A few months back eight of my closest friends and I formed our “Roo Crew” and decided to pull the trigger and purchase tickets to our first Bonnaroo experience. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Bonnaroo is one of the largest music festivals in the world, which spans four days, and takes place on a 700 acre farm. I’ve been to my fair share of music festivals, but never one on this scale with an attendance of 90,000+ die hard music fans. Bonnaroo has over seven stages with time slots constantly overlapping so it was important to pick your battles wisely. It’s impossible to hit everyone of your favorite shows, let alone have a decent spot in the crowd for all of them. One thing especially peculiar about Bonnaroo is how they name each stage such as: Which Stage, What Stage, This Tent, That Tent, and The Other Tent. I don’t know why they do this, but they are clearly messing with everyone of the attendees, yet somehow you catch on pretty quickly. Now it’s basically impossible to captivate my entire experience into words, but I’ll try my best to narrow it down as best as I can.

This musical excursion took weeks of planning and detailed organization considering we’d be camping for five nights, and being prepared is everything when you’re in the middle of a farm for that many days, despite the fact that if flies by in the blink of an eye. So, we packed up our tents, cots, canopies, tarps, food, and excessive amounts of water and hit the road. After sitting in the line of traffic for two hours we finally passed through the gates, and set up our camp (which could not have been in a better location considering it was merely a five minute walk to the main gates of “centeroo” versus the 45 minute trek other Bonnaroovians went through). By 4:30 am Wednesday night/Thursday morning we finally hit the sack, and I could barely bring myself to get some sleep because of all the excitement bursting through my veins.

Going into the trip, it was very uncertain what the weather outlook would be like. The days preceding the festival were filled with torrential downpours, and mid-June afternoons in past years at Bonnaroo have hit the 100 degree mark, but, like everything else on this trip, our luck could not have been any better. There was hardly a drop of rain despite a few refreshing drizzles, and the heat never became unbearable. I’m pretty sure the weather never topped 82 the first two days we were there, which in itself is a miracle.

Thursday is the shortest day of the festival, as music only runs from 3 in the afternoon until 2 am (that’s an early night when on the farm). The first show of the day was brought to us by a band called Wild Feathers. I had never heard of them before, but decided to check them out since one of the best parts about Bonnaroo is discovering artists you wouldn’t typically find yourself listening to.

Afterwards, we hit up a funky electronic duo called Cherub at That Tent. Everyone in my Roo Crew was eager to this group perform so we made sure to get to the stage plenty early in order to get a decent spot in the crowd. With an attendance as large as Bonnaroo, it’s pretty much a necessity to get to the stage an hour early if you want to solidify a spot up close, but we had no clue we’d be thrown into the pits of one of the most crowded shows of the weekend. There was such a flux of people going in and out from the tent that masses of people were being pushed and pulled closer and farther from the front. There was literally nothing you could do about it, everyone was shoulder to shoulder, packed like sardines, swaying in every direction struggling to stay on their feet. I had never experienced a crowd so intense before, and the music hadn’t even started at that point, but once it did, it was absolute chaos (in the best way possible). This band had the crowd grooving with their heavy musical build-ups, falsetto party lyrics, and dancey beats. A great show to start our first night at Bonnaroo.

Next up that night I checked out a band called White Denim, who I was extremely eager to see after I randomly checked them out after seeing their name on the Bonnaroo bill. The group is a four person band consisting of expert guitar players and an amazing drummer. They completely exceeded my expectations. At one point I even looked up to see some random fan had made his way onto the stage thrusting his fists in the air in the middle of a song, looking like a douche bag pretty much. The lead guitarist casually walked over to him, looking like he was going to whisper something in his ear, then, out of nowhere, the guitarist head-butts the deranged fan square in between the eyes. The fan was then hauled away by two large security guards. Once the song had ended the guitarist chimed in, “Man, I hope the guy’s alright… kinda… not really,” which was then received by a large applause from the audience. It was awesome.

