Staff writer Kylie Piper is volunteering at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival this weekend. As a part of her experience, she is posting daily blog posts while she is there. This is the third post of the series. Read the first and second posts.
For the third day in a row, today began with me being awoken by the intense heat inside my tent at 6:45 a.m.. I went over to the volunteer headquarters for my six hour shift, which consisted mostly of cleaning and other small chores.
Although my jobs are usually simple, I’m really enjoying being a C’roo member. I’m a firm believer that there are no unimportant jobs. Every single chore is crucial to getting things done properly and efficiently — whether it’s cleaning the bathrooms, organizing the file cabinet or something much more complicated. I get a behind the scenes look at how music festivals are run, while also being able to enjoy the festival. I couldn’t ask for a better experience.
When my volunteer shift was over I went straight to Centeroo, where the stages are. My plan was to see Of Monsters and Men, but the crowd was so immense that I couldn’t even hear them. So I decided to leave and try to find a good spot for Passion Pit instead.
I ended up with a front row spot on the far right side of the stage. The band’s performance was high energy with people dancing everywhere. Honestly, how could you not want to dance to Passion Pit? Their music is a fusion of electronic, indie and pop, and even their slow songs will make you want to dance.
When Passion Pit’s set was over, I walked back to my campsite to take a shower because I knew it’d be my only opportunity. Although I missed Wilco’s performance on the main stage because of this, I could hear it from my camp, which was pretty awesome.
Around 8 p.m., I made my way back to Centeroo, browsed the many different shops, bought too many T-shirts and tried to not get lost in the massive crowd that was moving from the Which Stage, where Wu-Tang Clan had just played, to the What Stage, where Paul McCartney was about to play.
I decided seeing any of Paul McCartney was going to be a lost cause because there were so many people, so I sat down just outside of the What Stage area and decided to listen to Sir Paul’s performance from there. After about half an hour, though, I decided that I would never forgive myself if I let a huge crowd stop me from seeing Paul McCartney. So I fought my way to within viewing distance of the stage.
His performance, which included a mix of Beatles songs and his own, was remarkable. Included in the set list were “Blackbird” and “Something,” two of my favorite Beatles songs, as well as many of The Beatles’ other most popular songs, so I’m really glad that I went back to watch him play. This will definitely be a story I’ll tell my children and grandchildren someday.
Day 2 was a tad uneventful compared to Day 1, but I’m going to rest up so I have plenty of energy for tomorrow. I can’t believe my Bonnaroo experience is already halfway over.
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