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 in 2013!!
Post by stephiejane on Jun 15, 2011 10:40:45 GMT -5
i'm just so shocked and saddened to hear about yoderoo......any death is a tragedy, but one of an inforooster that we all feel like we knew so well is even harder to digest. RIP chris.
"Walk tall, kick ass, learn to speak Arabic, love music and never forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers and warriors" - Hunter S. Thompson
Case in point: I'm going to Burning Man this year. It's a week-long festival in the desert where you are completely reliant on yourself, meaning you must bring everything you need to survive in the desert for 7 days. Burning Man is VERY CLEAR that temperatures could exceed 100 degrees, or dip down to 40 degrees at night, and winds could exceed 60 mph and that there are massive dust storms and thunderstorms. They TELL YOU to expect it, be prepared for it, and to bring everything you need to rely on yourself. Nobody dies at Burning Man once a year, which is a way harsher environment. Bonnaroo could do a better job of explaining on their website what the conditions are like and making sure people are ABSOLUTELY clear on taking care of themselves, rather than just telling them "it's hot!" and "Hydrate!" because there's more to it than that.
first: im jealous - one year i will make it out to Black Rock. I hope you post about your experience... i will be watching it on ustream again
second: It seems like people think of Bonnaroo as a safe, catered environment. And why not? it's sponsored, it has bands, it's in a town right off the highway, and there's a walmart 10 minutes away. I think people like thinking that Bonnaroo is just a big concert and not all that physically taxing.
Burning Man is in the middle of the desert, and aside from the "man", the sale of ice and a lot of porto's, there's nothing there that the attendees and artists didnt directly bring. You can't buy a t shirt saying you were there. I doubt you would say there are less party favors there, but for some reason, people know what they're getting into. Or at least they have the notion that if something goes horribly wrong, there is basically no one there to help. frankly, that's what it's really like at roo. when you are there, outside of your friends, no one is really paying attention to what you're doing. that guy at the beer tent isnt going to say "youve had enough, how about a water".
I agree that Roo needs to step it up. Outside each porto station, why not have the "pee color" chart as someone mentioned? It's somewhat funny to have signs up about pee, so people would read them, and who knows, maybe it would help a few people not have heat stroke.
Roo also needs to come to terms with what's going on - warn about the dangers of research chemicals and/or molly combined with dehydration and dancing. Send out txts and tweets during roo and some reminder emails about personal safety in the week leading up to roo. Perhaps this place needs to revisit the drukq policy - maybe have some links to erowid available in a locked thread.
It's pretty sad that your odds of dying at Bonnaroo are higher if you are on inforoo than if you are not.
Post by klimfactor on Jun 15, 2011 11:09:46 GMT -5
Plain and simple, heat can kill, no matter what changes Bonnaroo makes. You see the news reports every summer in major metropolitan areas about people dying during hot spells. Now, think about trying to survive in a tent in 90-plus degree temps with high humidity for four days. Some of this is the timing and setting, and you can can be prepared, in tip-top physical shape, and it can sneak up on you anyway. In 2007, I stayed up late dancing and drinking at the Flaming Lips and Mule shows. Afterward, I walked back to my tent in BFE and fell asleep. It was much cooler, but when I woke up around 10:30, it was blazing hot and I was in a pool of sweat. I had downed some water before I went to bed, and when I got up I drank another water and some V8 - but apparently no where near as much fluid as I needed. I ended up making the long trek up to Centeroo for a day of music. It was blazing, oppressively hot that day, and by the time I got there I could hardly walk and I was slightly disoriented. Luckily, I got some help, but I did not feel normal again - no headaches, etc. - for 8-plus hours. I missed a whole day of music, but I learned an important lesson about properly hydrating, even before bed time when the temps are much cooler. I'm writing this and I used to be an active runner/road racer, and I still hike, mountain bike and work out like a mad man. It didn't matter that day, and it didn't matter this year, on Saturday, when I got pretty run down from the heat during the afternoon. Luckily, I had learned my lesson and drank Gatorade this year in between as much water as possible and also snacked more. A lot of this is knowing your body and its limits, but your self awareness can get skewed when you're having fun dancing and mixing in alcohol, which further dehydrates you.
Roo also needs to come to terms with what's going on - warn about the dangers of research chemicals and/or molly combined with dehydration and dancing. Send out txts and tweets during roo and some reminder emails about personal safety in the week leading up to roo.
I'm working on this right now with a few other members interested. Anyone can PM me if you would like the information as well.
