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 billypilgrim on Aug 12, 2012 9:22:41 GMT -5
Totally agree about Sigur Ros. They were incredible, as was Alabama Shakes (who drew a huge crowd). My other highlight was when Bob Weir came out to play The Dead's It Must Have Been the Roses with Nora Jones. Pretty mellow day overall.
I used to live a short walk from Golden Gate Park. I'd bundle up my daughters and put them in a double stroller and off we'd go. I absolutely love the place. And it's pretty funny seeing all the people dressed for weather in the 80s when the temps get down around 60 and the fog comes in with a vengeance.
Post by theshining on Aug 12, 2012 16:40:27 GMT -5
Can anyone go over some of the differences between Roo and OSL (outside of the obvious like camping v non)? Talk up some of OSL's qualities?
I'm thinking of skipping Roo for OSL next year as I want to visit San Fran again and could include what seems to be an awesome fest with a great city and a visit to Pac Bell for a Giants game.
Can anyone go over some of the differences between Roo and OSL (outside of the obvious like camping v non)? Talk up some of OSL's qualities?
I'm thinking of skipping Roo for OSL next year as I want to visit San Fran again and could include what seems to be an awesome fest with a great city and a visit to Pac Bell for a Giants game.
Any info would be great
I'll take a quick stab at this. I've been to 7 Roos and 4 OSLs and love them both.
The amount of music: You get more music at Roo. It's 4 days instead of 3 and the music lasts later. OSL ends no later than 10 p.m.
The climate: I don't know if OSL got above 70 and the nights were in the 50s. I've trained and equipped myself to deal with the heat at Roo. But, with the longer days, it takes a lot out of you. [For comparison purposes, I find Roo far more grueling despite the fact that I always go VIP at Roo and GA at OSL.]
The setting: Golden Gate Park is spectacular. You're surrounded by towering Monterey pines and cypress trees. The venues tend to be in meadows where the hills provide a good sound barrier (less bleed from other venues).
The crowd: I think it's younger at Roo, largely because of the camping. Lots of young people at OSL, too, but I think the OSL crowd skews older.
The food and beverages: Perhaps to cater to the older crowd, OSL has better food and drinks (including wine, which you can't buy at Roo) and a wider selection. They're pricey, though. $9 for a 16 oz. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
The fans' dedication: OSL is an urban festival that sells one-day tickets. So you get a larger number of casual music fans - people who may be there to see a particular band or who decided to check it out because they live in the area. In contrast, the vast majority of us need to go quite a bit out of our way to end up in a field in Manchester, TN.
No Shakedown Street at OSL.
I may add to this later. They're both wonderful experiences.
Post by Homer J. Fong on Aug 13, 2012 13:25:36 GMT -5
I love SF. One of my favorite cities in the world. I may have to make it an all-Cali music fest year for me in 2013, and do both Coachella and Outside Lands. I'd like to go back to SF just because, and if I can tie that in with OSL it'd be icing on the cake.
Can anyone go over some of the differences between Roo and OSL (outside of the obvious like camping v non)? Talk up some of OSL's qualities?
I'm thinking of skipping Roo for OSL next year as I want to visit San Fran again and could include what seems to be an awesome fest with a great city and a visit to Pac Bell for a Giants game.
Any info would be great
I'll take a quick stab at this. I've been to 7 Roos and 4 OSLs and love them both.
The amount of music: You get more music at Roo. It's 4 days instead of 3 and the music lasts later. OSL ends no later than 10 p.m.
The climate: I don't know if OSL got above 70 and the nights were in the 50s. I've trained and equipped myself to deal with the heat at Roo. But it takes a lot out of you.
The setting: Golden Gate Park is spectacular. You're surrounded by towering Monterey pines and cypress trees. The venues tend to be in meadows where the hills provide a good sound barrier (less bleed from other venues).
The crowd: I think it's younger at Roo, largely because of the camping. Lots of young people at OSL, too, but I think the OSL crowd skews older.
The food and beverages: Perhaps to cater to the older crowd, OSL has better food and drinks (including wine, which you can't buy at Roo) and a wider selection. They're pricey, though. $9 for a 16 oz. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
The fan's dedication: OSL is an urban festival that sells one-day tickets. So you get a larger number of casual music fans - people who may be there to see a particular band or who decided to check it out because they live in the area. In contrast, the vast majority of us need to go quite a bit out of our way to end up in a field in Manchester, TN.
No Shakedown Street at OSL.
I may add to this later. They're both wonderful experiences.
Thanks BillyPilgrim!
I've done 4 consecutive Roo's now and though I will find it hard to take a year off I am looking to get my festival fix inside another vacation. OSL seems to be a good fit. I don't necessarily need the hardcore 4 day experience, can get along without LN's, shakedown, and the escapism Roo offers from daily life, so long as I get a quality line-up and the festival feel.
