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!!
That's an incredible lineup. I checked out nearby hotels online; there's one within easy walking distance of the site, but all that was offered was double occupancy packages including festival passes. It was more than I'd want to spend, especially since I'd be attending alone, so I decided against it.
Since I'm staying away from shows during the Delta spike and missing Wilco, Isbell, and Dawes in Boston for that reason, I'm hoping that they'll all still do Boston dates next year after the pandemic wanes, but I'm not particularly hopeful, particularly with Solid Sound and Beach Road bringing them to New England.
It's a shame that both Beach Road and Newport Folk are in super pricey seaside resort communities. I wish Boston had an Americana/Roots festival to complement Boston Calling.
That's an incredible lineup. I checked out nearby hotels online; there's one within easy walking distance of the site, but all that was offered was double occupancy packages including festival passes. It was more than I'd want to spend, especially since I'd be attending alone, so I decided against it.
Since I'm staying away from shows during the Delta spike and missing Wilco, Isbell, and Dawes in Boston for that reason, I'm hoping that they'll all still do Boston dates next year after the pandemic wanes, but I'm not particularly hopeful, particularly with Solid Sound and Beach Road bringing them to New England.
It's a shame that both Beach Road and Newport Folk are in super pricey seaside resort communities. I wish Boston had an Americana/Roots festival to complement Boston Calling.
there’s a ton of roots/Americana stuff in western mass, mass moca hosts multiple fests and green river fest is always a nice trip
That's an incredible lineup. I checked out nearby hotels online; there's one within easy walking distance of the site, but all that was offered was double occupancy packages including festival passes. It was more than I'd want to spend, especially since I'd be attending alone, so I decided against it.
Since I'm staying away from shows during the Delta spike and missing Wilco, Isbell, and Dawes in Boston for that reason, I'm hoping that they'll all still do Boston dates next year after the pandemic wanes, but I'm not particularly hopeful, particularly with Solid Sound and Beach Road bringing them to New England.
It's a shame that both Beach Road and Newport Folk are in super pricey seaside resort communities. I wish Boston had an Americana/Roots festival to complement Boston Calling.
there’s a ton of roots/Americana stuff in western mass, mass moca hosts multiple fests and green river fest is always a nice trip
True, but for a car-free Bostonian who'd be taking a bus or train to wherever, getting a hotel room within walking distance of the grounds is the challenge. It's easier for me to get to NYC and stay there for a few days than it is to travel somewhere in rural western Mass.
there’s a ton of roots/Americana stuff in western mass, mass moca hosts multiple fests and green river fest is always a nice trip
True, but for a car-free Bostonian who'd be taking a bus or train to wherever, getting a hotel room within walking distance of the grounds is the challenge. It's easier for me to get to NYC and stay there for a few days than it is to travel somewhere in rural western Mass.
travel with friends? You’re making it unnecessarily difficult on yourself
Last Edit: Sept 16, 2021 8:30:33 GMT -5 by theo - Back to Top
True, but for a car-free Bostonian who'd be taking a bus or train to wherever, getting a hotel room within walking distance of the grounds is the challenge. It's easier for me to get to NYC and stay there for a few days than it is to travel somewhere in rural western Mass.
travel with friends? You’re making it unnecessarily difficult on yourself
Don't go down this road, Theo, we've all tried before
True, but for a car-free Bostonian who'd be taking a bus or train to wherever, getting a hotel room within walking distance of the grounds is the challenge. It's easier for me to get to NYC and stay there for a few days than it is to travel somewhere in rural western Mass.
travel with friends? You’re making it unnecessarily difficult on yourself
I'm a 63 year old man with a few long-time friends who live in other states, and rightfully put their energies into their children, grandchildren, and medical challenges. They're not going to music festivals or concerts, these days.
I'm the old dude in the band tour shirt (sans pony tail).
#HeyKidsGetOffMyApartmentBuildingOwnersLawn
Last Edit: Sept 16, 2021 9:19:36 GMT -5 by tw12 - Back to Top
The wife and I started packing for Martha’s Vineyard. Looking forward to lobster dinner Thursday night, then getting our fill of “adult alternative” at Beach Road Weekend this Fri/Sat/Sun. Any suggestions for good restaurants on MV?
Any other Inforoo’ers going to this?
Schedule quietly came out last week- uneventful in that there are no conflicts with side-by-side, alternating stages- a feature I really like about small festivals. I also like the longer sets that the smaller and middle tier artists get. What’s strange to me is the festival’s early start and the 8:00pm finishing times. We don’t plan on doing aftershows- does anyone have suggestions for things to do in Vineyard Haven at night?
