Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by cluelessmom on Jan 23, 2007 18:05:57 GMT -5
I'm so glad I found this board!!! I've been attempting to plan a trip to Bonnaroo, & need lots of help. My 15 yo. son wants us to go there as part of our summer vacation. Neither my husband nor I really know much at all about the current music scene. Our son drags his dad along, when there's a local concert he wants to see, but that's about it. Neither of us have been to a music festival. In other words, we're clueless! I've read way too many sites, & asked questions on every board I frequent. After reading through many of the threads on this site, I've discovered that everything I thought I'd learned was most likely incorrect. Obviously, none of the boards I frequent are music related. Anyway, I have lots of questions.
1. We missed the presale on tickets. I've been checking other sites for them & have found them on multiple sites. After reading here, it sounds like we still have a chance to purchase them at retail from the official Bonnaroo site. Is this the case? Also, are all tickets general admission? Any more ticket info I should know?
2. How much of a hurry do we need to be in to buy the tickets? Do they usually sell out early?
3. I thought the performer lineup on the Bonnaroo site was official. Is it not?
4. Due to back problems, I'm unable to camp. That leaves us with 2 options. We can get a hotel room & commute, or rent an RV & park it onsite. We're a bit concerned that our son will miss out on some of the bands he really wants to see, if we commute. That would kind of defeat the purpose of going. Have any of you done that? If so, any feedback would be very much appreciated. The problem with renting an RV is that we travel with our mini-pin & the Bonnaroo site says no pets. Is that still the case if she stays in the RV, except when being walked on her leash? How strict are they? If we're able to take her in the RV, we'll most likely go that route. What would we need to do to reserve a place to park it on?
5. How will we know when the bands our son wants to see will be performing?
I think that's it for now. I hope you guys have a lot of patience. You're probably going to need it. You have no idea how much I appreciate any help you can provide. TIA
1. Tickets are not on sale yet. Well the regular tickets aren't on sale. We figured around here that it will be second week in Feb when they start selling. Usually on Saturday. I'd suggest only getting them through Bonnaroo.com this way you know your legit and going to get them. You usually get your tix about a month before roo. They'll send you a tracking number. Tickets get you into everything. Camping, Centeroo (where there are two big stages and several smaller tents as well as the movie, and comedy tent.
2.They used to sell out within a month. Recently they sell out about a month before roo. I'd suggest getting them in Feb.
3.The lineup hasn't been released quite yet. Again we figured end of Jan the first listing will go out and then about 5 rounds after. The first round is the biggest. The rest, about 2-5 bands at a time.
4.If you RV you have to get a special parking pass. I believe it was 40-50 last year. You'll be around other RVs. I would suggest you find a place to board your dog. They tend to check out the inside of the RVs.
5.They will release the schedule a few weeks before roo. You also get one when you enter the grounds.
Any other questions feel free to ask or PM me. I've been to all but the first so I know a few things. All of us here will do our best to give you as much info as you need. Were good people.
Well, you are not that clueless of a mom if you want to take your son to Bonnaroo.
I dont have all the answers, but you can find most of them on this board. 1&2 - Regular tickets have not gone on sale yet, so there is plenty of time. They still have another 79,000 or so to sell. The festival sells out only about half the time and it usually takes a while to sell out if it does. You buy the tickets directly from the Bonnaroo site and if you buy in the first couple of hours they are a little cheaper than if you wait. All Tickets are general admission, unless you go VIP, which is expected to be about $1,200 a pair this year.
3. The line-up is not out yet, only rampant speculation.
4. I have not done the commute thing, but I have done the RV thing, which in my opinion is the way to go due to potential rain storms and unbelievable heat (mugginess), plus it gets light out around 4:45, so if you camp, you starting feeling the sun pretty early. Check around the internet for RV sites, it all depends on where you are coming from. RV passes jumped up to $100 this year, which gets you an RV spot. I dont know what a mini-pin is so I am going to pass on that one.
5. Schedule is posted about a month or so in advance, so you will know around then, expect to have some conflicts.
Post by steveternal on Jan 23, 2007 18:38:57 GMT -5
(yeah, some fast responses. I'll post what I already wrote as they are more complete answers.)
Hi there. Glad to have you here, and don't worry because we on this board are always happy to help others achieve the wonderful experience that is this music festival. I'll take a stab at your questions, and I'm sure others can help add things and fill in the gaps.
1. There was a pre-sale, but only a small amount to entice consumers. Tickets have not officially gone on sale yet, and neither has there been an announcement as to when they will. Our best guess, based on how the promoters have worked in the past, is that the official lineup for 2007 will be released in a week or two, and tickets will go on sale roughly a week afterwards (so, early or mid-February). Yes, they are sold directly from the Bonnaroo site, not from any third party group like Ticketmaster (or other shady sites lurking around the web). Tix are indeed general admission and will allow access to every day of the fest, plus camping. RV passes will also be sold, although I don't know how much they are, and VIP passes are also sold, which essentially is a GA pass with several extra features. If you want more info on that, just ask.
