Bonnaroo Friday: Apprehensive in the Mud

Posted by shore On June - 12 - 2009

@ZackTeibloom The rain came early and often at Bonnaroo this year, turning the festival grounds into a sloggy mud pit. Vendors lined up to buy $6 bales of hay this morning to cover the trenches so their customers could make it to their booths, as volunteers scooped the muddy slosh into buckets.

We’ve been able to avoid the rain, but the mud is now a fixture of the festival. It would take a world class broad jump to clear a moat to get back to our tent. Sadly, I only got a Division II scholarship in the broad jump, so my socks got soaked.

We waited out the rain in the media tent last night, writing up my MURS (8.6) and Passion Pit (9.4) show reviews as Laura passed out on a couch. First day at B’roo is taxing. I saw bits of Hockey (meh pop) the Knux (solid hip hop) and all of Chairlift (talented woman who sings, plays keyboard, needs to replace her guitarist and drummer).

I’m back in the media room for the Ani DiFranco, Grace Potter and Janeane Garofalo interviews. Bonnaroo is unfolding pretty much like the other three I’ve been to. There was a healthy buzz in the crowd on Thursday night, but it’s restrained. Yell “Bonnaroo!” and get met with 10 seconds of woo girls and cat calls.

The topless, mud-covered people aren’t out in full force. In the next day or two I won’t think twice about trying to broad jump my way over mud. I’ll be doing summersaults in it. It’ll happen to the crowd somewhere between the Beastie Boys and Phish.

I say the next day or two, because there’s no way I’m making it to Jason’s wedding. I parked in a row of cars that seemed to have an easy out and moved my tent to the side so I could back out. No go. I’m completely blocked in from all sides. Unless eight cars miraculously decide to leave tomorrow morning, I’ll be sticking out the rest of the festival.

After these interiews it’s 14 hours of non-stop music, so this is my last post until tomorrow. Happy Friday!

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