for pigeon wings, but now I must have chicken wings." He walked on repeating this to whomever would listen. Only at The Roo.

Before I even get to the show, I have to explain some things about Phish, their sub-culture of fans, and festivals in general. Jam bands are the bread and butter of festivals and festival people, aka people who travel the country all season long going from event to event. Phish is the jam band to end all jam bands, and their cult following pursues them wherever they go. It just makes sense that Bonnaroo, Trey Anastasio, his boys, their fans, and all the fest-peps get together. Elements have come together (Trey solo one year) but the entire group hadn't done a festival this size in a long, long time. Even wtih a Friday show, the followers wanted more.

That brings me to this. True Phish-heads are a breed onto themselves. They are not the poser hippies of Ohio University or liberal arts colleges across the country. They are the real fucking deal, gypsy hippies, who live out of their camper pick-up trucks or vans, traveling the country following their deities at the drop of dime. They are dreaded, unshaven, and unbathed. Patchouli drenched vagabonds who have no home and no motivation other than to spread love and peace ... and see Phish, of course. They are also some of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I have ever met. They have truly adopted the Hippie mantras of love everyone and take care of your neighbor, giving away food or drugs to complete strangers for the sake of a good time and opening minds. They were my favorite group of of fans far and away.

Since we ate the Mushrooms all at once (instead of small bits, over a long period of time) our trip came quicker and was more intense. Three songs and I was totally gone, tripping twice as hard as I had the day before. The wise tale that you can't trip two days in a row is bullshit if you ask me. The sun had set. People broke out crazy laser pens, casting patterns of light onto the ground that would expand and contract like fish nets. The stage lights were amazing too, choreographed perfectly to the music. And glow sticks were everywhere. They were flying over head constantly, leaving trippy trails of light as they went. People would take it upon themselves to gather as many as they could, put them in a blanket, and with the help of 3-4 others pull the blanket taut, sending all the sticks high, high into the air. This would happen through out the massive crowd in beat to the songs. It was a fucking awesome effect. Taking Shrooms for this was my best idea all weekend.

It was the biggest gathering of people I had ever seen. Bigger then any other show and trumping my previous record, Bourbon Street at Mardi Gras. The songs were about eight minutes long each, and the Phish-heads never stopped dancing (if you can call it that) even for a second. They appeared to be having seizures at times, swaying and gyrating to the beat. I like to call it "the hippie dance." Every once in awhile one would totally lose it and begin flailing even more wildly than before. After freaking out, they took a minute to recompose themselves and only then did they get back in rhythm.

After finding myself unable to help but get into the groove for a bit, I had to sit down. I was simply tripping too hard. I alternated watching the dazzling lights and the synchronized convulsive spasms of the dancers. I didn't stay down for long. Towards the end of the first set Trey stopped the music.

"Thanks guys, you've been great," he told a fever pitched crowd. "Sorry to slow it down but I wanted to talk for just a second. When I was 12-year-old kid in Jersey, my dad took me to my first concert. I was blown away! I thought every concert from then on would be three hours of pure energy and entertainment. I was wrong. Ladies and gentlemen it is my great pleasure to introduce my idol, Bruce Springsteen."

No ... fucking ... way! Dylan and I looked at one another, jaws dropping to the ground. The crowd erupted as The Boss took the stage with Phish. After a short group huddle they launched into the most memorable song of my entire trip, a jammed out version of Mustang Sally. Bruce went lick for lick with Trey and I was totally blown away. I knew he was an entertainer, but I never knew he maintained the skills on guitar he was showcasing right before my eyes. They played three songs, dueling it out guitar solo style. Unbelievable. Phish fans left with a whole new appreciation for Bruce and no doubt all the Springsteen fans who packed up and left early (since he played the night before) would hate themselves when they heard the news.

After a short break, they played a full second show (minus Bruce) which kicked things up another notch. People were letting off fire works behind us in the camp sites, the light show came from the stage in front of us, and the glow sticks were still flying everywhere. After smoking countless bowls Dylan was more stoned than he had ever been. With all the action going on around us, he almost lost it. Some guy walked by totally naked. That was the last straw.

"bwaahhahahhaaa," Dylan gushed, unable to hold in his laughter. He fell to the ground clutching his ribs.

The fanfare ended, and we walked with the rest to the exit. As we all bunched together, randoms behind us started calling out "butt scratcher" in 1920s style accents. Others picked up on this and for most of the walk back to camp, people repeated the phrase, spreading it through the herd like a virus. A high school age kid came running out of the RV area and screamed out to the exiting revelers in his nasaly voice.