Although I stand by my belief that the deaths cannot be blamed on the festival itself and that it should be recognized that they have made steps to improve things this year. It is true that there could be more of an effort made to educate first time patrons. Our first Roo was 2005 and I read every bit of information on the website and I thought I was prepared. I was not at all prepared. By 2006, I had found this board and I was much more prepared. At least their site links to Inforoo now...
Oh, I'm sure its not that easy. but surely, some electrolyte company would step up. even cliff bar (still sponsoring?) has the Blox, which are basically electrolyte gummy candies.
here is the question, if you have heat stroke from high temps / the sun - how soon does it take to really affect you? how rapidly does the condition fade once the sun sets? or is it an irreversible thing? seems that it must be reversible, or else half the people going to the medical tent would be dead.
im not a doctor, but it seems to me that you dont die of sun/heat related hyperthermia at 3 am at bonnaroo since its probably around 60 degrees at that point.
I brought a LOT of the packets. Everyone at my campsite knew I had them and I handed out packets on occasion to people I chatted up. They're awesome and much easier on your bowels (which can't be overstated) than the sugary Gatorade (which is still great, mind you) and other sports drinks.
Post by myscatterheart on Jun 15, 2011 12:31:00 GMT -5
Unbelievably sad. Sending love and light to those effected, this is so heartbreaking.
Having said that, this all scares me. Bonnaroo this year scared me. The people scared me. A lot of the attitudes I saw scared me. I don't know how to stop this ball... There was a very young girl next to me sitting down getting very sick, her friends standing next to her didn't even notice. Me and a friend tended to the girl and told her friends to get her outta there. People just don't care. Youngheads out there getting all sortsa messed up, with no concern for their bodies, much less their friends. So frightening. People that aren't your friends DO care. It's just that there are only so many people with their eyes open, ready to help a stranger, regardless if it's awkward. The girl threw up on my camelbak. It happens. But I know the people around us were too skeeved to help. I'm beginning to think Bon is just too big for itself. /sad
Hey Bonnaroo: How about you have Gatorade sponsor your event?
I think to get Gatorade, you have to go through their pimp Pepsi.
There are a lot of differences between Burning Man and Bonnaroo. BM: 40,000 people for 7 days, Bonnaroo: 80,000 for 4 days The are less people in the desert, but are there for a longer time. BM: 110 degrees, Dry Heat, Roo: 95 degrees Wet Heat It is hotter in the desert, you lose more water, it just feels hotter on the farm BM: average age in 30s, Roo: I would say avg. age 20s I would say on average an older class of people venture to BRC than to the farm. BM: you are encourage to discover,exercise and rely on your inner resources, which means you bring your own water Roo: They provide water stations, even have filtered ones. BM: Literature informs one s/s of dehydration, informs the participate to drink a gallon of water/day. E-mails are sent out the two months leading up to the event, one of those emails is about safety and hydration and only those topics. Roo: "Keeping hydrated and drinking plenty of water throughout the weekend is crucial. Tennessee is hot in the summertime, and you will undoubtedly be moving around to see music, activities and more, so you must drink plenty of water to keep your body happy! Take advantage of the potable water stations, and bring items such as CamelBaks and water bottles to easily transport drinking water around." These two are the big ones. Most everybody traveling to the desert for Burning Man knows they are required to supply themselves with water and that should be at least a gallon/day. There is no safety net. Most everybody going to Roo knows that there are water stations if needed and think I will drink when my body is not happy.
I think Roo does a good job with giving us opportunities to hydrate ourselves, but I think they could do better, although not their job, I think they would want to do a better job. I am thinking better education about the S/S of dehydration, with urine color charts. Sent out e-mails about proper hydration. Take a more proactive approach than just adopting a cool ass forum to do that for you. Since they did just that, I want that cool as forum to tell Bonnaroo we need to change the literature, I want this cool ass forum to tell Bonnaroo we need more shade, yes I saw a little more shade, but I am thinking big shade, shade at the pods. I want this cool ass forum to tell Bonnarroo Misting tents would be way cooler(literally) if they had large fans. I want this cool ass forum to let Bonnaroo know things need to change and we have ideas to help with that.
Post by bamadancer on Jun 15, 2011 13:42:37 GMT -5
Scrog, you are full of wonderful I really think that in a lot of ways, Bonnaroo could take a page out of Burning Man's book.
A lot of people have highly recommended electrolyte powder, and you can even get it unflavored to drop into plain water. And coconut water works wonders, too.