Post by billypilgrim on Aug 16, 2012 12:36:28 GMT -5
Some propaganda from OSL's latest e-mail blast:
"More than a cookie-cutter American rock festival, Outside Lands takes advantage of its setting in Golden Gate Park by pointedly celebrating all that is the Bay Area. It's a strategy that really makes the event, now in its fifth year, stand apart from any other festival in its class...Outside Lands featured an expanded palette of food and beverage options that made eating and drinking at the festival just as much fun as listening and dancing."
-Rolling Stone
"The quality of music was at least equivalent to that at other regional festivals, though with its amenities Outside Lands may become an international destination like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival...Outside Lands' food fair offers a carnival of excess. Need chocolate-coated caramel corn? Visit Choco Lands. Craft beer? Beer Lands. Fire-roasted oysters, fried-chicken-and-waffles, shrimp ceviche? Yep. Chef and restaurateur Michael Mina, of this city's eponymous four-star establishment, served up a variety of lamb dishes. We're a long way from dirty-water hot dogs and warm beer."
-Wall Street Journal
"Deciding to escape Los Angeles for three days of Outside Lands in San Francisco was a no brainer; managing to escape Los Angeles during a crazy forecasted heat wave in exchange for three days of sweater weather, outstanding music, craft beer, red wine a-plenty and gourmet food in Golden Gate Park was nothing short of a blessing of earth's greatest delights."
After crunching the numbers to do Roo in a RV this year, I'm starting to think maybe it's time I move on from the farm and venture out to the west coast -- shockingly, it'd cost roughly the same. I was DYING to do OSL last year but by the time the lineup came out, it just wasn't enough time to save. So I figure this year I'm making my decision EARLY, and I've whittled it down to Roo RV or OSL.
I'm expecting Roo is the better musical experience, but factoring in the awesomeness of San Fran, I think OSL could be a better overall trip. However it really seems that OSL is stepping up their game.
Has anyone been disappointed with OSL after doing Roo?
If I skip Roo, will OSL give me my proper festival fix, or do you think I'll be left wanting more musically?
The only times I've done OSL was in years I also did Roo. I wasn't disappointed in the least, though thought of it as more a complement to Roo than substitute. If it weren't for Roo then OSL would be my favorite fest experience so far. What are you looking for in your festival fix?
They're quite different but OSL will still give you a really nice lineup with big headliners and good acts all day long. It's a city fest so the music ends at ten which is hard to deal with, especially when your first act might be around one. The lack of late nights and going until you're exhausted is a big thing to miss. You get about two shows in the dark each night if I'm remembering right.
The set times are pretty decent, around 50 minutes - one hour for most I believe, with headliners like two hours or so. They have opposed headliners each night so there are more options for a person if they don't like the main act. There's a really cool little stage where you can sit on hay bales and watch mid sized bands like Dr. Dog play. There's no pit system so you can stay up close at a stage all day if you want to have a great spot for a headliner.
It's not a camping fest so that whole element makes for a very different experience. Even though it's a lot of locals I still thought the crowds were pretty fun and full of people there to actually see the show. You go home and shower every night which makes for a more comfortable time. You shouldn't have to miss acts due to exhaustion or heat. It can get pretty cold but not uncomfortably so if you're dressed properly. I've also had days where I was in shorts an a t-shirt the entire time.
Golden Gate Park is a million times more beautiful than Roo. You're surrounded by lots of trees and the grass is green. You can go hang out in the trees and this year I saw an old couple wrapped in a sleeping bag hardcore making out in the woods. There is still garbage but you can always find a nice spot of grass to chill on.
The whole place is kind of sunk down between gentle slopes. You can go sit on those side hills at a couple stages to get a nice top-down vista, though they do fill up for bigger acts. I've used them to kind of chill and watch while still having a good view of the stage versus laying in the field and just seeing folks' feet.
I read on the Coach boards that one of the 2013 headliners was booked before 2012 even kicked off but haven't heard anything otherwise.
"In the darkness hundreds of glowsticks streaked the air like tracer shots in war. Giant inflatables bounced over dozens of light sabers pointed skyward. Stuffed animals impaled on sticks danced above the hot crowds, puppeted by someone just given ecstasy by a friend made seconds before."
5/16-19: HANGOUT
5/25: Dillinger Escape Plan
5/30: Andrew W.K. w/ Tony Clifton
6/1: Big Boi
6/13-16: BONNAROO
6/29: Bob Dylan, Wilco, MMJ
6/30: The Grandmothers of Invention
7/11: Seinfeld
7/20: Living Colour
8/1: Mastodon w/ Machine Head
8/7: Melvins
9/5: Iron Maiden w/ Megadeth
10/2: The Legendery Pink Dots
11/1-3: VOODOO
11/14-17: BEAR CREEK
Well, for the last post in the resurrected 2012 thread, I must say THANK YOU to barfbag for the very informative post! I'm one step closer to lockin' in this trip!