"I had a great time! I'm so glad I came!"

Almost everyone laughed but I couldn't have said it better myself. I was stoic; my journey was ending, but I was happy I had taken it just the same. Once we got back, I poured Old Crow (only alcohol left) over coke and sipped it slowly, chatting with the rest. It was over. Tomorrow the long ride home and the cold shock of the lives we'd left behind. After I finished my drink I lay down in my makeshift weekend home and watched the stars through the open door until I fell asleep.


J.R.

Bonnaroo '09: Day 3



"Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked, until we close our eyes for good."

-Cage the Elephant, Ain't no Rest for the Wicked





The music was over, and the shrooms were finally starting to wear off. I wasn't drunk or stoned anymore either, just fried. I looked up to see the sun rising. It must have been close to 6 a.m., almost 2o-hours of drugs and shows with only an hour nap. Stumbling down Shakedown Street towards Pod 11 I wonder how I survived this long by myself. I looked to my right and saw a very attractive girl not much younger than me. She was average height, with beautiful blue eyes. Her curly almond-brunette mane was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a tapestry skirt and a green bikini top. There was a pretty orange flower tattoo, possibly an Orchid of some kind, covering most of her left shoulder blade.

Both of us were walking alone, amongst the departing herd, so we struck up a conversation. Her name was Bethany, and she was a student at Michigan State. Coincidentally, she was sobering up after eating some Magic Mushrooms as well and had also lost her friends. It was her first time, so she peppered me with the usual first-time tripper questions: how long do they last, will I have a hang over, am I going crazy, etc. I assured her that everything would be fine tomorrow. We continued to shoot the shit for the duration of our walk, and I thought about asking her to join me for a beer but decided it best we go our separate ways; both of us had worried friends waiting. I said good night and gave her my card. I returned to camp, thrilled I was ok.

"We thought you were a goner there for a second," Dylan said. "I was afraid you were dead or worse; I'd come back to camp, and you'd be fornicating in our tent. What the hell happened to you?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It was crazy day to say the least," I told my now captive audience. "Let me start from the beginning ..."



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I rose around 8 a.m., feeling as rested as one can after spending the night on the ground with only a blanket as a pillow. It's impossible to really sleep-in once the sun is up and blazing full force, turning your tent into an oven. The group discussed yesterday's festivities over a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese. Janis brought instant coffee which was a life saver, but as many of us know, early morning caffeine brings early morning trips to the powder room.


I'll save you the grizzly details here, but let's just say that the bathroom situation (especially when you have to number two) is most definitely the worst part. Port-a-johns, plus 80,000 heads in 90 plus temperatures equals me almost vomiting several times during my various trips to the Lou. But what are you gonna do? Shit happens, literally.

Anyway, with that bit of unpleasantness behind me, I decided it was time to start drinking. The rest of my group was in a more somber mood so I joined the Massachusetts crew for beer shotguns and bowls. We smoked the rest of Brice's stash and my chillum had that funny opium aftertaste the rest of the trip. At one point I think we even passed around a plastic gallon milk jug full of whiskey.

"It's actually Wild Turkey Rare Breed," one of them said. "Pretty fucking good whiskey." Being very partial to bourbon myself, I wholeheartedly agreed. We had good reason to begin the tailgate so early. It was announced on our trip down that Jimmy Buffett would be joining the Coral Reef All-Stars to start off today's music. Parrot-heads and the rest would be descending on Which Stage by noon.

At this rate I knew I wouldn't make it past 12:30, so I thanked my new friends and headed back to camp. Rummaging through my things stoned, and well on my way to being drunk, I made a devastating discovery. At some point the night before I must have misplaced my notebook, containing detailed notes of my first two days at The Roo. I screamed obscenities aloud, startling my friends, who asked what was wrong. I explained the problem and after they talked me off the ledge, we all sat down and rehashed yesterday's events for the second time, while I scrambled to re-take notes on my spare pad. After a little bit, I calmed down and chalked it up to fate. Getting fucked up all day can be bad when trying to remember where you put something. I hope whoever found it was 1.) able to read my Sanskrit handwriting and 2.) thoroughly enjoyed my take on the shows and additional side comments. Again, shit happens (figuratively).

While we continued to tailgate and grill out for lunch, a wonderful love-child stopped by our tent. She was short and her long auburn brown hair was braided into pigtails. She was wearing John Lennon sun-glasses with ruby colored lenses and a rawhide vest over a tie-dye t-shirt. She also had a book bag slung over her shoulder.

