So the past week can only be described as a whirlwind of immense fun, chaos and unbelievable tiredness. Ladies and gentleman: Bonnaroo. I'd stumbled upon the opportunity to work it sometime last year, but I had a steady job at the time, and didn't want to tamper with that. This year however, I've been footloose and fancy free, jobless and bored. So working Bonnaroo it was, because why not make a lot of money while lolligagging with your friends and listening to amazing music?
Let's make no mistake, the shifts were not made for pussies (excuse my language, but there's really no other way to put it). The first day was a 14 hour shift, and the rest of the week was comprised of 12 hour shifts. In your downtime you had the choice of either sleeping or going to see some pretty amazing live shows. If you know me, or anyone I hang around, we didn't sleep. Thankfully, the atmosphere doesn't really support much slumber, so anytime we did feel uber tired, we got a boost of energy from the people, the weather (was either super hot or super cold with a side of rain) and the music. I couldn't have asked for a better first experience at Bonnaroo, and I'm ecstatic that I can now say I'm no longer a rookie! Here are just a few pictures I snapped along the way...there are so many on my phone, but there's no reason for overload. I do want to share some of the outfits my friends wore, along with some shots I got of a few of my favorite performances.
My pals Savannah, Alicia, and Heidi as we waited between shows. From what you can see, they all look so cute, they had to be photographed (even Heidi's sunglasses)! I think we were headed to The Temper Trap after this. We'd just gotten a dose of Das Racist right before.
It was such a triumph when we finally found these ladies. This is actually the last day of the festival, and amidst the lethargic weariness, our excitement for The Beach Boys could not be tamed! Let me just say, they were amazing as you guys probably figured. I still can't believe I saw them live...
From left to Right: Me, Stephanie, Rachel and Trey
Trey and I saved the last day for treating ourselves and that we did with these Cajun Chicken Wraps. I'm drooling right now looking at this, I must continue with the next photo. #fatgirlproblems
Lovely Paris looks lovely here. We had just showered and were ready to head out on our first day of "festivaling". Her outfit here is easily one of my favorites.
What would a post about Bonnaroo be without the infamous arch? Me and my happy self when I finally got to take a picture of it.
I do wish I had an actual camera for better quality, especially with this photo, but this is the VIP Lounge where Trey and I worked, toiled and sweated each day. Haha, okay nothing too crazy like actual toiling, but definitely worked and sweat. Pretty sweet gig if I do say so, myself...
Trey relaxing and looking cool. I love his shirt, definitely the theme of any festival I've ever been to.
And here is me and my favorite person in the world. This was during Tune-Yards AH-mazing set. We may or may not have been slightly intoxicalirious (intoxicated and delirious), but alas we made sure we were half naked like the rest of the rock and roll lovers around.
Yeah I know. I can't believe it either. Bon Iver. Yes, we were in the pit for this. I witnessed a girl either pass out indefinitely or die, I stood in human feces (I love you that much, Justin Vernon) and oh yes, I cried.
It's been a lifelong goal of mine (well, since I was like 15) to see The Shins. They were everything I hoped for and more. Hopefully it won't be another 15 years before I see them again!
Beautiful Santigold, doing her thing, making me love her even more than was humanly possible. This was the show that rocked my face off, I must say. Just...WOW.
Last but not least, the coolest thing happened to me at Bonnaroo. I was stopped twice by two different photographers, wanting to take style shots. Not the biggest deal in the world, but for someone like me, KIND OF. I honestly can't tell you much about one of the photo sessions because the guy didn't really fill me in on much...it was kind of touch and go...but I did actually talk to the other for a minute afterwards, and she was legitimately cool!
Heidi Jewell is a freelance photographer for Elle and Nylon and has also done some pieces for Style.com. She specializes mostly in street style and I will forever be jealous of her for having my dream jobs in the photography realm (until I become a freelance writer for the same zines, that is!). Please check out her blog: www.undertheguise.com and view the first post, which includes a bunch of other hotties she captured at the Roo. I was definitely surprised because I didn't feel really fashionable a bulk of the time I was there, but it's always nice to have someone else notice that and compliment it. Here is an instagrammed photo of the one she shot:
Can you guys tell I had fun?! Haha, I don't know if I've ever written this much in one post, but I must say I enjoyed every bit of it. And oh yeah, I'm about to post another about today's outfit. Janet overload! So all in all, I had a wonderful vacation from the real world, got to see some of my favorite bands and will be attending next year, working or not. Until next time, peace and love!
