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.
Bonnaroo or Bust! 