The wife and I got home last night from Martha’s Vineyard, where we took in Beach Road Weekend Fri-Sat-Sun. As possibly the only Inforoo-er in attendance, I’ll provide my long-winded recap for those thinking of going next year:
Travel & Lodging: This is a very big deal: - Transportation involves taking a 45” ferry ride to the island. Reservations for car-carrying ferries must be made many months in advance. We booked in late December 2021 and couldn’t get a trip off the island until 7:30pm Monday. Closer to the fest, ferries were sold out through Thursday! They cost us $230 for a compact SUV and two adults. - Lodging: By late December 2021, there was almost nothing left on the island. We were lucky to get a just-listed VRBO 4 miles from the festival. This is no different from any popular resort shore town- you must reserve early. - Parking is virtually non-existent near the fest. We used a park-n-ride 1.1 mile from the grounds, and it filled up early. Folks we talked to either camped, biked or stayed in town ($$$) and walked, or took passenger ferries (45” plus drive & park).
Location: a smallish park in the middle of Vineyard Haven; surrounded by trees but clear, flat fields (used for soccer and softball). Great for sightlines and ease of getting around, bad for finding shade, no room to spread out. The towns of Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown are neat, old colonial New England Island towns, with plenty of boutiques, restaurants and taverns. Think upscale shore town.
Crowd & Vibe: the relaxed, friendly 10,000 or so attendees leaned older- married with no kids (or had babysitting) through those with grown or no kids. Very little college or high school crowd so late in the summer. We met attendees from northeast US, Florida, California and even Australia.
The Music: Great, if rock/Americana/Adult Alternative is your jam. Travelers from far away came for the lineup, and made a vacation of it (like the wife and I). - Stages are side-by-side, so there are no conflicts. The front viewing areas have shade just after noon, and shaded area grow as the sun moves west. This was a huge comfort benefit if you chose “Beach Club” package, which includes about 15 feet deep of stage-front viewing. Lots of folks rented beach chairs, sat in a good spot, and enjoyed everything from one spot. They are far more sun-tolerant than me… - Schedules: Music on the main stages was scheduled from 10:45am through 8:00pm, I’m guessing so the noise and crowd doesn’t cause ill feelings in town. Then some local bands played a third, small stage until 9:15, a brilliant idea allowing the crowd to disperse gradually. It was weird at first, but we grew to like this schedule, allowing us to wind down gradually, grab a late bite or drink, go home and shower, relax and get plenty of rest for the next day. - Favorite sets: Friday: Aofie O’Donovan (no, I’d never heard of her either), Mt. Joy and Lord Huron. Saturday: Dawes (who generously gave slot time to the cancelled Bahamas), and Guster (the most hilarious antics of the weekend). Sunday: Bret Dennen (breezy, afternoon chill music), Emmylou Harris (a nice bluegrass/folk/country changeup and a legend), and Wilco- hearing Nels’ “Impossible Germany” guitar solo up close was my highlight of the weekend for me.
Operations & Logistics: There were plenty of issues for this festival to contend with: - Cancellations: Julien Baker (unspecified reasons) and Lucinda Williams (COVID). Rather than fill the vacant slots, BRW simply delayed opening and started the music one slot later. Lazy, especially since there were at least a half-dozen local bands, and five cancelled acts (Saturday) on the island. - Opening time was supposed to be 10:00 each day, but started Friday at 11:00, and Sunday at 10:30. Saturday opened at 1:30pm (first five acts were cancelled), delayed for clean-up from a massive thunderstorm Friday night. The grounds were reportedly under water after 1.5 inches of rain in 1.5 hour, but crews did a remarkable job draining the grounds and cleaning up for Saturday’s 1:30 opening. - Communications on the later starts were poor, and late, via Facebook and e-mail. We stood in line Friday for an extra hour awaiting information. This should be easily fixed by using an app with alerts, like just about every other festival on the planet! - Staff on site were helpful and excellent all weekend.
Food and Beverages: Lines were short or reasonable most of the day. Even after 5:00, we waited only about 10” for our favorite, pot stickers and rice. Many local food vendors were present, a nice touch. Pricing was in line with other small-to-mid-size festivals we’ve attended.
Conclusion: Festival ticket prices appear to be in line with other festivals, but take care of your travel arrangements, ferry reservations and lodging before buying tickets. And do so as early as possible. If you’re going to Martha’s Vineyard just for the festival, it’s a lot of logistics and commitment for just 3-4 days. I’d recommend building in an extra couple days to explore the island and towns, eat lobster, hike, or whatever. If you can, or make it part of a vacation week. It’ll be an expensive proposition either way, but it’s a nice vacation destination. We had a blast taking in great music and chatting with great folks from all around. The growing pains experienced by BRW should be easily fixable, making for an even better time next year.
She’s now scheduled to be in Europe…