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!!
Yeah MF. Those areas were underutilized in the past mostly just art installation things and perimeter vendors. I forgot Cory Wong was playing this which would be Top 1 for me then probably Jacket. But the funnest thing about the fest (besides drinking heavily) were all the chefs. If you get to any of those shows 10-15 minutes early (@ The Workshop) you can ask to participate and often will get comped whatever the chefs are cooking or demo'ing. Ed Lee, Amanda Frietag, Chris Santos and Marc Murphy stand out among the chefs IMHO.
Good to know. Free food.
They had lots of cool shit in 2022 like use Zelle 7x 3-4 weeks before and you got a free intimate performance with one of the upper-mid tier acts. Douglass went to St. Vincent and they had free margaritas and chicken wings in there. I'm not going this year so am not sure what they've all been emailing out as far as perks and opportunities. But they had a bunch of stuff like that available. The chef shows usually focus on either specific techniques on how to cook x-food or would be in conjunction with musicians that will come up and either learn how to make something or do a cook off or whatever. Chef Tiffani Faison (neglected to mention her above) had a great one with the Always Sunny guys. The food demos are pretty fun and better than the bourbon panels which certainly don't suck but are just listen in if you're not there early enough to be one of the tasters - and they have less of those than people they'll give food samples too. Also I'd say the average age for this is between ACL and Jazz Fest. It's for sure a Gen-X and Boomer festival though not exclusively. If I had to guess I'd say maybe 40-45 with plenty of people in their 50's, 60's and 70's and some in their 20's. Crowds were a little different each day depending on who was the headliner. Crowds were pretty assorted that year between Jack White, Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon and Chris Stapleton.
Considering buying a 4 day pass and visiting KY for the first time. I would probably skip Saturday though...ehhh...it would eat up 3-4 days of PTO though
Looks like there's still some decent Airbnbs, can anyone tell me about the best areas to stay? Obviously anything walking distance is probably snapped up now but I see options downtown. Do I need a car? It's really close to the airport, should I just stay in an airport hotel?
I stay in New Albany. Lots of cool little Air BNBs. About a 10-15 minute drive. Headed back for 3rd year
I live somewhere in Central KY and just drive back and forth. $40 for fairgrounds parking sucks though.
Going. Never been to this festival. Need the deets.
Details in 2022 and this years thread. You can start around page 5 of 2022 (only goes to 7). Basics are it’s a middle-age crowd older than ACL but mostly younger than Jazzfest. Louisville is a cool city. They have other shit going on besides music related to unsurprisingly Bourbon and cocktails. Also they bring in a bunch of celebrity chefs who do demos and comedy which people can participate in if you get to an event 10-15 minutes early and ask to be part of it. They oversell what the installations are but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. For instance they have this silver dollar saloon place you can go try a bunch of rare bourbon, but it’s small. The Arcade was like 3 or 4 video game machines. The whiskey aged with Metallica blasting at it isn’t immersive. It’s just a place to try that whiskey. Food hit and miss but plenty good. You’ll want VIP for front stage access for the side by side main stages and shade early in the afternoon, and that will sell out. Otherwise it doesn’t have a visually distinct personality and could be any carnival or festival anywhere. There is some art but not that much. Lots of space to move around in GA but it starts about 100 feet back from VIP.
Shade is at a premium. City park in NOLA it ain't.
Man, who the hell do they get to play this? It's been two weeks and Neil is still all over the website. Not many artists who A) fit the demographic B) are big enough to headline and C) are out playing shows this year. Speedy return of Jack White after 2022?
I’d like to see JW III again but I suspect B&B would be refunding lots of Thursday one-days.
My last dumb slim-chance idea, I promise: a classic rocker who’s been around for a half century like Neil, currently on a stadium tour, no shows between 9/13 in Cleveland and 9/27 in St.Louis: Billy Joel. Crazy, but hell- they booked Bruno Mars last year. BJ grew up playing bars, and this is a bourbon-themed festival.
Nah, too expensive…you guys are right, Beck’s getting promoted…
I saw Beck at Forecastle several years ago and I am no Beck fan. At all. However, he did a fine set that night. Hopefully he will do as well here. My Thursday pref list is: Taylor Acorn, KT Tunstall, Arlo Parks, Andy Frasco & the UN, Mapache, The Kentucky Gentlemen, Suzanne Vega, Patty Smyth, Fleet Foxes (1st time seeing these guys), Breland, Ole 60, Matchbox 20, Beck, Sting (saw him in 88 on Blue Turtles tour. Maybe he'll now play a fucking Police song).
