Don't Be a Floozy, Get a Beer Coozy

An epic 24 hour road trip, followed by 4 days of non stop music, dancing and fun - is what I just returned from. Being off work for 7 days is a luxury I have not had since I started working two years ago, so this was a much anticipated trip - and it lived up to every expectation I had.

We started on the road to Manchester, Tennessee for the 10th anniversary of the Bonnaroo music festival at the early hour of 3am Wednesday morning. Exhausted but full of excitement we started the trip with a stop to Timmies to get our caffeine fix - although not sure it was needed as the adrenaline was pumping pretty high through the car. With luck on our side, we had no traffic, no border wait, no snags hitches or difficulties - until we arrived in Manchester. Completely drained, uncomfortable and ready to be OUT of the car, we arrived at the exit to the festival to learn it was backed up 20 miles (an approximate 12 hour wait time).

The expert navigator Anmar got on her GPS asap and found a detour that got us in to the gates in just under two hours! Tent setup in the dark was interesting, and after all was said and done we sat down to crack our first drink of the trip at just before 3am.

Without going into too much detail - the four days following this consisted of waking up with the sunrise as it was too hot to sleep any later, hiding in shade as much as was possible, drinking lots of water and no booze because of the severe heat, and listening to some of the best music I have ever heard. It was such an incredible experience, and despite its many drawbacks I would (and will) definitely go back.

My favourite bands of the weekend were Arcade Fire, Eminem, and Beirut and the bands I was most disappointed with were The Black Keys and The Strokes. The stage presence and vibe was poor with the latter bands - giving the impression they were too cool for the audience, not my kind of thing. One new artist I discovered, from a suggestion by my friend Lia was Ben Sollee. He is a cellist who plays with a woman violinist Phoebe Hunt, and a drummer (name unknown) - and they were incredible. Many of his songs are based on political and social activism and the lyrics are astoundingly profound and moving for such a young man. 

The old adage of southern hospitality could certainly be affirmed here, as the people we met were some of the most genuine, friendly and welcoming people I have ever known. The vibe of the festival was probably what I loved most about the whole weekend - never feeling an ounce of pretentiousness, negativity or danger. While some of the hippies were a bit extreme - trying to sell beer cozy's without even knowing how to pronounce the word (Be The Man, Have Frost On Your Can!) the majority of the festival goers were eager to meet new people and share a piece of the shade when needed.

Check out the picture/video slideshow below to see what the weekend consisted of: