Unfortunately, as you may have guessed from the lack of entries this past weekend, we were unable to go to Lollapalooza this year, so this is the end (for now) of my little blog.

Thank you to GMNext for giving us the opportunity to go to Rothbury and have an amazing experience there.

And of course, thanks to Rachel for being my awesome photographer!

Kyle Gass

Oh yeah, here's my claim to fame photo:

That's me and Rachel on the right and some of the other GM interns. I'd love to give credit for this photo, but all I know is that someone with GMNext took it.

Sunday @ Rothbury

Okay, not gonna lie. By Sunday, Rothbury had worn me out.
I was so dirty it was beginning to hurt (no shower since Thursday a.m., it's sexy, I know), I was tired of sleeping in a freezing cold smelly tent and I was tired of the sun sucking the life out of me.

Still we trekked out to the festival ground one last time. We wandered around for a bit at souvenir shops and settled in for John Mayer.

He came started with his more popular, radio hit songs, which revved the crowd up.

He sounded great too...Well I mean to say it sounded just like his CD but live, so to me that's pretty good quality. We had to duck out after a few songs because there was no NO WAY that we were missing ANY of the Brother Ali/Atmosphere set.



The Minnesota Rhymesayers: Atmosphere and Brother Ali...For those who don't know, they're hip-hop artists from the Midwest and they are amazing. I know a lot of people might call them sell-outs or whatever, but I don't care...They put on such a great show and were so respectful to the crowd that it was hard not to love em'. After every song they thanked the crowd, constantly saying "you're beautiful," and other statements that I doubt Snoop has ever uttered.

Okay, so I was a little disappointed that Atmosphere played a few more songs than Brother did. Not to mention Brother didn't really play much (that I can recall) from his older album, Shadows on the Sun and didn't play the best songs from his newer album. Regardless, it was still awesome. Atmosphere played some greats--really good ones off his new CD and of course the classics, "GodLovesUgly," "Tryin' to Find a Balance," "Always Coming Back Home..." and a few others that have escaped my mind at the moment.
All you really need to know is that it was fantastic and I would say it was up there as one of the best shows I saw all weekend. (I know many disagree, but whatever).

So that was Rothbury folks.


Now I have a few weeks of relaxation before the Lollapalooza chaos ensues!

Saturday @ Rothbury

By Saturday, the mildly uncomfortable heat had transformed itself into burning-hell-sauna-like conditions. The lines for showers, ice and the sinks were all about an hour/hour and a half long.
Still, we headed back out to the blistering heat to see some more shows.

We briefly saw State Radio at the Odeum. I liked a lot of their older songs, but they played this new one about Guantanamo that was absolutely horrendous. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to politically-charged songs ( I love em) but they made some stupid rhyme with Guantanamo and screamed it at the top of their lungs, over and over and over, until the horrible song was over. I guess, in a nutshell, you could say I wasn't super impressed with their performance.

We skipped the rest of their set and headed to the media tent...where we met this dude:

Look it's Kyle Gass!
The GMNext folks booked us some time to chill with the musician/comedian/actor (He's 1/2 of the band Tenacious D and did the voice of KG Shaw in Kung Fu Panda, among other things)

So we chilled with Kyle for a bit, talking about Tenacious D, Kung Fu, breakfast foods (specifically a hatred for continental breakfasts at hotels) and the strange ways of the band Of Montreal.

Then he showed us his (and GMNext's) bus.

This is where Kyle does all his interviews with artists at the festival. The videos from them can be found on the GMNext Plug In site.

The Black Keys at the Ranch Arena
They seem like very interesting characters...

Their facial expression alone were enough to keep me entertained.

Another great face...

A new method of avoiding paparazzi? Or just a rockstar-kinda pose?

The Black Keys were great...They played a decent amount of songs from their new album but didn't neglect their old songs either. They were really fun to listen to and watch.

Confession time: After Rachel had taken a sufficient amount of photos, we decided to lay down on a lawn blanket and ended up completely zonking out. This is most embarrassing because we weren't too far back from the stage. It must have been the heat/lack of sleep/exhaustion because that music was LOUD. I guess you could say we got rocked to sleep? Okay bad joke, I'm sorry.

