Bonnaroo.....or Bonnarip-off....I don't know yet....

 It's been over a week since I left Bonnaroo. That Monday I was up at six, packed my very wet, bug infested tent...seriously....bugs everywhere!!! I found some big black beetle in my tent.....thought it was a roach at first...and then couldn't stop laughing at the the thought of a tent that had roaches...terribly funny stuff.  Especially when you're tired and over stimulated from rubbing elbows with nearly 80.000 people, that is three times the population of South Lake Tahoe on a  600 acre farm.   

I drove for maybe an hour after I left and stopped in Murfreesboro, TN (good luck pronouncing that I had it all wrong!!)  one of the first places I came to.  All I could think of was a shower and washing off  four days of funk, and making sure the bugs hadn't gotten me. The thought of ticks and chiggers...whatever a chigger is...plagued me the entire time.  Did I mention the heat, humidity, rain, and dust.  I just wanted to be inside, no people, no bugs, no light, ac, and a real toilet!!! Let me just say port-o-potties used by thousands of people, simmering in the sun does not make for a pleasant experience.

So how was Bonnaroo? Let me start by saying if I ever went again, and that's a big IF, it would be with a group....even one other person so even if you check out different shows you can come back and share.  And instead of the straight camping thing an RV.  You have a place to be, nap, defunk,  and hang out,  etc.  Plus the R.V's are in a separate section where you have a little more space and the crowd seems little older.  

The real reason to go is the music, and the music was great!!!  Pearl Jam was amazing, Chris Rock was hilarious, Kanye f*&#@ed up, Death Cab sounded great but lacked charisma, Tegan and Sara were adorable, Aimee Mann needs to eat something.  I saw so many different people perform but it usually ended up being 15 min here and there, I rarely stayed for a full set at the smaller stages    I'm going to have to consult my notes about some of the other people 'cause I can't keep 'em all straight!!!  Got to see BB King  and Willie Nelson!!! Somehow, and I could be wrong here,  I don't t

hink that there are many places you could go and see the likes of those two playing the same venue. I really dug the sound of the Raconteurs, I associated them with alternative rock but they have a real blues/bluegrass sound as well.......kind of  next generation rockabilly.  I missed Metallica and My Morning Jacket which sucked.  It was nine something and it was Metallica (who I'm kind of ambivalent about) and then My Morning Jacket.  It was raining,  and MMJ were supposed to play from 12-3 so I thought I would go back to my car grab food, a hoodie and umbrella.  Uh, Yeah, by the time I made it back to the camp I was feeling pretty tired, and suddenly the tent looked very inviting, and dry, and I said I would just take a little nap then go back, watch the last part of Metallica, and then stay up for the late shows. Right. Best laid plans eh?  I did hear most of  Metallica from my tent. : ) 

Walking around, especially in the camping areas, reminded me of spring break with some hippies sprinkled in.  Girls in there bikinis, beer swilling frat types.  It was not my thing.  When you arrive, after going through a car search and ticket check, you are guided in and parked.  Row after row of cars and depending on your spot you have either the 10 feet in front of you or the 10 feet behind you.  I had the 10 feet in front, but not, because I had some group of 20 year olds that ended up having a huge tent on one side, and on the other side some older guy who was there by himself who also had a huge tent. The guy seemed a little off, might be going out on a limb here but.......I think it had more to do with a few too many drugs when he was younger.  He ended up hanging out with the little 20 year olds.....ummm....eeeewwww.  I'd rather be alone than seek out the company of some drugged out little kids.  All they did was talk about the drugs that they were on, or planned on being on: x, shrooms, acid, pot, opium....whatever. And  there were people selling every type of drug you could possibly have a hankerin' for including balloons filled with nitrous for five bucks.  I know that because I was alone, and sober,  I was hyper aware of what others were doing, and the drugs, and their effects. But it's just such a different world than I'm involved in, or interested in.  It's never been my thing, and I think working in the field that I've been in for several years now it puts me squarely on the other side of the fence. Not that there aren't sw who do, or have, gone through their experimental phase, but usually at this stage of the game the drugs are prescription!!!!

And there's the thing, is it an outlet to experiment, a safe community where you can seek out those experiences surrounded by people who understand that need to feel narcotic induced trips, the extreme highs and lows. Is it about enhancing the performances your watching? When your bombed out of your mind does that really get you engaged in the music, for me, watching any type of live performance is a give and take, how much are you giving back to the performer when you can't focus......or stand.  Or has this venue become an an outlet for depravity?? What intrigued me was that most of the kids were very savvy when it came to the drugs.  They knew what to look for, how to do them, reasonable prices the whole nine; even instructed the old guy next to me on the best way to breathe the nitrous for maximum effect. They seemed frighteningly informed.  God, I barely know how to smoke a bowl, and I couldn't roll a joint to save my life..........what have I been spending my time doing?!

Like many things there were positives and negatives but it was a new experience and I'm glad I went. I met lots of people, shared a moment with some dutch guy while watching Pearl Jam, won a t-shirt, saw some huge-ass bobble heads, checked out all kinds of little crafty things, took naps in the shade, bud light never tasted better, contemplated purchasing a hula-hoop,  paid way too much for food, finally finished reading Lamb, and have a renewed appreciation for indoor plumbing and bathing.