Details in 2022 and this years thread. You can start around page 5 of 2022 (only goes to 7). Basics are it’s a middle-age crowd older than ACL but mostly younger than Jazzfest. Louisville is a cool city. They have other shit going on besides music related to unsurprisingly Bourbon and cocktails. Also they bring in a bunch of celebrity chefs who do demos and comedy which people can participate in if you get to an event 10-15 minutes early and ask to be part of it. They oversell what the installations are but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. For instance they have this silver dollar saloon place you can go try a bunch of rare bourbon, but it’s small. The Arcade was like 3 or 4 video game machines. The whiskey aged with Metallica blasting at it isn’t immersive. It’s just a place to try that whiskey. Food hit and miss but plenty good. You’ll want VIP for front stage access for the side by side main stages and shade early in the afternoon, and that will sell out. Otherwise it doesn’t have a visually distinct personality and could be any carnival or festival anywhere. There is some art but not that much. Lots of space to move around in GA but it starts about 100 feet back from VIP.
Shade is at a premium. City park in NOLA it ain't.
We had the VIP so from what I remember a little after 3-3:30 the stages, being +/- facing east, brought shade from the front to the back. We got it relatively early. I’ll always go stand by the rail/left screen wherever I’m at and If I can get there. But after 5 if you’re in that whole front area - I’m guessing 80-100 feet deep, it was shaded and some of the rail crowd behind that. It mattered a little because it was super hot in ‘22 I think some mid 90’s or close to it. Not ACL hot but everybody was dripping a little sweat. Haha. Good times. I dug Louisville
I’d like to see JW III again but I suspect B&B would be refunding lots of Thursday one-days.
My last dumb slim-chance idea, I promise: a classic rocker who’s been around for a half century like Neil, currently on a stadium tour, no shows between 9/13 in Cleveland and 9/27 in St.Louis: Billy Joel. Crazy, but hell- they booked Bruno Mars last year. BJ grew up playing bars, and this is a bourbon-themed festival.
Nah, too expensive…you guys are right, Beck’s getting promoted…
I saw Beck at Forecastle several years ago and I am no Beck fan. At all. However, he did a fine set that night. Hopefully he will do as well here. My Thursday pref list is: Taylor Acorn, KT Tunstall, Arlo Parks, Andy Frasco & the UN, Mapache, The Kentucky Gentlemen, Suzanne Vega, Patty Smyth, Fleet Foxes (1st time seeing these guys), Breland, Ole 60, Matchbox 20, Beck, Sting (saw him in 88 on Blue Turtles tour. Maybe he'll now play a fucking Police song).
Have a blast. I put my would have been schedule in the Arcade in the Retail Survivor TJ Maxx thread. It’s not all that different. I saw Beck maybe 3x - Hangout 15, some of Voodoo 19 and opening for maybe Radiohead (??) before Covid? They were all good.
Shade is at a premium. City park in NOLA it ain't.
We had the VIP so from what I remember a little after 3-3:30 the stages, being +/- facing east, brought shade from the front to the back. We got it relatively early. I’ll always go stand by the rail/left screen wherever I’m at and If I can get there. But after 5 if you’re in that whole front area - I’m guessing 80-100 feet deep, it was shaded and some of the rail crowd behind that. It mattered a little because it was super hot in ‘22 I think some mid 90’s or close to it. Not ACL hot but everybody was dripping a little sweat. Haha. Good times. I dug Louisville
Glad you enjoyed Louisville. Tis a fine party town. Best in KY, IMO.
I saw Beck at Forecastle several years ago and I am no Beck fan. At all. However, he did a fine set that night. Hopefully he will do as well here. My Thursday pref list is: Taylor Acorn, KT Tunstall, Arlo Parks, Andy Frasco & the UN, Mapache, The Kentucky Gentlemen, Suzanne Vega, Patty Smyth, Fleet Foxes (1st time seeing these guys), Breland, Ole 60, Matchbox 20, Beck, Sting (saw him in 88 on Blue Turtles tour. Maybe he'll now play a fucking Police song).
Have a blast. I put my would have been schedule in the Arcade in the Retail Survivor TJ Maxx thread. It’s not all that different. I saw Beck maybe 3x - Hangout 15, some of Voodoo 19 and opening for maybe Radiohead (??) before Covid? They were all good.
There are some other acts that day that if I'd never seen them before, I would see them instead of above. However, I've been to about 100 fests since 2011 and have seen alot of the 'biggerer' ones. Always looking for new music! Think it will be a fine day today.
Post by purplecowz on Sept 19, 2024 22:00:52 GMT -5
VIP sucks. The pit is insanely packed full of main characters who feel the need to yell talk to each other through every set. Stake out shared chairs/tables/couches as their own for entire day, even when they aren't there. The lack of etiquette is staggering.
