The 2013 Roo-view
Ok, so here we go. Bonnaroo 2013 has now come and gone, everyone survived, and everyone was forever changed for the better. I guarantee that this blog post will contain my honest-to-god feelings about my experience, and will be relatively free of hyperbole. It is insanely long, and took me a few hours to write. Also, the first half will have more pictures. My photography was unfortunately inconsistent.
(tl;dr I am not the same)
All of this amazing stuff, it was actually as amazing as I describe it, if not more. Some experiences, words simply fail. That's the magic of Bonnaroo.
This year, we had the biggest group we have ever had. In total, I believe we had 30-something"Zambonians". We came from all over the country. From Hollywood, from Nashville, from New York, from Alpharetta, and of course, from all over Florida.
The more, the merrier.
For the trip, we shoved our Florida crew into an RV and a 15 passenger van. Shea also took a companion car. So the caravan set out for Manchester, TN around 4am Wednesday morning. The energy level was high; many of us were running on the pure excitement of the experience we were about to have.
Arrival.
An interesting note about Bonnaroo: It can never be over-hyped. Even when telling the Bonna-noobs (of which we had many) what they were in for, we knew that they would soon enough discover for themselves that magic place on the farm.
The drivers at home.
The trip didn't take very long, and we only stopped a few times before making it to the Kimball, TN Wal-Mart. This is the location we rally at before each Bonnaroo. We do our shopping, and hook up with all of the other Zambonians before heading to the gate. The goal here is to pack light. You want enough food to eat for the weekend, and you don't want to spend all of your funds. Also, when you're cramming as many people's food into the same RV as we were, less is more. Regardless, we always end up with leftovers. (We over-estimated the amount of peanut butter we would need, by a good amount. On the return trip, JB made a rule that everyone had to eat AT LEAST one peanut butter sandwich.)
Shea trying on a new bathing suit in Wal-Mart.
We shopped and bought essentials (and non-essentials; Patrick hooked himself up with a Super-Soaker, which would come in handy in the heat of 'Roo.) I was proud of myself for only spending about $45 on food and supplies, leaving me a lot more for festival purchases. (Mostly arepas, a Bonnaroo staple. Corn patties sandwiching mozzarella cheese, fried up right. Can't be beat.)
It was also at this Wal-Mart that we met the California crew. Devon had been to Bonnaroo with us 4 years ago (Although I would keep rounding up to 5, because it sounds better.) Most of the Cali crew were Bonna-noobs, but they took to the magic like pros. We became fast friends, and I hope to someday see them again, either at the next Bonnaroo, or if I ever get around to visiting L.A.
We also met O'Reilly and his gang in the parking lot. O'Reilly is a Bonnaroo legend. Something of a mythical figure, if you will. He brings the good times with him, as well as the Fender Passport, for good time rocking. Also, he will make you play Left-Right-Center almost every day, tantalizing you with the promise of easy money. (Note: I did win the first game, making out with about $75. For all my six years at Roo, I have come out with a net gain from LRC.)
With the whole crew assembled, we ate our last fast food meal (Long John Silvers for me, still paying for that decision...) and headed to the gate. An insider had told us that instead of opening at 8pm, like we had read, the gates would be opening at 4pm. We set out at once, and only had to wait in the line for an hour or two.
Setting up Tent City
Tent City assembled.
We were inside Bonnaroo before the sun went down, and most of the camp was set up just in time for a righteous party. There was frisbee and hooping in the open field adjacent to us. (We had to party in the field while we could, for in the morning, it would be filled with other people in their RVs..) We also played drinking games, and instantly bonded with our new crew. Zoom-Schwartz-Bifigliano was a highlight, considering that explaining the rules is one of the most entertaining parts.
Zoom-Schwartz-Bifigliano
After many fantastic hours of drinking and playing, we all eventually made our way to our respective tents/RVs to prepare for the first day of Roo.
Thursday morning.
Thursday is usually the day you get into Bonnaroo. Every year we've gotten in earlier, which is awesome, since you wake up Thursday to see others still driving in from the line. Knowing that your camp was already assembled the night before is awesome. The more free time at Bonnaroo you have, the better off you are.
