Category: Travel

Bonnaroo 2019 Day 3 – Post Malone, Lil Simz, and The Lonely Island
Each day of Bonnaroo has its own distinct vibe. Thursday is like Christmas in July, Friday is usually once everything starts to get into the swing of things. Saturday’s vibe is one of excitement paired with unease at the fact that the festival is almost over.

Bonnaroo 2019 wasn’t any different. My girlfriend, my brother, and I started the day at Lil Simz’s show. While she had a lot of people dancing (myself included), I do wish the sound engineers had made her a little louder. It’s strange how an act like Brockhampton can fill the entire festival grounds, but a 1 PM set for a lesser-known artist gets shafted in terms of volume, despite having almost no other musical acts to compete against.

My memory is a little hazy, but for one reason or another, we ended up missing Bishop Briggs, despite having looked forward to seeing her for a while. Sometimes shit happens.

We managed to return to Centeroo to catch Quin XCII, before shuffling over to see Kacey Musgraves while heading towards John Prine’s set. After hearing a particularly romantic duet, we took a chance to “see” ODESZA while making our way to the restrooms.

Our next destination was Post Malone and we were an hour early, so instead of waiting through the ODESZA set, I introduced my girlfriend to the Silent Disco for an AC Slater set (for one reason or another, she didn’t get to experience it her first time on the farm). After dancing our faces off, we took a break by resting on a wooden bench and watched Tokimonsta’s set at The Other. Some of the best Bonnaroo moments involve standing at one amazing set and being able to turn your head to hear another amazing show going on across the Farm.

We met up with my brothers to see Post Malone. Although I understand that he is very popular amongst the youngsters, I was completely taken aback by how full the What Stage field was. To provide some context, Centeroo is broken up into two major sections: the What Stage and everything else. So when I say that Post Malone’s crowd filled the entire field with what often felt like standing room only you understand the kind of square footage we were dealing with. I’ve seen plenty of rock superstars play the What Stage and never saw a field of people that large. Now, they weren’t all jamming to the tunes as hard as closing acts from previous years rocked the same stage, but the numbers don’t lie; Posties’ got something that keeps the kids coming back.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Byxk8o_HEeh/

To top off the night, we ended up seeing The Lonely Island’s first music festival concert ten years after I had first heard of their music by way of viral Youtube videos. What commenced was essentially an abridged reenactment of their most popular Youtube videos with famous celebrities replaced with puppets. Also, Chris Parnell was there. I had fun and I was glad to see more comedic acts at Bonnaroo this year, but I was also wondering how the act would evolve over time or whether they would slowly run out of viral memes from a decade ago.

Although 2019 was definitely Sleeparoo (however, this time I have an excuse), my girlfriend and I decided to try and stay up late on Saturday to ensure that we caught some late-night sets and, maybe, we would catch Kalliope around 3 AM. That all fell apart after The Lonely Island’s set ended around 1:30 AM. Although we had promised some of our friends that we would be raging long into the night, we both crashed hard. Needless to say, we did not make it to Kalliope (during their normal hours) at any point during the festival.
Top 5 Less Obvious Places to Visit at Bonnaroo After You’ve Seen the Big Stuff
1. The House of Yes: Although pod-specific stages and barns are a fairly new introduction (they must have popped up during my break between 2016 and 2018) to the farm, the House of Yes (Pod 3’s Venue) is a treat worth visiting even if you aren’t camped close. They’re a performance act from Brooklyn, New York and they’re a trip. Feel free to check out my review of their show last year.
2. The Woods: There are often several wooded areas at Bonnaroo where festival goers can set up hammocks and take a nap. They’re worth visiting at least once to enjoy a more laid back vibe or take a nap. You can’t also be partying hard.
3. Outside the Grounds: There are some opportunities to leave the grounds and explore other vendors and booths set up outside. Maybe it’s because they don’t pay vendor fees (I don’t actually know), but they tend to sell cheaper wares if you can deal with the occasional religious nutjob shouting at festival kids for living their best lives.
4. Pod 10 / The Boonies: Although the campground you end up in is a crapshoot, Live Nation seems to understand how much it sucks to land in one of the farther camp sites, like Pod 10. Back in my day, we used to have to walk 45 minutes to Centeroo to listen to music, but nowdays, Pod 10 tends to be where secret sets pop up or other spontaneous debauchery occurs. Sometimes there are perks to being out in the boonies. For everyone lucky enough, you can just visit when the cool stuff is happening and go back to your closer Pod afterwards.
5. Monteagle: I’m a filthy yankee through and through, but one of my favorite parts of going to Bonnaroo is spending some time in a nearby town called Monteagle, TN. I’m not going to spoil any of our best spots, but you’d be doing yourself a favor by visiting this small town on your trip in or out of the festival. Don’t forget to pick up some hot sauce on your way home.
Stay tuned next week when I cover the last day of the festival, my first time ever seeing Phish, and some closing thoughts on Bonnaroo 2019 before delving into our trip home.
August 7, 2019
Bonnaroo 2019 Day 2 – Childish Gambino, Phish, & “Listening” to Sets from Campsite
While the move-in and first day of Bonnaroo 2019 were a total and utter fiasco, the festival wasn’t so bad once we were actually allowed onto the farm and given a good night’s rest. Nevertheless, Helsboro left a sour taste in my mouth that was hard to wash out. In moments like this, it’s important to remember Bonnaroo’s favorite corporate marketing slogan: “Radiate Positivity.”