"Would anyone like to buy some Shrooms?" she asked our group. "I have chocolates for $20 and quarters for $50." We all huddled up. Some of us had done them before, but I was definitely the "pro" of the group, having tripped a handful of times in college. After some negotiations amongst ourselves, Steve, Janis, and I split the cost of a quarter (I paid $30, they paid $20). Today was officially looking up. What a difference an hour can make.

By now it was time to head to the concert venue. The security check-point was a bottlenecked clusterfuck. It seemed like everyone was trying to get in at the same time, in order to catch Buffett. The line was colossal and barely moving; the guards were simply too overwhelmed. The band struck up Let's Get Drunk and Screw, and the mob began to get very agitated. Chants of "Let Us In!" spouted off spontaneously. Finally, wanting to avoid a riot, the guards (God bless them) gave us the go ahead, and we all rushed in unchecked.

It was a beautiful and breezy 85 degrees and the sun was shining. Jimmy Buffett was absolutely perfect to start the day. After a vendor beer or two, I was all smiles and totally trashed. I looked over my shoulder and saw the people flocking to the stage from the entrance. It felt like the Florida Keys had been transported to Tennessee, and I was loving life. Multiple beach balls bounced high above the crowd as they played the Caribbean inspired Changes in Latitudes.

"Looks like we brought the weather," Jimmy said after the song. "I get the sense you're just waking up. Let's see if this gets you grooving," he exclaimed as they rocketed into Cheeseburger in Paradise. At this moment I realized it was all about the timing plus the performance. Buffett at noon just seemed so right.

Before the end of the set, the boys (Dylan, Steve, Dave and I) decided to go to This Tent to check out Elvis Perkins in Dearland. The girls would stay, saving a spot with the blanket to serve as today's home base. It was 12:45 p.m. on 06/13/09, and I was completely intoxicated; not just by the alcohol and narcotics, but by the good vibes that radiated from this place. The most outstanding drug I was on all weekend ... the vibes that is.

The best way to describe Elvis Perkins is abstract. Even Bob Dylan esque at times. He came out unaccompanied, playing a large and alluring woodgrain guitar. The rest of the band crept out during the first song. Perkins himself was a bit of a prick. After the first tune, he sarcastically asked the crew if they needed to have the lights so bright.

"I mean it's the day time, right?" he arrogantly asked the crowd.

Despite this, they played some great music. A couple songs in they broke down a marvelous five-part harmony on the apply titled Chains. Everyone in the band also seemed to play multiple instruments. At one point the bass player, drummer, and rhythm guitar player were all holding a brass apparatus; a sax, trombone and trumpet respectively. Perkins played a mean guitar and harmonica himself. For the last song they had nine people bounding around stage like they were possed, all on instruments (including a marching band bass drum). It was quit a sight to see.

By the end of the set my drunk was well on its way to hang-over. The heat takes it out of you, and I was realizing that all day drinking was not a good idea at Bonnaroo. We went back to the girls and home base. I lay down and promptly passed out with the Heartless Bastards singing me lullabies. It honestly gets to that point sometimes; you can actually sleep through a concert, you're that worn out.

After waking from my power nap and chugging three bottled waters (must stay hydrated), I had gathered my second wind. While I was asleep, Dylan had gone back to camp to get his wallet which he had left behind. The rest of us were up in the air about who to see and where to go. Wilco was on everyone's mind, but they didn't take the stage until six and it was only three. I was hungry and running low on funds so I said I would go back to meet Dylan and get some food. I gathered my things and departed. It would be the last time I saw anybody I knew until early the next morning.

Walking along Shakedown Street, I was distracted by an awesome Southern rock style jam band. They had rented a spot, and they were putting on a show just outside of the venue walls. They called themselves Sol Driven Train, and they hailed from Charleston, South Carolina. This was Bonnaroo at a grass roots level. After a couple songs I grabbed one of their cards and continued towards my pod.

Upon arriving at camp I discovered that I had missed Dylan. He was no where to be found. Neither were any of my immediate neighbors. Great, I muttered to myself. I loaded my pack full of water and made a PB and J sandwhich. It was about ten degrees hotter now than it had been. My neck was tender, and I realized that I was sunburned from my beauty sleep earlier. After I finished my snack, I did the only thing I could do and headed back to where my friends were sitting at Which Stage.