Thursday is a free day until mid-afternoon. The stages and tents part of Roo, called Centeroo, doesn't actually open up until mid-afternoon. We spent the beginning part of this day hanging around the campsite, playing more games, and in general, getting to know our new best friends. Devon and I played some songs on our guitars, and it was bizarre that we actually knew the same songs. "You know Bob Marley?" "Yeah, but only a couple of songs.." "You know 'Is This Love'?" "Holy shit, actually, yes." It was pretty fantastic. Also, we played "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire, which just seemed like the most appropriate song to kick-start Bonnaroo.
The man himself.
After preparing, we headed into the festival, our hearts and our heads buzzing with anticipation, eager to dance, and sing, and love, and live. My first show was Milo Greene, an awesome indie band that my friend Kati turned me onto some time ago.
Milo Greene blew it up. The crowd was so eager to hear anything, and the energy level was waaay up there. I didn't get very close, since I like to hoop at most shows. I stayed off to the left with my blue hoop, and danced my heart out. Somewhere along the way, I noticed that they were playing "Shot In The Arm" by Wilco, which only made me more excited. But that wasn't the only cover. They also went into a song that "you should sing the words to, if you know it". Milo Greene isn't that huge, yet, so I was wondering what song they meant. Sure enough, they start playing "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens. If you give me a hoop, and play Sufjan ANYTHING, I will not stop smiling. And I didn't.
It was during this period of hooping bliss that I was approached by a friendly lady and her crew. She asked me if I would wear a sticker while I hooped, which of course I would. Stickers are rad. Looking down at the sticker, I noticed it was one of the heads from hellogiggles.com. I said something like "Oh wow, is this from HelloGiggles?" To which she said, "Yes! I'm Molly!" And my reply was something like: "Oh wow! You're famous!" The exact words of the conversation escape me, but she was a hooper as well, so I think some kind of unconscious connection formed based on that fact. She took a polaroid picture of me to put in her book of interesting people (which I take as a HUGE honor. I strive for interesting.) and gave me a shirt and a sticker. That was my Bonnaroo celebrity moment. It was very special, and I thank Molly for jump-starting the magic for me. I think I might give her a hashtag in this post. Maybe she'll read it.
#morelikemollyfoundme. This shirt is awesome.
Anyway, after Milo Greene had gotten everyone amped up for more, I did some exploring around Roo. The farm only gets more amazing every year, and I found myself in awe of it all. I closed my eyes and soaked in all of the sounds. I felt the sweat dripping down my face, and heard various bits and pieces of conversations among friends, smiling slightly everytime I heard something like: "This place is amazing" or "I'm so goddamn happy". I was home.
Purity Ring was the next big event for me, but they were a little late coming on stage, so the speakers were playing cool music while we waited. At this point, I had grabbed my futurehoop, and start doing a bit of flowing off to the side. That's when it happened.
The speakers started playing "Contact" off of the new Daft Punk album, and my eyes lit up. I found a nice open space, about a 10 foot circle, and began to do what felt natural with the hoop. By the end of the song, I was sweaty and smiling. It wasn't even a Bonnaroo band, but I needed to hear that song at least once. They did end up playing a few more songs from Daft Punk, which everyone in the crowd was excited for.
Then, Purity Ring took the stage. Of course, it was a dance party. The sun was going down, and we were so ready for the night to come. Night Bonnaroo is a bizarre, fantastic place. I wouldn't describe it as dark. The whole place is illuminated. It breathes life into the night. Everyone is smiling and laughing and dancing and singing. It's indescribable, really. I urge you to someday go so that you experience it.
Johannah killing it in the cool hat.
Purity Ring was amazing, and only intensified our excitement. That's when we headed to Alt-J for even more fun. Usually, we aren't up and about this late on a Thursday night. Thursday used to be more of a warm-up for the rest of Roo. The main stages are closed until Friday, but that doesn't mean that people in Centeroo aren't having a blast. My cousin Johannah, her friend Addy, and I hooped it up at Alt-J with a couple random new hooping friends. I was amazed to see how many hoops were at Roo this year. It used to be easy to find my crew, but now I see that there are about 3 times as many hoops as last year. A lot of people were beginners, who would come up to me asking me to teach them moves. This came as a shock to me, because I never thought of myself getting good enough to be considered an "expert" hooper. Although this Bonnaroo marked my two year anniversary of hooping. I must have grown at least a little.