I think it's a this year problem honestly - VIP was heaven last year - First thing my brother and I said when we left was the crowd was rough today. Tons and tons of drunk/druggie young people that haven't been there in years past.
I was called a "pussy ass bitch" for checking if my wife got our kid down on the camera before a show lol. Immediately was taken back and wondered where I was
Day 1 in the books. Quick comparison to last year:
- The 3rd/4th stages are as big as many festivals’ main stages. They’re a good distance away from the main stages and appear to be succeeding in spreading the crowd out. Sound bleed was noticeable from both areas throughout the day. - No sound issues at any of the four big stages. - There are more artists but shorter set times. Many well-known acts are getting only 30 to 45 minutes like Coachella, but with more guitars and fiddles. - VIP pit is unchanged. Plenty of room, even for the big acts, once you get past clusters of people. - VIP lounge area is much better organized, with designated towel and chair areas, leaving an aisle for entry/ exit. - It’s hot. Humidity and dust are not a problem, at least not yet. Sunscreen and hydration will be important all weekend.
This thing is turning into a major festival, for better or worse.
Great day of music, laced with nostalgia: KT Tunstall, Arlo Parks, The Wallflowers, Amanda Shires, Suzanne Vega, Matchbox 20, Beck and Sting were all good. I was surprised Sting had just a guitar, bass (himself) and drums for a barebones sound, but he sings as well as ever (and better than a fair number will ever sing).
It's also ridiculous to put the main stage with the sun behind it all day so you're completely blinded trying to watch anything before 6:30pm.
Great point! Was pretty darned hot in there until sun went down. Thank God there was a good breeze most of time. Had a fine & sweaty time (not with the toffs in VIP). Best act I saw was Fleet Foxes. Such great harmonies. Matchbox 20 was fine, tho the lead singer yacks a bit too much considering the amount of time they had. Also really liked East Nash Grass and Breland.
I'll be back in there on Sunday. Hope all the weekenders have a great time. Stay hydrated!
It's also ridiculous to put the main stage with the sun behind it all day so you're completely blinded trying to watch anything before 6:30pm.
Great point! Was pretty darned hot in there until sun went down. Thank God there was a good breeze most of time. Had a fine & sweaty time (not with the toffs in VIP). Best act I saw was Fleet Foxes. Such great harmonies. Matchbox 20 was fine, tho the lead singer yacks a bit too much considering the amount of time they had. Also really liked East Nash Grass and Breland.
I'll be back in there on Sunday. Hope all the weekenders have a great time. Stay hydrated!
East Nash Grass was great. So glad they got a big captive GA shade tent crowd.
I caught parts or all of M Ward, Beth Hart, East Nash, Lyle Lovett, Wallflowers, Fleet Foxes omg they were so good, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires, The Record Company, Matchbox Twenty did not realize they sang so much shit I recognized, Beck and why did the cameraman think the wrong person was Beck for 10 minutes? Tried to stay for Sting but just did not give a shit at that point.
I was sitting on the floor in VIP because “Karen” needs an extra chair as a footstool, and someone offered me a chair. I did look pretty pathetic, on purpose.
This fest is off the rails and headed in a bad direction. One GA water station with a mile line? Most artists said we don’t have much time, so not going to talk and just play. GA shade tent is a lot more fun than VIP. Food is decent.
Enjoyed the music though, and that’s why I am here.
I think it's a this year problem honestly - VIP was heaven last year - First thing my brother and I said when we left was the crowd was rough today. Tons and tons of drunk/druggie young people that haven't been there in years past.
I was called a "pussy ass bitch" for checking if my wife got our kid down on the camera before a show lol. Immediately was taken back and wondered where I was
Wow. Crowd Thursday was fine by me. Not down in the scrum though. Stay back or on a handicapped platform. Hope rest of your experience has been better. I'm heading back in on Sunday.
Great point! Was pretty darned hot in there until sun went down. Thank God there was a good breeze most of time. Had a fine & sweaty time (not with the toffs in VIP). Best act I saw was Fleet Foxes. Such great harmonies. Matchbox 20 was fine, tho the lead singer yacks a bit too much considering the amount of time they had. Also really liked East Nash Grass and Breland.
I'll be back in there on Sunday. Hope all the weekenders have a great time. Stay hydrated!
East Nash Grass was great. So glad they got a big captive GA shade tent crowd.
I caught parts or all of M Ward, Beth Hart, East Nash, Lyle Lovett, Wallflowers, Fleet Foxes omg they were so good, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires, The Record Company, Matchbox Twenty did not realize they sang so much shit I recognized, Beck and why did the cameraman think the wrong person was Beck for 10 minutes? Tried to stay for Sting but just did not give a shit at that point.
