With my three-part final interview project comes the end of Bonnaroo or Bust! … for now at least. Though I have had fun talking about, writing about and listening to massive amounts of music in preparation for this blog, with the summer time comes some much-needed rest.
As the spring 2009 semester and my junior year in college come to an end, I have learned a number of useful multimedia tactics that will aid me in the field of journalism, which is going increasingly high-tech. I now can create a mini-podcast, upkeep a blog and know the ins and outs of working on WordPress.
Still, if anything I’ve learned previewing Bonnaroo is that the festival is just as much about the experience as the music that fuels it. I do plan on updating here and there over the next month if any breaking news happens and I look forward to writing while I’m at Bonnaroo this June. I even here there are Internet cafes, so I may even blog directly on-site, if I can find time between the dozens of music acts, of course. I can’t believe it’s only a month away!
But for now, here are some post I am most proud of over the past four months.
Margaret Appleyard-Smith is a 20-year-old student from Wilmington, Delaware who is also attending Bonnaroo for the first time. After missing out on Phish tickets due to heavy traffic on the vendor Web site LiveNation, she was still determined to have as dynamic summer music experience as last year.
When she saw the lineup for Bonnaroo that included two shows from Phish, Appleyard-Smith was sold. She purchased her ticket, got her boyfriend and friends involved, and could not be more excited with one month left before show time. Appleyard-Smith said she is excited at the prospect of camping with hundreds of thousands of people and seeing some of her favorite bands for the first time. Including, of course, Phish.
Like the previous two posts, above the transcribed interview is a full audio version for you to read along with.
Bonnaroo or Bust!: When did you first hear about Bonnaroo?
Margaret Appleyard-Smith: I guess my junior year in high school, so three years ago. My sister’s boyfriend was going and that’s how I heard about it.
BoB: Were you immediately interested? What was your initial react towards it?
MAS: initially, I was like, that sounds really cool, that would be something I’d like to do one day. I knew I didn’t have the means to do it right then and there, but I knew that eventually, I wanted to go.
BoB: What made you interested in going this year?
MAS: Everything just kind of fell into place this year. I had the cash, I had people to go with, so it just seemed like the right time.
BoB: So you weren’t worried about the money or the fact that it’s all the way in Tennessee?
MAS: A little bit, but not really because I kind of weighed it out. I knew I wanted to do something, go on vacation this year; me and [her boyfriend] Eric wanted to go on vacation this year. But we had a time frame to when we could go because we couldn’t go during the summer months when we had to work, because we’re working at a summer camp or whatever. We have to be there every day. It’s before camp, it’s about as much money as we’d spend to go anywhere else and stay overnight. Plus you get the added bonus of having 24-hour music.
BoB: Weren’t you originally going to see Phish?
MAS: We were going to do Phish, but it was sold out or whatever. I just couldn’t get on the freaking Web site to buy the tickets. Before we had even seen the lineup, I had heard Phish was rumored to be playing Bonnaroo and then it came out and it was just like, well why not? To go to Phish, we would spend $100. But at Bonnaroo, you get two nights of Phish. That’s $200 worth of concert tickets right there, plus every other band for only $270.
BoB: Who else are you excited to see?
MAS: Definitely Bruce Springsteen. I’m excited to see Girl Talk again. I’m very excited to see Public Enemy and Erykah Badu, Al Green.
BoB: Other than the sheer amount of bands that they have, what do you think sets Bonnaroo apart from the average concert experience and the average music festival?
MAS: Well, Farm Aid was only a one-day festival. So you show up at noon, you tailgate for a little bit, you’re there until midnight or whatever, and you leave. Not only do you have the fun of having a road trip with all of your best friends, but you’re out there, you’re camping every day. Not to mention all the art shows and comedians.
BoB: What is the most alluring part about Bonnaroo?
MAS: I would say not one specific thing is most alluring. But sort of all of it together, the community aspect of it. A bunch of high school/college aged kids getting together for a weekend to have this experience together. If it weren’t so big – if it were 100 people, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
BoB: Nervous about camping with hundreds of thousands of people?