2. Last year was the first year in the festival's history in which tickets sold out, and that only happened a few weeks before the fest. In other words, there is no reason to worry that tickets will sell out quickly this year.
3. Whatever lineup you may have seen on bonnaroo.com was probably from last year or a year previous. As I said, the lineup for this year has not yet been released, although our educated guess is that it will be released in the next week or two. There are heavy rumors as to whom will be there, and also a handful of unofficially confirmed artists, which you can learn about in other threads on this forum.
4. While the general population camps, there are many who rent RVs and many others who stay overnight in hotels. I personally can't speak for either-- my wife and I are campers all the way! But I'm sure others on the board would be happy to fill you in on the pros and cons of those alternatives.
5. Yes, the lineup will be coming soon, but generally the actual schedule is released roughly a month before the festival. If it helps, and if you don't already know, here is how the schedule is laid out: Thursday night has a small amount of acts performing in the late evening, till around 1am. Friday and Saturday are identical: music begins around noon, on all stages and tents, culminating with a headlining act on the main stage usually beginning at 8:30pm and lasting around 3 hours. From mignight to about 4am there are "late night" shows in the tents. Sunday is the same except there are no late night shows; the festival ends with the Sunday night headliner.
Damn, must be nice to be a 15 year old and have mom ready to take the family to the music festival. My family vacations consisted of natural parks and visiting relatives...
1 &2Buy tickets through Bonnaroo!! Try to get the first tier tickets right when they first go on sale might be 20-30 dollars cheaper. Cannot guarentee when they will sell out no headliners yet. If its The Police or Pink Floyd or Phish or something like that they might go quick. But the past 2 times they sold out it was a few days before.
3 Lineup at end of January.`
4 Get the RV and camp there. You will miss so much if you are in a hotel. If you have to bring your dog I would leave him in the RV with the AC ON. The heat and humidity during Roo is extreme. I would leave the dog at home. I have seen lots of dogs at roo, most running loose.
5 There will be a schedule released on the website, and it will be on the map.
Anything you need to know is on this board. Youll have a great time at Bonnaroo.
while there are dogs if they notice it they will turn you away. personally i dont think id risk the hassle involved in being turned away after waiting in line all day. you might get it in. but if you dont it means spending time finding an alternative and then getting in the back of the line. i dont think its worth it. and unless your bringing a generator to run ac the whole time id say it would be cruel and possibly deadly to have a dog in an rv in the hot tennessee summer sun. basically its against the rules. could cause a big hassle. and is not the best thing for a dog. if the dog is a must then id go hotel and maybe set up a tent in tent only in case someone wanted to go or had to care for the dog the others could stay and have somewhere to crash.
also its only fair to warn you that this is a music festival that has the same scene as woodstock. there is swearing, nudity, excessive drinking, lots of "open partying" of the sorts you would expect at a grateful dead show or woodstock. i take my son to many fests. i think its great. but they are exposed to all sorts of craziness and open drug use. i feel its best to inform them and not shelter them. just a heads up for someone who hasnt been before. you will see it all at roo. its not dangerous or anything but it is wild and crazy. somepeople dont understand that and its not what they expected when they get there.
Last Edit: Jan 23, 2007 19:17:09 GMT -5 by Dude - Back to Top
*i like coconuts, you can break them open they smell like ladies lyin in the sun** *Hell I don't even know where I am** *for now I must sit here and ponder the yonder: The herbivores did well cause their food didn't never run** *We listen, if it feels good We shake** *You made a big impression for a girl of your size, Now I can't get by without you and your big brown eyes.**
Post by trippindaisy on Jan 23, 2007 19:23:12 GMT -5
I am the Mom of a 15 year old daughter who I took last year and will be taking again this year. I think everyone above has answered your questions.
I will not be camping this year because I will be with 2 teenage girls and really just don't want to deal with putting up a tent etc. So we will be commuting from Nashville each day and staying as long as we are awake and having fun.
As for the schedule, you will be able to print it out from the Bonnaroo website and arrange ahead of time which bands he wants to see, so he can try not to miss anything - although sometimes there is so much good stuff it is hard to juggle!!
I think they are pretty strict about pets - the heat in TN at that time of year is pretty extreme. I don't recall seeing any last year so I assume they enforce that rule pretty strictly.
I do not want to put you off because it is absolutely awesome that you are willing to do this for your son, but I know many parents my age are not very open minded, and have not been to many events like this with their child, as I have. If you have never been to a festival of this kind, you may see some things that will surprise you - naked people, people smoking pot and on many other drugs, people selling drugs and paraphanalia etc. Having said that, you will also be amazed how friendly, warm and compassionate most people are, so please don't see it as a bad thing, I just want to warn you.