And you know I made sure to radiate that positivity all over the damn place.

The best part of Bonnaroo, for me at least, is waking up early enough to catch a few of the early afternoon acts. The first on our list was Ida Mae, a small British blues outfit. Needless to say, they kicked ass. We ended up going to see what the Teskey Brothers were all about. Eventually, the heat from the Tennessee mid-day sun was too much and we returned to camp to refuel.

We inevitably returned to Centeroo to listen to AJR, a group of three brothers who make samey-sounding electronic pop music. They were really fun and energetic, even going so far as to cover both “The Office” theme and Smashmouth’s “Allstar.” Somebody once told me how to pander to a crowd of millennials.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0UqH1rBl7Q/

Then, we moseyed on over to see the Avett Brothers for a hot second before catching GRIZ at the Which stage. Each time I see a DJ or EDM producer act, I play a game of guessing how the musician will occupy their time between pressing play and before turning off their laptop. Instead of throwing cakes, pretending to adjust knobs, or playing a traditional instrument badly, GRIZ competently played a little sax, while otherwise letting the other artists that he has collaborated with do most of the crowd work. All in all, it was good.

And then…

We saw Childish Gambino’s set at the What Stage.

Let me preface this a bit by saying that this was my second time seeing Donald Glover perform at Bonnaroo. The first time was in 2015, I had only just begun listening to him casually after graduating from college, and he had, it seemed, begun experimenting more with singing rather than rapping. At the time, I shrugged, turned and walked away. In my mind, he was an amazing comedy writer, a great lyricist, a competent rapper, and an iffy singer in that order. Fast forward four years later and I was cautiously ready to rediscover Childish Gambino from a fresh perspective.

And then he completely knocked it out of the park.

I was stunned, confused, elated, and ready to jam to more after the set was done. Most of the songs involved him singing, prancing about the stage with his new beard and bare chest flexing all around. It was clear he was no longer an actor/comedian trying to make his music career work. I was no longer watching Donald Glover; Childish Gambino was in full effect.

Out of all of the shows I’ve seen at Bonnaroo, Gambino’s blew me away the most. Sure, Elton John, Lionel Richie, and Jack White are all undoubtedly rockstars of epic proportions, but there was something about Gambino’s performance that felt effortless, calculated, and polished. Maybe it was the contrast between my experiences at both shows, but I came out of Childish’s set muttering how blown away I was. That was the moment that I realized that Helsboro had been “worth it,” so to speak.

