Bonnaroo is an entirely different world, one where the air always smells of weed and the people you encounter share any kind of resources they have, the way we were taught as children but adults seldom practice.
People were kind. Musicians were gracious. Deep-fried oreos were a reality.
Friday, June 8th, 2012:
1:45 a.m. Setting up camp for the first time ever. Being two Palestinian gals, our closest thing to camping was when our water and electricity would sporadically cut out while living in the West Bank in the '90s (a more "peaceful" time).
2:14 a.m. Foundation is up after a few friendly neighbors shared tips (and a hammer).
10:41 a.m. Survived, thanks to such wonderful new friends as Brad and Paige.
Actually, Brad just told us this insane story about a guy crossing our site (Camp Luke Skywalker). His pass was revoked because he'd intended to sell a bunch of Bonnaroo koozies that were confiscated once they were found in his car during his admission the festival. After being turned away, he managed to raise enough money to buy back his pass by selling the remaining koozies at a nearby Wal-Mart.
12:48 p.m. Quite a few soccer fans in the Digital Music Lounge tent watching the Portugal vs. Greece game. The Digital Music Lounge tent, with a small stage, a few fooze ball machines, a bar, flat screen TVs and a "Free Music Kiosk" has been occasionally erupting in cheers and gasps from the crowd for the past half hour. Guess there really is something for everyone at Bonnaroo.
1:10 p.m. Perfect muthaflippin' weather. Sunny with a beautiful light breeze. Great for a trip down the "Big Ass Water Slide."
2:52 p.m. These stage names were kind of cute in the beginning ("This Tent," "That Tent," "The Other Tent," "Which Stage" and "What Stage"), but when we got to "Which Stage" instead of "What" because it has a giant question mark on it, that's pretty goddamn annoying. Rushing to get to Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.
3:08 p.m. Sharon Jones, keepin' it real and rockin' that little pink dress (despite her complaining about the lining).
3:29 p.m. "I just buried my mother in March...but I have the strength now..." Ms. Jones shared with the massive crowd that showed up to see her and the Dap-Kings. She is human after all. Jones is talking about the stresses of her life lately, the toll this profession takes on someone her age and still being jet lagged from Europe last week and her mother passing away. She says she's humble and grateful to find so much strength lately. And we are just as grateful that she's sharing her pain with us. This woman is a warrior.
3:50 p.m. "One hundred days, one hundred nights, to know a man's heart..." So that's how long it takes? Noted.
3:57 p.m. Not sure if it's the heat that's now settling in or Ms. Jone's sheer brilliance, but those last few notes she sicked on us made something inside me rattle like mad. Holy shit.
5:00 p.m. Avett Brothers opened with "Will You Return," a personal favorite that brings memories of exciting and lovely things on the horizon.
5:52 p.m. "Murder in the City" just ended. We're still crying.
6:33 p.m. More Canadians respond than folks from Tennessee when Feist tries to get a gauge of who's in the audience. "We have invaded!" she yells victoriously. Her exchanges with the crowd are among the more interesting (and funny) of the weekend. She scolded the crowd for not properly singing along when she left clear openings for them to. "Do not shake your head with such disdain, young man. You with your Radiohead t-shirt..." she said to a crowd member. She then assigned different notes to be sung, which everyone this time obliged.
