Year after year, Bonnaroo proves to be the event of the summer. It’s such a household name in music lovers lives, that no matter who is playing, they keep showing up. It’s more than a festival…it’s a life changing experience.
Yes, it’s hot. Yes, it rains, No, the smell in the air isn’t like roses. But no one seems to care…they keep coming back.
And the midst of all the glorious, I live happily in a little world called the Sonic Village.
On Wednesday night I have an annual tradition….I take a solo mission out toward where “Tent City” is coming alive, watch the sunset (and I am CRAZY about Bonnaroo sunsets), and take a moment to reflect on how grateful I am to be given the chance to come back every year. It’s a dream to work at a festival I have so much affection for while having creative freedom to book, manage & emcee the Sonic Stage.
So here’s my Bonnaroo sunset during my annual moment where space and time stand still and pure love fills my soul.
This is my ABSOLUTE favorite Thursday morning photo. I take it every year at 8:00am. Traffic into Bonnaroo is consistent for well over 24 hours. It’s not that they don’t have a good system in place, it’s that getting 80,000 people onto the grounds takes a long time.
The festival now has their own Ben & Jerry’s flavor, “Bonnaroo Buzz!” Jerry was wandering around Centeroo and I couldn’t help but tell him how much I’ve grown up eating his yummy ice cream.
The Sonic Stage runs Friday – Sunday and I booked a bunch of great bluegrass bands on Friday including the super talented Punch Brothers. I’ve known Chris Thile and Noam Pikenly for years.
Speaking of knowing a band for years, I believe that I have known the Disco Biscuits the longest…since 1997. At a bar called Crossroads in NYC, I went up to them and said that I would do anything to be one of their street teamers. Right then and there, a lifelong friendship began. They put a lot of effort into planning their set on the stage (all Sonic Stage sets are only 30 minutes). The crowd was huge and I was really proud of the boys.
Umphrey’s played right after the Biscuits and Brock came to sit in with them. Needless to say, we had a very cool backstage hang goin on.
Once we shut the stage down at dusk, I get to go run around the festival, off duty as a boss and on duty as a music fan. So obviously I ran over to catch the last hour of Franti on the Which Stage. The show was delightful, Michael and the boys are reaching new heights of success, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for them.
After their show, I went to congratulate them on their tour bus and got a serious hug from Carl Young. There’s some real love going on right here
Late night….
Late night is hard for me to pull off since I get up so early for the work the next day and can’t afford not to be “on.” However, I wasn’t going to miss seeing some of Daryl Hall & Chromeo. The show was SO much fun, such a major sing-along and it was really obvious how much time and attention each musician put into the unique performance. It was impressive.
What was MORE impressive was Daryl Hall’s pre-show activity…hairdryer, mirror and gel….the end result was a fabulously 80s feathered do.
Time for some serious Saturday fun….Big Sam’s Funky Nation is taking us all by storm. Upbeat funk, constantly danceable, and ubber gifted, Sam’s got moves that will make you laugh out loud, he’s THAT groovy!
Not only is he an incredible musician, but also he’s extremely creative. I was honored when he prepared a special “gospel set” just for the Sonic Stage. Afterwards, he proceeded to hop off the stage and parade through the crowd to his CD signing. Now, THAT’s imaginative!
The most interesting band I had on the Sonic Stage all weekend was Clutch. The reason I say that is because the Sonic Stage allows bands to strip down from their normal performance and give their fans something extra special. Clutch, normally a harder rock band, performed acoustic for the very first time. Not only that, but they practiced their songs and striped down the versions during rehearsal so that they were rearranged to match their desired sound. It paid off….the fans went nuts. And I became a new fan, full of insatiable respect.
GWAR – no, they didn’t perform on my stage but I do book the CD signings and they had to hang around my backstage for a few before their fans could be wrangled into an organized line. For 20 minutes, we got to watch them play their roles….speak in their weird voices, romp around in those insane outfits….it was a sight not to miss. Now, I couldn’t stay up for their 3:00am show where they spewed fake blood into the crowd and apparently Margaret Cho proceeded to mock giving the lead man, Dave, a blow job as fake blood came out of his plastic penis, but my 20 minutes with them was pretty monumental.
When I fall in love and embrace a band, I give them all I’ve got…..my next quest: ORGONE. Soulful, funky with a Latin groove, this band has got it all.
Speaking of embracing, I have tried to put my arms around Martin Sexton and his music since the moment I heard him so many years ago. He’s literally an angel sent to grace us with his vocals and song writing. So when I booked him for the stage, I requested a solo performance. He’s great with the band, but nothing beats Martin solo belting Hallelujah. I’ve gotta say, this photo captures his essence beautifully.
This next photo is a moment. It’s moment of two friends who just don’t get to spend enough time together. I’ve known Billy since 2000 and every chance I get, I want him around me.
I actually want all 3 of the boys around me as much as possible. MMW has changed my life in extraordinary ways and I love them very much. Here’s a funny story. One of my assistants was driving the boys to the stage and said, “Thanks for coming to play the Sonic Stage.” Medeski replied, “We could never say no to Annabel.” Then Chris Wood said, “We can’t get a word in with her, but if we could, it wouldn’t be no.”
I laugh out loud every time I tell that story because anyone that knows and loves me for who I am knows that I like to talk.
It’s not only an honor to get to book, manage and emcee the stage each year, but when bands like Blues Traveler say YES to my request (and note: none of the bands who perform on my stage get paid), I feel even more humbled.
Blues Traveler is a force not to be reckoned with. After a weekend of hard work, I was tired, no doubt. But I had to bring my professional and personal A Game for the final band of the weekend. Popper, the band, and their crew were all smiles and compliments regarding my team.
I love this photo of Popper and me with the typed out setlist for the Sonic Stage. Once again, it shows that they take pride in playing this special performance.
And of COURSE they had the biggest crowd of the weekend. It extended past the Sonic Village arch!
Each year, my team and I take a group shot. Because I was so impressed at how top notch everyone I worked with was this year, I asked Blues Traveler if we could take a photo with them. Not only were they happy to comply, but they posted this photo complete with a paragraph of thanks on their website for taking such good care of them at Bonnaroo!!!! Pretty sweet!
For me, Bonnaroo is magical: the music, the people, the lay of the land, the sunsets and more…On Sunday evening as we were shutting down the stage after an amazingly successful year, the sky was turning pink, the clouds were peacefully lingering over the site, and Phoenix was blasting from the Which Stage nearby.
I started to dance with abandon. I started to smile so deeply that the entire moment turned into a surrendering….the flow and rhythm of the experience sent power throughout my body.
My co-worker was driving me back to the admin compound when Phoenix’s 1901 came blasting into Centeroo. I asked her to stop so I could listen, as I love that song. I started dancing and the golf cart starting shaking. “Go,” she said. “I’ll watch your stuff.” Accepting her offer, I ran into the grass and proceeded to let go of everything. I was completely satisfied on a physical, mental and spiritual level. I felt completely free as I let the dominant song embody every inch of my soul.
What a way to end yet another astonishing event, right?
I want to be back so badly. I am already counting the days until next year for the 10th Bonnaroo!