MAS: Not really, because I don’t mind camping. I’ve done it before, and I can be dirty for four days, it’s not that big a deal (laughs). As long as I have deodorant, I’m good.
BoB: What about being with tons of strangers?
MAS: I feel like that’s part of the experience though. Being surrounded by all these people you don’t know, I feel like that’s going to be half the fun of it, talking to people and meeting people.
BoB: What do you expect you’re going to see?
MAS: I haven’t even considered what kind of wild s*** I’m going to see go down. With the amount of drugs and alcohol floating around that concert, just anything could happen.
BoB: What’s one big thing you want to get out of the Bonnaroo experience?
MAS: I’m not really sure because I don’t know what to expect. So I’m not sure that I know what to expect to get out of it. I guess, from what I know, the major thing would be like a good timing bonding with close friends, having the experience of my first road trip by myself, without my parents.
BoB: What’s the one thing you are most excited about?
MAS: It’d have to be Phish, yeah.
Eric P. (last name removed) is a 21-year-old art student at the University of Arts in Philadelphia. Though an avid concert attendee, Eric had never before been to a large music festival. After spending “too much money” on concert tickets last summer, he decided the most cost-efficient option for musical entertainment would be to attend Bonnaroo for the first time.
Eric views Bonnaroo as a vacation within itself, and is excited to get away with his close friends and his girlfriend, Margaret. He thinks that one of the biggest aspects of attending his first Bonnaroo will be how he deals with camping in such a large crowd of people. Still, he remains open-minded and optimistic that his first trip to Manchester will be a positive experience that he’ll remember for years to come.
Bonnaroo or Bust interviewed Eric on the telephone and asked him to explain how it feels to be a first-time festival-goer, much like myself. Again, above the transcribed text is an uncensored audio supplement with more questions and more in-depth answers.
Bonnaroo or Bust!: When did you first hear about Bonnaroo?
Eric P.: I first heard about Bonnaroo like two years ago around this time when a bunch of my friends were going to it. I guess I had heard little blurts of it on the news and side stories, but I never really investigated until my friends started going. They came back and told me what a blast they had.
BoB: What made you interested in going this year?
EP: I’ve been looking for a vacation thing with [his girlfriend] Margaret just to get out of the way, and last year we’d spent way too much money on concerts. We’d go to like Kanye West, Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic and all these concerts are like $50 each, minimum. And we were in the back of the f***ing place. So, we figured why not go to the most cost-effective show which is actually Bonnaroo, which turns out to be pretty much a vacation in itself. For the price of the tickets, I think, basically, you get the four or five headlining bands. Phish twice, Bruce Springsteen, Al Green; all the bands I want to see are there, plus some other ones.
BoB: Were you worried about the price or the long trip to Tennessee?
EP: Everything kind of had some worry attached to it, but I kind of feel like the overall experience will outweigh the cost of it.
BoB: What other bands are you interested in?
EP: Al Green’s going to be cool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are going to be cool. I’ve never been to a Phish show, so this might be neat. I’m not looking at a lineup or anything, but off the top of my head – Ted Leo & The Pharmacists. I wish the White Stripes were there, at least they’re back on terms. Snoop Dogg’s going to be f***ing crazy. And honestly, I want to see Erykah Badu, I’m sure she puts on a good live show.
BoB: What is the most alluring part of Bonnaroo that drew you in and made you say, “I’m definitely doing this?”
EP: I think the notion of camping out with 400,000 people is going to be kind of crazy. I’m a little worried about security, but at the same time, what are a bunch of f***ing hippies going to do to my stuff? We’ll get a lock on the tent or something like that, but I’m not too concerned about it. The most alluring thing is almost definitely the prospect of camping out, cooking burgers or whatever, smashed next to 200,000 other campers. That actually seems kind of cool to me.
BoB: What do you think you’re going to see, granted the circumstances?
