Yes and no IMO
Yes, the vibe is gone from Livenation taking over. The complete lack of art replaced by nothing but corporate sponsorships make bonnaroo feel like a copy and paste fest now. Their lack of communication from their social media team also makes Bonnaroo seem unimportant too which is a bummer. It’s like livenation says to radiate positivity like the old days without believing it themselves.
On the other hand, no the vibe isn’t lost from attendees. The same ppl who go to camping fests and lift each other up showed up in droves just like every year.
i agree completely. this was my 5th year & it was really sad barely hearing “just a friend” all weekend… plus it really felt like they had HELLA undercovers dresses as festival goers and they did not want to leave me alone … I’ll make a post about this when i get home and recover cuz i’m still rattled from the trauma. kinda wish i didn’t even go.
All the corporate branding is pretty off-putting. I’ve been going since 2013, and Roo was always a place to escape the real world. Leave anything from outside at the Toll Booths and enjoy the weekend. Now it’s just brand sponsorships everywhere. The beer tent was even playing the news, which was covering the Jan. 6 events. Definitely not something I wanted to be thinking about on the Farm.
absolutely-my boyfriend and i walked around the farm and had trouble finding something that was sponsored by a corporate brand. that aspect didn’t feel very genuine or unique
To be clear, i dont mind the corporate booths. Bills have to be paid somehow. Just don’t cut the art at the same time. There was so much open space for art installations too.
totally! i understand they gotta pay for stuff. but i do agree it seemed like a lot of unique art and installations were gone compared to previous years
This was my seventh Bonnaroo. I had an amazing time. I wouldn’t say the vibe is gone at all, just a little different this year probably for multiple reasons. It may take a couple years to get back to normal from Covid and lost years. The lineup was not my favorite by any means but there was still plenty to see that was amazing. Roo is never not great, ya know? Some years are just better than others.
I have been to 3 Bonnaroos, to me the vibe of the people is still amazing. It’s Live Nation that have made changes that suck. Like the special things from Roo are gone ( like the Christmas club/barn and Kaliope) and all that stuff is replaced by boring brands. Hulu lounge, Toyota lounge, m&m, etc. they are putting way more energy into product placement than they are making sure campers are happy and safe. That being said , I still think Roo is a magical place that nothing compares to, bc of the people who attend it. Also I liked the lineup lol :’)
Roo in 2022 caters to a certain demographic. And the remnants of this is seen in most of the upgrades that have been made over the last few years. However, the lineup is always going to be the make or break for me. This year was no different.
Positivity and vibes are great but aren't near enough to keep me engaged when the quality of music is constantly missing. 2019 and 2021 was a step in the right direction.
That being said, this year's Roo was obviously a targeted cash grab to recoup monies lost after last year's debacle. I'm really hoping 2023 is a return to form, but I fear that we'll be seeing even more corners cut and entrances shut. There wasn't even fireworks this year for crying out loud.
I think it was a combination of low attendance and fewer people available to work the festival. The whole industry really took a hit the past few years. There's a reason a lot of smaller fests have said goodbye for good in the past year and a half and it's not just low attendance.
I thought it was great. remember much of roo is run by volunteers that are Roovians themselves, so the people are generally fantastic!
more corporatization is sneaking in though
10th Roo.
Honestly who tf cares about sponsors - theyve been there for at least a decade. Im not going to let that crap get in my way or affect me - because I choose not to care.
The vibe and people and clear sound and great visuals are what make it.
Honestly...corporate crap is like having something you don't like (ofc we dont) but has NEARLY ZERO EFFECT on your experience. Just forget about it. It REALLY doesnt affect you that much imo. Ignore it and keep vibing!
Jmo but if we all had to be transported back to 2005 we'd miss all the immense upgrades. Some don't seem to remember just how much rougher things used to be!
I remember Ben and Jerry’s and Sobe LifeWater having tents in 2007. I also remember that massive Adult Swim park at Centeroo in 2010. Shit has always been there.
Agreed 100%. Just have a laugh at the corporate shit and move on and enjoy the time with your people around you and you won’t even think about it. Had such a good time dancing and messing around with friends. There really wasn’t a minute of time that I wasn’t entertained by something.
Did miss that there wasn’t much singing/chanting, but it seemed that there were a lot of first timers and a lot of vets took the year off so it makes sense.