I was sitting on the floor in VIP because “Karen” needs an extra chair as a footstool, and someone offered me a chair. I did look pretty pathetic, on purpose.
This fest is off the rails and headed in a bad direction. One GA water station with a mile line? Most artists said we don’t have much time, so not going to talk and just play. GA shade tent is a lot more fun than VIP. Food is decent.
Enjoyed the music though, and that’s why I am here.
The music is the thing :-) Hoping to see on Sunday: Jake Kohn, Neal Francis, The Bacon Brothers, Tommy Prine, Sunny Day Real Estate (looking forward to seeing this band), Motherfolk (another one I'm itching to see), Mac Saturn, The Beach Boys (saw them, including Brian Wilson at a Roo years ago. Nice set. Was hot.), Mt. Joy, Futurebirds (another act I've never seen), Cory Wong, The National, Dinosaur Jr. (reason I got a Sun. tic), X Ambassadors & probably head out. Have to work on Monday and I've seen Tyler multiple times, including places where there were 20 people and I was 3 feet from him. Love him, but quite familiar with him. He'll do a badass set, I'm sure. Just hope everyone gets home safe after this great weekend of music!
Day 3 in the books. Convincing ourselves that our feet, knees and back don’t actually hurt. It’s still hot, but now it’s humid too. Once I get all sweaty, IDGAF- the music is too good to miss.
Friday’s highlights included Molly Tuttle, Melissa Etheridge (who still kicks major ass) and Tedeschi Trucks band. We knew very little about TTB but they absolutely blew us away- we now must see them in their own show. This is what I love about festivals.
Early Saturday we “rested” by hitting four distilleries and scoring several fine bourbon bottles we could never ever get in New Jersey. Then went in to see Kaleo, Sierra Ferrel, Soul Asylum, parts of other sets and Zach Bryan.
Captain Obvious report: Zach Bryan is real big in these parts. And most other parts. My tiny brain can’t comprehend how he went from a mid-afternoon WGWG three years ago to the biggest act at a major festival, but 50,000 folks can’t be wrong. Felt the love as he did his thing for 90 minutes- it was great. On to Sunday…
Day 3 in the books. Convincing ourselves that our feet, knees and back don’t actually hurt. It’s still hot, but now it’s humid too. Once I get all sweaty, IDGAF- the music is too good to miss.
Friday’s highlights included Molly Tuttle, Melissa Etheridge (who still kicks major ass) and Tedeschi Trucks band. We knew very little about TTB but they absolutely blew us away- we now must see them in their own show. This is what I love about festivals.
Early Saturday we “rested” by hitting four distilleries and scoring several fine bourbon bottles we could never ever get in New Jersey. Then went in to see Kaleo, Sierra Ferrel, Soul Asylum, parts of other sets and Zach Bryan.
Captain Obvious report: Zach Bryan is real big in these parts. And most other parts. My tiny brain can’t comprehend how he went from a mid-afternoon WGWG three years ago to the biggest act at a major festival, but 50,000 folks can’t be wrong. Felt the love as he did his thing for 90 minutes- it was great. On to Sunday…
Yeah TTB is one of those kind of sneaky bands on a lineup that you probably pencil in for your day, but they end up putting a lot of heart and soul into what they do. I don’t listen to them not live but haven’t ever been disappointed getting to see them.
Day 3 in the books. Convincing ourselves that our feet, knees and back don’t actually hurt. It’s still hot, but now it’s humid too. Once I get all sweaty, IDGAF- the music is too good to miss.
Friday’s highlights included Molly Tuttle, Melissa Etheridge (who still kicks major ass) and Tedeschi Trucks band. We knew very little about TTB but they absolutely blew us away- we now must see them in their own show. This is what I love about festivals.
Early Saturday we “rested” by hitting four distilleries and scoring several fine bourbon bottles we could never ever get in New Jersey. Then went in to see Kaleo, Sierra Ferrel, Soul Asylum, parts of other sets and Zach Bryan.
Captain Obvious report: Zach Bryan is real big in these parts. And most other parts. My tiny brain can’t comprehend how he went from a mid-afternoon WGWG three years ago to the biggest act at a major festival, but 50,000 folks can’t be wrong. Felt the love as he did his thing for 90 minutes- it was great. On to Sunday…
Thank you for coming all the way down from Jersey. Hope your trip back has been safe. Me too on Zach Bryan. Two years ago I'd never heard of him. Saw him at Railbird last year and he did a fine set.
