Bonnaroo 2008 Thursday (Day 1): Festies Ain't Easy, But They Sure Are Fun
Going to a festival is not all fun and games. The live concert experience is never assured bliss. There are so many external factors that could go sour. A huge fest like Bonnaroo has an army of these possible setbacks. But sometimes overcoming the odds and the elements can be the recipe for an unforgettable weekend.
So after hanging out in Manchester a little bit Wednesday night, I rode back into town in the morning to pick up my press credentials. I then went to my hotel to await the arrival of my caravan of ATLiens. One of the cars in our group had a road cone fly up and crack their windshield in Chattanooga, forcing them to abandon their vehicle to repair and then squeeze their gear and bodies in other folks' already tightly packed rides. The slight travel delay here would seem insignificant compared to the traffic jam we would wait in shortly after.
Now I'm from Atlanta so traffic isn't new to me, but sitting still on the side of the interstate for 5+ hours is just never that fun. This would actually be the longest I've ever waited to get into the 'roo. As is typical, everyone gets out of their cars and socializes on the side of the road to pass the time, and then as soon as the line starts moving a bit, everyone scrambles into their rides to grab another 50 feet.
After getting through the gate, and then still waiting in line to get a campsite that wasn't too far but wasn't too close, the inevitable, unbridled, and unrelenting blitz of setting up camp and partying begins. There is nothing like a cold beer after sitting in your car all day. Well, maybe like 10 cold beers.
Suddenly it is late afternoon and time to check out Centeroo. The nice stroll across the campgrounds leads to waiting in line to go through security, and going inside to search out a schedule. They had ran out of guide books when we came through the gates and the only ones I have even seen so far are a horde back in the press area. I tested my credentials and took a look backstage. Things were a little different then last time I had been back here, but still pretty similar. It was at this time the partying, heat, and lack of sleep this week struck me like a punch to the face, and after cooling off in the press tent, I went back to camp.
After regrouping and recouping, our crew made its way back to Centeroo, and this time had to wait in a ridiculously slow moving line to get in. We made it to MGMT a song or two into the set and the tent was packed out. The crowd reactions to the songs seemed very surprising to me, everyone was going crazy. It seemed like everyone at the fest knew and loved these songs, so I guess these guys are pretty big now. Just like last time I saw them, at times I really enjoyed it, and at other times I lost interest.
I made my way up closer for Battles, and they put on a hell of a show. When I saw them last year at Pitchfork Fest, I was really far away and couldn't tell how fun they are to watch live. Everyone who saw it was raving about it. With my second wind dying down, I decided I was in no mood to stick around for Vampire Weekend, and went back to camp yet again. Tired, intoxicated, and with everyone else at my camp slowly fading into the night, I sucked it up and took a few brave souls back to Centeroo again to catch the late night Royal Bangs show. It was a wise decision and the grueling day ended with a pleasant reward. The Troo Music Lounge is about the smallest venue in the fest, so the setting was more up my alley, and the band exploited its almost nonexistent barrier between the crowd and themselves. The crowd wasn't huge, but they were all going wild for this one. Seeing them live just reinforced everything I liked about them and I can't wait to have them again at our show next week.
Well, It's time to catch more music, so keep it here for total coverage.
Labels: Battles, Bonnaroo, MGMT, Royal Bangs
posted by Sugarkane at
6/13/2008 11:31:00 AM
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