I have taken my daughter to concerts and festivals since she was a baby and she is very accustomed to everything that goes on and like me, she is just happy to be there to enjoy all the great music and the great people
Also, just so you know, it isn't about just the "current" music scene. I'm not sure of your age, but I am sure you will find music that is familiar to you also. Bonnaroo has music that appeals to people from 10 - 60 so there really is something for everyone. I was happy to see there were many people there last year much much older than me
Post by cluelessmom on Jan 23, 2007 19:27:05 GMT -5
Wow, you guys are great!!! I was getting so discouraged by the other advice I was getting that we were about to give up on the idea. I had my son looking for individual concerts anywhere in the country for the bands he wants to go to Bonnaroo to see. This will be much cheaper than racking up frequent flier miles one concert at a time. ;D
I'm glad I didn't buy those tickets from the broker sites. We started to go ahead & get them afraid it would sell out & we'd be out of luck. I love saving money, when I can.
The 2 main performers our son wants to see are Modest Mouse & Tom Waits. They're on the rumored schedule. I hope that's a good sign. Apparently MM goes to Atlanta every year, so we could always drive up there to see them if they're not at Bonnaroo.
We would love to go the RV route. Molly is our concern with that. She's never stayed at a kennel. When we cruise, we drive from Florida to NC to leave her with my sister & BIL. Yes, she's as spoiled as the 15 yr. old is. From Bonnaroo, we're going on to Nashville & Memphis, so we don't want to leave her behind for that long. I'd hate to get there & be kicked out though. That would not be good.
atl3103, A mini-pin is a Miniature Doberman Pinscher.
Post by trippindaisy on Jan 23, 2007 19:31:01 GMT -5
You could look into putting her into a local kennels in the Manchester area possibly? I know she is your baby, but I know my dog loves going to the kennels because she gets to play with the other dogs. She has only been twice in 10 years but she has been happy each time.
And just so you know, the rumored schedule is exactly that - a total rumor, so don't rely on that.
Last Edit: Jan 23, 2007 19:32:40 GMT -5 by trippindaisy - Back to Top
Post by cluelessmom on Jan 23, 2007 20:00:14 GMT -5
You guys are too fast. I can't keep up.
As far as the heat issue goes, we live in Tampa FL. Tennessee we can handle. ;D I've never seen an RV that didn't have a generator, unless it's a really old one. We used to own one, but sold it last year. The upkeep is too expensive, if you can't use it often. It would be too expensive to drive one that far anyway. A rental would only be feasible, if you rented one fairly locally. From the sound of things, we may have to go the hotel route though. Hopefully, we can find a nice one that's not too far away.
We're not the least bit judgemental, & aren't worried about our son being exposed to the crowd at the festival. Just because we don't partake doesn't mean we expect others not too. I do find it funny that you can be nude, & use illegal drugs, but can't have a very well taken care of pet in an air conditioned RV.
BTW, I'm in my late 30s & my hubby is in his early 40s. On the topic of Tom Waits, our son likes a lot of performers that were before our time. He's very serious about music.
Post by trippindaisy on Jan 23, 2007 20:11:50 GMT -5
thedrugsdowork said:
meglomaniax2025 said:
its incredibly cool that a 15 year old knows about Tom Waits!
maybe there is hope for the future
Slim hope my lady is a third grade teacher. I've been to her class. It's not looking good.
There is still hope!! My daughter in 3rd grade liked Brittney Spears and all that pop crap..... I took her to Phish shows and she was oblivious By 7th grade she started realizing that she liked the stuff I listened to - smart child At 15 she has great taste in music and loves most of the bands that play at Roo.
Post by trippindaisy on Jan 23, 2007 20:19:36 GMT -5
cluelessmom said:
As far as the heat issue goes, we live in Tampa FL. Tennessee we can handle. ;D
I do find it funny that you can be nude, & use illegal drugs, but can't have a very well taken care of pet in an air conditioned RV.
I meant for the animals. Most people at Roo do not have Rv's and do not have adequate shelter for a pet. The officials also know that people do get wasted and can be likely to lose track of time and "forget" about their pets.... I've been to way too many Dead shows where I've seen dogs tied up to cars in 90 degree heat where they could not reach or didn't have any water. Of course that is the exception, but still it happens. There are many valid reasons for this rule.
ya there is hope. my sons a 3rd grader and people are amazed that he talks about how excited he is to see bob weir this this summer. he loves ekoostik hookah and the disco biscuits. although his favorite is still quiet riot. i dont know how that happened.
