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Post by Goldbart der Hexenmeister on Jun 15, 2012 21:20:25 GMT -8
The funnel of traffic at Coachella after the headliners was the worst thing ever, and most likely because Centeroo was open 24-hours with bands playing until 5, I didn't have any major problems with traffic. The only problem was when we lost Nadine, and regained cellular contact from near the front of the Radiohead crowd. Traversing 70,000 engaged Radiohead fans was, admittedly, pretty rough. Even my Wizard Magic was challenged. But we succeeded.
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Post by Goldbart der Hexenmeister on Jun 15, 2012 21:22:00 GMT -8
And when I say it's about the music, it's really about the music. The sets are longer, louder, and later. I saw several of the best acts that played at Sasquatch for 30 minutes longer, and at least 10 decibels higher. The food is better than you've ever had (fucking bacon scallion sauce on a steak burrito). The crowds in general are friendlier than you've ever seen (60-something year old Phish fans give you pipes that they carved from elk antlers). Radiohead plays Separator. They clean the porta-potties (that's not a word, but portal-potties is? I don't want to know) more often. The vendors give you extra chicken strips if you dress like a wizard (thank you fig). Pot from the PNW trades like gold. Maynard James Keenan makes fun of hippies. Every band mentions that it's the best festival in the country and they actually sound sincere. It rains. It pours. They have taxis that take you from your campsite to the front gates and back. Air conditioned theaters where you can watch Rambo with Doug Benson and Brian Posehn. There's a 40 foot water slide that you can use for the entire weekend for $10. Did I mention 4 hours of Phish? Alright, I'm gonna weigh in on this. Bonnaroo was an unforgettable, life-changing experience that was incredibly fulfilling. We got extremely lucky weather wise. The festival gods made us earn it in the 106 degree Coachella heat but it came full circle at Bonnaroo, where we didn't even dip into the 90's once. With that humidity even the 80's can be rough but we really did a catch a break that increased our capacity to enjoy the shit out of ourselves that much more. That being said we did encounter a CRAZY downpour on the last day right as we had packed everything up and were waiting for our friend's to pick us up. I've lived in Seattle, Panama and Florida- I've seen me some GOOD rainstorms and this one was up there. Me, Burrito and all of our belongings were soaked and the campgrounds started to flood and gurgle with mud. We drove to our friends farm dripping wet and soaked her backseat but it was cool cause we had a day to dry out. If we had been heading straight for the airport it would have been a disaster, if it had happened any other day it would have been a disaster. Risky business, that Bonnaroo weather. Crowds... By far the friendliest crowds in the nation BUT the worst flow of traffic in my opinion. Yes the stages are set up strategically so that there is no noise interference which is rad but that also means crowds are funneled into walkways that get jammed rather than open spaces like Coachella. Stages... LOUDEST of them all! But if you are vertically challenged you won't see much of anything. The stages aren't terribly tall and the tents don't have screens. Most of the time it didn't matter tho cause the music was JUST THAT GOOD. Then tens were probably Bonnaroo's biggest downfall- they got pretty hot and I couldn't see much but it ended up being sweet cause I closed my eyes and DANCED HARD and it was a whole new way to experience a show. Sleep... didn't happen, that part was hard and would have been debilitating without the help of ms molly. Such a generous lady. Oh, and... FOUR HOURS OF PHISH. Sasquatch still takes the cake, always will. Bonnaroo gives it a run for it's money but comes up short. Coachella is whatevz. The traffic was quite unusual. I don't know what it was about this year, but all Bonnaroo vets were complaining about the traffic.
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Post by Goldbart der Hexenmeister on Jun 15, 2012 21:41:01 GMT -8
My down low observation of Sas v Roo is as follows...
Stages/Venues Sasquatch wins Bonnaroo is not necessarily about seeing the bands, no screens other than the two large stages, tents are not high enough to watch, if you're average height or smaller, and you're more than 10 rows back, more than likely you're watching someone's head for most of the show.
Natural beauty Sasquatch No need to explain
Space/Layout Bonnaroo Bonnaroo is pretty much set up to dance and have lots of space to listen to the music.
Friendly Crowds Bonnaroo A way more hippie, down to earth vibe.