Although we knew that Phish were playing their first set for the week just after Childish, we made our way back to camp to wind down for the night. Here’s where I let you in on a little Bonnaroo secret: the sound is really good and, depending on your campsite and the stage that the artist is playing at, you will probably be able to hear their concert just fine from your campsite. This was especially true for us, as we were pretty close to Centeroo and could hear Phish, Brockhampton, and eventually, the GRIZ super jam juuuuustttttt fine. You can’t always be on the rail for every show at Bonnaroo, even if you wish you could. The fact is that you take what you can get and sometimes after walking around in the heat all day, it’s better to listen to a relaxing set from the comfort of your own camp.
Tips for How to Survive Bonnaroo Burnout Without Missing the Show
1. Prepare In Advance: If there’s a show you desperately want to be up close for, you’re going to have to get in line. And by line, I mean you’re going to have to start weasling your way to the front during the set prior to the one you want to see. People will already be rushing the stage after the first show ends, even if there’s a 45 minute wait until the next set. While I would rarely ever commit this much energy to a show I like, it does offer you respite from having to worry about the hustle and bustle of running from stage to stage. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the wait because you’re going to need it.
2. Enjoy From Camp: It may sound sacreligious for some to drive 1,100 miles to not see the show you came to see. The fact is, there’s a lot more to live music than seeing the artist. If you’re not on the rail for some of the bigger shows at the What stage, the main artist isn’t going to be much larger than a small speck on the stage all the way across a field of people. Sure, the screens help display what’s going on on-stage, but most of the time, you will not be able to see what’s happening. That being said, there will be moments when going back to camp and listening to the show will be the better option for you and your group, whether it’s just to refresh before a long night of raging or an excuse to get an early nightcap.
3. Skip Around: You’re not going to be able to see all the shows you want to see at Bonnaroo. You’re going to have to accept that fact. Part of the thrill is being able to stop in for a great show, turn around and walk a few hundred feet to find more amazing live music. Don’t get too caught up in seeing the whole set; dance around and see what you are able to see.
4. Cut Your Loses: Although you want to see the show, sometimes that’s just not possible. Obviously, you want to see as much as possible, but there may be an overlap with a show you just can’t miss or some other complication. In these cases, it’s best to recognize that you are seeing more live music in a week than most see in a year. You’ll catch them next time.
Stay tuned for next week when we go over what happened on the third day of Bonnaroo, including a review of Post Malone’s set, the Lonely Island’s first festival show, and much more.
July 31, 2019
Bonnaroo 2019 Day 1 – The Devil Went Down To Helsboro
Traditionally, my day 1 Bonnaroo blog usually consists of a sentence or two explaining that, while you may well have to wait upwards of 3+ hours to enter the Farm after arriving in Manchester TN, that’s pretty average for a music festival and it’s well worth the price of entry.

That being said, the first few days of Bonnaroo 2019 were marred by the worst possible festival arrival infrastructure, planning, and execution that I have ever seen. Although I hesitate to spend too much time focusing on the negative side of a festival based around the idea of positivity, I think it’s healthy to express just how dangerous and unprofessional the treatment of Bonnaroo attendees was prior to entering the festival. Here are just a few facts that may paint a clearer picture of what happened between arriving in Tennessee and entering the Bonnaroo music festival:
- My caravan left the Manchester Walmart at approximately 2:30 PM, just a little after we usually leave every year. This is our caravan’s seventh year of traveling to the festival and my fourth year. We know what to usually expect when it comes to arriving at Bonnaroo.
- Thanks to a thunderstorm that came as quickly as it went combined with a lack of planning and signage, we were redirected down the main highway that runs through town. Lanes got blocked up and the police were called in to solve the mess they had created.
- We were all directed down the highway in the opposite direction until finally being directed down a back road, christened “Helsboro” (aka Hilsboro) by most of our caravan and Reddit at large.
- There we sat in the breakdown lane of a country road with thousands of other eager festival goers. Tractor trailer trucks sped by as the minutes turned into hours and the day turned to night. We eventually started counting how many cars were going in the opposite direction had a “Bonnaroo Car Pass” on their window, indicating that they had been in line and decided to turn around for a different path into the festival.
- After hours of waiting, some festival goers relieved themselves in nearby fields. Personally, I don’t blame them, given that they could either walk miles down the road to the nearest gas station or give up the place in line that they had already invested 5+ hours into. The whole situation was FUBAR for those who had paid hundreds of dollars for their tickets and driven potentially thousands of miles to attend, as well as the Manchester natives who wanted nothing to do with the festival.
- Naturally, our caravan argued the merits of turning around and ignoring the directions of the Coffee County Police Department to try for a better chance at the main highway entrance. Eventually, around midnight, we decided that it had already been 10 hours and we were fed up with the lack of communication, the lack of phone service, and the lack of police presence on a dark, country road where thousands of festival goers were turning off their cars to conserve gas, therefore making the entire scene even more dangerous.
- We turned around and joined a growing line of angry, sleep deprived, and hungry festival goers along the highway in an only slightly less dangerous predicament. Another 2 and a half to 3 hours later, we arrived at the Farm. It took us from 2:30 PM to 3:30 AM the next day to enter the music festival.
The “redirected” waiting patiently in traffic.