EP: Excessive drug use. And you know what’s funny? Part of me really hates the people we’re going to be around, because I think they’re going to be your typical smelly, hippie pothead that didn’t go to college or whatever and they sold drugs to get to the concert. But at the same time, I’m kind of judging it on what it is and I haven’t even been – it’s an educated guess. It’s all in huge hyperboles; I have this terrible Woodstock envisionment. I don’t think it’s going to be as awful as I’m making it out to be.
BoB: What’s the one thing you really want to get out of the experience?
EP: I don’t want to have to wonder what it’s like to go to a big music festival anymore. I’ve never been to like a huge music festival and obviously, people I know have. Margaret’s been to Farm Aid and some other things that had pretty decent bands. I guess the biggest thing that I’ve been to is maybe a Reggae festival in Wilmington, which might have had 20,000 people. But even that pales in comparison to the Kanye West concert which was like 60,000 people. So I think what I want to get out of it is just the total experience. I’m going for the music but I think that’s probably like 40 percent of the whole ordeal. If all the bands suck, I’d be disappointed, but I’d still be happy I went.
Gabby DeFilippis is a self-proclaimed music enthusiast, singer, actress and full-time nanny from Bayonne, New Jersey. She had grown tired of the same local shows and one-note music festivals, and was invited to go to Bonnaroo last year with a friend. After having the incredible experience seeing a number of big-name bands in 2008, DeFilippis was immediately intent on purchasing a ticket for this year’s festival.
Defilippis also happens to be the person who got me so interested in attending Bonnaroo, and in some ways, can be thanked as inspiration for me to write this blog. Much like any friends anticipating a big music event, we have been trading albums and artists to look up for the past three months.
Above the edited transcription is an audio podcast interview with DeFilippis that clocks in at around 12 minutes long and includes many more hilarious and insightful answers. I apologize for any audible laughs throughout the piece.
Bonnaroo or Bust!: When did you first hear about Bonnaroo?
Gabby DeFilippis: I first heard about Bonnaroo through a friend. She asked me to go as a favor because some kids wanted her to go. And I said, “I don’t know, that sounds kind of weird. I’ll go on the Web site and check it out.” And then I just said, screw it, you’ve got to live life to the fullest. So I figured I’d just go, I don’t really care.
BoB: Went on a whim?
GD: Well I noticed that a lot of the bands that I liked – Rilo Kiley and Tegan and Sarah – were going to be there. MIA was basically the driving force in the whole thing because I absolutely love her. And thank god I went because that was like her last show – technically – she said it was her last show. Whatever, I lucked out. I liked all the bands and I said, you know what I might as well do something exciting for once. I grew out of the whole Warped Tour.
BoB: Were you worried about going all the way to Tennessee from Jersey?
GD: Yeah? First of all, I don’t drive, so I thought that they were going to get mad at me because I don’t know how to drive. So I felt like I was going to be the one they got jealous of all the time because I got to sleep and they had to drive the whole way. Second of all, I thought we might get into a car accident and it was Father’s Day weekend that weekend, so I thought “Oh my god, my father doesn’t even know I’m going here and I’m going to die on the way there.” (laughs). And I thought it was going to be a hick town, so that also scared the s*** out of me.
BoB: What made made you say, “Okay, I’m definitely going?”
GD: The lineup, definitely. I wouldn’t have went if it wasn’t going to be music I like. Why would you go for four days? That’s the whole point of going there was the music all day. They start at like noon and they don’t finish until 4 or 5 in the morning. They’ve got other things to offer there but mostly it’s just the music.
BoB: What makes this year different as compared to last year when you went?
GD: Well, obviously, I’m going with closer friends. That makes me very, very excited. I’m going with you and my sister’s going to come so I think that will be an experience for her. Plus the bands; if I thought I liked a lot of the bands last year, I like way more bands this year. I can’t believe how many they put on there.
BoB: Who are you most excited for?
GD: I would definitely have to say Yeah Yeah Yeahs because they never disappoint; I saw them once and they weren’t disappointing. Plus, Santigold will be really, really great. The Beastie Boys – I grew up listening to them since I was a youngin’. And of course, Bruce Springsteen, but that’s obvious. I’m a Jersey girl, so you’ve got to see Bruce.