Weather Sasquatch Tennessee heat and the chance for violent and torrential downpours/thunderstorms trouble Bonnaroo's rating here
Arts and Crafts Bonnaroo They teach yoga, have make your own drum circles, improv classes, hula hoop classes, etc
Food/Vendor/Merch Bonnaroo Vendors of cool shit everywhere, food is amazing and cheap. I combined a spicy pie pizza with curly sweep potato fries during Phish.
Non-Music Events/Parties Bonnaroo Parades, Comedy, Cinema, Adult Swim games, etc. You could spend 4 days at Bonnaroo and never see a show and still have a fun time.
Cool peoples Tie Bonnaroo has Aussies, Sas has Canadians. But only Sas has the boarders. However, if you guys one day decided to show up to Bonnaroo, I would sexually be your guide.
Staff Bonnaroo hands down. Them peoples are all volunteers. Also Festicabs that drive you around for 5 dolla.
To be honest, Bonnaroo is a better opportunity for a great festival. It is partly what you can make it, and partly what the weather allows you to have. If all the boarders were there, I bet hands down, we would have an amazing time if the weather held.
For me Bonnaroo was a tie with Sasquatch this year but if I had to choose Sasquatch was the winner. Whereas last year, Bonnaroo was way better than Sasquatch.
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Post by Drew on Jun 16, 2012 6:57:43 GMT -8
That's an utterly fair assessment
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Post by Friendly Destroyer on Jun 16, 2012 9:48:29 GMT -8
Yeah but dragons give terrible blowies, amirite FD? This is what I've been told!
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Post by StormyPinkness on Jun 16, 2012 11:56:49 GMT -8
One of the main issues for me is being able to get enough time off work for both because I can't skip Sasquatch.
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Post by Horned Gramma on Jun 16, 2012 11:58:23 GMT -8
Goldbeard! Our time together was too brief! Miss you somethin' fierce, man.
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Post by stamper on Jun 18, 2012 13:55:29 GMT -8
I just popped in to say these Clowns are seriously fucking delusional.
Bonnaroo ain't in the same fucking ballpark as Coachella or Sasquatch, or even Lollapalooza. It ain't even in the same league. It ain't even the same fucking sport.
Bonnaroo is a good time, yes, but you guys are fucking high if you think it's the be-all end-all of American festivals.
That is all.
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Post by Dr. Crane on Jun 18, 2012 14:19:47 GMT -8
Everyone else in attendance, including the talent, tended to agree with Goldbeard.
Actually, that isn't entirely true. Feist liked Coachella the most, but she had an entire acid-soaked orchestra in tow for that one.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2012 14:20:14 GMT -8
They are probably high.
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Post by Dr. Crane on Jun 18, 2012 14:29:17 GMT -8
It's them damned banana skins.
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Post by Goldbart der Hexenmeister on Jun 18, 2012 17:34:18 GMT -8
I got so peeled, it was redick. This is what happens when you have too many bananas. Attachments:
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Post by Goldbart der Hexenmeister on Jun 18, 2012 17:39:27 GMT -8
I just popped in to say these Clowns are seriously fucking delusional. Bonnaroo ain't in the same fucking ballpark as Coachella or Sasquatch, or even Lollapalooza. It ain't even in the same league. It ain't even the same fucking sport. Bonnaroo is a good time, yes, but you guys are fucking high if you think it's the be-all end-all of American festivals. That is all. Comes to a thread, offers no reason for his opinions, shits on a parade of fun. Thinks he is an authority on anything. Your life must be so awesome, I wish I was you. What happened to you? Did a hippie shit in your coco puffs?
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Post by davers on Jun 18, 2012 17:59:08 GMT -8
Stamps (phil) has been to all 4 of the fests he mentioned, so he gets his opinion too, even if he didn't provide as much detail as you guys did.
Honestly before you guys came back with such rave reviews of Bonnaroo I probably never would have considered attending. I don't do well in heat, it's a long fucking way to go, I would have tough time getting time off work for both Sasquatch and Bonnaroo and I've heard some pretty bad things about Bonnaroo.
After hearing the great times you guys had there, I'm giving it a little more thought. If they come out with a mind blowing lineup next year, and I can swing the time off work, I'll seriously consider making the trip.
