My coworkers are making fun of me ’cause it’s a hippie fest. But they’re wrong. There are some bands I’m really excited to see: Yo La Tengo, Grandaddy, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, David Byrne, Bob Dylan… If anyone has any helpful advice, like what to bring, what not to bring, when to arrive, etc… I’d appreciate it. I went to Woodstock ’94 totally unprepared and ended up sleeping on a pizza box next to some acid casuality wearing a giant condom hat.
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go to elaborate lengths to hide any food you bring. Every festival I’ve been to people steal my food. And never say the words “ManU” or “ManCity” in The North. In fact never mention football.
Are you planning on sleeping at the site? I heard on the radio this morning that every hotel room in Manchester has been booked for this weekend since last August.
try to 1-up’em: bring an even larger condom hat.
i like the guy who thinks manchester, tenn. is the same as manchester, england. having been last year, be prepared to sit in traffic for hours and hours and hours. its a bitch.
You may be able to get some extra cash by hawking granola.
I’m camping, but I have a hotel for Thurs night.
Hey Paul — are you going?
Nope. I was hoping some of the bands would spill over and play a Nashville show, but no such luck.
Lots and lots and lots of water.
Something to pass the time in traffic on the way in. Lots of sunblock. Tent, fold up chair, all your basic camping stuff.
Oh, and be nice to hippies. We just want you to have a good time. Cheers!
ps. Catch the moe. set if you want your mind fucked.
all you need is a ten strip.
Rama, come with me. It will be fun.
hackey sack, dude
i’ll be there with my ultimate frisbee, devil sticks, and dog named “Garcia.”
p.s. i listened to AIR: french band all morning and realized where STEREOGUM came from!
a giant bong.
Viv, are you really going?
Dogs actually aren’t allowed. How crazy is that? Dogs love tie-dye.
With a name like Bonnaroo, there has got to be Pathcoulli!
I got screwed out of going to Bonnaroo for the last 2 years, and was so intent on hitting a festival this year, I’m taking a vacation to Ireland next month to go to the Oxegen festival…which is really more my tastes anyway. Check out the lineup:
http://www.oxegen.ie/lineup.php
Have fun down at Bonnaroo. All I’ve heard is that the traffic is really bad…So get there early and be patient. Should be a good weekend tho.
Bring lots of bottled water, a good chair, something to provide shade, a good blanket to lay down on, plenty of changes of socks, a good stash of cash ( along with a safe place to lock it ) make sure you top off your gas tank before you go there, because you will spend upwards of 10 hours in line. If the gates open up at noon, be there by noon. Bring a small bag to carry supplies for when you walk around. Bring granola/energy bars to eat at shows so you don’t get hosed at the vending stands. Bring a good hat and lots of bug spray. Don’t bring perishable food. Also bring a 5 gallon water jug so you have something to rise off with. Also bring lots of clean socks. Bring a decent pillow, sleeping bag, and that egg crate foam mattress stuff because you will want what ever sleep you get to be a decent sleep. Be prepared to deal with all sorts of crazy lot kids.
I’m not a hippie, but going to a huge football university full of fratastic DMB worshippers has its advantages. While I’ve never been to Bonnaroo myself, I’d love to go this year just for Wilco, and the one thing I’d recommend bringing some extra strength insect repellant, because the mosquitos et al. will eat you alive.
It’s really humid here right now. Definitely bring lots of bug spray. If you have some extra time, go tour the Jack Daniels Distillery while you’re in the area. It’s on your way back to Nashville.
hours of traffic, lame bands, stinky hippies.
except for david b and wilco! obviously.
not going but say hi to chris robinson and les claypool for me! (i am a huge black crowes fan… and i am usually in the closet about it.)
“try to 1-up’em: bring an even larger condom hat.”
…or take even more acid.
Some friends went last year and they took some sort of solar shower thing and said it was a godsend.
Do yourself a favor and GET THERE VERY EARLY. I was one of the 1st people in at the 1st bonnaroo and we had a great spot and no wait. You’ll need to arrive at the gates about 6am the day before. They’ll tell you that you can’t get in until noon, but just find a place where you can park off the road and still see the entrance. They’ll end up opening the gates by 8 and you’ll shoot right in. It’s well worth it. I’ve waited upwards of 18 hours to get into this kind of thing and that is the worst feeling in the world.
Fully, hate to say this, but the distillery’s the other direction. So those of you on your way back to Chattanooga (Atlanta, Florida and most other points South and East) can go, if that’s your thing (oddly enough, the county the distillery’s in is dry, so you can only drink at the distillery…). If you’re going back toward Nashville, count your blessings when you get back on the interstate at all. If you feel the need for the finer things in life, go to the Country Music Hall of Fame or the Frist Art Center.
And Celine, go back and look at the band list again. Lame doesn’t fit that list.
And nobody in Tennessee stinks. Well, except Northerners who come down here thinking all Southerners are either Jed, Granny, Jethro, or Elly May.
UGH. moe SUCKS. despite the addition of some ‘non-hippie’ bands, with the inclusion of String Cheese Incident and Vida Blue you’ll have a plethora of upper-middle-class ‘hippies’ doing the noodle dance for sure. Probably a lot of hula hoops, too (but those are fun!).
Also, though i’m an avid “phish avoidance” type, DO check out Vida Blue with the Spam Allstars. The allstars are from Miami, really great cuban-flavored funk & groove that imagine will probably be totally amazing paired with Vida Blue (phish offshoot – I don’t hate Phish, i just hate their fans).
I’d also suggest checking out Medeski, Martin & Wood – these guys are f*cking PHENOMENAL musicians with some of the most tripped out, tweaked out brilliant jazz in existence. A far better suggestion for a ‘mindblow’ than moe, for sure.
god i’m jealous. that’s a pretty sick line-up, actually… i’m missing all the good festivals this summer. Maybe next year…