Written by Sam Walker
Photo by Kendall McCargo
Leading into my fourth year on the farm, many people had asked me who was on the lineup and who I was most excited to see. Yet, I didn’t have a clear or good answer to give. I would always just casually say Phish because I purely had not seen them before and they were booked to play 3 sets.
Bonnaroo was an annual vacation destination at this point where it didn’t matter what the lineup was anymore but the people, friends, vibe, and environment was what kept bringing me back every year more so than the music.
When I arrived on site Sunday I was greeted with an energy that rose from my stomach all the way to my massive smile that never left the entire week. Seeing the Farm and Bonnaroo come to life in the days leading up to the beginning of the festival is something truly special and amazing to experience. Our crew that came together all rendezvoused at the Walmart less than a mile away and rode in behind each other so we could all set up camp next to one another. We then spent the rest of the evening catching up, several adult beverages, tossing the Frisbee around and enjoying the first of the many breathtaking Tennessee sunsets together before getting some much needed rest.
The next morning I had to be up bright and early for my first volunteer shift. This year my shifts included VIP Hospitality Suite Treatments. Another C’roo member and I were then given the job of sanding down end tables and coffee tables to be then repainted. Basically our job and Suite Treatments was setting up and furnishing various VIP lounges and areas. After we completed those two tasks we were lucky enough to be able to play in the garden hose on our next job by wiping down and dusting plastic fencing that lined the VIP lounge. So I spent the rest of afternoon utilizing that free shower, grilling some brats & burgers and greeting others arriving onto the farm as well as meeting and catching up with friends whom I only see once a year at Bonnaroo. That night was one of the coldest I’ve ever seen on the farm reaching temperatures in the low 50s.
It was a mild morning before my second shift on Tuesday, which I was very thankful for because this shift I was assigned to unloading vendor trailers and vans onto another trailer, when we then unloaded next to each vendor assigned tents. The first couple hours were pretty slow because we were basically on stand-by until someone showed up. However, it did pick up and when it did I was working non-stop until we hit another stand still. It was interesting yet impressive the way these vendors could pack an entire tent of merchandise into a van, but then unpack it all and in such a way that makes even a blank white boring tent look interesting. The vendors were so grateful to have the 10 plus sets of hands all helping unload their things, making their lives so much easier. Many times as volunteers we were reminded that Bonnaroo couldn’t go on without the volunteers, who surrender their time to come out and help. That made us all feel pretty special, but it’s so true in so many ways. That evening once the rest of the volunteers arrive there is a catered pulled pork sandwich meal provided to us by the staff.
My Wednesday morning was spent making breakfast burritos for my camp-mates and utilizing my free shower perk. Today’s shift wasn’t until 2 in the afternoon so I had plenty of time to kill at camp. By the time my shift had begun a large thunderstorm had started to roll in putting work on code red, ceasing all operations until the storm had passed. By then my shift was fairly simple and close to complete believe it or not. I sat in the rain for about an hour hiding from the rain, moved some picnic tables and then my coordinators let us loose because the very last vendor that hadn’t arrived yet would be very late. I was ecstatic my last shift was over and I was home free to enjoy Bonnaroo as the masses of people began to arrive. For hours, highways and areas surrounding were on gridlock due to the insane amount of people flooding Bonnaroo. Instead of sitting in a horrific line, Camp CHZ spent the night wandering GA campgrounds greeting everyone arriving on the Farm with a smile and a high-five.
Thursday morning rolled around and the way my body felt was a direct reflection of the night I had before, but there was no stopping the morale at camp. We were all so excited and rambunctious that Bonnaroo and the music had officially begun. Being so eager we were all inside Center-Roo for the very first act of the festival.
The first act of the weekend was Peach Pit, whom I had only heard of from a friend who actually asked me to stream it. Naturally, I felt compelled to be at this show. Peach Pit brought a spunky, happy energy about their performance with impressive guitar play and poppy jams. It’s not an easy task opening up a festival, especially Bonnaroo but these fellas blew me away! They were the perfect band to start Bonnaroo, in my opinion, setting the mood for the day and weekend. I became a fan instantly when they encored a cover of “Johnny B. Goode”.