Imagine the frustration we all felt when, after twelve hours of waiting, we finally arrived back at the Walmart that we had originally left from that afternoon. Some in our caravan had arrived in Manchester from their 1,100 mile road trip only to sit in line for another thirteen hours. We couldn’t even be mad, that’s how exhausted we were.

What is normally a festive experience was instead a frustrating and depressing exercise in “claiming” our little plot of dirt in a field full of people. That was our reward for driving across the country, paying hundreds of dollars, taking a week off of work, and then waiting more than half a day in our cars; a campsite the size of my KIA Sedona. That’s how arriving at Bonnaroo 2019 felt.

To top it all off, the first thing I did after setting up camp was lock both my pair and my girlfriend’s spare keys in our van. $60 and an annoying ride on in a go-cart later, I was able to finally lay down to sleep at 5 AM. The sun was already coming up. The first day of Bonnaroo was officially screwed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Byp6fuzBRwZ/

After waking up and attempting to salvage what was left of the first day of the festival, my girlfriend and I were able to see Donna Missals and a part of the Grand Ole Opry. Donna was simply amazing and was well worth crawling out of the funk that Helsboro had put me in to see at 1 PM in the Tennessee heat. After that, however, we decided that we were still too tired to do anything of note, so we went back to camp, relaxed, and eventually went to bed early. So much for a four-day music festival.
Tips for Dealing with a Situation that is Incredibly Screwed Up But Entirely Out of Your Control
1. Breath: It would be worthless for me to spend any time trying to prepare you for entering Bonnaroo if that is something you still think is a good idea after reading this blog post. Seven years of preparation could not save my caravan from the total fiasco that was arriving at Bonnaroo this year. If you intend on taking the plunge, all I can suggest is that you remember to breath. Breathing carefully can help keep you calm, lower your heart rate, and make it easier to deal with situations that are entirely out of your control.
2. Stay Safe: Despite the fact that Bonnaroo’s treatment of arriving attendees on Wednesday was unprofessional and downright dangerous, there are always precautions you can take to limit your risks while waiting 12+ hours in the breakdown lane. For example, don’t wander aimlessly across a dimly lit road after sundown while tractor trailers fly by.
3. Drink Plenty of Water: If you are in a situation where you don’t have proper access to food and water (maybe because you were redirected onto a country road and didn’t prep for Fyre festival), make sure to prioritize clean, potable water. Hydrate or dydrate.
4. Drag Corporations Online: When all else fails, air your grievances against global corporate entities loudly and publicly. The catharsis is almost worth putting up with their bullshit. It’s not and I would never wish it on anyone, but it almost feels worth it in the moment. Get your pitchforks and sharp wit ready.
To make a long story short, we did really enjoy Bonnaroo 2019 despite all that happened. You should always prepare for the unexpected when traveling to a music festival, but sometimes things are completely screwed and out of your control. In those moments, you just have to push through and remember what really brings us all together. I fully intend to spend the rest of this series thoroughly detailing our experiences and adventures on the Farm, but I would be remiss to gloss over the first day and half of Bonnaroo 2019 like it never happened.