In the evening, we put on some warm clothes and headed to Dave Matthews. By the time we made it to his set, the venue was PACKED.

We sat way back at the top of the hill, so we could barely see Dave (forget trying to take pictures) but this is a little peak at what the surrounding area looked like at night

We decided to go exploring through the Sherwood Forest after Dave. We followed a bunch of blue Christmas lights until they brought us to a little Zen garden. After walking along the Zen garden, we stumbled upon this...a secret stage (apparently State Radio had a "secret show" here the night before). Saturday night at the secret stage brought on a mix of theatrical/mime-like acts of talent and some DJs.

We did see some of STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9). Maybe it's because I'm not familiar with their music, or that whole scene, but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be expecting. Everyone who liked STS9 said that their performance was amazing. To me? Meh?

On the way out, we did end up catching a little bit of DJ Rekha, which (according to her MySpace) is a combo of hip-hop and electronica infused with South Asian styles of music. It was really really cool sounding, I highly recommend her.

Friday @ Rothbury

Happy Fourth of July everyone!!

Here's what went down on the fourth at Rothbury
(Photos provided by the lovely Rachel Hines)

The crowd seemed more patriotic than I expected from a "hippie" festival...


So, there's no photos of the Wailers because we ended up missing their show (Sorry!)...we did spot a Wailer (forgive me, I have no idea which one) doing an interview in the media tent. We eavesdropped on the interview a bit and heard him sing a new Wailers song, which was fantastic.

Then we headed to Snooooooooop Dogg.
So, you had the Wailers, who are active in ending world hunger, and then you have Snoop, who comes out with a diamond-studded microphone which is probably worth enough money to end world hunger. I'm not hating, I'm merely noting the differences between the two...and pointing out Snoops ridiculousness.


Snoop's performance was great. I don't think anyone in the crowd was a die-hard fan, but it's hard not to get excited about seeing Snoop Dogg.

In true Snoop Dogg style (aka too messed up to know what's going on), the rapper seemed to think he was in East Lansing. This was no "oops he accidentally said the wrong city" thing either, he really really thought he was in East Lansing. He started the show with "What's up East Lansing?" and later said something to the effect of "How we doin' East Lansing?" and then ended the show with a "Thank you East Lansing."

I really think his confusion with where he was made the show a million times better.

311 sounded great, they came out with lots of energy which the crowd seemed to reciprocate.

They were super animated on stage, constantly moving, jumping and running about.

The 311 crowd

More 311 ...(not sure why all that empty space is around the photo, you'll have to work with me, I'm a technology idiot)

We caught some Modest Mouse after that, which, to me, was mediocre at best. The lead singer seemed out of breath and uninterested in his performance. Still, I heard from others that later in their set they played a lot of old songs and seemed more into it.

We opted to stop by Sage Francis, who was also a bit of a disappointment. He was playing a newer song which was filled with some cliche/stupid sounding lines. We heard from another friend, however, that he ended up getting into more of his older stuff and put on a great show. Seems we had some bad timing.

We decided to take a food/water/nap break from the festival and get out of the sun for a bit. (the heat was comparable to Bonnaroo, I kid you not). We headed back out to Primus at 12:30 a.m.


Here they are on their astronaut-theme stage, isn't it sweet?

Primus is goofy, but they put on a great show. I don't know them well enough to say what songs they performed and whatnot but the show was good.

Welcome to Rothbury: Day 1.5

Alright...it's day two of the Rothbury music festival and I'm here to fill you in on all the sights, sounds and everything else. (All photos taken by Rachel Hines)


Welcome to Rothbury!!
Double J Ranch, our home for the next few days!

Yay, no traffic!
Our wait in the traffic was minimal because we came later in the afternoon. Because we came late, however, we got kinda screwed on the campsite location. We are literally one of the very last plots on the property. The plot must have been an afterthought too, because it's a corn field. While they didn't plant anything this year, the remnants of years past are evident--ears of old corn, shin-high stalks--really not ideal flooring for camping. Oh well, its worth it.
Great festival tip that I managed to forget about--bring a flag! Tents are impossible to find at night, and even sometimes during the day. Brightly colored, unique flags are an awesome way of spreading good vibes too.

One word: Overflow. EW.

The entrance is filled with lots of really cool art.

