mdhugo.com – Living life in Bellevegas!

Part two of the Bonnaroo experience.

The plan was to park where they told us and haul our stuff to tent only camping. Tent only camping is literally right across from the entrance into Centeroo. @chinacat, Lauren, and I followed Twitter all night on Wednesday looking for status updates on tent only. We were worried it would fill up before we got there, surely enough, on the way in a worker said he heard it was almost full. Needless to say, we were a little bummed. We realized quickly that they were going to put us way out in BFE. Luckily they opened another gate to a camping are and directed us in. We were the fourth car in the area (Camp Rocky Balboa). At that point we decided we were not going to haul everything to tent only to cut five minutes off the walk to Centeroo.

We park the car in our directed spot and kind of mosey to get out. I notice that all of the other cars around us were already out and setting up. I went into panic mode, afraid we weren’t going to get all of the space we needed for our stuff. I pull the shade canopy out and tell Lauren to spread the tent out as quickly as possible. It was complete chaos, by this time the row of cars behind us had pulled in and were doing the same thing. Later on, I would read this is called the "land grab." We spent the next 30 minutes or so setting up camp, introduced ourselves to the neighbors (and helped them set up their tent).

After camp was set up we decided to go for a little walk to get our bearings. There was chaos everywhere, the land grab seemed to be happening everywhere we looked. Cars were coming in from multiple directions, it really was quite a sight to see. We didn’t venture into Centeroo yet, as it didn’t look like it had opened. During the walk, the rain that made the entire place a mud pit for the weekend started. We rushed back to camp to make sure everything was staked down. We saw several tents and canopies blowing around.

 

After the rain we had a pretty nice little set-up, we rushed to put several tarps up to keep everything dry. The tent was against the south side of the canopy with a tarp going over it to keep the rain off (note to self, Coleman tents suck). Another tarp on the west side to keep the rain from blowing in and the afternoon soon at bay (total lifesaver). A piece of outdoor carpet which came in handy for afternoon naps, a couple lawn chairs, and a large Tupperware container for a table.

After the mid-morning storm it was fairly nice for the rest of the afternoon. After the rain let up, we made our way into Centeroo for the first time. On the way in we were searched pretty thoroughly, pockets were emptied, and bodies were patted down. The big no-nos to get into Centeroo were alcohol (because of the sponsors), knives, and glow sticks. Not sure why glow sticks are contraband but we didn’t have any so I wasn’t worried about it.

The first band we decided to check out was Alberta Cross. They are an alt rock/blues rock type band from Brooklyn. Their set started at 5:30PM at "That Tent". We finally got in Centeroo and to the tent partway through their first song. For a band who doesn’t even have a full length album yet (a couple short albums/EPs have been released) , they drew a good sized crowd. They have a good sound we were intriguing enough to stay for a few songs (had to keep exploring). If you like blues rock, I recommend checking them out. They have a very rough quality to their music. Very much an old school type band, think Neil Young-esque vocals.

 

The next band I really wanted to see was Delta Spirit, unfortunately their flight to Nashville didn’t get off the ground in time for their 7PM set. I didn’t hear that the festival organizers moved them to late in the night so I missed them. I highly recommend their debut album "Ode to Sunshine", it is fantastic.

Since Delta Spirit was postponed we decided to make our way over to "The Other Tent" and check out rapper MURS. MURS has been around since the mid-nineties and I have heard of him but I am not big into rap/hip-hop so I had never really listened. The most fascinating thing about his show was watching all of the "hippies" (I mean that in a loving way) dance to rap. We only stayed for one song so I can’ty provide an accurate review. I can tell you the bass was thumping!

Our last band of the day was Portugal. The Man. They are from Wasilia Alaska, a town recently made famous by Sarah Palin. I hadn’t heard much about these guys before ‘roo, but mark my words, they are going to get big. They play touch many different sounds/styles with their music. While a heart and indie rock band they also draw from blues as well as soul music. They aren’t afraid to use synthesizers or a regular drum set in their music and they do both very well. They had a great stage presence, sounded fantastic, and drew a large crowd. Give them a listen and let me know what you think.

 

At around 9:30 or so, the weather changed. The rain started back up. There was plenty of thunder and lightning, which I generally enjoy but not when there is no where to go besides a decidedly thin piece of nylon. I overheard several people say we were under a tornado watch. Lauren and I decided it was time to head back to the tent for the night and save some energy for Friday, when all of the "big" shows started.

 

 

Friday’s review coming soon!