BoB: What sets Bonnaroo apart from the average concert experience and the average music festival experience?
GD: First of all, it’s outside, which is great. But it’s not stadium seating like the PAC, Performing Arts Center. You can kind of roam around, and people don’t get mad if you ask to go in front of them. There’s no seats or anything, everybody’s equal. There is no special person, except where you stay in your tent, if you want a VIP tent thing or whatever. When it comes to actually seeing the shows, nobody’s special and every time I wanted to move up closer – I remember during Metallica, we wanted to get up closer and nobody said anything, nobody cared. It was much nicer. And there’s music all day. It’s like a 24-hour experience, you just walking around to a soundtrack all day, nonstop. Whether it’s the local bands, the big bands or the real big bands, the headliners, you just walk around all day to music, it’s awesome.
BoB: Where you nervous about camping with hundreds of thousands of people?
GD: Yes, I was extremely nervous, I thought I was going to get raped. As simple as that, I really just thought something horrible was going to happen. But then my mom and I did extensive Google searching and we kept typing in “accidents at Bonnaroo” and all different types of bad situations that could possibly happen and honestly, nothing came up. Not a damn thing came up. I trust Google a lot, I always Google. The fact that nothing came up made me feel much better and the fact that your car is parked right by your tent makes you feel ten times better. You don’t have to run back and forth. I thought we were just parking in a giant parking lot and then have to walk back and forth all day, but that wasn’t the case whatsoever.
BoB: What do you wish you would have know last time that you know this time?
GD: Bring a blanket! You can be comfortable; everybody’s laying down in the grass at the shows. Every show that I’ve been to in Jersey, everybody wants to be in the front of the stage and pushed up against the stage. But the shows there are much more relaxed. Everybody has a blanket, everybody’s hanging out, relaxing. I wish I would have brought more fun things. Honestly, everybody acts like a kid all day. People are blowing bubbles all day, it’s really crazy – hula hoops. You have to make it as comfortable for yourself as possible, basically. It’s your home for four days. I wish we would have bought a better tent, I would have prefer to have spent more money on a tent because I have expensive taste and I’m like that. We bought a cheaper tent. I was definitely very nervous about using the showers, so I didn’t shower for two days and I should have f***ing showered. Once I took a shower, it was gorgeous. It was so clean in there that there were no complaints about it at all; I should have showered from the beginning.
BoB: What was your favorite act you saw last year?
GD: MIA was definitely amazing. Tegan and Sarah was really special to me because I wanted to leave. I was really, really upset when I was there and within 24 hours, I just wanted to f***ing leave. Then, the first act of the real first day of Bonnaroo, which was Friday, Tegan and Sarah came on and it just made everything better. Once that came on, I didn’t want to go, I didn’t care that I wasn’t enjoying the people I was with, I was staying, that’s it. But, definitely Metallica. Honestly, they put on a damn good show, they were amazing. I didn’t know what to expect but all my guy friends told me “you’d better go.” And I went and it was awesome. Everybody was having a great time, they had pyrotechnics, Chris Rock went on before they did. Pearl Jam was amazing as well. I think the headliners were really, really good. I also saw this circus show, freak-show act that was really cool. It was really local, people were barely watching them. They just have cool s*** everywhere.
BoB: What do you want to get out of the experience this year?
GD: Well, now that I know my way around, I’m definitely going to do more things. I’m going to buy more art; there were so many great people there that were making such beautiful stuff. I would probably wander around more, get up early, if I don’t get inebriated that’s fine. I got up early one day and walked around and it was so nice. So I’m going to do more of that, more wandering around. Maybe meeting more people, I really didn’t meet anybody when I was there. I met like a boy and girl, they were best friends, and I hung out with them for a little while waiting for Janeane Garafalo. I really didn’t talk to that many people, but whenever I asked them to take a picture of me somewhere with whoever I was with, that was the only time I interacted with people. But they were so freaking sweet; everyone I met there was so non-confrontational and really, really nice.