The Tripolee Domes!!

The "Sherwood Forest" is a mix of man and nature. Tall trees create a shady escape from the festival's heat while the woods are decorated with Christmas lights, intricate florescent strings and other shiny wonders.

Hooray for green initiatives! These nice people in the bright shirts that say "One Person Who Cares" help festival goers figure out what to recycle, throw out or put in compost

The Sherwood Stage

An expensive but fun mode of festival transportation

Maybe it was because it was my first experience at the Tripolee Domes, but Lotus was freaking awesome. The domes are cage-like structures that slightly resemble Epcot Center at Disney World. At night, strobes and colorful lights dance and flicker inside these domes, illuminating the glow-stick laden dancers. The photos hopefully give you an idea of what the atmosphere was like.

Glowstick Mania!!

There much more to tell and show but that's it for now because we're off to the Wailers, Snoop Dogg, 311, Primus and a lot more.

Rothbury!!

Finally, the day has come!
I'm headed off to Rothbury, MI bright and early tomorrow morning! I'm currently feeling a mixture of super-excited kid-on-Christmas-morning and over-caffienated, still-packing psycho woman (hopefully that'll wear off by morning).

For the festival, I'm taking my trustee companion Rachel Hines, my best friend and awesome photographer. We'll be providing full coverage of Rothbury shows via words (I know, boring), videos and photos.

Here's a breakdown of the bands on our must-see list--one's that we're super stoked for and will definitely or almost-definitely be covering on the blog:

THURSDAY

Disco Biscuits --11:15 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
I don't know them too well but have heard they put on a killer show.

DJ Rootz --12:00-2:00 a.m.
Another one I don't know too well, but am anxious to check out.

FRIDAY

We're gonna try to do some yoga in the morning 10-10:50 or 11:15-12:05. Its put on by the Spiritual Gangsters, which, in itself, sounds slightly enticing, slightly gimmicky.

The Wailers --2:30-3:30 p.m.
No real explanation here...Rachel and I just wanna see em!

Snoop Dogg-- 4:15-5:30
Look, I'm not a real huge fan of Snoop Dogg (sorry if I offend). But he's just one of those guys you gotta see, one of those shows you gotta see. He's sure to put on a great show too, so I'm pumped.

311-- 6:15-7:45 p.m.
I've seen them once before, years ago, they have really good on-stage energy that you'll dig even if you're not a big fan of their music.

Modest Mouse --7:00-8:30 p.m.// Sage Francis --7:15-8:30 p.m.
I'm still a little torn up about this one because Sage Francis is on at the same time...and they're both great. I think we'll wait to make a last-minute decision between the two.

Primus 12:30-2:30 a.m.
There's be some acts before Primus that we'll cover, but we're still indecisive about who (Of Montreal v. Widespread Panic). But Primus is another can't-miss band to see.

SATURDAY

Trampled By Turtles 12:45 -1:30 p.m.
Rachel really wants to see Trampled by Turtles because she likes their name. Neither of us have really heard anything about them. We'll probably cover them unless we end up being preoccupied with something else.

State Radio --2:45-3:45 p.m. // Think Tank "How America's YOUTH Are Driving the Energy Revolution --2:45-4:15
Another difficult toss up. State Radio's music is so fun, and their live performances are really great...but my inner dork wants to feel empowered by alternative energy and the next generation of American thinkers. Maybe Rach and I will split up for this. Also involved in the toss-up: The Hoop Dance Workshop --3:45-4:15 and the Dresden Dolls --3:30-4:30.

The Black Keys -- 5:30-6:45 p.m.
The Black Keys were one of those bands I always meant to listen to, but always forgot to pick up their CD whenever I went to buy music. Finally, a few weeks ago, I listened to their newer CD. It was stellar. I am so excited to see these guys live.

Slightly Stoopid 7:15-8:45 p.m.// Bus Driver 7:15-8:30 p.m.
It's another time conflict, but we'll probably try to bounce back and forth between both.

Dave Matthews Band 9:00-11:30
I don't care what you think of Dave Matthews Band, you don't come to Rothbury and skip them (another reason to go: no one else is performing during this time block). It'll be a sweet show.