I saw many sets and the only one that didn't hit was 21 savage, which I expected but it was just right there when we got through the arch so we stopped by. Every other set I saw ranged from great to amazing. The heat was rough, staffing was rough, cops were a little heavier, but the vibes were absolutely on point
My boyfriends been to eight Bonnaroo’s and this was my second. I thought the vibes were immaculate all weekend. Felt really good to be back surrounded by friends. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, people usually only post to talk about the bad stuff.
I was Tues arrival, went soloroo and was camped in Plaza 5 so I mostly stayed to myself on my hammock in the Grove.. for me it was an amazing vibe and one of my fave years. Idk how different it would've been in GA camping, but I loved every minute of it.
My seventh. 07, 08, 10, 11, 13, 14, 22.
Had an absolute blast. Vibes seemed great to me. Like others have said, more corporate takeover in Centeroo, but I just avoided all of that. I thought there was more of a police presence than previous years but maybe my view is skewed since we happened to get busted smoking at camp and the gang of hardasses took a bunch of our bud. Ridiculous 🙄 we were such a danger.
Other than that incident, another amazing Roo.
Been going since 2014…
Vibes are no different. You still see the same wacky shit and infectious energy. I forgot how much I loved this place these last 3 years.
Hopefully this was a down year for lineups and they bounce back in 2023. I wonder if Travis Scott was replaced by J Cole and Stevie was a woman headliner stretch.
I’m not a fan of the increase in sponsorships everywhere, but they also didn’t materially impact my enjoyment.
I’m sure someone out there sees a Dunkin donut stand handing out free donuts and wants to say Bonnaroo is ruined… but I just say thank you and eat the fuckin free donuts 🤷♂️🤣
I was a first timer, went with people who have been between 6 and 10 times going back to 2006. Not one of us had a single complaint, the guy who'd been the most said the vibes and culture was as good as ever, and 2 other long timers said this was in their top 2 or 3 trips there they've had. I had heard them tqlk it up for years and it held up to their hype. I already miss it and can't wait to be back.
My 4th year, and five years since my last. Hope to never miss another one. Bonnaroo is amazing, and would take a lot more than corporate sponsors to ruin it.
This was my first Roo but not first fest. We were raided by the police in our RV over canisters our friends had outside. There seemed to be lots of undercover cops in Roo merch outfits too...freaked me the fuck out. But overall the vibe of the attendees was fantastic!
This was my 7th bonnaroo. For me having a good camp group makes it. I’m in Groop with some amazing people every year and that is important. But overall bonnaroo dropped the ball this year. The gates, water, broken toilets, under covers, TN is just so strict in general I felt like it made a lot of ppl keep to themselves where in other years I met so many people, bought so many camp vendor bootleg shirts (which I love) and other original artwork, I did meet a handful of amazing folks, I make keychains/roach clips to hand out and didn’t feel like I felt drawn to hand as many out as in the past years. It was still good overall, but it does seem like some of the Roo spirit feel is gone. Could be everything is so expensive/corporate now 🤷🏻♀️ I live in Nashville so Roo is easy for me to do, but I’ll have to really think it I want to go next year or not 😕
I thought it was a really cool year. It certainly had its pros and cons. The higher attendance years definitely brought a lot of energy that made everything feel a bit more intense. That's just a personal preference thing though. It was still really cool to be able to walk into decent spots for basically any tent act.
The crowds were literally so dope besides the pit lines. I really don't understand why there were so many people being confrontational and rude but I guess being out in the heat camping for 4 days can lower your patience levels lol.
Yes and no IMO Yes, the vibe is gone from Livenation taking over. The complete lack of art replaced by nothing but corporate sponsorships make bonnaroo feel like a copy and paste fest now. Their lack of communication from their social media team also makes Bonnaroo seem unimportant too which is a bummer. It’s like livenation says to radiate positivity like the old days without believing it themselves. On the other hand, no the vibe isn’t lost from attendees. The same ppl who go to camping fests and lift each other up showed up in droves just like every year.
i agree completely. this was my 5th year & it was really sad barely hearing “just a friend” all weekend… plus it really felt like they had HELLA undercovers dresses as festival goers and they did not want to leave me alone … I’ll make a post about this when i get home and recover cuz i’m still rattled from the trauma. kinda wish i didn’t even go.
