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Post by klimfactor on Jun 17, 2015 13:29:42 GMT -5
As usual, I have very few suggestions. Being a 10-year vet, it appears they've improved things little by little. I understand the Kalliope sound concerns, though, and I figure one way they could address them is by not starting up the stage until after the This and Other end for the night. If they don't do that, they could always just turn down the sound a bit, forcing people to draw in closer. I spent a good deal of time at the Kalliope this year, particularly on Thursday and Friday after all the other stages went dark for the night, and there was always plenty of open space to dance. The sound ways always great too, even far back beneath that shade structure. Turning down the volume would prompt people to move in a little closer. That's not a terrible thing if there's plenty of space, which there seems to be. My only other suggestion would be one that's also been echoed here: Create even more permanent or temporary shade. It doesn't take Eagle Eye'd vision to see the enormous crowds packed under trees, pressed up against fencing, picnic tables, food carts, etc. in Centeroo during the day. They're there because it's southern TN and hot and humid as Hades. Just those visuals should show the planners that there is a need for even more shade in the vicinity of the stages.
i'm still confused as to why big freedia did a red bull conversation friday afternoon, but wasn't present at the new orleans bounce party saturday. i spent a dang hour in that sweaty barn being manhandled and kicked by break dancers, and the "queen of bounce" was nowhere to be found.
They really need a better system for searching cars. Came in the Bushy Branch tollbooth around 12:30AM and they absolutely ripped our car apart and then just threw everything wherever they wanted when they were done. They spilled our food, threw our sleeping bags on the dirty ass ground, ripped open duffle bags and tossed clothes all over....it looked like a tornado had hit our car when they were done and they didn't even find anything to take. Setting up camp after was not as easy because everything was all over the car. It was NOT a pleasant way to start the festival. And if they said that it was for our "safety" one more time I was going to scream. Not to mention when you get out of the car nobody touches you so anyone could really have anything they want in their pants, pockets, sweatshirts, etc......
I don't understand why the silent disco can't be made larger and take the place of the Kalliope. Music can be available for those who want to dance to sunrise and people who want to sleep can sleep.
Who says no to this?
And no sound bleed to the other stages/tents!?!?!?!
They really need a better system for searching cars. Came in the Bushy Branch tollbooth around 12:30AM and they absolutely ripped our car apart and then just threw everything wherever they wanted when they were done. They spilled our food, threw our sleeping bags on the dirty ass ground, ripped open duffle bags and tossed clothes all over....it looked like a tornado had hit our car when they were done and they didn't even find anything to take. Setting up camp after was not as easy because everything was all over the car. It was NOT a pleasant way to start the festival. And if they said that it was for our "safety" one more time I was going to scream. Not to mention when you get out of the car nobody touches you so anyone could really have anything they want in their pants, pockets, sweatshirts, etc......
we came in a different gate I believe, HOWEVER, I guess by 5am, there were tired of searching cars. They grabbed my pillowcases, looked in my trunk, and asked me to open my ice chest but it was full of ice. They didn't check anything. I'm SO sorry you had to go through that. That would suck so bad.
They really need a better system for searching cars. Came in the Bushy Branch tollbooth around 12:30AM and they absolutely ripped our car apart and then just threw everything wherever they wanted when they were done. They spilled our food, threw our sleeping bags on the dirty ass ground, ripped open duffle bags and tossed clothes all over....it looked like a tornado had hit our car when they were done and they didn't even find anything to take. Setting up camp after was not as easy because everything was all over the car. It was NOT a pleasant way to start the festival. And if they said that it was for our "safety" one more time I was going to scream. Not to mention when you get out of the car nobody touches you so anyone could really have anything they want in their pants, pockets, sweatshirts, etc......
There are always people who for whatever reason are going to get a really thorough search of their car. The unacceptable part of your experience is that they just tossed your stuff everywhere. Regardless of whether they are volunteer or paid, there really has to be a certain level of respect that staff shows all patrons. This need is more severe at the tollbooths because a) nobody likes being searched regardless of the reason. Not being dicks about it would go a long way toward making the experience at least tolerable and b) the tollbooths is your first real interaction with Bonnaroo every year. Everyone you meet with on the highway is police, sheriffs and state troopers. If your first impression of the festival is a bunch of staff tossing your belongings all over the place like they don't matter, Bonnaroo is starting that patron's experience off in a really bad place which could be hard for them to recover from.
They really need a better system for searching cars. Came in the Bushy Branch tollbooth around 12:30AM and they absolutely ripped our car apart and then just threw everything wherever they wanted when they were done. They spilled our food, threw our sleeping bags on the dirty ass ground, ripped open duffle bags and tossed clothes all over....it looked like a tornado had hit our car when they were done and they didn't even find anything to take. Setting up camp after was not as easy because everything was all over the car. It was NOT a pleasant way to start the festival. And if they said that it was for our "safety" one more time I was going to scream. Not to mention when you get out of the car nobody touches you so anyone could really have anything they want in their pants, pockets, sweatshirts, etc......