After Alt-J, we made our way back to the campsite to wind down the day with the crew. We had no idea what was in store for us on Friday. We assumed we had at least a vague notion of the magic that awaited us. But we had no idea.
Friday.
This was probably the best day of my life. I woke up Friday as I've always woken up. Life felt that same as it always had. I was excited for the day. There was a lot of music waiting to be heard. Not the least of which was Local Natives, the first show I would see on the What Stage, the main venue for the huge bands. I left the campsite relatively early, around noon, because I wanted to catch Sea Wolf, one of the first acts of the day. It was pretty good, but I only stayed for a few songs, before heading over to the Music Lounge and hooking up with some Zambonians. We had planned to see He's My Brother, She's My Sister there at around 1:20. It was the best place to see them at Bonnaroo. The setting was as intimate as it should be. This was the only show at Roo that I have video of, and it's a damn good one. My phone would shortly die later in the day, and it would stay dead for about 48 hours. Shame.
Wins award for most stylish band at Roo.
After HMBSMS, the crew headed over to the What Stage for Local Natives. Also, we wanted to reserve our spot at this stage early, since that night we'd be seeing Wilco and Paul McCartney. Thanks to O'Reilly and the gang for being the best spot holders in the whole of Roo. There was just enough room at Local Natives for plenty of hooping, and Andy had brought out his contact juggling ball. We teamed up a few times to make some cool isolations and stuff, and in general, danced through the whole of it. A particular good jam was during "Who Knows, Who Cares", where I was hooping and singing at the same time. I don't know if anyone was watching me, but I was in a very happy place.
Of Monsters And Men played next, over at the Which Stage. I really wanted to see them, but the crowd was massive. So much so, that you couldn't really get close unless you pushed through. There wouldn't have been enough room for hooping, and it would have been difficult to try and get out of that crowd to make it back to the What Stage for Passion Pit. After a few songs, I decided to bail on OMAM and walk around. I heard the familiar sounds of Milo Greene coming from the Sonic Stage, and sauntered over in that direction. (I should point out that I hardly ever "walked" to places. I would kind of groove my way there with the hoop. It made it much easier to navigate, and it was a lot more fun.)
Milo Greene was even better on the smaller, more intimate Sonic Stage. I met up with Johannah there, and we did a bit more hooping. Sweat, and then sweat some more. That's a Bonnaroo rule. Dance until you can't. The band had a few more minutes at the end of their set, so they came back out and played Wilco again, which only got me more pumped up.
After Milo Greene, I made my way to the What Stage, where I was prepared to stay for the rest of the day. Passion Pit, into Wilco, into Paul McCartney. If I moved, I would lose the awesome spot. The crowd only grows as the night comes.
These two were super pumped.
Passion Pit was a dance party, naturally, and there was still room to hoop, so that was definitely happening. The whole of our crew started gradually showing up to our spot, everyone was wearing the same ridiculous smile, a telltale sign that they were having an amazing day. However, we still had no idea what we were really in for. The experience had only just begun.
After Passion Pit, we hung around in our spot waiting for Wilco to take the stage. We shared stories about our days, and all the bands we'd seen. The amazing thing is, there was often no overlap whatsoever. We had assembled such a varied crew, we were probably seeing more acts as a collective group than we had ever seen before. Maybe one day, we can cover the spread entirely...
Wilco was intense. I've seen them at Bonnaroo a handful of times now, and you never leave that show disappointed. It's always fresh and delicious. "Impossible Germany" is a part of Roo that cannot ever be missed. Especially when the shredding guitar parts come in. There was getting to be less hooping room now, but I couldn't let it out of my hands. I kept it low, to avoid hitting people, and just did smaller isolations. It was a dance that only I was aware of, but it was a blast.
Wilco left the stage, and we knew what was next. Well, we thought we knew. At this point in time, I was in a very euphoric place, but it was nowhere that I hadn't been before, at past Bonnaroos. I looked around at the crew, and noticed that everyone was having a blast. For a brief moment, I thought of how their lives would be different when they got back home. I didn't even think that this could happen to me. This was my 6th Bonnaroo. Surely, it wouldn't have as huge an impact on me as a first-timer? I'm a professional, I know what to expect from this place. There will be beauty, and magic. But they will be known, and recognized for what they are.
