Now that initial Bonnaroo line-up has been announced, I’d like to pick-up a prior thread and offer a tidbit as well.

Let’s start with the latter. Let me serve as your Bonnaroo trip advisor and strongly suggest that you make it in for Thursday night at the festival. Bonnaroo Thursday may well be my favorite day of the festival (or at the very consistently least offers some of my Bonnaroo highlights every year). Now there is no question that the full action doesn’t begin until Friday, with the main two stages still dark on Thursday evening. However, in part because of this, Thursday night provides the opportunity to focus on regional and developing acts that one might not otherwise see. The past few years have offered my first performances from Rodrigo y Gabriela , Cat Empire, Toubab Krewe, Rose Hill Drive, Papa Mali (as a solo artist) and the spectacle that is Peelander-Z. Meanwhile Centeroo is in motion with relatively minimal foot traffic (although it is not altogether empty as I would imagine there are probably 15-30,000 folks milling about). There is an energy in the air as people finally are on site and making the rounds, anticipating all that is to follow. So if you have the chance, my tip o’ the month is Bonnaroo Thursday.

And speaking of Bonnaroo, I offered this image a few months ago…

I had asked folks to pass along their thoughts on what was happening and one of you actually came pretty close (nice work, Kev). That photo was not taken on Thursday night but is from Bonnaroo. Taylor Hill shot the photo (my refrain: wherefore art thou, Taylor Hill?). It’s a late night/early morning shot (not quite dawn, I’d guess 3 or 4AM) in the press trailer which also doubles as the Bonnaroo Beacon newspaper offices (thank you Big Hassle).

What had happened was that I had been in the Big Hassle Inner Sanctum printing out my boarding pass for eventual trip home when I was called out to look some images shot by one of our photographers. My laptop was still inside, however, when a Big Hassle staffer entered the office, walked out and closed the door. This left my laptop, which contained most of the stories and images for the Sunday edition of the paper, locked inside. No one could be roused on the Big Hassle walkie talkies so I had to knock out a grate and liberate my laptop (and the Sunday Beacon) James Bond style. Okay, James Bond wasn’t much of a crawler, so let’s say Maxwell Smart style.

So there you have it. Fun fun fun. Which incidentally I promise you’ll have this Thursday night at Bonnaroo.

Later days and peace
Dean