STS9 12:00-2:30 a.m.
I've heard nothing but good things about STS9, so I'm going to go find out for myself and hopefully sneak out early to see the Crystal Method set too.

SUNDAY

Ingrid Michaelson 1:00-1:45 p.m.
I know I won't be able to drag any of my guy friends to this, but I'm totally getting in touch with my girly-Grey's Anatomy-loving side at this one (Hey, at least I admitted it.).

Mid-afternoon is a bit of an unknown... we'll probably try to see artists here and there and maybe aimlessly wander the festival (AKA people watching, the best thing about festivals, period.)

John Mayer 6:45-8:45
John Mayer gets bashed a lot, but come on people, he's a talented musician. He'll give an energetic performance. Its worth seeing.

Atmosphere & Brother Ali 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Wouldn't miss this one for the WORLD. Seriously, no exaggerations. Two really extraordinary hip-hop artists together on the same stage. I will say that it's a travesty that they were only given an hour long set (I'll be the one standing there yelling encore until they kick me out). I swear I'm not a creepy groupie.

So this is what we're trying to cover. We'll probably try and get to more shows than this but these are the definitely-maybes.

...And that takes us to the end of the festival, where we'll probably see a bit of Phil Lesh and Friends and then head back towards good ol' D-town for some hot showers and a nice bed. Whew.

Tips!

With the Rothbury date nearing (2 DAYS!!), you may want to start your packing list. It sounds silly, but seriously, there are some items you do NOT want to be with out. I found a pretty comprehensive list from a guy who is clearly a festival veteran...here's a link to his list:
http://www.detroitcity.com/blogs/viewblog.php?id=1519

The only correction I would make to the list is to make the grill optional... after a long (and hot) day of concerts, activities, events, etc. there was no way you were going to get me to cook on a hot grill. Then there's the trouble of keeping any meat or dairy cold, which is not only annoying, but expensive ($7 per bag of ice at Bonnaroo). Pack sandwiches or splurge on pricier meals from vendors if you're not into the whole grilling thing.

Also, if you like camping but you're not so into the roughin' it stuff...Waterless shampoo is available at most drugstores. We tried it for the first time at Roo and it worked like a charm.

Oh and take the man seriously when he says bring tent stakes. You really don't want to go chase after your flying tent when a big gust of wind comes.

Here's good general information I found on the Rothbury site and on various blogs...its good, useful tidbits about the festival:

With each festival, different rules apply...According to the Muskegon Chronicle, the folks at Rothbury are only allowing one sealed water bottle per person (up to a gallon in size) into the concert area.
You can find that and more info here: http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/02/rothbury_will_have_it_all_rule.html

Or you can just find it on the Rothbury website:
http://www.rothburyfestival.com/

There's some other useful tidbits here as well: http://www.ecopop.com/music/columns/340/RothburyFestivalMashesUpMusicArtAction.php

As the cliche says...know before you go!
=)

7 days....

Finally, some sustainability in Michigan. Is it just me or does it seem like the mitten state has been slow to catch on?

In Syracuse, where I go to school, the city buses all use cleaner fuels, the mall has special parking spots for green vehicles and a lot of local businesses are "going green." It's comforting to see these things happening back home.

Bonnaroo tried really hard to be green...printing information on recycled paper, making vendors use biodegradable plastic ware, using electric golf cars and police horses to cut down on emissions, etc. But it was always a side point...it was like "here's some great music, oh and don't pollute." Its exciting that the folks at Rothbury have made it a main event. Even the majority of their advertisers have started their own green initiatives (including GM-- check out the "Green" section on www.gmnext.com).

Oh and how cool is this...Rothbury has a "Greening Chief" in charge of making sure that the festival really is "green" and a "zero-waste concert." What a title--I want to be the greening chief! Also, I hope I don't come across too nerdy in saying that I'd really like to go to some of the think tank discussions on alternative fuel and climate change.

It seems ironic, however, that there's a parking lot for RVs. While musicians, performers or sponsors (etc.) may actually need the space and technology of an RV, I really think its a bit silly for a regular festival goer to be hauling an RV to Rothbury. I get it, I get it, you want a shower, a real bathroom, plenty of space. But seriously, how about pitching the tent with us common folk? It's four days, no one's asking you to move to Rothbury. Why not save some fuel, turn those engines off and enjoy the great outdoors?