Friday afternoon kicked off with my good friends St. Paul and the Broken Bones, who I’ve documented earlier as being one of my favorite up and coming acts out of Birmingham. Man did they bring some soul to that crowd too. Despite them playing in the hot afternoon they still performed in their classy suit attire. At one point, lead man Paul shared an amazing story with the crowd, talking about how he had stood right where we were in the crowd. Paul had attended six Bonnaroos before this, but never as a musician, always as a fan, and he even volunteered with the crew one year. While sharing this news he was on the brink of tears, and you could tell this was such an emotional moment for him. It was so uplifting to see such a talented group fulfill their dreams.

We then retreated to our campsite to rest up for the shows ahead. Resting the legs and drinking plenty of water is essential to a successful weekend out there, as much as I would have liked to see every show. That afternoon I had to deal with a scheduling conflict. Two of my favorite bands, Dr. Dog and the Wood Brothers, played at the same time which absolutely killed me. We decided to check out Dr. Dog, and watching from afar I wasn’t necessarily impressed, which hurt so much worse when I heard the Wood Brothers had played a spectacular show. You can’t win em all.

Later that afternoon we caught two spectacular sets from both Phoenix and Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend performed on the What Stage which is the biggest stage at Bonnaroo, and let me tell you this thing is MASSIVE. I’ve never seen a stage so big in front of such a vast lawn. You have to see it in person to really get the full effect.

I decided to leave Phoenix early to catch the infamous headliner, Kanye West. Surprisingly, he came out on time unlike his last appearance in 2008 at Bonnaroo where he took the main stage five hours late! So there was already some bitterness in the air from many Bonnaroovians, but I told myself to give him a fair shot. Kanye takes the stage with heavy light and video production all around him, wearing a sequenced mask that covered his entire face. I found myself enjoying the first few songs, and it seemed like the whole crowd was getting into it… and then came a typical Yeezus stunt.

For half an hour, Kanye babbled to the crowd, reiterating over and over about how he was playing in front of a 90,000 person crowd, basically tooting his own horn. He compared himself to a list of influential figures such as Henry Ford, Shakespeare, Walt Disney, and David Stern. He then mentioned that great people such as John Lennon and Jim Morrison had movies dedicated to them, and that everyone in the crowd was a apart of “his movie.” In between all of this he would sing in his autotuned voice “God’s Plan” over and over. Then out of nowhere he starts screaming “WHERE DA PRESS AT?” belligerently at his audience almost as if he was mad at us. That’s when the boo’s staring coming out, and now I can officially say that after giving “Yeezus” a fair shot I couldn’t take it any longer and joined in on the boo’s, and man did it feel liberating! Classic Kanye– had a good thing going for him and just had to screw it all up. Shortly after, we left the stage mid-set shaking our heads as he screamed “I’M THE BIGGEST ROCKSTAR ON THE PLANET,” which would soon be proven wrong.

Right after Kanye, a real rapper, Ice Cube, took over Which Stage. His theme of the night was to “keep it gangsta” and he did that in the most fun way possible, playing all of his old-school hits. It was a rap party at it’s finest. One benefit of showing up to Ice Cube’s show was the fact that it solidified us a solid spot for the person who would be taking the stage an hour after him, and that person was SKRILLEX.

Two words can describe Skrillex’s 2 hour set that lasted till nearly 4 am: bass and lazerrrrs. This DJ show began with a countdown broadcasted across the screens and once the clock hit zero it was complete anarchy, the fans jump, head bang, and throw packs of glows sticks and water across the entire crowd. The production at a Skrillex show is completely absurd. First off, his DJ booth is a graffiti-filled spaceship that transforms throughout the course of the set. The spaceship rises higher and higher with wings and panels extending from all sides. Fog machines line the stage which blast off at any one of his “drops” with such authority, and they only enhance the effects that his light show produces. This show was definitely one of the high points of the weekend, and wrapped up our Friday night. It was hard to believe that we still had two music-filled days ahead of us.