It's good to hear some people come back from this thing saying it's amazing, because the consensus from people I talk to is a resounding 'meh'.
Anyway, glad you guys had a blast.
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Post by Goldbart der Hexenmeister on Jun 18, 2012 18:04:02 GMT -8
Stamps (phil) has been to all 4 of the fests he mentioned, so he gets his opinion too, even if he didn't provide as much detail as you guys did. Honestly before you guys came back with such rave reviews of Bonnaroo I probably never would have considered attending. I don't do well in heat, it's a long fucking way to go and, I would have tough time getting time off work for both Sasquatch and Bonnaroo and I've heard some pretty bad things about Bonnaroo. After hearing the great times you guys had there, I'm giving it a little more thought. If they come out with a mind blowing lineup next year, and I can swing the time off work, I'll seriously consider making the trip. It's good to hear some people come back from this thing saying it's amazing, because the consensus from people I talk to is a resounding 'meh'. Anyway, glad you guys had a blast. To be fair, we were also lucky. We ran out of water on the last day but we would probably have had other people with enough to cover us. The heat + humidity can really shit on your parade and in your coco puffs. But I really object to it burns my britches to trash something without citing any reason other than "yeah, no." Plus... those crowds man... those crowds. Bonnaroo would improve vastly if they decided to reduce the number of festival goers by 20-30K.
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Post by stamper on Jun 18, 2012 18:49:32 GMT -8
Alright bro, I'll play along...
Here's where Bonnaroo suffers...
1. In an attempt to create the ultimate festival going experience, they have done so at the expense most important aspect... ABILITY TO ENJOY THE FUCKING MUSIC. Specifically: Over congestion. they have SO MUCH shit going on in that dust trap of a farm that it's almost impossible to get from point A to point B without being all up in someone's grill.
2. STILL NO SCREENS IN ANY OF THE TENTS. Unless you stake out real-estate, it's virtually impossible to casually walk up and find a good spot to see an artist... especially an upper-tier act. Also, the tents are super fucking tiny, super fucking crowded, and have super fucking piss-poor lines of sight. Thus, it's impossible to actually see the band you want to see.
3. IF you're going to open the festival grounds a day earlier, stop trying to cram everyone on just 3 stages on that first night. Hey AC Superfly the secret's out. Thursday night is the best night of the festival. Everyone knows now. History lesson: There once was a time when only like 60% of the attendees showed up on THursday. Therefore limiting those 60% to just 50% of the space wasn't that big a deal. Now it's more like 90% of attendees on that first night... Limiting that many people to just 50% of the space is just fucking cruel--- and potentially dangerous. Before Phantogram came on, dozens of people were nearly trampled due to over congestion. For PHANTOGRAM?!? Are you fucking kidding me? It's beyond obvious that the time has come for them to open up another stage for thursday night, if not the What Stage, then certainly the Which Stage. IT's a safety issue now. Make it happen, already.
4. Dust. Dust. Dust. So much damn dust. THis was the worst dust I've seen there since 2007. It was disgusting, actually. In previous years, the organizers would actually water the roads to keep the dust at bay. Not in 2012. We actually tried to take a picture of it all on Saturday, but couldn't actually take a photo of anything worth a shit because the dust kept on caking up the camera lens. Seriously. It was that bad. Fuck, even St. Vincent called out all the dust!
5. Why no Friday night late night act on the which stage in 2012? Lame.
6. Two different lines to get into just to get into the comedy tent? Double the wait? Double the lame.
7. I'm still not sure why Bonnaroo the only festival that charges people to take showers?
8. This ties into over congestion, but the inability to actually get into places like the Silent Disco or the ferris wheel due to their ridiculously massive lines.
9. While the spicy pie was a $ cheaper than at Coachella, it was fucking cold. Both times I tried it. Fuck that place.
10. I can't speak for all the pods, but the porto's in Pod 9's were the fucking worst. They were disgusting and the lines to wait in them were never-ending. I can't say for certain that there were more porto's in years past, but it certainly seemed like there weren't enough this year.
Here's where Bonnaroo succeeds...
1. The Brooer's Festival Beer tent. It's awesome. Seriously. Best part of Bonnaroo.
2. Having acts like Alice Cooper come out and rock the fuck out of a late night! The dude was epic.
3. The hysterical irony in the incredible ease of getting into the festival. The organizers recognize that like 75% people of the people there are fucked up anyway, so there's really no sense in checking bags for drugs and shit...
