To Bonnaroo and back

Bonnaroo '06 was the best Bonnaroo EVER! I know I said that last year, and at the time it was true, but this year blew last year out of the water. I didn't think it was possible to have a better time, but this year was the best time of my life. We had a great group of people (me, Keith, Kelby and Ian) and the music was fabulous. Every band there was pulling out all the stops for a killer performance. The best show of the weekend was Umphrey's McGee and the Disco Biscuts late night set on Friday night. 4 1/2 hours of ridiculousness that could have gone on all night and I wouldn't have minded. This show also takes top spot for my favorite concert of all time, which is saying alot since the old number one was Pink Floyd. I can't say enough about it and I don't think any show could beat this one. Let me walk you through my Bonnaroo:

Thursday June 15th, 7am Manchester, TN time. We rolled into the site without having to wait in line on the highway. In fact, we probably only waited about a half hour to get into our campsite, which is nuts. To give you an idea of how nuts, the first year I went we waited 12 hours in line to get in. This was much better. We had our entire camp set up and were sitting back with some cold beers by 8:30am. Which made for a strange day, since we really had nothing else to do we drank and whatnot until 8ish pm then we made our way down to the Wood Brothers set at This Tent. This was the first Bonnaroo show that I went up close for and I'm so glad we did. They were amazing and a great way to start the festival. They also covered the Beatles Fixing A Hole, which I loved. After that show, and without telling too much, most of our group went back to the tent to pass out, Keith partied all night withToubab Krewe and Moonshine Still sets, which I'm sure I'll be hearing about for months. I just couldn't do it at the time, but at least I got some sleep that night.

Friday June 16th, woke up and got moving kind of slowly, listedned to Keith rave about the 2 shows we missed and headed down to World Party around 12:30. Went up front after them for Ben Folds, we were what would be considered 2nd row (just Keith and I). I've seen Ben Folds many times and unfortunately many short sets, but he sure makes the most of them and this was no exception. Great songs, great energy, great fucking time all around. After the I went to Nickle Creek by myself and the rest went to Mike Gordon, which they said was just alright. NC was amazing though and I was glad they changed the schedule around and I got to see them. They are a great live band and if you ever get a chance check them out. After that was Oysterhead, which was good, but would have been better after the sun had gone down. At that point we were hot and gross and tired from the sun. But after that we cleaned up and headed out for a long night which started at 8:30 with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with special guest Stevie Nicks. Not as good a show as I expected and they cut 1 1/2 hours out of their set, but no matter because after that was Umphrey/Biscuits which made up for Petty. Ended up sleeping under a tree that night, or rather that morning, for a couple hours and then went back to camp.

Saturday June 17, 12:15, reguardless of the late night we were up and at 'em with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals which I had never heard, but am so glad I went. They rocked out loud and I highly recommend them. Then it was on to Buddy Guy at 2, which I think I fell asleep for, but what I heard was good. Then I went alone to Gomez, stayed for about 6 songs and went back for Damian Marley, who sounds just like Bob when he does his songs. 5:30 was Beck, which was great and they had puppets that were dressed like the band and did everything the band did. Then a few minutes of Cypress Hill, who had a giant Buddha taking up most of the stage. That night was Radiohead from 8:30-11 and let me tell you, they were amazing. I can see why people say they are one of the best live bands, because this show was probably #2 for the weekend. After that was Dr. John, then Superjam (which was Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Phil Lesh and assorted others), then Ivan Neville's Dumstaphuck, which was fucking great. They just kept on playing and we kept on dancing, then we headed on over to Sasha which was like this trance DJ stuff that made me want to constantly move, but at that point the sky was already starting to get light and my body was giving up.

Sunday June 18, 12:15, it was harder to get up this morning than any other. Last day, not as many shows, but still wanted to get the most out of it so we bounced from Mike Doughty to Brothers Past and ended up at the Codetalkers feat. Col. Bruce Hampton which was at the mainstage and we got up super close and the bass is still ringing in my chest. Amazing set. Then Keith and I went from Refugee Allstars of Sierra Leone to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones to the Streets where we fell asleep for 3 hours and woke up to Atmosphere. We realized that we had missed the first half of moe, so we decided to listen to them as we walked back to camp to get ready for the evening. Which was a good idea, because everyone was there and we got our favorite spot in the back to watch Phil Lesh and Friends. What a way to fininsh Bonnaroo, they sounded great, played great songs and the energy of the crowd was awesome. Joan Osborne sang probably half the songs and she was superb. It started raining and we went back to camp early, but we could hear it just as clearly as we could sitting down at the stage.

We left the next morning and got back to Waterville right before 10pm. I can't believe it's over and I can't wait for next year. I wish everyone in the world could have the openmindedness to enjoy a trip like this, because there's so much love at Bonnaroo and so much great music and friends and new people to meet. I'm left with a feeling of peace and love in my soul that I hope can continue until next year. I love everyone! Peace out.