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| Hippies and all, music festival was a good experience |
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| Sunday, 22 July 2007 | ||
I bought a ticket to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in February after my boyfriend and I broke up so I would have something to look forward to this summer. My younger brother, who makes a living booking bands for a club in Atlanta, couldn't believe his too-fashion conscious-to-be-a-hippie sister wanted to hang out on a farm in Manchester, Tenn., for four days with lots of, well, hippies. One of my girl friends, who just moved to Columbia, S.C., from Chattanooga, Tenn., nicknamed Bonnaroo "Stinkyfest" because she's heard the people who camp on the farm don't take showers despite sweating in the summer sun. Others, looking at me like I was crazy, warned I'd be stuck in traffic for hours and wait just as long in line for the portable toilets. I wondered what I had gotten myself into and began to wish I had saved my $230. What I discovered was there were lots of hippies. But there also were hipsters, frat boys, athletes and geeks. (I went with a group of friends from Columbia.) It was 90 degrees. But people wore the least amount of clothes they could get away with. For several women that was painted breasts and for at least two men, it was loincloths. (I wore shorts and T-shirts and reapplied sunscreen frequently.) There was the occasional scent of body odor, but mostly I smelled pot, which people smoked freely. And I went back to a hotel room with a bed - and a shower - every night. There were reports of deadlocked traffic as people arrived on Thursday and left on Sunday. But I avoided that by arriving Friday and skipping jam band Widespread Panic on Sunday. The lines for the portable toilets moved quickly, and I took my own toilet paper with me. I was worried about my digestive system after eating fast food for four days. But there were some healthful options, including plates heaping with grilled chicken, rice, vegetables and black beans for $10. My favorite, though, was the fritz fries vendor, who sold french fries in waffle cones with your choice of honey, chocolate or ketchup for $5. But it's the live music that draws enough people to fill up a stadium to the not-very-bucolic farm. I saw 18 bands and a comedy act. The Police were the headliner this year. (I think I was 10 the last time they toured in 1983.) They opened with "Message in a Bottle" and delivered what everyone expected - a professional performance of their many hits. The only surprise was when Sting, 55, took off his shirt for the encore. (Stewart Copeland said in the official Bonnaroo guide that he would encourage Sting to "take off his clothes and walk among you.") But the other bands were just as memorable: The first band I heard, Cold War Kids, won a spot on my iPod after their cover of Sam Cooke's 1964 " A Change is Gonna Come," which they've recorded. (A kid behind me asked his friend if he knew who the band was covering. I was proud I knew the answer.) British bad girl Lily Allen was a favorite act on Friday. She drank a bottle of Jagermeister and chain-smoked cigarettes, but still managed to show up at a scheduled appearance after the show to sign fans' CDs and T-shirts. Saturday featured the best lineup, which included Regina Spektor, who won girls' and boys' hearts alike with her sweet and sometimes strange melodies. The Hold Steady put on the most energetic, joyful, fist-pumping show of the weekend. I also saw Franz Ferdinand, Spoon and The Annuals, a band from North Carolina that a friend said could be the next Arcade Fire. After The Police, we danced to Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis, who mashes snippets of pop and rap to create a beat all his own. Sunday, I caught The Decemberists and Wilco and watched as people ran from Feist to The White Stripes, who sang their version of "Jolene," a great take on Dolly Parton's original. The energy of being surrounded by so many people who appreciate good, live music is absolutely contagious. I came home with a signed Lily Allen T-shirt, three CDs (Girl Talk, The White Stripes and Feist) and a long list of albums to download. I also made plans to see The White Stripes later this month. I can't wait to go back to Bonnaroo next year. And if you have the opportunity to go, ignore your friends when they say you're going to be miserable. They're just jealous. OTHER MUSIC FESTIVALS BELE CHERE: July 27-28, downtown Asheville, N.C. LOLLAPALOOZA: Aug. 3-5, Grant Park, Chicago VIRGIN FESTIVAL: Aug. 4-5, Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Md. AUSTIN CITY LIMITS: Sept. 14-16, Zilker Park, Austin THE VOODOO EXPERIENCE: Oct. 26-28, City Park, New Orleans SURVIVAL KIT Going to an outdoor music festival? Here are some suggestions for what to take in your backpack. — Charmin To Go, a mini roll of toilet paper — Kleenex Splash `n' Go Moist Wipes or Wet Ones — Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock, SPF 30 — Camera — Cell phone — Sheet or sarong to sit on — Lip balm with sunscreen — Cash — Hat — Ponytail holder if you have long hair — Sunglasses — Bottled water |
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