I was very, very wrong.
Sir Paul's show started with a sort of dance party remix of Beatles songs, along with a flowing timeline. Sort of a refreshing of the memories, for those who didn't know where he was from. I didn't ever look behind me, nor could I. My attentions were focused intensely on the show in front of me. I don't doubt that this was the largest single show in Bonnaroo history, though. Who could miss Paul McCartney?
When the icon finally took the stage, the crowd erupted. This was no ordinary screaming. This was a righteous sound. It was pure, unadulterated joy. It was a sonic compilation of all of our combined euphoria. It was just like the clips you see from the Ed Sullivan show, or when the Beatles played Shea. It was a historic moment, and all the the significance of that hit me at once. This was big. This would change all of us.
I won't go into the minute details and review every aspect of this show. I don't have the credentials to do so. I will only tell you how this show affected me, in the best way I can put it into words. I am not the same person I was before seeing this show. I am not even close. He played for almost 3 hours, and I was spellbound for every second of it. In between songs, he would banter and tell stories. It would feel like you were sitting in a room with him, and he was just casually talking to you, while playing some of the most amazing songs ever written. He smiled constantly, and moved around the stage like he was my age. This man was a master of performing, and knew exactly how to work a crowd to make every single one of the 80,000 of us feel a deeper and more human experience than any single concert should be able to provide. The tribute to Harrison was heartfelt, and he followed it with "Something" on the ukulele. And when he mentioned Lennon, he said "Let's hear it for John." The entire field erupted. Here was our chance to express our fondness for the Beatles, the band that changed the world forever, and to give tribute to one of the greatest men that ever lived, John Lennon. The sound that we made, it was euphoric, but it was also bittersweet. We mourned that he was no longer with us, but we celebrated all that he had done to bring us closer to music, and to love. That sound still sends shivers down my spine when I recall it. I honestly don't think I was the only one who experienced this moment this way. I believe it was a universal experience, which only makes the magic greater. The encores were unbelievable as well. "Live and Let Die" was a spectacle, complete with a fireworks display. "Hey Jude" was one of the greatest sing-along Bonnaroo moments of all time. I could go on and on here, but I need to get on to the rest of the post.
Long story short: Paul McCartney changed my life at Bonnaroo. I mean that in the most literal and meaningful way possible. I wish I could find the words to accurately express how I feel, but I can't. Words fail me, but it is finely engrained in my head forever, making me a much better human being. I'll do what I can to write it, and that's the best I can do.
After Sir Paul, and spending several stunned moments just staring at each other, mouth agape, we ventured back to the campsite to soak it all in. Also, some of us were still planning on seeing Animal Collective or Pretty Lights, the night shows.
I ended up going to see both, but I wore my dancing pants, which meant no wallet, and no water bottle. I also wasn't able to find my fellow Zambonians, which meant no CamelBaks, and no spare batteries for my hoop. So when the inevitable happened, I became thirsty with no water, and my hoop battery started to die. I probably should have planned better than this, but I think my brain was still rattled from Sir Paul's mindblowing sermon of rock. I headed back to the camp to rest and recharge. I still had a long Bonnaroo ahead. It's important to know when to go and when to stop. If you're all go the first few days, by Sunday, you'll be all stop. Like walking one mile of a marathon.
I recharged at the campsite (figuratively, with water and food, not literally; my phone had at this point died, and would stay dead) and then wrote a little. Writing is the best way I have to express things when I don't have a hoop.
I went to bed, prepared for another day.
Saturday.
Saturday was another early morning at the campsite. I woke up around 9:30 or so, so I had plenty of time to eat, brush teeth, wipe-down-baby-wipe-hippy-shower, bocce ball, etc.
You know, camp site stuff.
When we did end up heading to the festival, it was around 1:30 for Two Gallants. I decided to finally use my LRC winnings to buy some on-site food. I gave myself a $10 budget and went with Chinese food. What I was handed was more food than I knew what to do with. I carried it around with me for about an hour, doing what I could with what I had. (Can you believe they didn't have chopsticks?!) By the end of Two Gallants, I was full of Chinese food (which I was thankful for, because that ended up being my only food that day. Thrifty!) and pumped up for Frank Turner.