Post by trippindaisy on Jan 23, 2007 20:23:20 GMT -5
dudewhersmyinforoo said:
ya there is hope. my sons a 3rd grader and people are amazed that he talks about how excited he is to see bob weir this this summer. he loves ekoostik hookah and the disco biscuits. although his favorite is still quiet riot. i dont know how that happened.
I would agree with others on here that it is best not to bring your dog with you to Bonnaroo. One workable option would be sheltering him/her at one of the Bonnaroo recommended kennels. I have not heard much feedback about them but I would feel pretty confident that they are not associating with any shady kennels and most of the Manchester folks I've encountered have been wonderful and friendly people.
For info on kennels and pets from Bonnaroo's site:
I do have to agree that leaving a tent in the "tent only" camping spot in the event that your husband and son want to stay late night is a good idea.
I do think that there is some misinformation out there about the festival selling out, however. I believe that it has sold out every year but 2005. As far as the timeliness of it selling out, I think that has varied wildly but Bonnaroo is truly becoming a more popular destination every year and will probably continue to sell out more quickly -- purchasing tickets early is recommended.
For more info on the history of Bonnaroo, I think that the wikipedia site is pretty accurate. (But ignore any 2007 information that pops up there as it tends to be inaccurate at this point.)
As far as the heat issue goes, we live in Tampa FL. Tennessee we can handle. I do find it funny that you can be nude, & use illegal drugs, but can't have a very well taken care of pet in an air conditioned RV.
Its not the heat that gets you its the full humidity, sticky, muggy.
They dont allow dogs because most dogs not all suffer in the heat. Most of them camp in tents too and let the dogs run free. If everyone left there dog in the A/C RV and if everybody that brung their dog were as responsible as you seem to be there would be no problem, you obviosly care a great deal for your dog. I just couldnt stand seeing those dogs suffer out threre in the heat, especially after they said you will be turned away if you have em.
Post by cluelessmom on Jan 23, 2007 20:37:12 GMT -5
trippindaisy said:
cluelessmom said:
As far as the heat issue goes, we live in Tampa FL. Tennessee we can handle. ;D
I do find it funny that you can be nude, & use illegal drugs, but can't have a very well taken care of pet in an air conditioned RV.
I meant for the animals. Most people at Roo do not have Rv's and do not have adequate shelter for a pet. The officials also know that people do get wasted and can be likely to lose track of time and "forget" about their pets.... I've been to way too many Dead shows where I've seen dogs tied up to cars in 90 degree heat where they could not reach or didn't have any water. Of course that is the exception, but still it happens. There are many valid reasons for this rule.
I agree that would be very wrong to treat an animal that way. We treat Molly much more like a child than a dog.
First off, let me offer another welcome to the board! Please don't hesitate to contact any moderator with any questions on anything.
Second off, my two cents:
- Buy tickets as soon as you can after the on-sale date.
- Yeah, don't bring the dog.
- If you can avoid going the hotel route, do so. You'll know after spending the first day there that spending the whole weekend there is part of the experience. Your son will thank you. If any of the acts you intend on seeing are playing late night sets, they can often run into the early morning hours, which doesn't make for an ideal commuting situation. If a hotel stay is a must though -- you better book immediately! I promise you that many places are already close to being fully booked. Once the lineup is announced, your chances at finding a place anywhere near are slim to none.
I'm not sure if this was said already, but an option is always to get the hotel room for you to stay in, and perhaps your son and husband could stay in tent only? I'd say, stay over night if you can.
The late night shows are some of the best, its worth it to see them. I agree with aquarium, your son will thank you.
Post by cluelessmom on Jan 23, 2007 21:32:10 GMT -5
Thanks again for all the tips. We'll definitely buy our tickets ASAP. Our son's birthday is Valentine's Day. Guess what his gift will be. ;D
I'll take your advice & look for a hotel now. I can always book one, then cancel later, if we go another route. We'll have to talk it over & possibly go by NC & drop Molly off on the way up. Well not exactly on the way, but definitely easier than driving her from FL to NC, then back to FL to take a cruise. Hmmm, so some things we do don't make a lot of sense. If we go that route, we'd just have to shorten the rest of our trip, which would be a bummer.
Setting up a tent to hang out in is a good idea. They'll want to be there much longer than I'm physically able to anyway.
As far as the commute goes, is the traffic backed up all day & into the night? We won't go more than about 3 hrs., without checking in on Molly. I could do that though & let them stay. Would there typically be a line coming & going midday?
Post by happytrails on Jan 23, 2007 21:34:08 GMT -5
Don;t forget the KOA campground right behind the mainstage - its quiet camping with shade; hot tub; flush toilets; swimming pool and a multiple limos (yes LIMOS) that take you right to the stage. A great compromise for a generation gap and actually closer to the main two stages than most every camping area.