Thursday, June 9
I went with my older brother and younger sister again this year. Bonnaroo opened on Wednesday night (7 p.m.) this year, but we didn’t get there until about 2 a.m. because my brother was working Wednesday night. I was already sick before we packed our stuff up. I’d get so tired after the smallest task and would have to take breaks (packing was a pain). I took a nap before my brother came home, so I was okay by the time we hit the road. The turn to the farm was just as packed at 2 a.m. as it usually is, but it didn’t take as long for traffic to move. Well, maybe it did. I think we sat in traffic for about an hour before we got to the first check point. It might’ve just seemed like less time since the sun wasn’t out.
We (and everyone else around us) set up our tents in the dark with some flashlights. It actually went a whole lot smoother than it normally does. Seriously, there was little to no bickering. It was shocking.
Once Thursday finally rolled around, it felt like we’d been there for four days already. If you’re not up by about 6:30 a.m., you will be because it’s so hot. I don’t see how some people can sleep in until noon out there. You really do start sweating by 7, whether you’re in a tent or not.
Before coming, we (really just my sister and I) screened all of the bands/artists and put them on separate lists. We’re talking specifics. We had them narrowed down to piles like “yes,” “yes, will see depending on the time slot,” “yes, will see just to sit under the shade,” “maybe,” “maybe, depending on time,” “maybe, depending on location” (don’t ask how we were to differentiate between the overlapping lists… it made sense at the time); the “no’s” and “hell no’s” didn’t even make it onto paper.
Now I don’t remember where Uncle Skeleton landed. Couldn’t tell you if it was a yes, maybe, or hell no. I couldn’t even say who was in the band or if any of the members were uncles, skeletons, or both. We just went to see them because they were the very first act. I think I saw all of five minutes, started to get hot and left. This year the Budweiser Troo Music Lounge was changed to Miller Lite’s On Tap Lounge. I’m not sure how these things work, but Miller Lite seems to be cheap. Before, this little stage had at least some shade. It had a stretch of umbrella-like things on the sides and chairs. This year there were scattered picnic tables, misting fans (which just made it more humid), and cheap fabric with already-made holes in it stretching across the top of the stage’s tent to the bar. The thing looked like Swiss cheese. There’s no way you could get shade from that. Let’s say you were one of the lucky souls who did land a semi-shady spot. Just as soon as a slight breeze came, your shade became a hole of sunshine. I think by the second day that “shading area” cloth started to tear.
I decided to just go over to The Other Tent and wait for Hayes Carll to come on stage. A few people came by asking the Bonna-crew who was playing (“I don’t know, Carl Somebody”) or asking directions, confessing they lost their map. How do you lose your booklet the first day?
Hayes Carll came on (I couldn’t really see anything) and sounded good. There were some creepy older guys sitting next to us who loudly talked to some freshmen college girls about Austin, Texas, and their waitress jobs. Annoying. There was also a guy in front of me who looked exactly like David Tennant, except younger. I swear. I wish I snapped a pic but didn’t.
I wanted to see Freelance Whales but they were playing at another tent, so I just stuck around where I was at. I wanted to see if Jack White would play with Karen Elson, who was playing at the same tent Hayes Carll was at. No such luck. I did see him walking backstage, though, with his kids. I guess that was enough. Karen was great and the crowd really got into her set. Next up on my list was Miniboone (I could only vaguely imagine what they sounded like but recognized the name and remembered we’d put it on a “yes” list at some point), The Drums, Sleigh Bells (not my personal choice but more of a tag-along thing), Deerhunter, and The Band of Heathens. My feet were hurting and I was tired, though, so we just went back to the camp super early and called it a night at around 8 o’clock. Out of that list, I wish I saw The Drums and The Band of Heathens. I could’ve rested and gone back at 1 a.m. to see the latter, but sleep was all too important. Since I was sick, I wanted to make sure I was rested up for the next day, so I just downed some NyQuil and hit the lumpy Manchester farmland beneath me.
