Day 1 of Bonnaroo started off a bit hectic. Instead of leaving Wednesday night to get there right when the campground opened, I decided to leave early Thursday to avoid setting up in the dark. I headed off on a short, 2 hour jaunt to the super-secret media check-in spot. Unfortunantly, the media spot was a little TOO super-secret… I got hopelessly lost! A couple mountains and extra hours later, I finally arrived and checked in. My delay caused me to miss a lot of the camping traffic, and I was able to set up my campsite easily (always practice at home before you have to set up for real!). After the business was taken care of, the real fun began and I headed into Centeroo. Centeroo is the mecca of Bonnaroo. It opens at noon Thursday and stays open 24 hours a day during the festival. Every stage is in Centeroo, as well as many fun activities (including the Silent Disco, Snake and Jake’s Christmas Barn, and the new “hamageddon” area). Centeroo is surrounded by walls of art done by festival guests, and the legendary Ferris wheel and clock tower greet you as soon as you walk in. Once inside Centeroo, it can be a little tricky to find where you want to go. The main stages are called What and Which, while the tents are named This, That, and The Other.
Aftr exloring for a bit, I headed off to the This tent. I started off watching ZZ Ward perform and she set the bar for Bonnaroo! Her amazing fusion of blues, soul, rock, and a dash of rap quickly captured the attention of the audience, but her blues cover of Drake’s “Going Home” solidified her as the artist to watch Thursday. With her powerful vocals and tough edge, expect to hear ZZ Ward all over your radio soon.
After ZZ Ward, I headed over to the That tent to watch Thao and the Get Down Stay Down perform. Already psyched from ZZ Ward and expecting great things from such a cool name, I was initially a little disappointed by the group. Their quirky style and incredible pipes (the keyboardist had an opera-style voice!) quickly won me over. If you enjoy Marina and the Diamonds, try Thao and the Get Down Stay Down.
After Thao and the Get Down Stay Down performed, a large portion of the crowd left to go to other stages and I ended up in the first couple of rows. Pleased with my great spot, I decided to stay through the next band to watch Banks perform at the end of the night. I had never heard of the Cloud Nothings, but I decided to give them a shot. Little did I know, their thumping drums and rocking guitars were created for mosh pits, and I inadvertently ended up right in the middle. This mosh pit was different from the ones I’ve experienced at other concerts however. At other pits (such as Warped Tour), the majority of people are genuinely trying to fight you. At Bonnaroo, there was still the same manic shoving and jumping, but the overall feel was different; it really was just expressing yourself to the music. While my hat didn’t make it out alive, I had a fantastic time and I definitely plan to listen to the Cloud Nothings again.
Once the Cloud Nothings cleared out, it was time for Banks to perform. As her crew set up, the audience hung out. One of my favorite things about Bonnaroo is how kind everyone is. A section of the Bonnaroovian code is about “radiating positivity”, and you can almost physically feel the happiness at Bonnaroo. Part of what sets Bonnaroo apart from other music festivals is the friendliness. Before Banks’ show, I made new friends with people from California, Oklahoma, Canada, and from local Manchester, Tennessee. One of the girls was even a prospective Auburn student! We were all excited to see Banks, but none of us were prepared for how amazing she would be. Her energy, dramatic performance style, and light show blew the crowd away. Banks herself was emotional about the performance; she told the crowd she had been feeling down earlier that day about her busy lifestyle. “But I give you energy and you give it right back to me!” she yelled to a frantic crowd. A spot-on rendition of “Waiting Game” closed the show and cinched the hearts of thousands of new fans.
Lessons that I learned my first day of Bonnaroo:
Enjoy the journey!
Yeah, getting lost sucks. But if you spend the time being angry, you miss so much. During my time driving around, I got to see some truly gorgeous mountains and spend a little more time relaxing before the crazy weekend.
Try something new!
Check out that unknown bands. Eat at the Hamageddon area. You never know what you’ll like until you try it!
There is a time and place for cheap things…
My hat getting trampled was not devastating because it was $8. Don’t bring anything expensive or irreplaceable to a festival. (The only exception? Comfortable shoes!)
Make friends!
This is one of the few places where you can just walk up to someone and talk to them without weird looks. Take advantage of it. Talk about a band, talk about what you want to do with your life… make some memories!
Know what’s going on and have a back-up plan!
I moonlight as an incredibly ferocious person, so the mosh pit was not a problem for me. However, situations like this are why you should always have a back-up safety plan. Do you have a friend looking out for you? Do you know where the closest exit is? Be aware.