There are always people who for whatever reason are going to get a really thorough search of their car. The unacceptable part of your experience is that they just tossed your stuff everywhere. Regardless of whether they are volunteer or paid, there really has to be a certain level of respect that staff shows all patrons.
I had this experience before I even got to the farm. I usually bring one bag of luggage that has all my camping gear in it and TSA always pulls it aside to check it and go through everything when going through the airport. I guess the X-rays don't like tons of batteries, tent stakes, wires (el-wire) and other weirdly shaped items. Anyway, once I get down to Bonnaroo I always tend to open my bag and have all of my stuff scattered everywhere. Nice, organized box of batteries in the corner? It's now open and batteries are loose EVERYWHERE. Tupperware container holding all the phone re-chargers that I brought nicely tucked away to the side? It's now open and scattered everywhere (and broken because they didn't put it back the right way when closing up my bag).
I don't mind being searched but damn it's annoying to have someone take all your shit out and then be like "okay, you can fix it and put it all back the way it was now" after.
Post by SupeЯfuЯЯyanimal on Jun 17, 2015 17:40:28 GMT -5
The people acting surprised about the camelbaks must not have used the ferris wheel entrance very often. The line was muddy as hell by 6 or so on thursday. It got better as the weekend went on but they were still lightly enforcing it on sunday. This really shouldn't be an issue. They shouldn't be punishing the majority of people for the actions of a few. It's not worth the health risks and it's an added waste of time in line and at the water filling stations.
If they really feel the need to do this then they should make it crystal clear beforehand. Like people have suggested since this "policy" started.
I'm also not the type to dump my camelbak or water bottle until someone in authority tells me to do so. I understand there's someone with a microphone yelling at us to do it, but when I got to the security point, they never told me I had to. I know ashley had her unopened bottle taken from her. But that never happened to me. I went through idk how many times. I saw people just willingly tossing their water out. I kept telling people not to do that until they are made to toss it, but people don't want to question authority.
They never even once checked my bladder or bottle. My biggest water gripe is that they need to put filters on all the stations. I literally could not drink the water from the unfiltered stations. It made me sick trying to swallow it.
I'm also not the type to dump my camelbak or water bottle until someone in authority tells me to do so. I understand there's someone with a microphone yelling at us to do it, but when I got to the security point, they never told me I had to. I know ashley had her unopened bottle taken from her. But that never happened to me. I went through idk how many times. I saw people just willingly tossing their water out. I kept telling people not to do that until they are made to toss it, but people don't want to question authority.
First, most people are going to dump it when they hear the megaphone because that person has a Bonnaroo staff shirt on, so they will assume that person is some sort of authority just based off that. Second, more people will opt to dump it rather than risking the potential of waiting in line, being told to go dump it by the fence then having to wait in line again. Third, it's just a dumb policy for the reasons SupeЯfuЯЯyanimal laid out above, so people shouldn't even have to worry about being told this at the gate. It's hot as fuck, so everyone should be drinking mass quantities of water. You set up the situation at the Ferris Wheel entrance where you have a bunch of people walking in with empty bottles. They immediately go to the station by the barn because outs the closest one. They either then have to wait in a huge line which either delays them or causes them to say fuck it and go without water for a while. All of this to stop a small minority of people from bringing in booze in their bag while a larger number still bring it in in any number of ways.
I'm also not the type to dump my camelbak or water bottle until someone in authority tells me to do so. I understand there's someone with a microphone yelling at us to do it, but when I got to the security point, they never told me I had to. I know ashley had her unopened bottle taken from her. But that never happened to me. I went through idk how many times. I saw people just willingly tossing their water out. I kept telling people not to do that until they are made to toss it, but people don't want to question authority.
I'm pretty sure all the sheep were not to blame for the mud at the security entrance. Why make this about people's willingness to question authority? The main fault lies with the organizers, not people who followed the rules they were given. If it wasn't a policy they were trying to enforce then they wouldn't have workers standing at the end of the line with microphones. The entire reason those people were placed there was likely to keep people from blocking up the security lines. Not to mention dumping water right at the gates and making a bigger mess.
I didn't mean anything rude by it. I just meant, the megaphone guy isn't telling you that you can't pass if you don't dump your water, where the security people are. In my case, it never happened so I never dumped it. And honestly, I only heard stories from Thursday. I never witnessed anyone being forced to dump their stuff. And the megaphone people later in the week were telling people to NOT dump their bottles.
Post by thebrowncyde on Jun 17, 2015 19:18:15 GMT -5
I didn't empty my Camelbak once, and I was never told to do so by any of the people checking me through. I usually received a "Oh I don't care" and a pat or two on said camelbak.
