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!!
My only mistake was driving 12 hours straight onto the farm. If you cannot afford to grab some sleep in a motel Wednesday night set up your camp and RELAX until evening, you will be thankful that you did and you will have plenty of time before the shows start to wander and see the circus unfold.
My only mistake was driving 12 hours straight onto the farm. If you cannot afford to grab some sleep in a motel Wednesday night set up your camp and RELAX until evening, you will be thankful that you did and you will have plenty of time before the shows start to wander and see the circus unfold.
I've done something similar the past three years, drive through wednesday night get in thursday morning then I'm behind on sleep from the get go, and occasional got stuck in bfe. This year I'm starting my drive early and I'm stopping either at walmart or the closet rest stop to Roo and sleeping till morning then driving down the road and getting in line.
Rookie mistake you HAVE to make. Partying too hard, too early. I don't care what anybody says. Your first 'Roo, you have to party way too hard, too early. Let yourself get caught up in the moment and have a friggin ball. Who cares if you miss something. Live it up. You have tomorrow or next year to be smart / disciplined. Let yourself go. If you have to go back to your campsite and pass out early, who cares?
Rookie mistake you HAVE to make. Partying too hard, too early. I don't care what anybody says. Your first 'Roo, you have to party way too hard, too early. Let yourself get caught up in the moment and have a friggin ball. Who cares if you miss something. Live it up. You have tomorrow or next year to be smart / disciplined. Let yourself go. If you have to go back to your campsite and pass out early, who cares?
word. I was gonna say to try and maintain during the day so you can throw down at night, but slugme is right. My experience requires that there be that person I meet while I'm setting up camp who obviously has been talking to uncle sid for a couple hours already... god bless you rookies. I remember my first roo.
um, well one universal one that people say all the time is dont party too hard during the day, cause then you miss out on late night (ive done this the first year and it sucked)
Definitely gotta agree with ya on that. Last year was my first and me and my friend partied so hard the first day we missed a lot of the bands we really wanted to see, (we couldn't even find the main stage we were so.... disoriented!!!) I'm definitely gonna plan things out better this time around. I made a show schedule last year but this year I think I'll make sure to plan my partying better.
thankx for all the advice. husband and i this will be our first roo but not our first fest (several lolla/warped) but this will be the first show for our 13yo. She has been to some local jazz/blues fests (very small) but nothing major. she is so psyched! heh, we all are.
we have a 12h drive from SwFL, and husband is driving the whole way so we are thinking of getting to walmart around 4 ish so he can sleep and kiddo and i can wander and socialize and try not to spend any money, haha.
this board has been invaluable for all its advice. i think we will be well prepped thanks to all you kind vets.
This has probably been mentioned before, but always prepare for rain (i.e. bring shoes other than flip flops!). This was my rookie mistake in '05 when there was a downpour right before Panic came on. I only brought flip flops and during the show, I ended up ditching them in a mudpile because I could hardly walk with them on. Thought it was funny at the time, but then my boyfriend had to carry me back piggy-back style to our tent because my dumb ass forgot that gravel really sucks on bare feet.
Also, if you're not looking to meet up with anyone at the festival, ditch the phone. This is your time to relax and forget about everything back at home. I hate when I see ppl in circles at concerts/festivals/public period! texting instead of enjoying their surroundings. Check in with the family to let them know you're still alive in the morning then leave it in the car. Promise me - you'll feel liberated!
Post by candyflippedaround on May 8, 2009 16:15:17 GMT -5
well since the schedule came out, im going to say picking out acts you plan to see on the schedule and then actually trying to stick to that schedule when you are there in real life. i felt like i missed to many shows last year but that was really only because i unrealistically picked a show to be at for every second of every day and did not have the energy to keep up.
Post by nitetimeritetime on May 8, 2009 16:34:44 GMT -5
^^^ this is true. Be at the 3 shows per day you absolutely can't miss, and catch a few others too, but don't think you'll see 10 shows a day for the whole weekend.