Stay tuned for next week when we go over what happened on the second day of Bonnaroo, including a review of Childish Gambino’s set, my first experience seeing Phish, and much more.
July 3, 2019
Bonnaroo 2019 Day 0 – Road Tripping Down to Manchester, TN
Another Bonnaroo is in the bag, I’ve made it home safe after driving the approximately 2,000 miles roundtrip, and I’m ready to start blogging about this year’s festival in as much detail as possible while the memories are still fresh. I’m hoping to publish one post a week for each day of Bonnaroo starting from the day we left home to the day we got back, similar to how I outlined my experiences at Bonnaroo last year. My goal is to provide tips, hints, and advice from my four years of experience attending Tennessee’s premier music festival, while also showing off some of the photos/footage I was able to capture during my time on the farm. In case you missed it, I’ve already posted about some of the preparation that I went through before shipping off a week and a half ago. Without further adieu, this is what happened during my road trip down to Manchester, TN.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BynReB_hA9o/

As my fourth Bonnaroo, this year was supposed to run as smooth as butter. My girlfriend and I planned on reaching Tennessee around Tuesday afternoon, giving us enough time to relax in a nearby town, eat at our favorite local restaurant, and rest up for move-in day. Little did I know just how much rest we would need.

Just like last year, we stopped in New York to visit family before continuing on our way down the East Coast of the United States towards the land of country music and whiskey. The road was actually very kind to us on the trip down. We managed to sleep the night in Pennslyvania before making our way through Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.

Unlike 2018, however, this time we came prepared. One of my main pre-Roo projects was to outfit my KIA Sedona with a mattress, curtains, and a propane stove, as well as my normal Bonnaroo luggage. The job was a bit shabbier than I had intended it to be, but at the end of the day, we found a way to cheaply and safely sleep in our vehicle.

In terms of lessons learned, I’d say I could have spent a bit more time trimming and sowing the curtains so that they were a bit easier to handle and we could have put a larger mattress in the back for added space and comfort. Since we stored most of our camping gear underneath the bed, the design of the back of the van did make it rather difficult to maneuver within the vehicle and access all of the items we had stored without stepping out. That being said, the restriction to have to get out of bed to grab a drink or snack was only ever an issue outside of the festival itself and could be easily fixed if we attempt a similar setup on a different road trip.

A windshield cover helped keep the van cool during the day and provide additional privacy. For the back window, we managed to cover it with a combination of spare pillows and a tarp. Finally, we took a small blanket and wrapped it around the headrests of the driver’s and passenger’s seats, obscuring the view from either of the front windows into the back of the vehicle. Cracking a few windows and hanging a rechargeable fan from the ceiling helped keep cool air circulating. Once everything was set up, we had what amounted to a cute capsule hotel in the back of our van.

https://www.instagram.com/p/By6bzHmhadr/

Although I know a lot of people who tag team their way through the trip nonstop, I would always suggest that you get a good night’s rest whenever driving long distances. If you have enough drivers to make it safely without taking a break, go for it, but I always air on the side of comfort, safety, and relaxation when given the opportunity. There are enough rest areas and Walmart parking lots down Route 81 to stop and get a few Z’s in before getting back on the road.
Tom’s Travel Tips
1. Pack Light: For the sake of my own anxiety, I always air on the side of packing light and getting whatever else I need either on the road or once I arrive at my destination. We made sure to pack plenty of beverages, snacks, and toiletry supplies, but left our cooler empty and waited to purchase the lion’s share of our other pantry items when we stopped at the Walmart in Manchester.
2. Bring a Friend: Even if you prefer driving (like I do), it’s always good to bring a friend along for a long road trip. Not only will you appreciate the company, but it helps to have an extra person handy if you need someone to take over driving or if you need prefer to let someone else navigate.
3. Be Flexible: No road trip (or any kind of trip for that matter) will go perfectly according to plan. You need to make sure that you have the flexibility to adjust your plans if something comes up, whether that be by packing for redundancy or preparing yourself mentally to tackle any obstacle that may cross your path. Once you embrace going with the flow, everything else will work out just fine.
4. Share Your Location: Big Brother may be an unfortunate reality of our times, but it doesn’t come without its own set of perks. Google Maps allows you to share your GPS location with others, making it easy for a third party to watch over your progress and provide assistance remotely if need be. It even tracks the battery life on your phone.
5. Drive Safe: If you’re planning on driving down South to visit Bonnaroo, please drive safe. Not only are the roads packed with tractor trailer trucks and other road trippers, but the local police are looking for any reason to pull over unsuspecting festival goers on their way to the farm. Don’t give them any reason to harass you. Staying safe is the easiest way to ensure a stress-free trip.
We fully intended our trip down to Tennessee to be as uneventful as possible, and I think we successfully accomplished that at least. It wasn’t until we arrived that things started to get hairy. Stay tuned next week when I cover how the move-in day went, how to prepare for the worst, and what to do when the worst somehow gets even more tedious and frustrating.
June 20, 2019
Bonnaroo 2019 – Preparing for the 1,000 Mile Road Trip
Bonnaroo 2019 is quickly approaching. This time next week, I’ll be relaxing in my campsite, bracing myself for the Tennessee mid-day heat. Before I get there, however, there’s a lot of preparation that I have to get done. In this post, I hope to outline a few of the most important items for any Bonnaroo fan to bring and things that I forget every year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxaQw82nmQx/

