Usually Minglewood sports these neat purply black lights that kind of hurt my eyes as I pass, but tonight they were rockin’ the clown lights. I dig, a lot.
Still never been there for a show. I thought for a long hard minute last night about buying tickets to the MGMT show in June, but then just as soon as I could think about that, I decided on a lark to go to Bonnaroo with Amber. MGMT will be playing there, along with quite a few other bands I want to see, so that is that and this is this and I’m going camping in Manchester, Tenn., in the sweltering June heat with a bunch of unwashed plebeians for the first time ever.
Awesome!
^ Not sarcasm
I still would like to see a show at Minglewood, though.
And now please begin heaping upon me your Bonnaroo tips. Keep in mind that I have never even really been camping before, so use kid gloves.
My advice? Stay in a hotel and day-trip.
Actually, the Bonnaroo website has tons of tips. But what they don’t tell you is that it’s a long haul from your campsite to where the bands are. At some point you will be muddy or wet. So choose your footwear wisely. People make fun of my Crocs, but they’re the best thing for Bonnaroo because they’re very shock-absorbent, they protect your toes, they don’t cause blisters and they’re easy to hose off. And hard to lose. Lots of flip flops get abandoned at ‘roo.
Have lots of sunscreen on hand. And sunglasses (several pairs in case you lose a pair). And a big floppy hat. And a bandana and/or face mask (Bonnaroo Lung is awful). And a spray bottle. And bandaids. And water bottles for refilling and stuff to flavor your water if you don’t like the taste of well water (I actually like the water there). And your backpack should be as lightweight as possible. Your standard backpack will cause you to sweat madly and that sweat will drip down your back and into the crack of your ass and you will go insane.
Oh, and get some CertainDri. Use as directed and apply to any place you don’t want to sweat: pits, underboob, asscrack. But it may sting, particularly after shaving. So apply at night, not after shaving.
Bring gear to dress for every kind of weather because in 3 or 4 days, you will experience warm, cold, windy, rainy, and who knows what else.
Bring earplugs. And ibuprofen. And Sudafed. And antibacterial hand gel or wet wipes. And travel packs of tissues. And lightweight flashlights. These last few will come in handy when you have to use a port-o-let at midnight that has no tissue and no lights.
I could go on, but I need to get back to work. Have you ever known me not to have a lengthy opinion on such matters?
I think we’re going. I missed MGMT last year, but won’t miss them this year. And the Beasties–woo!
We went for the first time last year and had a blast.
Most stuff is common sense, and I’m sure you thought of:
Obviously sunblock, tent stuff, sleeping stuff. I took some super cheap earplugs and eyecover thing (like a vanity deal, pillow for your eyes with a strap to keep it on your head. Surely there’s a word for it). Its pretty stinkin’ hot during the day, but it did get pretty dang chilly on us, so we were glad to have an actual sleeping bag. We took along granola bars and all kinds of snack stuff to help keep us fed. I also had a camelback for water, and the rest of the gang toted water bottles with those little crystal light packs to make it taste less like central TN well water.
I’m a bit jealous.. there’s some great bands gonna be out there!
I can’t believe these oldsters forgot to tell you the most important thing, and that is the drugs. Do a lot of drugs: acid, ecstasy, mushrooms, coke, molly, ETC ETC ETC. Do drugs all day and all night and relish the fact that you can buy them so easily. Then come home and take a bath and sleep it off.
Find and take the p-style I gave you, you will not be disappointed. You’ll be able to piss like a dude and wont have to worry about hovering over a vomit-blasted, overflowing port-a-potty.
Love,
a Hockeyologist
Yes yes yes, keep the tips comin’, y’all.
And FINALLY, FINALLY I will be able to use the P-Style. I know exactly where it is. It’s been awaiting a fitting debut.
Go look at some pictures and images online so that you can kind of get a feel for the sheer scale of it all. It’s freaking huge, especially going from the stages out to your campsite. Your feet and legs will hurt and bring money, it takes cash for tasty food.
At some point you will be piled up with a lot of other people trying to find the one spot of shade from a tree. A cold shower is the most glorious thing ever and sunblock is very necessary.
Follow Bonnaroo on twitter and become friends with the JamBase app for live scheduling and phone updates while you are there. Think of ways to keep your electronics charged and something lockable for your stuff.
Also there will be lots of recreational pharmaceuticals and unless someone is just obnoxious, it’s a pretty tolerant atmosphere.
Yay! Bonnaroo! There are seriously too many things to name that you need to bring. The P-Style is a must! Lesley is right, the website is pretty helpful. This will be my fifth year going, so if you do need some help, just let me know. The camping is a blast. The walk to the stage area can be obnoxious (45 min or so), but it can also be filled with super fun things (Shakedown and whatnot). We are either doing tent-only or RV this year. It will be an experience, since I’ve only ever camped with my car. I’m already so excited!
I take exception to the Hockeyologist’s advice. Don’t bring your own drugs; you don’t need to. If you want drugs, you can get all you want or need for free. Pretty girls don’t pay for drugs. And you can trade sunscreen for anything you want (believe me). Though last year, the air was decidedly less pot-ish. I think there was a crackdown. Previously, one did not have to even try to get high.
I don’t understand folks who don’t like well water. The shit in my house comes out of the fucking Cumberland river; I’d take sulphurous well water ANY DAY. Though Memphis water, it ain’t.
Oh, another thing: aforementioned hat should be well-ventilated. I found a really crazy folding straw hat at World Market last year that is reminiscent of a Vietnamese farmer’s hat. Highly recommended. Otherwise, your head will sweat under your hat and that really sucks. Kavu makes a rad farmer’s hat. Anyway, think vented. Also? Rain suit. Oh, and I take a vinyl tablecloth to sit on. More comfy than a shower curtain and way cute. Towels are too heavy.