‘roo Bound: Most Events Aren’t Planned

As you read this I should hopefully be in the process of purchasing dry ice and other last minute essentials preparing for my annual 45 minute trek south to one of the largest, best run music festivals in the country.

I must admit that's been both a neat and weird experience seeing Bonnaroo grow and develop as it has over the past seven years. My first 'Roo experience was with my two college roommates, neither of which were fans of the 'jamband' scene. Nevertheless, I convinced them to go because they might not get to experience anything like it ever again. In preparation of exposing them to the festival scene, I made them a 3-volume mix CD set aptly titled: "Don't Pigeonhole Us - We're More Than Just Jambands!" And yes, I take my CD mixes seriously. I couldn't tell you what exactly those tracks were now, but the point was I made them because I wanted to share what I knew would be a wonderful experience with others. I could sit here and tell you about these different experiences: how the Flaming Lips 2003 late night changed my life for the better, when Levon Helm brought me to tears or how I finally learned to like Widespread Panic. But this would all be pointless if I didn't mention the one thing that's most important about going to Bonnaroo - being with your friends. That is what it's supposed to be about. The epic peaks and valleys of the music that you experience serve as the soundtrack to your weekend. Having the time of your life, getting away from everything that's wrong with the world and sharing that experience is what is important and I think sometimes we can lose sight of that. READ ON for more on Bonnaroo 2009...