I knew that Frank Turner was going to be a badass show, because I had been listening to the new album during the weeks leading up to Bonnaroo, and knew exactly which songs the crowd would go nuts for. Obviously, they went berserk on the first song he played, "Four Simple Words". The reason for this may be that the four simple words are: I want to dance. That's gonna be a winner at Bonnaroo everytime. I also got some hooping in for "Reasons Not To Be An Idiot" and "Long Live The Queen". I don't know what I would have done without that hoop.
Probably the robot.
I left after most of Frank Turner to go see The Tallest Man on Earth. That was the biggest conflict of Bonnaroo, and I knew that I had to see them both. I made it in time for the last three songs, which qualifies me for the Matt Rudmann rule: I get to say I saw them at Bonnaroo. He was fantastic as expected, but the crowd was massive, so I could only get so close, unfortunately. My dad tells me I missed some awesome things at the end of Frank Turner, but I'd like to think there are no bad decisions at Bonnaroo. It's like a Sophie's choice where both results make you happy.
After Tallest Man, I made my way to Four Tet, just a hop and a skip away from This Tent. Got some dancing in early in the day; I would later discover this was a warm up stretch for Bjork.
After Four Tet, it was time for Dirty Projectors, again, a hop and a skip away. This time, there was plenty of room to hoop. And hoop we did. A lot. Actually, I'm pretty sure during this show, we didn't stop hooping. It was hard not to, the rhythms were weird. That makes for interesting moves. Also, I had found that an entirely different style of hooping had developed within me. I started using my free hand for misdirection during isolations, and moving the hoop around like a pantomime. I think it came from watching Andy contact juggle. Anyway, it's a lot of fun, and opens up a whole new world of hoop moves. I've got practicing to do.
After Dirty Projectors, we headed over to the What Stage once again for Bjork. The crowd was huge, but we had a nice little spot that had dancing space. We had no idea what we were in for here, or at least I didn't. Bjork is some freaky deaky shit. It demands a strange, intense, and animalistic dancing. Luckily, we found the California kids for this show, and tore it up as a team. I don't think we've ever danced that hard at Bonnaroo, but Bjork demanded it, so we obeyed. Another show that gives me shivers even now.
After Bjork, we tried to catch the Lumineers, but they had the same problem that Of Monsters And Men had; they were entirely too popular for the stage. The crowd was too intense to get through without navigating carefully. And we had a lot of hoops, so that would be hard. We decided instead to swim through the giant crowd using the hoops to link us up. No one can deny the hoop train passage. At one point, I was leading, forging a way through the dense crowd, holding my hoop, and knowing that I was dragging a dozen of us through. It was a blast. We switched it up, and I also got to play caboose to the train. Seeing people's faces was the greatest part of it. It'd usually be a shocked "What's going on here?" expression, having waited several seconds for a train of crouching hoopers to glide by. Sometimes it would be a knowing face and a nod, followed by a "Hold up, guys, it's a hoop train". Apparently we were not the pioneers we thought we were.
After navigating the crowd and arriving safely in an unclogged part of Centeroo, we met up with Chrissie and Ellie at the Ferris Wheel and discovered that even though they had seen a completely different set of artists, they were just as giddy and joy filled as we were at the events of the day. That's the real beauty of Bonnaroo. Everyone can have a great experience independent of everyone else. They saw A-Trak, and we saw Bjork, but we were all telling our stories and laughing and smiling. No bad choices at Roo.
When we got back to camp, we rested for the night ahead. Some of us rested for the day tomorrow. There's no wrong way to do Bonnaroo.
But me? I had to dance.
I arrived in Centeroo on my own around midnight, hoping to catch up with the other dancing Zambonians sooner or later. I wanted to check out the Superjam, but it hadn't started yet. That's when I heard R Kelly take the stage with "Ignition". I headed over there and started futurehoopin' like it was my job. (God, I wish it was my job.) The highlight of my Bonnaroo was bringing a woman to tears during "I Believe I Can Fly". I was that beautiful. Makes a man feel good.
