So I had what appeared to me a semi-brilliant idea. I was going to make the highlight of my summer the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Held since 2002 in Manchester, Tennessee and is hosted by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment. When I had a chance, I snooped around Bonnaroo's website and found ticket information. And that is when my semi-brilliant idea crashed to the floor.
For the four days in June that the festival is held (June 12 through the 15), ticket prices begin at $209.50. However, the tickets are released in stages, and once one stage sells out, the price goes up without notice, and by the last stage will be an astounding $244.50. Add in the service and shipping charges ($22.50 and $12.00 respectively) and you could be paying $270 per ticket until all is said and done. And where do you stay once you get there? Well, you can pitch a tent on the facilities ground, stay in a nearby hotel, or park your RV for an extra $100, but tack on an extra $25 if you bring another vehicle along with.
I have to admit, they have thrown some pretty great names out there this year, including Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Willie Nelson, Tegan and Sarah, B.B. King, Vampire Weekend, and Iron & Wine, plus seventy-two other acts, they put together a lineup that gives a little something for everyone there. Throw in a comedy theater, a tent just for the kids (ages 6 & up are required to have tickets), an onsite hair salon, a yoga center, and the Bonnaroo Fountain and Market, and you're pretty much set for the whole four days you're there.
Maybe I'm overly upset about the ticket prices (and I probably am), but after all of the money that I could potentially put into this, I'd at least like to see part of the money pumped into this four day extravaganza put to some good use. However, the current website mentions nothing of the sort, but that $1 (wow, one whole dollar) of your ticket will go to a charity. While 80,000 people attend the festival annually, that's $80,000 to a charity, but compared to how much money they're making off of everything else, that's an insignificant drop in the bucket.
Hopefully I'll get to Bonnaroo one day. Not just to say that I went, but for the chance to be around music that I love and be surrounded by 80,000 other people who feel the same way. But until I'm no longer a poor college student, I'll keep complaining about the steep prices and the fact that I can't go. Just my bitching isn't going to change anything, I realize that, but maybe if the hosts took a little time to realize that 'hey, maybe people won't want to be here for four days, let's sell individual day passes at a less jaw dropping price.' Until that happens though, I'll just buy the compilation DVD for $30. It might not have everything, but hey, it's better (and a lot cheaper) than nothing.
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