Bonnaroo Lessons

Last week I went to a 4-day music festival where I experienced what might be considered the most amazing weekend of my life.
The crazy thing? I almost didn’t go.
I have been told (and will agree) that I’m a music snob. I’m one of those people who is always on the lookout for a new favorite band or song. I like being the first guy to hear something, and then share it with his friends. Music is very important to me… so when I saw the lineup for Bonnaroo, and realized that because of my current unemployed status, I had no reason NOT to go, I bought my tickets. A few weeks later, I moved to Austin.
With the excitement of the move, Bonnaroo crept up on me. Suddenly it was only a few days away, and I didn’t have anyone to drive with. I also hadn’t ironed out plans regarding who to camp with (this is important, because camping at Bonnaroo looks like this, and you definitely don’t want to be alone). Rather than panic, I made a few calls, responded to some Craigslist ads, and by the end of the week, I had things straightened out.
Having never met before, my copilot and I ran the risk of driving with a complete psycho for 30+ hours. The risk paid off. Turns out two strangers can get along, and hurdle the stranger boundaries with a few emails and some fart jokes. The rest of the trip proved equally awesome. I’m finding more and more proof that when I take a chance, things just tend to work out… even when they don’t.
The 6 days I spent traveling to/enjoying Bonnaroo were full of unexpected surprises, phenomenal people, and an environment that was surprising, new, and very educational for me. I want to go back very badly.
In case you were curious, here’s a list of bands I saw:
Thursday
- EMA
- K-Flay
- The Cave Singers
- Moon Taxi
- Soja
- Alabama Shakes
Friday
- The Kooks
- Katie Herzig
- tUnE-yArDs
- Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
- Two Door Cinema Club
- The Avett Brothers
- Feist
- Ludacris
- Rodrigo y Gabriela and C.U.B.A.
- Radiohead
Saturday
- Colin Hay
- Garfunkle & Oates
- Temper Trap
- Punch Brothers
- Puscifer
- Gary Clark Jr.
- Childish Gambino
- The Roots
- Dispatch
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Alice Cooper
- Skrillex
Sunday
- Delta Spirit
- Gary Clark Jr.
- We Are Augustines
- The Beach Boys
- Ben Folds Five
- The Shins
- The Civil Wars
- Young The Giant
- Phish
If you want to see some of the incredible live performances from this year’s festival, I recommend you check out the Bonnaroo Youtube Channel. I may be posting some highlights in the future.
If you’re ever questioning whether or not to go on an adventure… just do it. The regrets you’ll have will never be worth the memories you miss out on.