http://www.bonnaroo.com/2006/
radiohead, tom petty, bill frissel, mmj. damn.
bonnaroo line up is lookin good!
Moderators: Cleantone, harrymcq, Phrazz
bonnaroo line up is lookin good!
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
the lineup looks great but unless they bring a band like phish or pavement back from the dead, i can never seem to justify the hassle of going...between the $$$, the drive and extreme weather(either mad hot or mad muddy)...it just doesn't make much sense to me no matter who is on the roster. i can see radiohead and tom petty when they hit the local sheds and i'd much rather see acts like malkmus, mmj and frisell up close and personal in clubs...IMO, unless everyone is there for the same exact thing (like phish festies), there's almost no intimacy or connection in a crowd of 80k...another major drawback is the fact that it's almost impossible to see everyone you want to see and many times you may find yourself having to make tough decisions between bands or just splitting things up and only seeing half a set of each. the musical lineup is diverse but is it worth it when the stress factors are equally as varied? for me it isn't...
steamazoo
the Jinormous events of the heydaze 90s and into Y2K tried to sell us on "bigger is better (is more)"...but after a few of these, the buzz wears off. My friends all go to festivals now so they can connect with the music and each other (not just pals partying, but a concert-ed harmonizing of thousands of people, some of whom have never met and others have known each other since preskoo1 [or farther back than that]). Big shows can be like that, but just the immersion of so many people in such a small place causes plenty of chaos (most of it is manageable, but mud is not easy to manage, especially with 100K people turning it into swampland...alligators invited alike). Scuba Steve would...oh, nevermind.
The New Deal (not the band) with most shows is they are in it for the money (the ones that aren't don't survive more than a year or three). Big money with big people means a big-business-like government to these Monster Shows and you lose that intimate vibe that makes a music festival only "really good" instead of "mindwarping funkiness" (or better ;-}). I can think of a list of things I'd think of as reasons for festivals to exist, and the ones that put Music first and foremost (all Art, really) are the ones that have that special-ness (en Francaise, je ne sais crox, pardonez ellinspay).
The Media will always hype up the biggest kid on the block. It's part of the American "bigger is better" mentality. So when the media descends on a show and turns it into a video circus, you lose touch with the personality that makes people friends and events monumental life-changing moments.
So, Bonarroo is a gigantic supershow, but there are so many kick-ass summer shows, I can't go to all of them anymore, so I definitely consider the budget when going to multiple festivals. I used to hit one every few weeks (sometimes every week during some summers), but that gets expensive fast (even if you don't have the heady burrito hookup and solar-powered appliances). I also now try to avoid any festivals that think balloons are not just for children. If I need that I'll go get my teeth drilled.
Now there's a trend to go for the whole effect and mix art, drama, wandering minstrels, jugglers...and for these reasons alone, High Sierra is the festival that sets the standard to the top. They care about music and it shows in the whole layout, stage setups, the environment is spotless and you can chill out anywhere and see cool things and a neighbor will share their chair (often also tasty beverages, whatever they're eating...you're in a giant living room and everyone's friends instantly).
I remember going to what I thought was a "big west-coast show" at the Shoreline (one of my favorite venues, but there are so many others). It was about the size of a Giants show, especially if you include the scene in the parking lot. This was when "tailgating" was apparently OK in Mt. View. People had kegs in the back of pickup trucks (very classily done, if you throw in the oriental rugs and lava lamps, as they did). Every other vehicle was a VW Microbus, but these were the most tricked-out and pstylie rides it was worth the roll of film.
And yeah, I was at Highgate, too. Nearly got in big trouble, but with the help of friends we helped bust-up the water cartel. People were dropping from the heat, and we had to take action. It worked. Amazing how fast a GDP guy with a squawker can make people jump at the gates. It's really pretty stupid to make people dump out water in those hostile conditions. We're talking 100-plus, more in the sun and no wind, stuffy, oppressive summer heat that just drops people to their knees. The sun has to be respected (it has no mercy, it's a friggin'star and will shine long after we're all to the next planet). Some even worship such a thing of wonder! I have to say I have a healthy respect that goes towads adulation for this closest of my favorite stars. Without it we'd have quick trouble (at least it would be fast).
Big shows are fun if you have the budget and there's nothing better going on. I have a lot of respect for Radiohead (they're in my top 10 list), but I'd rather see many other bands headline, and there's much better places to see shows...by the ocean, for instance? The massiveness of the event doesn't make me hop on it no more, it's gotta have that special "thing" and Bonnaroo just lost it somewhere (maybe because I never went, but I've got lots of friends who did and they all say about the same thing with the mud and heat...and I've seen thousands of photos [which rarely lie, unless they're taken out of context]). But for large east-coast shows, Bonnaroo will get the crowds because they do have a killer lineup and the reputation--the name itself will sell tickets, and that's due to being the Jinormous Festivagama. I'm not into 5 dollar waters and cities of sticky mess...cool for once, don't need to see that again.
