When: June 11th-14th
Where: Manchester, TN
Who: Phish, Snoop Dogg, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Erika Badu, Wilco, Al Green, Elvis Costello, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Portugal. the Man, Gov’t Mule, Girl Talk, MGMT, moe, Bon Iver and many many more!
The Scene: Bonnaroo has been named as one of the 50 moments that changed rock history by Rolling Stone. If that’s not a reason to start planning your trip for next year, here are five more reasons why Bonnaroo is one of my top music festival destinations.
1. Music to please all festival junkies. Bonnaroo invites bands that suits all music lovers. Each year they expand their lineup to places you wouldn’t expect. This year was no different with headliners Bruce Springsteen, Phish, and the Beastie Boys. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I did find music nirvana with back to back shows featuring Portugal. the Man and People Under the Stairs.
2. But Bonnaroo isn’t just music — its comedy, cinema, yoga, baseball, and mud wrestling. At some point you’ll want a break from the tunes and there’s more than enough to entertain. This year, the comedy tent hosted Jimmy Fallon and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Or you could have caught a showing of the Big Lebowski in the cinema tent. Worried about missing your workout? Swing by the daily morning yoga class. You may have recognized the baseball truck from last year which means free baseball! And if it rains, there will be mud, dudes in Speedos, and wrestling.
3. Bonnaroo and Conscious Alliance hold a food drive to benefit the Good Samaritan Food Pantry, of Manchester, TN. Last year’s food drive brought 7,000 pounds of food donations for the hungry and this year they anticipated pulling in at least 10,000 pounds.
4. Bonnaroo is always full of surprises. This year Jimmy Buffet made an appearance and pleasantly shocked the crowd. It may have been the only Buffet show with no parrot heads. Other guest appearances included Nas stopping by to rap with the Beasties and Bruce even came on to jam with Phish.
5. And last but definitely not least! Silent Disco! J. Boogie raised the tent on Saturday night keeping everyone cutting a rug to the wee hours of the morning. Here’s how I explain the Silent Disco: 1 tent, 300 head phones, trippy light show, and amazing DJs. Add your friends, costumes, fake animal noses, and dance offs, and you’ll understand why the line was hundreds deep.
Another 4 days at Bonnaroo gave me some wild photos, good memories and sore feet. I’ll be back next year for sure. Look for pictures coming soon in the MFW photo gallery, and a big thank you to all friends who added to the great times had at Bonnaroo.