This is my Festival Vacation Blog.  This year I thought I'd try to blog about the shows that I'm going to get to see while attending the Wakarusa, and Bonnaroo music festivals over the next couple of weeks.  I'll do some show reviews, post some pictures, discuss what I really like about each festival's set-up, organization, and what the crowd is like.

I'll also try to throw in some tips that my friend and I have learned over the past 4 years while we've been traveling to festivals.  We've gone in groups as small as 3 people in one vehicle, and as many as 18 people in 6 vehicles.  I think I'll also try to keep up on line-up rumors going into future year's festivals.  I can do pretty well about picking one or two artists that will be at Bonnaroo based off my own conjecture, so we'll see how interesting I can make it.

A little about me: My name is Scrubs (my real name is John), and I hail from Des Moines, Iowa (DSM).  I've loved music since I was a little kid, and I discovered around Junior High that I loved seeing bands and artists perform live.  For me, I'm a bit of a cheapskate at times, so I always look for value in shows (artist, venue, when can I see them again, etc.) and for me festivals make a really valuable music experience.  I get the chance to see 40 different acts from several different genres doing what they do best.  It's my nirvana.  I also try to get into the local music scene in DSM and follow up-and-coming artists as well as supporting the live music venues in the area.

I've been attending Bonnaroo for the last 4 years and have loved it every year.  2009 was a great year for a first Bonnaroo as we got experience it all, rain/mud, blistering sun, lots of dust, and some amazing shows that I'll forever cherish (such as the Beastie Boys, and an afternoon Bon Iver set that made me go get the album ASAP).  It was a small group of 3 that inaugural year, myself, my buddy Chris, and his brother.  Chris was going to go and he and his brother wanted me to tag along (to help defer expenses), and I had a blast that year, so we've made it an annual trek.

The following year we took 2 cars, and a total of 7 people and added a new wrinkle in the vacation plan: Wakarusa.  Wakarusa always takes place the weekend before Bonnaroo, and it's great because the two festivals are markedly different.  Bonnaroo is much more mainstream and up-and-coming Indie artists with some great late night performances (including Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, The Flaming Lips, STS9 and more).  Headliners such as Phish, Kings of Leon, the Beach Boys, the Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire, and Jay-Z always bring their "A" game and put on unforgettable performances.  Wakarusa tends to favor more of the bluegrass/folk music artists during the day and evening....but once the sun goes down you'll be treated to a night of some of the best electronic music your ears have ever heard.  There's a festival within a festival called the Interstellar Meltdown that provides a great range of electronic and fusion acts that will have you dancing until the sun comes up.  Starting in 2011 Wakarusa started opening up the mainstage for overnight headliners such as Bassnector, and Sphongle.

While Bonnaroo is much larger than Wakarusa (Bonnaroo becomes the fourth largest city in Tennessee during the festival), both have an amazing community of music lovers that come together to enjoy watching artists at the top of their game doing what they do best.  Both festivals have at your car camping, vendors, food, and fun.  But as alike as the communities can be, the festivals themselves are worlds apart.

By hitting both festivals each summer for the last 2 years I've really grown to love each one in it's own way.  I'm super-excited to be heading back this year, and I hope that you'll tag along in spirit even if you can't be there in person.  It's going to be a fun ride...ALL ABOARD!!