I think swimming is an essential criterion for what makes a good festival a great festival. Water is the key to life, and this puts people in a mind-frame that kicks the festival into legendary category. The best times I always had by the beach, near a river, even with just a backyard pool. We are semi-aquatic creatures (of origin, but most of the world lives on the shoreline and lives off the sea, literally and figuratively). Without realizing that simple things like sun and water can turn people up (and lack of can turn people down), a festival will always fall short while being economically successful (can't lose money selling 5 dollar waters to hippies with lots of disposable income)...but that isn't what makes it Great, just Really Good. You still get your money's worth of entertainment, but I'd rather go to more shows. That keeps the vibe alive as well since you start to see people you know and it expands the more midrange or lesser-known bands.
People will still go back to Bonnaroo again (some for the same bad reasons ;-})...but I got better festivals to check out this summer.
-Rock and Roll all over,
Phrazz
The New Deal (not the band) with most shows is they are in it for the money (the ones that aren't don't survive more than a year or three). Big money with big people means a big-business-like government to these Monster Shows and you lose that intimate vibe that makes a music festival only "really good" instead of "mindwarping funkiness" (or better ;-}). I can think of a list of things I'd think of as reasons for festivals to exist, and the ones that put Music first and foremost (all Art, really) are the ones that have that special-ness (en Francaise, je ne sais crox, pardonez ellinspay).
The Media will always hype up the biggest kid on the block. It's part of the American "bigger is better" mentality. So when the media descends on a show and turns it into a video circus, you lose touch with the personality that makes people friends and events monumental life-changing moments.
So, Bonarroo is a gigantic supershow, but there are so many kick-ass summer shows, I can't go to all of them anymore, so I definitely consider the budget when going to multiple festivals. I used to hit one every few weeks (sometimes every week during some summers), but that gets expensive fast (even if you don't have the heady burrito hookup and solar-powered appliances). I also now try to avoid any festivals that think balloons are not just for children. If I need that I'll go get my teeth drilled.
Now there's a trend to go for the whole effect and mix art, drama, wandering minstrels, jugglers...and for these reasons alone, High Sierra is the festival that sets the standard to the top. They care about music and it shows in the whole layout, stage setups, the environment is spotless and you can chill out anywhere and see cool things and a neighbor will share their chair (often also tasty beverages, whatever they're eating...you're in a giant living room and everyone's friends instantly).
I remember going to what I thought was a "big west-coast show" at the Shoreline (one of my favorite venues, but there are so many others). It was about the size of a Giants show, especially if you include the scene in the parking lot. This was when "tailgating" was apparently OK in Mt. View. People had kegs in the back of pickup trucks (very classily done, if you throw in the oriental rugs and lava lamps, as they did). Every other vehicle was a VW Microbus, but these were the most tricked-out and pstylie rides it was worth the roll of film.
And yeah, I was at Highgate, too. Nearly got in big trouble, but with the help of friends we helped bust-up the water cartel. People were dropping from the heat, and we had to take action. It worked. Amazing how fast a GDP guy with a squawker can make people jump at the gates. It's really pretty stupid to make people dump out water in those hostile conditions. We're talking 100-plus, more in the sun and no wind, stuffy, oppressive summer heat that just drops people to their knees. The sun has to be respected (it has no mercy, it's a friggin'star and will shine long after we're all to the next planet). Some even worship such a thing of wonder! I have to say I have a healthy respect that goes towads adulation for this closest of my favorite stars. Without it we'd have quick trouble (at least it would be fast).
Big shows are fun if you have the budget and there's nothing better going on. I have a lot of respect for Radiohead (they're in my top 10 list), but I'd rather see many other bands headline, and there's much better places to see shows...by the ocean, for instance? The massiveness of the event doesn't make me hop on it no more, it's gotta have that special "thing" and Bonnaroo just lost it somewhere (maybe because I never went, but I've got lots of friends who did and they all say about the same thing with the mud and heat...and I've seen thousands of photos [which rarely lie, unless they're taken out of context]). But for large east-coast shows, Bonnaroo will get the crowds because they do have a killer lineup and the reputation--the name itself will sell tickets, and that's due to being the Jinormous Festivagama. I'm not into 5 dollar waters and cities of sticky mess...cool for once, don't need to see that again.
I think swimming is an essential criterion for what makes a good festival a great festival. Water is the key to life, and this puts people in a mind-frame that kicks the festival into legendary category. The best times I always had by the beach, near a river, even with just a backyard pool. We are semi-aquatic creatures (of origin, but most of the world lives on the shoreline and lives off the sea, literally and figuratively). Without realizing that simple things like sun and water can turn people up (and lack of can turn people down), a festival will always fall short while being economically successful (can't lose money selling 5 dollar waters to hippies with lots of disposable income)...but that isn't what makes it Great, just Really Good. You still get your money's worth of entertainment, but I'd rather go to more shows. That keeps the vibe alive as well since you start to see people you know and it expands the more midrange or lesser-known bands.
People will still go back to Bonnaroo again (some for the same bad reasons ;-})...but I got better festivals to check out this summer.
-Rock and Roll all over,
Phrazz