Shlump was the next artist on my list to check out in the silent disco tent. Didn’t know what to really expect from this one because I had discovered him months ahead of time but I was impressed with the turnout he had, as the line to the tent wrapped all the way around. In a silent disco, there is only a set amount of headphones, therefore only a limited amount of people can be inside at a time. So once it’s full, its one person out, one person in.
After nearly two hours of electric music I was ready for a change of pace and headed to Magic City Hippies. They premiered a brand new single during their performance, as they released it simultaneously on all streaming platforms. Bonnaroo got to hear it live for the very first time. Although I can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed their show or music, the hippies did pull a very large crowd. Once it was said and done I was ready for the act I was most excited for that day: Sunsquabi, an electro-funk band from Colorado that I had seen many times before but had always been on my Bonnaroo wish list. The boys brought the heat to the late night party at That Tent. I took a friend of mine who had never heard of them before and during the show, leaned over and said “they’re playing the show of their lives!”. This said a lot to me because they truly were playing to this sold out Bonnaroo crowd, a theme which I believe held true for each band the rest of the weekend. The energy was present and the bar was set after Day 1.
Friday was my most anticipated day of music of Bonnaroo; I finally got to catch the Avett Brothers at sunset, followed by one of my favorite funk EDM artist Griz. However, my next choice was the hardest conflict of the weekend: missing Childish Gambino to check out a new and upcoming experimental DJ, Jade Cicada. Their sets aligned hour for hour, which ended up being beneficial for me to get up and close at Cicada, where the crowd was so light it blew my mind as I walked onto the rail 15 minutes before it started. Cicada sent everyone in attendance on an immersive, mind melting journey that featured art by J.R. Slatum, and was live mixed by visual artist Steve Haman. The show was over long before I was ready for it to be done. I was at a loss for words for minutes after as I made my way through the masses of people leaving Gambino so I could try to reach the pit for my first Phish experience. Phish left me pretty much speechless after that first night. Many times I found myself so lost in that light deck, trying to wrap my mind around how in the heck it even operated. The music and lyrics spoke to me many times throughout the show that by the time it was over, I was ready for another dose that would have to wait until Sunday.
Saturday was the first day we really experienced the hot Tennessee sun, where I spent a lot of my time not really attached to seeing any performances as I was more so worried about staying cool. Fortunately, the wandering led me to one of my favorite shows of the weekend, being the School Of Rock. Nothing warms my heart more than seeing a group of young musicians enjoying themselves and thriving in such an environment like Bonnaroo. I did go see music of course including Hippo Campus, a band I thoroughly enjoy every time I see them. Unknown Mortal Orchestra also impressed me later on that afternoon with their soothing, psychedelic vibe. Following that, I found myself at Hozier, who sang me to sleep with his beautiful voice. Keeping the night moving with artists like Space Jesus, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Gramatik all were focal points of the day.
Sunday I shamefully spent most of my morning and day catching up on much needed sleep due to the super late nights I was having as well as the miles on foot I was putting in. By the time I got up and around from my slumber it was almost 5 in the afternoon but fortunately the only act I can say I truly missed at Bonnaroo was Ripe. Luckily I have another opportunity to see them this summer. The Lumineers were the first show I did see on Sunday, an artist I had been longing to see for quite some time. They will be releasing a new album in September. After that, Mac DeMarco, kept the general “Sleepy Sunday“ vine afloat with his “hot and sticky” performance leading up to the Sunday headliner show being Phish. Sunday headliners play at What Stage, which usually calls for an insanely large and packed crowd. This one, however, seemed to be the most spacey I had experienced so far, even for a “sold-out” crowd. For this set I didn’t try to make it into the pit. Instead, I chose to be with my entire Bonnaroo C’roo as we danced away the final moments of Bonnaroo 2019 together the right way.
All in all, Bonnaroo was an amazing week spent (with great weather!) recharging spiritually and connecting with those from far and wide to celebrate music and dance their worries away in a safe space. Even with a sold out Bonnaroo crowd of 85,000 people, the general vibe of “radiating positivity” was maintained and it thrived. As a veteran Bonnaroovians, it is our job to set the example and lead the way for the new comers; to show them the Bonnaroo way, because it‘s evident that this festival isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The Roo C'roo goes Phishin' on the Farm