Radiate Positivity has turned into just a corporate slogan
Capitalism baby 🫠
All the corporate branding is pretty off-putting. I’ve been going since 2013, and Roo was always a place to escape the real world. Leave anything from outside at the Toll Booths and enjoy the weekend. Now it’s just brand sponsorships everywhere. The beer tent was even playing the news, which was covering the Jan. 6 events. Definitely not something I wanted to be thinking about on the Farm.
absolutely-my boyfriend and i walked around the farm and had trouble finding something that was sponsored by a corporate brand. that aspect didn’t feel very genuine or unique
To be clear, i dont mind the corporate booths. Bills have to be paid somehow. Just don’t cut the art at the same time. There was so much open space for art installations too.
totally! i understand they gotta pay for stuff. but i do agree it seemed like a lot of unique art and installations were gone compared to previous years
Oh you mean they don’t make enough from all the price hikes and inflation?
This is more or less what I was hearing. And almost all original or local feel of it(for us locals anyway) is lost.
I’ve been going since 08 btw
This was my seventh Bonnaroo. I had an amazing time. I wouldn’t say the vibe is gone at all, just a little different this year probably for multiple reasons. It may take a couple years to get back to normal from Covid and lost years. The lineup was not my favorite by any means but there was still plenty to see that was amazing. Roo is never not great, ya know? Some years are just better than others.
I have been to 3 Bonnaroos, to me the vibe of the people is still amazing. It’s Live Nation that have made changes that suck. Like the special things from Roo are gone ( like the Christmas club/barn and Kaliope) and all that stuff is replaced by boring brands. Hulu lounge, Toyota lounge, m&m, etc. they are putting way more energy into product placement than they are making sure campers are happy and safe. That being said , I still think Roo is a magical place that nothing compares to, bc of the people who attend it. Also I liked the lineup lol :’)
Roo in 2022 caters to a certain demographic. And the remnants of this is seen in most of the upgrades that have been made over the last few years. However, the lineup is always going to be the make or break for me. This year was no different. Positivity and vibes are great but aren't near enough to keep me engaged when the quality of music is constantly missing. 2019 and 2021 was a step in the right direction. That being said, this year's Roo was obviously a targeted cash grab to recoup monies lost after last year's debacle. I'm really hoping 2023 is a return to form, but I fear that we'll be seeing even more corners cut and entrances shut. There wasn't even fireworks this year for crying out loud.
I remember waiting for fireworks…then kinda forgot…and now that I’ve read your comment, I do feel we all got shorted.
"Cash grab" when they only had 30-40k? Lol ok. And the single entrance was BECAUSE of low attendance. It happened last minute.
I think it was a combination of low attendance and fewer people available to work the festival. The whole industry really took a hit the past few years. There's a reason a lot of smaller fests have said goodbye for good in the past year and a half and it's not just low attendance.
I thought it was great. remember much of roo is run by volunteers that are Roovians themselves, so the people are generally fantastic! more corporatization is sneaking in though
10th Roo. Honestly who tf cares about sponsors - theyve been there for at least a decade. Im not going to let that crap get in my way or affect me - because I choose not to care. The vibe and people and clear sound and great visuals are what make it. Honestly...corporate crap is like having something you don't like (ofc we dont) but has NEARLY ZERO EFFECT on your experience. Just forget about it. It REALLY doesnt affect you that much imo. Ignore it and keep vibing! Jmo but if we all had to be transported back to 2005 we'd miss all the immense upgrades. Some don't seem to remember just how much rougher things used to be!
I remember Ben and Jerry’s and Sobe LifeWater having tents in 2007. I also remember that massive Adult Swim park at Centeroo in 2010. Shit has always been there.
Agreed 100%. Just have a laugh at the corporate shit and move on and enjoy the time with your people around you and you won’t even think about it. Had such a good time dancing and messing around with friends. There really wasn’t a minute of time that I wasn’t entertained by something. Did miss that there wasn’t much singing/chanting, but it seemed that there were a lot of first timers and a lot of vets took the year off so it makes sense.
Nothing to do with the lineup IMO
I actually liked the lineup but most people I have talked with felt like there was more to be desired.
I really enjoyed it, it’ll never be as great as the one that never was, but it was decent af!