Rookie mistake you HAVE to make. Partying too hard, too early. I don't care what anybody says. Your first 'Roo, you have to party way too hard, too early. Let yourself get caught up in the moment and have a friggin ball. Who cares if you miss something. Live it up. You have tomorrow or next year to be smart / disciplined. Let yourself go. If you have to go back to your campsite and pass out early, who cares?
word. I was gonna say to try and maintain during the day so you can throw down at night, but slugme is right. My experience requires that there be that person I meet while I'm setting up camp who obviously has been talking to uncle sid for a couple hours already... god bless you rookies. I remember my first roo.
haha this just made me smile. this is my first roo, i've been lurking all the threads about how to be prepared and i got all caught up with not wanting to make any huge mistakes and forgot that it's supposed to be funnn first and foremost!
sometimes home is less where you live and more where you lay your head. sometimes hardwood floors and sleeping bags feel better than a bed. we've been on the road for almost two weeks now and we're not sure we want to quit. because, even broken strings when everybody sings, they only sting a bit.
Post by candyflippedaround on May 10, 2009 0:55:15 GMT -5
god its great to have lived through the farm once so i can post shit that helps people in this thread rather than being like "wtf is gong on? i dunno. HALP!"
When you're waiting in the line full of cars to get to your campsite, go ahead and throw on some sunscreen. You'll be in full sunshine with NO SHADE for the time being until you get your tent and canopy up. In other words, don't burn the first hour you're there...it'll make the rest of the time very unpleasant!!
Post by pixiestix21 on May 13, 2009 12:16:04 GMT -5
and if your sunscreen is really old, buy new stuff. the old stuff doesn't work as well and you'll still get burned! also, even if you're the type that normally doesn't need to wear sunscreen or wears very low SPF, wear at least a 20 or 30. this is not a day at the beach, its four days in a super hot field! i normally just tan and don't burn at all, but i learned my lesson...sunscreen is your friend.
oh and its probably been said, but...whatever you do, take care of your shoes!
Post by jesmith5508 on May 15, 2009 13:05:25 GMT -5
don't forget to bring the little things that might come in handy. like, if you have glasses, bring a small repair kit. if you have contacts, bring your solution or a spare pare. first aid supplies, bandaids, aspirin, cough meds, pepto-bismal, and the like. aloe vera gel can come in handy with treating sunburns, and gold bond (body powder) can help with chaffing and the like.
2010: 3/12: The Bad Plus/Happy Apple/Buffalo Collision/The Bad Apple 6/10-13: Bonnaroo 6/19: Rock the Garden 7/30-31: Mid West Music Fest 8/21: Los Hombres Calientes 8/31: Marijuana Death Squads 9/11: The Book of Right On w/ City on the Make 9/23: Of Montreal w/ Janelle Monae 10/4: Broken Social Scene 11/23: Grinderman
Post by rideincircles on May 16, 2009 13:47:53 GMT -5
Carry a poncho at all times at the small/even slight possibility of rain. The cold late night rain for My morning Jacket weeded out the week who couldn't hang with it. Everyone else experienced the best concert ever.
rookie mistake of my life...sleeping through Ghostland...or actually worse...went to hard the night before so I had no energy to stand and watch the show. Instead, couldn't fall asleep do to party favors, still had no energy, and had to hear Ghostland tear it up as I was in tent only right accross from show.
When you're waiting in the line full of cars to get to your campsite, go ahead and throw on some sunscreen. You'll be in full sunshine with NO SHADE for the time being until you get your tent and canopy up. In other words, don't burn the first hour you're there...it'll make the rest of the time very unpleasant!!
YES, word up to putting sunscreen on in the car. We waited in line so long in 2007 that we actually received a sunburn just from sitting in line.
Everyone always talks about cooking and recipes.. anyone here just grab some bread, pb, fruit, doritos and go??
My big mistake in 07 was bringing way too much food. I'm probably going to load up on nonperishable dry stuff like ramen noodles, granola bars, cereal and PB&J sandwiches. I have a tiny backpacking stove to boil water with and if I want something more substantial, I can always buy from a vender.
If you're traveling alone and are terrified of getting stuck far away from Centeroo, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pack light like this. If you've got a hiking backpack, you can easily fit 4 days of supplies in a decent backpack. That way trekking to Tent Only is much easier. Even better if you can tie your tent and sleeping bag (if you're bringing one) to the backpack.
If you don't have a Camelbak, get a Nalgene bottle, a carabiner and clip the bottle to your belt or belt loops. It keeps your hands free and is a constant reminder that you have to drink water all the time.
Print a schedule, then listen to most bands (especially less known ones on Thursday) and mark down what style music they are. Then that night, you can decide who to see based on what you're feeling like. Also, make a couple notes of the "MUST SEE" bands, about 2 a day.. then make note of your 2nd choices.. you'll end up missing some of those.