One big issue was Kendrick's pit line Friday night.
I expected it to be a bit nasty and i'm plenty prepared to pushed a bit for a good spot. But there was no fucking staff manning the back side of the line, plenty of fuckheads waited by the bathroom until the pit opened and rushed. It will happen every year of course, but at least put a few staff member to not let anyone cut at a certain point. Bonnaroo figured this out by the next night as there was a gate blocking anyone from cutting from the bathroom area which is great.
But to not do for perhaps the nastiest crowd of the weekend on the main stage is just flat out poor judgment. I'd be surprised if no one got hurt during that bullshit
I'm also not the type to dump my camelbak or water bottle until someone in authority tells me to do so. I understand there's someone with a microphone yelling at us to do it, but when I got to the security point, they never told me I had to. I know ashley had her unopened bottle taken from her. But that never happened to me. I went through idk how many times. I saw people just willingly tossing their water out. I kept telling people not to do that until they are made to toss it, but people don't want to question authority.
Yeah, I did the same. The first time I heard megaphone lady I openly questioned it and a dude walking by me told me it's always been the rule. I corrected him and explained that they changed it a few years back. (He ignored me.) Anyways, I just moved on to the search and figured I could always dump it if they called me on it. They never did and I just ignored the megaphone for the rest of the weekend.
I don't blame people for listening to the person in authority. I normally would, too, if I didn't think that what they were saying was completely wrong and if I didn't have a tendency to get pissed at Bonnaroo's secret rules changes.
One big issue was Kendrick's pit line Friday night.
I expected it to be a bit nasty and i'm plenty prepared to pushed a bit for a good spot. But there was no fucking staff manning the back side of the line, plenty of fuckheads waited by the bathroom until the pit opened and rushed. It will happen every year of course, but at least put a few staff member to not let anyone cut at a certain point. Bonnaroo figured this out by the next night as there was a gate blocking anyone from cutting from the bathroom area which is great.
But to not do for perhaps the nastiest crowd of the weekend on the main stage is just flat out poor judgment. I'd be surprised if no one got hurt during that bullshit
This has been an issue for years. At least going back to Jay Z. I've written about it in the survey most years, if not all. It's completely negligent.
There was no gate protecting the line for Mumford the next night, at least not until after they had started filling the pit. I was there and it was a problem yet again. What they did do was stop letting people refill the pit as people vacated. Apparently they felt that the problem was people not waiting peacefully, not their lack of an operational plan after six or seven years. (Granted, the behavior was unacceptable but also predictable and preventable.)
Maybe Bonnaroo could not kick out the Bunk Police? those people are saving lives and lessening the load on the medical tents.
I hadn't seen they kicked Bunk Police out. I asked Dance Safe if they were going to be on the farm this year, and this is the response I got. "Unfortunately, we will not have an official presence there. Let them know you want us! ". Unbelievable to me that they wouldn't want a group like that on the farm. Those people are there to help the masses.
They really need a better system for searching cars. Came in the Bushy Branch tollbooth around 12:30AM and they absolutely ripped our car apart and then just threw everything wherever they wanted when they were done. They spilled our food, threw our sleeping bags on the dirty ass ground, ripped open duffle bags and tossed clothes all over....it looked like a tornado had hit our car when they were done and they didn't even find anything to take. Setting up camp after was not as easy because everything was all over the car. It was NOT a pleasant way to start the festival. And if they said that it was for our "safety" one more time I was going to scream. Not to mention when you get out of the car nobody touches you so anyone could really have anything they want in their pants, pockets, sweatshirts, etc......
There are always people who for whatever reason are going to get a really thorough search of their car. The unacceptable part of your experience is that they just tossed your stuff everywhere. Regardless of whether they are volunteer or paid, there really has to be a certain level of respect that staff shows all patrons. This need is more severe at the tollbooths because a) nobody likes being searched regardless of the reason. Not being dicks about it would go a long way toward making the experience at least tolerable and b) the tollbooths is your first real interaction with Bonnaroo every year. Everyone you meet with on the highway is police, sheriffs and state troopers. If your first impression of the festival is a bunch of staff tossing your belongings all over the place like they don't matter, Bonnaroo is starting that patron's experience off in a really bad place which could be hard for them to recover from.
This! While being searched by the staff they decided that we had too many cases of beer in the car. I was pretty pissed that they took it away since it was just a 12 pack of hard cider. But the respect and how they approached it was very respectful. They even took notice of some glass salsa jars and glass decanter for my coffee maker but decided not to take those. I hope they enjoyed the 12 pack that night. Next year I'm stuffing a package my beer in a 30 pack box.