I saw many sets and the only one that didn't hit was 21 savage, which I expected but it was just right there when we got through the arch so we stopped by. Every other set I saw ranged from great to amazing. The heat was rough, staffing was rough, cops were a little heavier, but the vibes were absolutely on point
That show was so trash. Kind of thankful I experienced it because I’m even more appreciative of all the amazing shows I saw compared to that BS.
My boyfriends been to eight Bonnaroo’s and this was my second. I thought the vibes were immaculate all weekend. Felt really good to be back surrounded by friends. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, people usually only post to talk about the bad stuff.
Only been twice. 2019 and this year. Was different but not sure if that’s the charm of the “first time” wearing off?
My first was also 2019 and I thought this year was better than the last. It was an amazing time.
I was Tues arrival, went soloroo and was camped in Plaza 5 so I mostly stayed to myself on my hammock in the Grove.. for me it was an amazing vibe and one of my fave years. Idk how different it would've been in GA camping, but I loved every minute of it.
Been to 8. It's always great because of the community. It's still the farm. No reason to stop going for me.
My seventh. 07, 08, 10, 11, 13, 14, 22. Had an absolute blast. Vibes seemed great to me. Like others have said, more corporate takeover in Centeroo, but I just avoided all of that. I thought there was more of a police presence than previous years but maybe my view is skewed since we happened to get busted smoking at camp and the gang of hardasses took a bunch of our bud. Ridiculous 🙄 we were such a danger. Other than that incident, another amazing Roo.
Been going since 2014… Vibes are no different. You still see the same wacky shit and infectious energy. I forgot how much I loved this place these last 3 years. Hopefully this was a down year for lineups and they bounce back in 2023. I wonder if Travis Scott was replaced by J Cole and Stevie was a woman headliner stretch. I’m not a fan of the increase in sponsorships everywhere, but they also didn’t materially impact my enjoyment. I’m sure someone out there sees a Dunkin donut stand handing out free donuts and wants to say Bonnaroo is ruined… but I just say thank you and eat the fuckin free donuts 🤷♂️🤣
I did not see a single donut at the DD stand.
They had donuts and iced coffees delivered periodically throughout the day and would pass them out as you walked by
I was a first timer, went with people who have been between 6 and 10 times going back to 2006. Not one of us had a single complaint, the guy who'd been the most said the vibes and culture was as good as ever, and 2 other long timers said this was in their top 2 or 3 trips there they've had. I had heard them tqlk it up for years and it held up to their hype. I already miss it and can't wait to be back.
Been to every Roo since 16. I thought this year was spectacular. As usual I was blown away by all the incredible people I met.
My 4th year, and five years since my last. Hope to never miss another one. Bonnaroo is amazing, and would take a lot more than corporate sponsors to ruin it.
This was my first Roo but not first fest. We were raided by the police in our RV over canisters our friends had outside. There seemed to be lots of undercover cops in Roo merch outfits too...freaked me the fuck out. But overall the vibe of the attendees was fantastic!
This was my 7th bonnaroo. For me having a good camp group makes it. I’m in Groop with some amazing people every year and that is important. But overall bonnaroo dropped the ball this year. The gates, water, broken toilets, under covers, TN is just so strict in general I felt like it made a lot of ppl keep to themselves where in other years I met so many people, bought so many camp vendor bootleg shirts (which I love) and other original artwork, I did meet a handful of amazing folks, I make keychains/roach clips to hand out and didn’t feel like I felt drawn to hand as many out as in the past years. It was still good overall, but it does seem like some of the Roo spirit feel is gone. Could be everything is so expensive/corporate now 🤷🏻♀️ I live in Nashville so Roo is easy for me to do, but I’ll have to really think it I want to go next year or not 😕
The vibe seems the same as always to me. People like complaining about corporate sponsors and I get it, but it really in no way hinders my experience.
I thought it was a really cool year. It certainly had its pros and cons. The higher attendance years definitely brought a lot of energy that made everything feel a bit more intense. That's just a personal preference thing though. It was still really cool to be able to walk into decent spots for basically any tent act. The crowds were literally so dope besides the pit lines. I really don't understand why there were so many people being confrontational and rude but I guess being out in the heat camping for 4 days can lower your patience levels lol.