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Post by Horned Gramma on Jun 19, 2012 10:23:55 GMT -8
Q: How can you tell that Stamper missed Sasquatch 2012?
A: He gets all surly with Goldbeard.
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Post by StormyPinkness on Jun 19, 2012 11:03:04 GMT -8
Alright bro, I'll play along... Here's where Bonnaroo suffers... 1. In an attempt to create the ultimate festival going experience, they have done so at the expense most important aspect... ABILITY TO ENJOY THE FUCKING MUSIC. Specifically: Over congestion. they have SO MUCH shit going on in that dust trap of a farm that it's almost impossible to get from point A to point B without being all up in someone's grill. 2. STILL NO SCREENS IN ANY OF THE TENTS. Unless you stake out real-estate, it's virtually impossible to casually walk up and find a good spot to see an artist... especially an upper-tier act. Also, the tents are super fucking tiny, super fucking crowded, and have super fucking piss-poor lines of sight. Thus, it's impossible to actually see the band you want to see. 3. IF you're going to open the festival grounds a day earlier, stop trying to cram everyone on just 3 stages on that first night. Hey AC Superfly the secret's out. Thursday night is the best night of the festival. Everyone knows now. History lesson: There once was a time when only like 60% of the attendees showed up on THursday. Therefore limiting those 60% to just 50% of the space wasn't that big a deal. Now it's more like 90% of attendees on that first night... Limiting that many people to just 50% of the space is just fucking cruel--- and potentially dangerous. Before Phantogram came on, dozens of people were nearly trampled due to over congestion. For PHANTOGRAM?!? Are you fucking kidding me? It's beyond obvious that the time has come for them to open up another stage for thursday night, if not the What Stage, then certainly the Which Stage. IT's a safety issue now. Make it happen, already. 4. Dust. Dust. Dust. So much damn dust. THis was the worst dust I've seen there since 2007. It was disgusting, actually. In previous years, the organizers would actually water the roads to keep the dust at bay. Not in 2012. We actually tried to take a picture of it all on Saturday, but couldn't actually take a photo of anything worth a shit because the dust kept on caking up the camera lens. Seriously. It was that bad. Fuck, even St. Vincent called out all the dust! 5. Why no Friday night late night act on the which stage in 2012? Lame. 6. Two different lines to get into just to get into the comedy tent? Double the wait? Double the lame. 7. I'm still not sure why Bonnaroo the only festival that charges people to take showers? 8. This ties into over congestion, but the inability to actually get into places like the Silent Disco or the ferris wheel due to their ridiculously massive lines. 9. While the spicy pie was a $ cheaper than at Coachella, it was fucking cold. Both times I tried it. Fuck that place. 10. I can't speak for all the pods, but the porto's in Pod 9's were the fucking worst. They were disgusting and the lines to wait in them were never-ending. I can't say for certain that there were more porto's in years past, but it certainly seemed like there weren't enough this year. Here's where Bonnaroo succeeds... 1. The Brooer's Festival Beer tent. It's awesome. Seriously. Best part of Bonnaroo. 2. Having acts like Alice Cooper come out and rock the fuck out of a late night! The dude was epic. 3. The hysterical irony in the incredible ease of getting into the festival. The organizers recognize that like 75% people of the people there are fucked up anyway, so there's really no sense in checking bags for drugs and shit... So, I take it you did not like Bonaroo? You never came back to tell us until now and it seems like you are pretty pissed at it.
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Post by stamper on Jun 19, 2012 11:12:17 GMT -8
It was okay - saw some bands, grilled up some food, drank some booze... It Just was nowhere as fun as it used to be - for the above mentioned reasons. It's kinda sad, to be honest. Bonnaroo used to be a great festival - now its just an okay festival. Ultimately there is about 25,000 too many people in such a confined space - and that space is consistently decreasing with each NEW, 'exciting' addition they add to their over-stacked itinerary.
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Post by Horned Gramma on Jun 19, 2012 11:21:07 GMT -8
Ultimately there is are about 25,000 too many people in such a confined space Horned Grammar.
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