When I got there, the unthinkable happened. I couldn't find them! I was able to stay calm at first, wandering the area where I saw them last. An hour passed with no luck. I could feel the thumps in my chest beating to a faster rhythm. I began to panic. I was all alone amongst a sea of strangers. I wasn't lost at the state fair. This was a group rivaling the size of Ohio State's total undergrad population, all in constant motion and in an alltered state of consciousness. I began pacing along the wall protecting the VIPs from the common folk.

"Oh fuck! I'm so fucked!" I said to myself. "What am I going to do? Whom will I hang out with? Where will go? How will I find them?"

I gave up looking, and slowly walked to What Stage. Taking a few deep breaths, I sat down on the grass, but my heart rate was still elevated. Rodrigo Gabriela was playing. He was an amazing guitar player and his instrumental tracks were just what I needed to pacify my worried mind. After a few hits of green and some contemplation, I decide to look at being separated as a positive. I was officially on a solo adventure, free to do whatever I pleased. I didn't have to double check or listen to any suggestions. I was on my own.

After Gabriel finished, having completed my mental pep talk, I decided to plot a course for the rest of my day/night. Gov't Mule at 5, Wilco at 6, catch the end of The Mars Volta until 8:45, Bruce by 9, Nine Inch Nails or Ben Harper at 1 a.m. and MGMT (a must) at 2:15 a.m. Not too shabby. I walked to the appropriate stage to catch the next show.

Gov't Mule was Southern fried rock at its best with just a smidgen of country mixed in for good measure. They had a full-size piano as part of their set and their bass player was truly gifted. One of them, I was later told, was a former member of The Allman Brothers Band. While smoking a pipe and enjoying the music, I was approached by some guy and his girlfriend.

"Man, that shit smells good," he said smiling. "You got any to sell?"

I shared the bowl I had already started and broke him off a joint's worth for $5. Good news since this later paid for my dinner. His name was Mike, and he had a full head of light brown dreads pulled back in a bird's nest of a bun. He and his girlfriend had come down from Kentucky and gotten pulled over Wednesday night, just outside Manchester. No doubt because of his appearance, they searched his car and found half a pound of pot. They had spent Thursday and Friday in jail, just making it to Bonnaroo Saturday afternoon.

"I went from having ounces to having nothing at all," he said bowing his head in anguish. "Thank you so much for the smoke."

We shook hands, and I said my good byes, heading out to get a good spot for Wilco. Along the way I decided it would be a good idea to munch on some of my mushrooms. Why not? I needed to know if they were bogus or not anyway. Psilocybin tasted just like what it grows in: cow shit. I chewed up a cap and stem quickly, retching. I washed them down with a fresh squeezed lemonade I purchased along the way. God damn! They really did taste awful, I thought, gagging.

For the next 45 minutes or so I just sat by What Stage and waited. Waited for Wilco and waited for my shrooms to kick in. I smoked another bowl with a high school age couple. They couldn't believe the potency of my weed (rookies). For $10 I sold them the same amount I sold to Kentucky Dreads for $5; the cost of inexperience. They had both just graduated and were deciding what to do with themselves. I told them I was 25, and I still didn't know what to do with myself, so there wasn't any rush. We all laughed and shared another bowl pack. They were very nice, and we chit-chatted until the start of the show. After that I was back on my own.

I continued to push up, since I no longer had extra people with me taking up extra room. Every time someone stepped back or left for another show and room was created I filled the void. This was pretty much standard operating procedure at Bonnaroo. I ended up 12 rows from center stage next to some raver who was dancing like a mad man. He was wearing a plaid shirt, matching plaid shorts and even a plaid headband. He was most definitely on Ecstasy, based on his behavior and the level of sweat pouring off of him. Between him and the drunk Bruce Springsteen fans who were camping out for their idol, ("Where's the Boss?" "Wilco sucks!" "Bruuuuuce!") many around me seemed less than thrilled.

Moments later I was struck by an amazing body buzz. The shrooms were most certainly not bogus. The euphoria comes in waves of increasing then decreasing strength. Like peaks and valleys. This was my first big peak. I was tingly all over, and it felt like someone was tickling the inside of my stomach, sort of like the feeling you get on the first big hill of a rollar coaster. The music and mood of the show was very mellow, but I would say they had their moments of full on hard rock. Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline would alternate riotous guitar solos that left me wishing I had a tenth of their skill. They also had an arsenal of guitars on stage with them, easily twentey axes in all. The sun set with Jesus, Ect as theme music: it was fucking beautiful. I was already a huge Wilco guy, but this performance forever changed my perspective of them.