I can't even begin to tell of the shock when I clicked on the 9+ pages of the "Death at Roo?" thread and realized that it was ANOTHER of us...Yoderoo's posts were as common sense and well-informed as anybody's, so to think that he could have succumbed to hyperthermia is a spine-chilling look in the mirror.
Post by upliftingsound on Jun 15, 2011 18:01:43 GMT -5
Burning Man also has something called Sanctuary. It is a space for people who have had too much to go (or be taken to) where compassionate volunteers help them come to grips. I think a Sanctuary in Centeroo and maybe also in camping would go far.
Perhaps some "piss clear" posters need to start being taped to the toilets. If 'roo doesn't do it, we should take it into our own hands.
I would like to see a major sponsor put their brand/label on a water bottle (any ole water, we dont care) then have them on ice and hand a bottle to EVERY single person that walks through the gates everyday. That way they at least will chug the one bottle of water, and have it to fill up later.
April 12-14th - Indio, CA - Coachella Weekend 1
May 3-5th - Memphis, TN - Beale St. Music Festival
June 13-16th - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
July 12-14th - Louisville, KY - Forecastle Festival
August 2-4th - Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
September 27-29th - Atlanta, GA - TomorrowWorld
October 25-27th - Asheville, NC - Mountain Oasis
I would like to see a major sponsor put their brand/label on a water bottle (any ole water, we dont care) then have them on ice and hand a bottle to EVERY single person that walks through the gates everyday. That way they at least will chug the one bottle of water, and have it to fill up later.
that's a great idea. water bottles are definitely an option for a promotional item - im surprised this hasnt been done before. 4 days of possible sponsorship options for roo..
so long as it doesnt turn into the Gatorade Stage and the Poweraid Stage, I'm okay with a bit more sponsorship
Burning Man also has something called Sanctuary. It is a space for people who have had too much to go (or be taken to) where compassionate volunteers help them come to grips. I think a Sanctuary in Centeroo and maybe also in camping would go far.
Perhaps some "piss clear" posters need to start being taped to the toilets. If 'roo doesn't do it, we should take it into our own hands.
The Sanctuary tent at Burning Man is not event-sanctioned (as far as I know). It's a theme camp brought by participants. I say this because having an event-sanctioned "Sanctuary" tent, run by volunteers who may or may not be medically trained, is a HUGE liability issue for any event. My friends run a regional burn, and they will not have a sanctuary tent for this very reason.
It's a wonderful idea, and would be a wonderful project for festival-goers to take on, but I disagree with having it sanctioned by Bonnaroo (or any other festival for that matter).
I would like to see a major sponsor put their brand/label on a water bottle (any ole water, we dont care) then have them on ice and hand a bottle to EVERY single person that walks through the gates everyday. That way they at least will chug the one bottle of water, and have it to fill up later.
But this defeats the purpose of trying to keep the festival's green image. Perhaps an empty reusable bottle?
RIP Yoderoo...he seemed like a really cool dude from the interactions I had with him here. =( This sucks......
I agree on the water comments when it comes to dumping water, but usually at that point you have fresh legs so it isn't a primary issue imo. I always filled my camelpak up with ice anyway, and the security guys never made me dump it out (the ice just melted, and then I had really cold water....so it worked out). Also, the security guys never even bothered me about the camelpak after Fri...
I would like to see a major sponsor put their brand/label on a water bottle (any ole water, we dont care) then have them on ice and hand a bottle to EVERY single person that walks through the gates everyday. That way they at least will chug the one bottle of water, and have it to fill up later.
But this defeats the purpose of trying to keep the festival's green image. Perhaps an empty reusable bottle?
Like Water Bobble(<----click it) or encourage camelbaks or hydration packs and add more water stations, how about a portable water stations, besides the 5 gallon jugs ones, does any of the major bottle water companies have a mass water dispenser system that could be setup at Roo?
Bamadancer I am pretty sure you are correct, Sanctuary is manged by the Black Rock Rangers, who are volunteers that help with safety around the Playa, there are the middle man between the law enforcement and us, the participants. They are a great group of good people! Bonnaroo would never sponsor a 'Sanctuary', I do not think they would even admit something like that is needed. But us on the other hand...
I am the fiance of the woman, Beth Myers, that died at Bonaroo this year. We have decided that we want to bring festival safety to the forefront to make sure that people are prepared for what to do when campers are in danger. We're making a list of best practices so that this kind of thing doesn't occur again. My email is mtek001@aol.com please email me ideas. Also, we're going to get the posts from here as well. I don't ever want to see these tragedies occur again. This is for Beth.