After R Kelly, I checked out the Superjam for a bit, caught the first couple of songs from Weird Al's set (which were awesome, of course.) and headed over to Billy Idol to regroup with some of my crew. When Billy Idol had sufficiently rocked us (He did, I assure you), we headed over to The Other Tent for Boyz Noise. It was very ok. I was able to hoop for a couple of hours before I realized I was going to overdo it and ruin my Sunday. The music wasn't anything fantastic, but it proved danceable, and that was good enough for me. Sometimes you need mindless dance music. It inspires creativity. Or something like that.
I made it back to camp and went right to bed. There was one more day to go, and I needed all the energy I could get.
Sunday.
Well, I overdid it. My arms and back were sore from all the hardcore awesome dancing I probably did, so I knew I needed to push to get through the day. Luckily, I'd been saving my Red Bull for this moment. I was up and going, and headed to Macklemore around 2.
This was one of the biggest day shows I'd ever seen at Bonnaroo. Macklemore pulled a hell of a crowd. The show was awesome as all get out, even if it was packed as all get-out. He noticed a guy in the crowd wearing a fur coat, recognized him for his bravery, and asked to borrow the coat, right before doing "Thrift Shop". The guy got his coat back, and also probably has a really cool story to tell. Macklemore is a fun guy, and you can tell he loves doing what he does up there. I have a lot of respect for that. It was probably my best Sunday show.
After Macklemore, we caught up with my dad and Marty over at the Solar Stage for a John Fullbright interview and performance. It was pretty cool, but during the talking parts, they were drowned out by some kind of speed metal coming from This Tent. We headed back towards the What Stage for Kendrick Lamar afterwards. I grabbed a frozen lemonade on the way, which was delicious. I feel like that is worth noting, since I may be reading this many years from now, and I might just forget the taste of that frozen lemonade on that very hot day. That note is for future John to remember a delicious memory.
Kendrick Lamar was cool, but we hung in the far back of the field by the Cafe Where to see Little Red Lung and do some hooping. My body was wrecked, but I was still able to do a few things. Some of the music was too good not to hoop to. I can't deny that.
We wanted to try to go see Edward Sharpe, but I knew it would be the same issue as the other Which Stage day shows.. So I decided instead to go meet the Zambonians over at the What Stage for The National. I was having less and less energy as the day went on, but I knew I would make it through for the National. I'm glad I did, because they were amazing as always. However, they did end up closing out my Bonnaroo. I began walking back around the beginning of Tom Petty, blearly eyed and exhausted, but with a warmth deep within my soul. I sat down in a chair at the campsite and soaked it all in for one last time. The dull roar of generators, laughter, banter, guitars, and the faintest echo of "American Girl" far in the distance.
It was almost time to go home, we had begun packing up the campsite, and disposing of the disposables. The "Breakdown" had begun. We crashed once more for the night, as the rain was lightly coming down.
Monday.
Holyhelltheskyisfalling. We awoke to occasional torrents of rain, and discovered where the tiny holes in the tent ceilings were. One was above my face. When I got out of the tent, I noticed that the canopy outside the tents had collapsed under the weight of the rain water. The way I hear it from Ezra, it almost crushed Chrissie, who had chosen to sleep there.
We packed up the tent city in a very impressive fashion, stored up the RV and cars, and took off around 8:30am. The drive was long, we were all tired, but we had done it. We had been to Bonnaroo 2013, and we were no longer the same for it. Also, no one died.
I made it home around 10:30 last night, and we all helped clean and unload the RV and van. Hugs were abundant, and smiles were wide. Every Bonna-noob is now a Sopharoo. And me? I'm now a six year veteran. I don't know what we call that.
What I do know is that I'm a better person today because of Bonnaroo. I want to thank each and every member of my crew for their part in my great and wonderful experience. I especially want to thank my dad, JB Birney, for being the greatest Bonnaleader of all time. Because of him, all of our lives are better. He's been spreading the Bonna-news for over a decade now, and I don't think he'll stop anytime soon. Also, he's the best RV driver any of us could ever ask for... No offense, Brian.
To close, I'd like to say: I love this time of year. Bonnaroo is the one place where I feel like creativity and self-expression is completely unhindered. I grow more in five days on the farm than I ever could with 360 days at home. The environment cannot be matched. It is as close to utopia as I may ever get, and every year I come back more inspired than the last. My life has a renewed sense of purpose, and I feel powerful and creative. I'm going to do my very best to spread the love and radiate positivity wherever I go. I owe that much to this magical place.
-JBJR