I left to catch the end of The Mars Volta after Tweedy and the fellas finished up. I sprinkled another small portion of shrooms on a plate of cheese covered, ribbon cut fries. Dinner of champions. They were perfect trip music. I sat against the wall, admiring the graffiti art, and totally zoned out. Sitting Indian-style not even 20 feet away, a gorgeous hippie girl soon caught my attention. She had the Ani DiFranco thing going since her long blond hair was dreaded and dyed green in places. She was wearing a red bikini and nothing else. It showed off ever angle of her amazing body. I found myself fantasizing about her, and I wanted to walk over and strike up a conversation, but I was too far gone. I looked to my left. Some guy in a Spaceghost costume had passed out next to me. I had to laugh, this was pure insanity.

Soon I was walking again, en route to see the one, the only Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band. I stopped to get a drink and met a man in his late 40's from Minnesota. He was also solo. Apparently the rest of his family had planned a trip to Europe, and he was unable to go so he came to Bonnaroo as a consolation. We talked for a bit, and he told me his daughter had just been accepted to Yale and she fancied herself a writer (hopefully she reads this someday). I told him my spiel and how I was also a writer, doing a story about the festival. I gave him my card and continued on my way. I still wonder if he knew I was crushed on mushrooms while we were talking.

I crested the hill leading to What Stage just in time for Hard Times. I kept pushing up until I was even closer than I had been for Wilco. I must say, Bruce was THE showman. At one point I almost touched him as he paraded down the security alley that parted the crowd. There isn't a person on the planet who loves what they do more. This was my second time seeing him, and it was even better than I remembered. I could write an essay about why Bruce Springsteen is exactly what America needs right now, but for the sake of time and space I will just say that his three and half hour set (no joke) was mammoth in its awesomeness. The energy poured from the stage, uplifting the crowd. It felt more like a religious sermon than a rock concert at times.

"We came here to build a house," he told the largest crowd of people I had seen all weekend. "A house of faith, love, and music!" Born to Run almost made me cream in my pants but before that Santa came to town, in June. "It's too fucking hot for that song," The Boss said dripping with sweat. Someone had made a sign requesting his popular Christmas track. "If I'm gonna play it, y'all gotta sing along." So there I was, tripping, in the summer heat, singing Santa Clause is Coming to Town with thousands of jews, christians, buddhist, muslims, and nonbelievers. It was like some twisted made-for-TV Hallmark channel special and I was enjoying every second.

Dancing and singing until I was sore and hoarse, I finally made my way to The Other Tent to catch one of my long time favorites, Ben Harper. He was performing with his new band, The Relentless 7. Imagined or not, I thought I could feel my pupils expanding and contracting. I manged to find a spot and relaxed, looking around at the crowd. The girls were plentiful and appealing but they were in their adolescence; I think 90% of this crowd was under the legal drinking age. I even saw some teeny-boppers camped out with what had to be one of their fathers. It's 1 a.m., do you know where your children are?

After Harper rocked out Led Zeppelin's Good Times, Bad Times on his slide guitar and than informed the crowd (through song) to never trust a woman who loves the Blues, I couldn't help be distracted by the activity on Which Stage. Nine Inch Nails was rocking out so hard, they were drowning out Ben Harper, and I was 30 feet from the stage. Trent Reznor and the gang were easily 500 yards away, but I could still see their amazing light show. The Strobes and lasers were too enticing.

Like a rat or small child following the Pied Piper, I slowly made my way towards the pretty lights. I popped one more cap for good measure. I'm Afraid of Americans was truly tantalizing, but I found myself feeling too worn out to go on. For an instant I wanted to go back to camp. Just than I remembered the 12 oz Red Bull in my bag. I quickly chugged it, and I was back in business. Popeye had found his spinach.

When they finished up, I decided I needed to chill for a bit. I headed towards That Tent, stopping at what I can only describe as a crystal castle. It was made of plaster and covered in glitter, sequins and other shiney material. It was bathed in multicolored flood lights so bright to my dilated pupils that I had to put my sunglasses on. I could hear Moe playing in the back round. I was now tripping fully. The grass and everything I touched seemed more REAL. I was transfixed by anything with a pattern. The walls of my castle seemed to be breathing. If you've tripped before you know exactly what I'm talking about. I sat for what seemed like days, than I asked a fellow acropolis inhabitant what time it was.