Okay, that's the end of my rant. Whatever your lodging situation at Rothbury, it's time to get pumped... and start the countdown....7 DAYS!!

The one thing missing (for the most part) at Roo...trees and woods!

I can't wait to see Rothbury's "Sherwood Forest"

The Rest of Roo...in pictures

Since Bonnaroo is old news, I'll forgo the day by day blabber and get to the good stuff...photos! (Videos for Rothbury, I promise!)
Some of these photos are from a friend (and photo major) who was also at Roo. His name is Brandon Tobin and you can check him out at BrandonTobin.com :)

Welcome to Manchester, TN...home of Bonnaroo (and not much else).

Some of the local color, keeping us entertained while sitting in miles of traffic

Signs that we were nearing the end of the traffic...

Thoughts on BB King: BB KING ROCKED THE HOUSE

Before he went on stage to play, the Mayor of Manchester and the Mayor of Coffee County (the county that Manchester is in) presented BB with the key to the city. After thanking them graciously, the 82 year-old musician took a seat in the center of the main stage. He made a comment about how he was too old and tired to stand and play. When some musicians sit to perform a show, they lose the energy and attention of the audience. Not BB King. He had more stage presence and energy while sitting than some bands ever have thrashing around stage.

During the breaks in the songs, he'd introduce a member of his band, making sure that everyone applauded for them. Then he'd tell some sort of story or make a comment about his songs. I don't exactly know how to put it, but BB is just cool. His voice, deep and worn from years of music, was steady and calming. It was like the voice of a grandfather, down to earth, but filled with wisdom. And his face, (though he looked the size of a garden gnome from where I sat) projected on the TV screens on either side of the stage, was filled with wrinkles and lines, like a roadmap or a timeline of his years.

I could go on, but I won't bore you. I'll just say that if you ever have the chance to see BB King in concert, do it, it's worth every penny.

During one of our favorite activities--rejoicing in the cold goodness of the fountain--we discovered a parrot, just chilling in the fountain. There's no dogs allowed, but apparently parrots are okay.


This is my horrible view at LUPE FIASCO. Though they only gave him a 45 minute set (pathetic!) he made every minute count...Most memorably, he began his song "Daydreamin'" with some incredible vocals and then burst into the song (at which point, the crowd went nuts).

I know, all of the show photos look the same, but this is Talib Kweli, another fantastic hip-hop artist that went on after Lupe. It was really disappointing to see the crowd thin out for Talib...Kanye West was supposed to be performing on another stage a few minutes later, so most left to see him instead. I proudly stuck around for Talib, but the show wasn't the same. Talib rushed through his set...He rapped through his songs way too fast and had few positive "pump up" things to say to the crowd. You can't blame the guy--he's Talib Kweli--he deserves an audience. I will say that one of his most popular songs "Get By" was outstanding, and those still in the crowd were clearly hyped about it.

As you may have heard, Kanye West was a let-down. He was set to perform at 2:45 AM on Sunday. I arrived from the Talib show to see an angry crowd and a note across the big screen saying that Kanye's show had been delayed until 3:30. As 3:30 came and went, the crowd grew more and more hostile, expletives were shouted and the crowd began booing. Perhaps to keep the crowd happy, smoke was released, clouding out the starry Tennessee sky and giving the crowd hope that Kanye was soon to come...no such luck. By 4:30, I was thinking of the tent and how I would be awakened by the heat of my tent at 6 AM. I was tired...no I was exhausted...and I figured Kanye was a no show. Our group headed back to the tent. Just as we had exited Centeroo, we heard him. There was no turning back though. "Kanye will be at Lollapalooza" I told myself. Apparently everyone else had the same idea because, from what I heard from others, Kanye's crowd was tiny. I had also heard that he gave a weak performance, not even bothering to apologize or even engage with his fans.

By the next day, graffiti phrases had appeared all along the borders of Centeroo. F*$# Kanye, and other hateful phrases had been created by Kanye's former fans. It felt fitting that just the night before, Chris Rock had made a joke about Kanye's enormous ego.

Anyways, that's it for Bonnaroo. Look forward to some pre-Rothbury posts and some day-by-day coverage of the festival (photo, video, etc.). I'm pumped.