Final Project- Interviews with Attendees: Part 1

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.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

When the Bonnaroo lineup came out in early February, one band’s name stuck out more than any others: the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I have been following Karen O and company’s careers since 2003, when they released their now cult-classic, art-punk debut “Fever to Tell.” (-Photo/Amauri Aguiar)

Karen O and Nick Zinner, of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, perform at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City in 2006.

I was always attracted to the YYY’s because they were equal parts musicians and showmen. Their songs were short and catchy, their lyrics were poignant but simple and their on-stage presence was nothing short of electrifying.

This lends itself greatly to their front woman, Karen O; she’s often touted as a modern-day Chrissie Hynde. Her vocals are sharp, penetrating and often resemble an orgasmic shriek – not to mention she’s sexy as hell. On stage, Karen O is a dancing pixie, often a little drunk but always pitch-perfect and energetic.

Another alluring feature of the YYY’s is their ability to reinvent their sound.  Their debut EP, “Yeah Yeah Yeahs,” was a garage-band punk album full of lyrics about sex and ruling the world. Then, they released their calling card in 2003, “Fever to Tell.” Riding high on the popularity of their single “Maps,” the Yeah Yeah Yeahs hit top ten on the U.S. Rock Charts, catapulting the trio into the mainstream eye.

After a small hiatus, the band did a musical 180 turn with their sophomore release “Show Your Bones.” It was full of power ballads, showed real lyrical maturity and allowed guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase to truly shine. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were growing before our ears, but unfortunately, tension between the band mates led to break-up rumors.

In 2007, the YYY’s quickly quieted those rumors, releasing the “Is Is” EP; this was a short collection of five often-performed but never-recorded tracks. They kept fans watering, as blogs on their MySpace page hinted that a new album was to be released soon. 

“It’s Blitz!” was made available for digital download just this past Tuesday, after leaking in February on various Web sites.  Fans of the punk side of the YYY’s may be slightly disappointed, as the band’s newest endeavor leads them into the world of 80s pop and the use of new-age synthesizers.

But I think that this is their boldest and most artistically interesting album to date.  True, it does not sound anything like the past YYY’s albums, but “Show Your Bones” proved they were ready to be a mature group dedicated to writing songs that will make you both dance and weep.  Fortunately, on “It’s Blitz!” it’s mostly dancing that will follow. Karen O’s vocals are as sensually pleasing as always, Chase’s drums have never been more absorbing and Zinner shines as the album’s backbone.

Buy “It’s Blitz!” right now – the iTunes deluxe version if possible (the acoustic versions of “Hysteric” and “Little Shadow” are utterly mystifying). I cannot wait to hear how this new material sounds at their Bonnaroo debut, especially “Dull Life.” (-Photo/Charlyn W)

Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, shines in the lights at a show in the Berkeley Church in Toronto in 2007.

Welcome!

Bonnaroo or Bust! is a blog dedicated entirely to the 2009 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, written from the point of view of a first-time festival goer. This preview will attempt to look at every possible aspect of Bonnaroo, from the bands that are set to play to artists set to show off their work. 

As a city boy who grew up just across the Hudson River from New York City in northern New Jersey, a trip to rural Manchester, Tennessee would undoubtedly place me out of my element.  However, after the line-up was released and some persuasion from friends, I bought my ticket without much trepidation.

One of the things that attracted me to Bonnaroo was that it felt like a modern-day Woodstock. As an avid music lover raised by “Deadheads,” I remember being a kid wishing that grew up in my parents’ era.  The music was classic, the country was in political transition and people were the epitome of carefree.

There can be some major parallels drawn between Woodstock in 1969 and Bonnaroo, 40 years later. Both occurred during times of protested wars, both attracted music and art lovers from across the country and both featured some of the most recognizable names in the recording industry at the time. Still, Bonnaroo is not Woodstock, nor does it claim to be. 

The major difference between the two festivals is that unlike Woodstock, Bonnaroo has been held annually since 2002.  What started off as an indie, new-age hippie festival has since attracted the likes of such music mega-stars as Kanye West, The Police and Radiohead.

This year’s Bonnaroo lineup is chock-full of big-name artists as well; Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band headline, along with Phish (who will be playing two shows over the four days), The Beastie Boys and Nine Inch Nails.  In addition, soul legend Al Green will take the stage, as well as notorious rapper Snoop Dogg, and the art-punk trio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Bonnaroo promises to be the event of a lifetime, and Bonnaroo or Bust! will attempt to take patrons every step of the way.  This blog will spotlight musicians, bands, artists and comedians, as well as give tips for how to survive on a farm in the middle of Tennessee.  It will also feature interviews with past and future Bonnaroo attendees, shed light on breaking news and suggest some noticeable absences from the 2009 lineup.

Bonnaroo or Bust!  will be updated at least twice a week – more if necessary.  Until then, I look forward to exploring the world of Bonnaroo and am always open to suggestions about possible artist spotlights.