"2:15," he said absently. Time to go. After finding a place to stand I looked around at the swarming crowd with growing anticipation. I had been looking forward to this show the most. People were packing themselves in like sardines. Most were very young but still a shade older than Harper's groupies. Almost everyone seemed to have on the standard MGMT uniform: flurescent colored thick frame sunglasses (still worn at night), brightly colored button down shirts or no shirt at all (these examples would be covered in day-glow body paint), linen shorts and 80's style slip-on shoes, usually the Vans checker-board variety. I had seen them out and about all weekend but never in mass like this. I had taken to calling them MGMT Kids, a play on the title of the bands hit song called simply Kids.

I was standing next to three guys in thier 30's. Apparently they had all grown up together, but this was the first time they had seen each other in years. Obviously hammered, they asked to hit my pipe, which I had just lit. One of them, the shorter of the three, about 5"9 with buzzed blond hair, was in from Las Vegas. He hadn't smoked pot in eight years, so I made him take the green hit, on two differnt bowl packs. Needless to say he was totally ripped before the show started. He was the only one of them who knew anything about MGMT.

"Trust me," he told his buddies pointing to the hot female coeds generously sprinkled all around us. "These guys have two or three songs that will make the ladies go wild."

He was not mistaken. After an acceptable wait they took the stage. Their brightly colored suite jackets, cycadelic tunes, and tripy retro light displays all messed perfectly. Everything was throughly enhanced by the drugs pulsing through my blood stream. After playing some of their more melancholy songs like Pieces of What and Of Moons, Birds and Monsters they tore into the song that has become an antheme of sorts for their tidalwave rise to fame, Time to Pretend. To up the ante, they immediately followed with Electric Feel.

The crowd exploded. It was the livest group of spectators I had ever seen (sorry Bruce). I saw one girl so excited she began crying, right there next to me. People were singing along at the top their lungs. I saw several crowd surfers, including some poor Asian girl who totally ate it, face first, four rows ahead of me. Before I knew what was happening, I was dancing with some girl in a neon purple University of South Carolina t-shirt, cheerleader shorts and bright green thickframe sunglasses (total MGMT Kid). She was petite, about 5"2, well under 110 pounds with olive skin and black hair. She was very sexy. We would grind and gyrate against one another, breaking to make-out inbetween songs.

Next thing I knew, she was being pulled away from me by her friends, off into the faceless mob. I saw her look back for a second, like some cheesey romance movie, but then she was gone forever. I never even got her name. They finished the encore with an inspired new song called Congratulations, which will also be the title track for their new album slated for 2010. I took off before the song ended to avoid the rush. I saw that Moe was still playing but decided to keep heading toward the exit, still giddy with excitment from MGMT and my anonymous make-out partner. I took my spot in the line to leave ...



******************************************************************************************************

"And that's pretty much how it all happend," I said, finishing up the story of my solo adventure. My friends assured me that they too had stories, but that could wait for tomorrow. It was 6:45 a.m., 06/14/09 and the sun was almost totally past the horizon. Cage the Elephant was playing in five hours so we all needed to rest. I lay my weak and battered frame down on my blankets. Sleep never felt so good.



J.R.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Bonnaroo '09: Day 2



"I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life."

-MGMT, Time to Pretend




I awoke late Friday morning to 85 degree sauna conditions in my tent and a malicious hangover. Apparently, the rain had stopped, and now it was sweltering and humid. I checked to make sure Dylan was still breathing; he was, so I crawled out to get some fresh air.

The sun felt good on my bare chest. The ground was still very moist from the monsoon conditions the day before. (We later learned a tornado actually touched down
30 miles east of us ... probably better no one knew at the time). Quickly scanning the campsite, I found last night's clothing drenched and piled beside my tent. After laying everything out on the top of the Dodge to dry, I sifted through my bag for a clean t-shirt, settling on Bob Marley.

"Buy some ice, Jackass," I heard Dylan mumble half asleep. "I bought yesterday."

Unable to argue with this logic, I slipped on my sandals and asked if anyone wanted to help me buy and carry ice back to camp. Dave
ponied up and off we went, stomping through the knee-high grass Bonnaroo didn't bother to cut, bastards.

Dave was about 5"8 and thin with light brown hair fashioned into a modest Mohawk. As if reading my mind, he explained that he had cut his hair this way, for the first time, in honor of the trip. He was a Roo virgin as well, and this, combined with his easy-going nature, made me immediately take to him.