First of all, register your wristband. That’s key. I also decided to sign up for the auto-payment feature through Paypal so that I don’t have to fuss about having my card on hand during the festival. Once the basics are established, then it’s time to pack for the road trip:
1. Cooler: Although our Bonnaroo plan involves creating a large group camp, we still need to bring a cooler for ourselves while we’re on the road. We purchased a cooler on our trip to Maine last month, so that’s what we’re going to use this year. Our travel companions will be carrying the larger cooler for our campsite.
2. Tent: We don’t plan on using our tent for Bonnaroo, given how hot it can get in the morning with or without a canopy. However, it is still essential to have some sort of shelter if all else fails. Also, who knows what might happen if someone needs to borrow a tent.
3. Solar Shower: Sometimes it’s worth renting a motel room just to get a good shower. Othertimes, there’s a solar shower. Live Nation has done a great job to increase the quality and access to showers in Bonnaroo proper, so this may not come in handy during the festival, but it is a great way to save a few bucks either way.
4. Bed: Since we’re driving down in a van, we’re assembling a bed in the back to give us a nice place to sleep on the drive down to Bonnaroo. Thankfully, with enough ventilation and a canopy to keep out the heat, the back of the van becomes a cool little hideout to escape from the hustle and bustle of Bonnaroo.
5. Snacks: Although we usually pick up food for Bonnaroo itself at the Manchester Walmart, we always bring plenty of snacks for the drive down. Although the GSP says it’ll take ~16 hours, it’s more like 20-22 if we include stopping to eat, sleep, and pee. We’re going to want to bring a lot of snacks that I can eat, given how little I’ll be able to snack on at Southern gas station pit stops.
6. Medicine: Gotta always take your medicine.
7. Extra Car Supplies: Although I’ve tried my best to ensure that our vehicle is prepped for the trip, it is always wise to prepare for the worst. In our case, we bring a spare tire (not a doughnut), puncture repair kit, and some extra rags and tools if need be. Worst case scenario, we have AAA and festival insurance in our back pocket.
Now that the van is packed, the next step is to ensure that I have everything packed for my time at Bonnaroo. Usually, I try to pack light and load up on luxury items like food and comfortable clothes. I’ll be bringing mostly shorts, with a few pairs of pants and sweat pants for colder nights, mostly t-shirts or light button-ups, my raggedy pair of Nikes I bought to bring to Japan two years ago and my knock-off Timberland boots in case of Mudderoo. Always be prepared.

As mentioned previously, we also plan to bring a reflective tarp to act as a canopy over our van during the day to help keep it cool inside. We’re bringing sheets and other tapestries to hang from our easy-up as well. Solar lights wrapped around the campsite will help keep the place illuminated at night. Unlike previous years, I think I’ll be bringing a small propane camping stove to heat water for morning tea, coffee, oatmeal, etc. Fingers crossed.

I was tempted to bring my guitar this year, but given its sentimental value to me, I don’t want to chance anything happening to it. That being said, I recommend anyone with musical talent to bring their instruments and get things going back at camp during off hours.

My girlfriend and I are very excited to make it down to Tennessee again this year, but at this point, it’s just a case of making sure we have everything we need to bring before we ship out. Once we do, it should be smooth sailing from there.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjtGX4jHYDc/

There’s a chance I get another blog post out before we leave, but it’s slim. Better chance I publish something on the road. Thankfully, there’s a lot yet to discuss! Stay tuned here, on my Instagram, and on Twitter for more updates, blog posts, and musings.
June 7, 2019