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MORGAN HENDERSON
Special to The Leader
Imagine seeing three of your all time favorite artists in one day. At Bonnaroo, The Front Bottoms played at 2:45 p.m. on the hottest day. Everyone at our campsite had to be there. We went in as a group but we lost one in the crowd. We knew we’d see him again. And we did, on top of the crowd’s finger tips, surfing to the front.
I could spot my friends scattered through the field of people. They threw their arms up like we all won something.
Later that night, Chance the Rapper went on.You couldn’t see the end of the crowd from any direction you looked. At the first “When the praises go up,” so did the energy.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers were next. They played a two-hour long set of their classic bangers. As my eyes searched the scene, they locked with a stranger in front of me. Although there were no words exchanged, I think we both had the same thought running through our minds: “It doesn’t get any better than this.”
That wasn’t the only moment I felt like that. That seemed to be all I felt throughout the dream that was Bonnaroo. I felt it after long naps in the grass when I would wake up to my friends copying the idea. I felt it at 6 a.m. when everyone finally came back “wooing” and even at 7 a.m. when the Red Hot Chili Peppers were having sound checks and David jumped out of a dead sleep because he thought we were missing them.
There is so much that comes with going to a festival. The possibilities for good times are endless. For instance, the traveling aspect. When it comes to festivals, each atmosphere is different in a way that you can never anticipate.
I’ve experienced ones in cities and in the middle of nowhere. Each time it feels like a whole different world, and you’re reminded of how small you really are. Each time you’re reminded of how much is out there to explore and how endlessly fascinating everything is.
There’s also a lot to find out. The only way to learn about life is to experience it. I’ve obtained many helpful travel tips, like wait to buy your liquor ‘till you reach the South where it’s cheaper.
I’ve learned things on a more abstract scale as well. I remember seeing a sign that said, “The feeling we have here — remember it and take it home,” and I have brought it home. You couldn’t forget it if you wanted to.
It’s not a feeling you could ever express in words, but I can say that there is a sense of unity. Everyone went there to escape their everyday lives for a little bit and listen to the art of every song. Everyone is there to laugh with their friends, and even strangers, because we all know it’s a little hard to in the state that this world is in sometimes.
We were all there to feel free and I have taken that feeling home. Although reality often doesn’t reflect the positivity found at music festivals, I still want my friends and anyone else to feel free and light when they’re around me.
There is a downside. The post festival depression will get you every time. There are small cures. Like listening to an entire Zeds Dead album twice over on the way home.