We left
Pod 11 (our massive campsite) and walked down the main drag leading to the concert venue, aka Shakedown Street. Basically, it was a 2-3 mile dirt road lined with vendors selling everything from groceries to glass pipes, incense, trinkets, tapestries, even Wilco
signature guitar straps ... you get the point. This is also where I first met the seedy underbelly of Bonnaroo, it's drug culture. In the 15 minutes it took Dave and me to get ice, we were approached by several pushers offering a smorgasbord of drugs.

"Headies, doses, Mollys... w
ho wants to roll face?" one gentleman inquired to no one in particular. I figured "headies" was in reference to heady nugs or top notch marijuana and "doses" was usually hits of acid, but Mollys threw me for a loop. We both decided ice would do for now.

Walking back through our Pod, we passed a cluster of cars with Massachusetts plates. It was only 10:45 a.m.
but I heard the sound of beer tabs popping. Definitely my kind of people. One of them asked a friend if she had a bowl. She didn't and neither did anyone else in the group.

"I have a pipe," I said nonchalantly, as we passed by carrying our bags of ice.

"Wanna smoke some opium
?" the pipe seeker asked.

Hmmmmm, I had experimented with opium once or twice in college. I never went out of my way to seek it but I found I liked it enough, especially mixed with cannabis. Besides my head was still pounding from last night's binge.

"Sure, let me drop this off, and I'll be right back," I said after just a second of hesitation.

Dave and I filled our coolers and after he politely declined to
join me (he was more of a drinker), I quickly returned to our neighbor's campsite with pot, chillum, and brew. Brice was the one looking for the pipe. He was Dave's height with brown hair, a deep tan and a half sleeve tattoo involving skulls of some kind. He pulled a clump of foil out of his pocket and peeled it back revealing the opium. It was a dark brown glob the size of two fifty-cent pieces. I packed the pipe half full with the weed I smuggled in, good shit in it's own right, and he broke a piece off his stash, adding it to the bowl. It had the consistency of tar, similar to marijuana resin. Small black bits of it stuck to his fingers. He handed me the bowl for the first hit.

"Your pipe, your ripe," he said, sipping his Steele Reserve tallboy.

I put the lighter to the bowl and inhaled deeply. Opium has a very distinct taste similar yet different from pot; its flavor is truly unique and almost indescribable to someone who has never smoked it before. Imagine trying to describe what
Jagermeister
tastes like to someone who has never had black licorice. Opium burns much slower than pot as well, cooking or smoldering really, since it is essentially a putty. A fragrance similar to Nag Champa incense hung in the air after I exhaled my hit. The smoke wasn't as offensive or as distinguishable to the nostril as weed smoke. I immediately start coughing uncontrollably, rushing blood to my head, ending my hangover and beginning my high. Opium is also incredibly more potent than grass.

After some laughs and a few brews, I head back to my friends, stoned out of my mind. I have to stop several times and look at the various flags/balloons erected by campers to gain my bearings. Ok, we're in between the Alligator balloon and the Union Jack flag. I eventually find camp, overjoyed to see Janis grilling burgers and brats on the portable propane grill we brought. We ate like kings and then head to our first show.

It was
2:30 p.m. 06/12/09. The sun was shining, and it was hot; easily 90 degrees. Security was still pretty tight as hundreds of revelers filtered through. We headed to Which Stage to catch Animal Collective at Dave's request. Their Radiohead
inspired trance rock was perfect for my stoned state of mind. There were three of them on stage, sometimes playing instruments sometimes all on synthesizers, producing an awesome array of sounds. The bass in particular caught my attention, vibrating the air so much my nose tickled and the leg of my shorts seemed to pulsate. Maybe it was just the drugs.

After their set we sat down on our blanket and waited for the
Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Looking around I was still very overwhelmed. All varieties of people, everywhere. I saw the VIP entrance to my left, important looking people walked in and out with That Pass (Bonnaroo's version of a backstage pass) hanging from their necks. Some guy next to me handed me a joint. I hit it and passed it to a cute, red haired girl sitting in front of me. This is what total freedom must feel like, or pretty damn close.


The Yeah Yeah Yeahs rocked fucking hard. The lead singer was a ball of might and moxie, bounding around the stage and even deep-throating the mic at one point. I moved closer to get a better look. She was wearing a red, white, and blue tie-dye frock over yellow and black tiger stripe tights. Their stage was also pretty intense, with a giant glaring eyeball set as the backdrop. Gold Lion kicked ass extra hard. I must say I was very impressed. They were about to launch into Maps
when the lead guitarist had a problem with his gear.

"Do it acoustic," the lead singer suggested into the mic.