Before I go any further, I want to go into detail about the “Bonnaroovian Code” and the way fellow music lovers conduct themselves at a place like Bonnaroo. Basically the code is to always be nice and courteous to your neighbors, and to never be “that guy,” and pretty much all 90,000 people stand by this code. When you’re thrown into vast pits of people trying their best to get the best spot in the crowd it can be pretty easy to become upset with those around you, but at Bonnaroo everyone goes by this golden rule. This code helps everyone form instant friendships with the people around you with extreme ease. For instance, one afternoon we noticed some random guy sprinting across the festival grounds shouting and waving his arms, at first he looks like a mad man but he eventually catches up to a guy, taps him on his shoulder, and says,”you dropped your wallet man,” and politely hands the wallet to the stranger. The stranger thanked him over and over to which the courteous samaritan simply responds with, “only at Bonnaroo!”

Another great part about Bonnaroo, THE FOOD! Grilling hot dogs everyday at the camp site become a little boring, so it was such a relief to buy all sorts of uniquely delicious foods through different vendors and food trucks sprawled across the grounds. Whether it’s Spicy Pie, amish doughnuts, jalapeno corn dogs, or my favorite of the week, The Roti Rolls food truck. Roti Rolls serves a unique taco called the Thurman Murman, which is a crazily flavored tortilla with mac and cheese, juicy pulled pork, spicy kimchi, and a drizzle of sriracha hot sauce over the top. Literally, the best thing I had all weekend and my mouth is watering right now just typing this.

Now back to the music. Saturday afternoon I returned to the main stage to catch another favorite band which I had previously written about, Tedeschi Trucks Band. This was a much different setting than when I first saw them a few months back in a small theater, but their show carries over just as well to a large outdoor venue. It fits to say that they haven’t lost their step and probably never will with such a large and talented group. I then scurried over to That Tent to catch Grouplove, but it was too little too late. They had an overwhelming crowd, and I tried my best to get to decent spot, but all I could see was the back of the persons head standing in front of me. So I backed off, and decided I would head over to The Other Tent to lock down a spot for the incredible guitarist John Butler. This guy is truly a master of his craft, which was extremely evident when he played a 10 minute version of his song, “Oceans” which felt transcendental as every single person in the crowd clapped along.

John Butler ended and once again it was decision time. Jack White was slated as the headliner for Saturday, and his name, above all, was pretty much why I decided to attend Bonnaroo. However, the DJ, Zedd, played right before him on a different stage and his set was scheduled to end as Jack White’s started. So I took what I had learned by that point and decided that if I truly wanted to enjoy Jack White’s show I pretty much had to sit out Zedd’s performance, so I wouldn’t screw myself over by fighting through crowds from one stage to another just so I could see the performers look like ants from the back of the lawn. On top of that, it meant I would have to split from my Roo Crew, which was no easy decision. They were set on seeing Zedd just as I was set on seeing Jack White, which I can’t blame them for at all. To each his own. Luckily, I was not alone ,as I had a companion in the crew who was just as pumped to see Mr. White as myself. On top of all of that, it also meant that I would be able to catch the end of Lionel Richie’s set who played directly before Jack White on the same stage. I was a bit baffled at the fact that Lionel would be playing at a place like Bonnaroo, but let me tell you it was a party! So many forgotten hits are in that man’s catalog, most notably Brick House and All Night Long.

Leading up to the weekend, I was fearful that I was almost too excited to see Jack White. I had seen him a few years earlier at the Hangout Fest, before I was familiar with him at all, and he completely blew me away. His performance on the beach landed on my list of top three shows ever. White’s new album had been released two days before Bonnaroo, I had been listening to his music non-stop before arriving to the festival, and I thought there was no way that he could live up to the picture I had painted in my mind. I was wrong.

A little background on Jack White. He has been apart of three different projects in his career before going solo: The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, and most notably one of the most iconic rock groups of all time, The White Stripes. Jack White now resides in and operates his Third Man Record Label in Nashville, which is a short hour from the Bonnaroo grounds, so it was safe to say that this was HIS festival. Remember earlier when I mentioned that Kanye had claimed himself as the biggest rock star on the planet? Well, I think Jack White got word of this outburst and took it to heart. It was his time to show Bonnaroo who the true rock star was.

White is backed by an absurdly talented six person band, which consists of a violin, bass, drums, piano, harmonica, and pedal steel, and the chemistry between all of them is astounding. The backdrop for the stage is set to a white, black, and blue undertone which illuminates White’s hauntingly pale skin tone and jet black hair. White dresses himself in Southern Gothic attire with a black suit, black fedora, suspenders, and crazily designed button down shirt. The set, dress, and production meshes flawlessly to give the stage an epic and ominous feel.

