Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Will the Real Slim Shady Please Come Back so I can get a Picture??

So, as many of you know, last weekend about 80,000 people flocked to Manchester for one major event: Bonnaroo.
I happened to be one of those people that attended, and I LOVED it. The music was good, the people were friendly, the weather wasn't too scorching, and the sweet potato fries were delicious.
I arrived Friday in time to see Grace Potter and The Nocturnals with my awesome sister. Sadly, we had to leave before Florence and The Machine performed. As we were leaving, my sister tapped my shoulder and said "There's Florence." And yes, she was there. Five feet away from me. About to be interviewed by Fuse.
Surprised? Yes, I was very much so.
Saturday, I showed up around twelve-ish with my cousins (Beverly and Jeff) and their friends. I managed to catch the end of Dennis Coffey at What Stage, later watched !!! (pronounced chuh-chuh-chuh) then I just did my own thing for a while. I went around Centeroo, and at the Solar Stage during Hanggai, I met some nice out-of-town people: one from Clarksville and one from Chicago.
At 5-something, I went to see the highlight of my Bonnaroo 2011 experience: Mumford & Sons. I was BLOWN AWAY. Not only did they play amazingly, but for their encore they, The Apache Relay, and the Old Crow Medicine Show all got on stage and performed "Amazing Grace." I was also among some pretty great people in the crowd.
Back at the Hospitality Tent, I listened to The Black Keys for a while, then I happened to drift by one of the press tents and saw (through the open flap) Eminem getting his picture taken for a newspaper.
I had my phone out... it was in camera... I had zoomed in enough... my finger was on the button...
And then he moved.
I don't mean he moved his hand or turned his head or something like that, I mean he got up and walked out of the line of sight from the flap. I was dumbstruck.
So... moving on to Sunday. I watched Gregg Allman with my sister and two of my friends, then later laid in a hammock and listened to The Strokes at Which Stage (also with my sister).
Thus ends another year of Bonnaroo.
Fellow locals, I think we should take pride in the fact that we hold possibly the greatest Music and Arts Festival in the world, instead of complaining about those "drunken, naked, tree-hugging hippees" (which, by the way, is untrue for the majority if not all Bonnaroo goers). Bonnaroo is a great event with a positive atmosphere, a break from the ennui in life, and I know many of us are looking forward to next year.

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