He pulled out his Taylor and did a rare unplugged version that sent chills up my spine. Before their set was finished, I recruited Steve to go with me to see Al Green; a personal favorite of mine. On our way to What Stage
I saw the only act of violence I would see all weekend. Not even 20 feet in front of us, some guy in aviator sunglasses was arguing with a woman. Harsh words were exchanged, and the woman tossed her beer in aviator's face. He returned the favor and out of no where, the woman's boyfriend (I'm assuming) cold cocked aviator in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"Whoa!" Steve said, "totally un-roo."

We walked by as quickly as possible. The Reverend was on the main stage, and he lived up to the billing. He walked out (in the heat) with a red, crush velvet jacket and black tuxedo pants, black Ray Charles
shades and a smile a mile wide. He had two-dozen long stem roses in his arms, and he began passing them out to the spectators, most of whom were woman.

"We came here to do what it do!" he told an exuberant crowd.

Steve's only stipulation to seeing Reverend Green was that we make it back to Which Stage in time for TV on the Radio. One of the few problems with having so many acts booked is sets overlap, small price to pay but a price none-the-less. We left with Let's get Married
as our backdrop. After a little searching, we found the others.

TV on the Radio was well worth sacrificing the second half of Al's set. They were simply amazing; best show so far hands down. The entire band had tremendous zeal, and they were all characters. The bass player was a true Rasta with long dreads and a Jamaican inspired tie-dye wardrobe. The lead singer was quite the mover and shaker, dancing up a storm the whole show, wearing a black button up and very tight white pants. But the sax player was probably my favorite. He was your typical looking white guy (lead vocalist and bass player were black as the ace of spades) who had a tremendous set of lungs, belting out blues notes the entire show. Wolf like Me and Dirtywhirl
stick out the most. I didn't think things could possibly get kicked up another notch. I was wrong.

Beastie Boys were next on the main stage. I was thoroughly shocked by the energy the ageless wonders put out. All the instrumental songs in the arsenal were played by MCA, Mike D and Ad Rock perfectly. They also had some surprises up their sleeve, including bringing out Nasty Nas (one of the top 10 rappers of all-time) for a song and doing an incredible version of Paul Revere with multiple beat breaks. I rapped every word with the rest of the crowd. They closed the encore with an awe inspiring version of Sabotage that nearly melted my skull. MCA was FILTHY on the bass, but I must say Mix Master Mike
stole the show. At several different points in the performance, he would stop the song and do a scratch session that left me scratching my head. True hip-hop at its finest.

The B-Boys show ended just in time for us to catch David Byrne's encore. The Talking Heads front man was strange to say the least. He had interpretive dancers "plie'ing" and hopping about his entire set. Take me to the River was sweet but performing Burning Down the House,
wearing a white tuxedo and tutu (I shit you not) was just pure silliness and some how awesome at the same time.

After Byrne's antics we caught Phoenix at That Tent.
They were a French pop-rock band with a great stage presence and vitality. The opening track, 1901 was stunning. They sang in perfect English but couldn't speak a lick of it in between songs. They had a very large crowd, and they looked like deer in headlights at times; like kids who have just watched their wildest dreams come true. Half the bands at Bonnaroo were just as excited to be there as the fans. At one point, some drug out degenerate behind me licked my back. To say it was strange would be oversmiplilfication. Crazy comes to mind. But the joke was on him because my shirt was dripping with the days sweat and at $15 a pop, showers were not happening.

After they finished up, sometime after midnight, we walked to This Tent to catch Public Enemy. By this time I was regretting my heavy drinking and herb smoking. I was dirty, tired. and hungry. After devouring a $5 slice of pizza I felt a little better. When I heard Flavor Flav take the stage I felt a lot better.

"Yeaaaaaaaa, booooooooooy!" he screamed at the gathered masses. "Now everyone say Flavor Flav!"

A thousand plus did as they were told. After Chuck D came out they started doing their second (and best) album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
top to bottom. We stayed for five songs but than Chuck started getting political, asking for "prisoners" to be freed, yada, yada, yada. Needless to say I was NOT believing the hype.

Phish was playing their first of three shows but we were all too exhausted to continue. That was enough for the day. We slowly walked back to camp, debating whether or not to buy a "wonderwaffle." It was the end of Day 2 and I still had the sense that I was on borrowed time. It felt like my feet weren't on solid ground; I was in way over my head. As I lay down in my tent, I could just barley hear Phish covering Highway to Hell
. I scolded myself for missing their show but sleep came too quickly for me to dwell on it for long.

J.R.