Anyways besides that, I do have a few more complaints that I hope Bonnaroo tackles. Lack of shade, Kalliope sound bleed, put acts like Tove Lo on Which Thursday so I can actually be within hearing distance of the show, and finally bring late night back to what it was in years past. I left STS9 early in a mix of anger and sadness. I had plenty of energy left but STS9 was my only option (and a poor option for my music taste). The xx into Animal Collective was my favorite musical night ever. Having options for LN makes each patrons experience different and more exciting to talk about after. I'd personally rather have the music start at 4 and go until sunrise instead of having the majority of the sets be in the oppressive heat and only have LN's go until 3. Everyone around my campsite stayed in the pod until at least 5 or later. You have the opportunity to play music all night and you cut the sets short to what... save money? You have a loyal base of ticket purchasers and you are going to alienate them to the point where the price of the ticket isn't worth it. No one is paying $300+ for vibes or Spicy Pie.
Sorry for the rant but this has been on my mind since Friday LN.
leaving the MMJ pit i thought i noticed it looking much different than the kendrick pit line.
are you sure they handled it the same friday and saturday night?
I wasn't there for Kendrick but I was on the bee side for Mumford starting a bit before MMJ. There was nothing stopping the people who glommed on to the bathroom side of the line at the pit entrance at least up until the time I got into the pit. On Sunday I didn't get to the pit area until after they had filled it for Joel. There were no barricades and they had dismissed everyone that didn't get in and were informing them that they would not be admitting any non-Guest or Artist bracelets because of the people who didn't get in for Kendrick fighting each other fora better spot in line.
5. Improvements go a long way to getting people back but so does keeping the place clean. I saw VERY few people actually helping to pick the place up. This year was the worst for trash IMO. I know it was hot, I get that. Still, I do not know if they just lacked volunteers or people just weren't doing their job or what the case was.
It seems ridiculous, but one of the things I loved about Coachella was how clean it was. Having people who are actually paid to walk around and pick up trash means that the grounds are immaculate all weekend long. Wish Bonnaroo would take this route, especially as they jacked up ticket prices.
I just agreed with Juggs on something. Wow!
I do agree that this would so be a much better route. In 2008 and even in 09, the place was much cleaner than it is now...
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It seems ridiculous, but one of the things I loved about Coachella was how clean it was. Having people who are actually paid to walk around and pick up trash means that the grounds are immaculate all weekend long. Wish Bonnaroo would take this route, especially as they jacked up ticket prices.
I just agreed with Juggs on something. Wow!
I do agree that this would so be a much better route. In 2008 and even in 09, the place was much cleaner than it is now...
This seems crazy to me. My guy and I were talking about how clean the grounds were. You go to Jazzfest or Voodoo (voodoo isn't as bad as Jazzfest) and you kick shit while walking. There's trash everywhere and you don't see anyone picking up. It's so gross. I mean like SO much trash. It's kind of a bad running joke when people post end of festival photos and it looks like a landfill behind you. Also, ACL has the recycle program, where you fill a bag of recyclables and get a free shirt. You always see patrons filling their bags and the grounds are clean and I felt bonnaroo was cleaner than ACL also.
I remember in 2011 they had a big, built bouncer on the right side of the stage monitoring the pit line. I swear he was doing everything dealing with the pit line for Eminem. At one point a barricade became unhinged allowing non pit line people to rush in. He quickly reached over, closed the barricade and let everyone know that wasn't an entrance (and didn't mind getting a little aggressive doing so). I gained much respect for any security personnel/bouncer working the pit line.
Post by Run The Roo on Jun 18, 2015 20:35:42 GMT -5
My biggest complaints:
1. LINES FOR FUCKING EVERYTHING. Why?!?!?! Why does everything have to be run like people are too dumb to do it themselves (even though most are, the smart ones do a good job of correcting their short fallings). The Christmas Barn is a prime example. Two years ago, come and go as you please. There were no issues...if there wasn't room, you danced outside. Whatever! Now everything is like corralling sheep. It's pretty annoying, especially when I leave to take a two minute piss and they want me to go wait back in the line with 500 people.
2. UM, WHAT HAPPENED TO LATE NIGHT?! Not a single show even came close to sunrise. If that's where Bonnaroo is headed, they are losing their real edge over other festivals real fucking fast. Sure, you can go to the Christmas Barn or Kalliope, and I might want to do that, but it's not what I'm looking for every night. That's also pretty annoying. ...We have seen a HUGE impact on LN with less acts, shorter sets and obvious time limits.
3. THEY STOP SELLING BEER?!?! What the fuck? I might be wrong, but I seem to remember beer being sold essentially around the clock. Am I wrong? Or is Bonnaroo fucking something else up? My guess is the latter.
I missed last year, so this year was a bit of a bitch slap of changes. I'm pretty damn loyal to Bonnaroo, but for once I'm starting to agree with people...it's getting a little too corporate feeling for my likes.
". Unbelievable to me that they wouldn't want a group like that on the farm. Those people are there to help the masses. 