White played the perfect balance from all his past works/bands and they flowed together seamlessly. So many times it was hard to tell when one song ended and the next began. Some songs lasted over ten minutes with extra shredding and jams sandwiched in between, going in and out of choruses. Jack White completely owns the stage, leading the entire direction of the band, walking from band member to band member, jumping off of drum sets, sharing mics with fellow singers, having battles back and forth with the female violinist, or the the man posed as some sort of scientist helming the pedal steel.

After two songs in White addresses the audience, “Come on Tennessee, I KNOW YOU!” which was received by a roar from the crowd. He then went on to talk about the press as well. A few weeks prior to Bonnaroo, White put on the cover of a Rolling Stone issue which put him in an unfavorable light and stirred up some controversies with fellow musicians. He turned to the crowd to say, “Who makes music happen? Does a tabloid like Rolling Stone make it happen?” he exlaimed, “YOU AND I MAKE IT EXIST!” After scorching through a few more songs he returned to the crowd to say “Whether you’re a businessman, a doctor, or a lawyer, whatever it is you do, I thank you for doing it!” White made an effort to talk to his crowd, not at them. **cough Kanye cough**

Jack White had the crowd not eating, but gorging from the palm of his hand. Mid-song White would start clapping his hands to the beat of the drums and the audience would follow in suit. Between guitar riffs the audience would, in unison, shout WOOS! along to the jam-filled, distortion heavy melodies. After ending the set with an amazing Led Zeppelin cover, White walked off stage, but after a ten minute hiatus where the crowd chanted “Oohh oh oh oh oh ohhh ohhh” to the tune of his arena rocker “Seven Nation Army,” White reappeared on the stage for his encore. White returned, not just for one song, not two songs, but A TEN SONG ENCORE, included were songs from his back catalog that hadn’t been performed in over five years. In perfect fashion, he ended with an eight minute version of “Seven Nation Army” that had the crowd singing along every bit of the way. White then walked up to the mic, introduced all of his band members, and shouted his thank you’s saying, “We all know that in your heart you love music! You love music I know it!” they took their bow, and his final words were, “You have been incredible and I have been Jack White. Thank you.” The show lasted over two and a half hours (45 minutes longer than the scheduled time), and it was absolutely the best show I have ever seen in my life.

My friend and I walked away from the stage knowing we had witnessed something legendary, our jaws still dragging across the ground. I had no clue what I was going to do with myself for the rest the night, being in such awe.

I wasn’t lost for long though. I reunited with my roo crew that same very night and got into the pit for Kaskade’s late-night set which was absolutely insane! So much bass to the face! Streamers and confetti everywhere, showering all over us! After watching the sun rise over the festival grounds, it was time to get our last bit of sleep in leading up to our final day at Bonnaroo.

Sunday was a scorcher, by far the hottest day of the trip, but that didn’t stop us from seeing great music. We powered through the beating sun to see awesome sets from the super-cool Arctic Monkeys, indie duo Broken Bells, and folk rocking The Avett Brothers. By the time Wiz Khalifa came to the stage my legs felt like jello. Everyone in the crowd tried their best to dance along to the rapper’s beats, but in reality it looked like everyone was doing “the Bernie” from pure exhaustion.

Elton John wrapped up the magical weekend as the headliner for Sunday, playing a slew of hits. While Elton performed “Rocket Man” a fellow fan released a Buzz Lightyear balloon, illuminated by laser pointers, into the air, which seemed all too fitting. After hearing him perform Tiny Dancer, my weekend was complete.

Bonnaroo was everything I wanted it to be and more. I saw a total of 25 shows, from all different genres, over the course of four days. That is a true music lover’s heaven. Lastly, I want to give a big shout out to my entire Roo Crew. You guys know who you are! I could not have picked a better group to share this amazing journey with.

Will I be back to Bonnaroo? Of course! Will I ever be able to top my first experience? Doubtful!

Rating: 10/10

Jack White- Seven Nation Army Live at Bonnaroo 2014