Sunday cooled down tremendously from Th (duh). Saw all the acts I wanted to see (except for X Ambassadors, just needed to head out). Man, but Mike Love looks so old (which I guess he is). Back at that Roo set 7 or 8 years ago, he still looked somehwat middle ageish. Now he's just old. Expect him to continue on and die at the mic. For me, Mt. Joy and Futurebirds were best. All the other acts were fine, though not too sure of Cory Wong. He had a crack backing band of 9 and he needed it, IMO. He's a guitar prodigy, but dudes in Wolfmother and Reignwolf (just to name two) are much better, I think. He's sort of like Lindsey Stirling, except he doesn't dance around frenetically while playing the crap out of a violin. Think if you took the big backing band away, there's just not much there, IMO.
Hope all Inforooers who attended feel the got their money's worth. On to Louder Than Life!
So glad I did VIP. Although the folks there were chair hogs. I did better with folks in GA and just used the amenities in VIP. Front stage was nice though. I'm not a novice at this, so I was prepared for the crowds and the heat. Some were not. The shuttle was worth its weight in gold. Got to see a lot of OG Inforoosters and that was worth the ticket. Well that and the amazing music. I'm a big Mt Joy fan now. And I'm in love with Sierra Ferrell.
Reading FB comments on the folks riding the rail for Tyler that were subjected to The National for the first time is entertaining.
Post by purplecowz on Sept 23, 2024 12:53:13 GMT -5
I went every day but Saturday. Had VIP for Thurs/Sun and GA for Fri. The weather was pretty brutal until Sunday, even for a Texan. So humid and probably 10 degrees warmer than normal.
War on Drugs is such an amazing band. Other musical highlights on the main stages were Fleet Foxes, Matchbox 20, MMJ, Melissa Etheridge and Larkin Poe who I wasn't familiar with but were really fucking good. DMB was really fun and Dave's voice sounded amazing. Tedeschi before them was really nice and it was awesome that they brought Derek out for the Lie in our Graves solo. I saw some fantastic bands on the bluegrass stage. Lizzie No, East Nash Grass, and the Last Revel were incredibly fun. Sting sounded great but my friend and I were wiped so headed out after a few songs.
The National was underwhelming, I think Matt was drunk and everyone was talking because they were on the stage before Tyler Childers. They played too many slow songs (I Need my Girl, About Today, AND Light Years?) which made all of the lack of people paying attention/talking even worse. Probably one of the worst shows I've seen from them (and that's probably a dozen). The setlist was generic and I really don't need to hear Terrible Love every single time they play.
VIP was way oversold and the logistics of the grounds suuuuuck. Planes take off overhead every 5 minutes. The venue is honestly a joke. Sound bleed is ridiculous, there's no shade, and I barely saw any event staff on the grounds. It was nearly impossible to get out of the MMJ pit before Tyler went on and people were just rude not letting us out.
Proud of myself that I didn't buy a single alcoholic drink at the festival the entire weekend. I probably spent $50 total on matcha lattes and snacks. The poke place was really good.
On Saturday, I did a day trip to Mammoth Cave Natl Park and Abraham Lincoln Historical Birthplace Monument and that was a great day too!
We stayed in an Airbnb in New Albany, IN across the river and it was a very cute little town and nice place to stay. Drove every day and parked for free off Preston Hwy. Had Tikka Tacos after the festival and it was super delicious. Louisville is a neat city with GORGEOUS architecture and beautiful parks. I spent a little time in Cherokee Park. There are so many trees here!
Well worth the drive down from New Jersey! Four days of great music- mostly from the spacious VIP pit- is still the best festival value in the country IMO.
Sunday was another stellar day of music- we enjoyed Bacon Brothers, War and Treaty, Larkin Poe, Devon Gilfillian, Luscious and most of Tyler Childers, but our favorite sets were:
My Morning Jacket- they laid the hits on the home-town crowd joyously singing along, played the new single and hosted friends for a Neil Young cover (at least he was there in spirit).
The War on Drugs- their really tight jammy set got even more intense when the weather warnings flashed on the screen, it started to rain, and they broke into “Under the Pressure”. The band played on, finished the set with guests Lucius, and the weather passed. Favorite festival moment!
B&B has grown up, but is still manageable- it always took under ten minutes to get from the big stage pit to the third/fourth stage area. As much as I hated having to make conflict choices, the schedules were very effective at drawing big chunks of the record crowds away from the main stages- better for everyone.
I did not witness any of the Facebook whiners’ drama, but we’ve all seen folks who don’t get the whole shared-space concept.We met nothing but great folks enjoying music together, including our exalted moderator. Yes, Druid exists in human form. Not a bot- I swear!
