Were you unable to make it to Manchester, TN to the Bonnaroo music and arts festival this year? No worries. It's being "live" cast online via youtube. Unlike other live feeds I've seen, this one is a huge improvement. I began watching Friday evening just to see how it was working out, and the picture, though high definition, stuttered annoyingly despite my high speed internet connection. The problems appear to have been fixed. Rebroadcasts, which have been airing each morning and during downtimes, are TV perfect.
In order to stagger performances and give the viewers at home a steady feed of entertainment, some shows seem to be captured in near real time with a safely padded, room-for-editing, 30 minute delay, while others are shown hours or days later, such as the heavily bearded acoustic Trampled by Turtles, who played Friday and Saturday, but are being broadcast live today at 4:00 p.m. EDT.
Bonnaroo's trailer aptly advertised: "Sounds. Stages. Sights. Get down on the farm, without being on the farm."
Airings are pretty spectacular – definitely one of the best live music broadcasts I've ever seen, and youtube-upload-worthy for future watches. The sound is perfect. The camera angles are great. The picture is crystal clear. All that's missing are the smells, and I can do without that.
Broadcasting Bonnaroo acts live on youtube will most likely have the same effect on the festival that MTV’s Spring Break had on Daytona Beach in the late ’80s.
There is a legend here in Florida of epic Woodstock proportion of the day the film crews came to town beginning in March of 1986, with big stars in tow, drawing in mega crowds of sweaty coeds from all over the country. For four years, we kids would do anything to get our parents to let us go to the free beach concerts. I got to see the Beastie Boys live, something I'll never forget.
At Bonnaroo, performers are able to strut their stuff live, proving they are not just smoke and mirrors while crowds of festival goers vie for camera time from the front row waving hi to Mom back home. I get to sit in the comfort of my air-conditioned apartment and watch online on hi-def, blowing up the picture mega huge, with my Bose speakers blasting the beautifully crystal clear music. It's like I'm there, but without all the dusty dirt, long lines for the honey pots, greasy hair and stench. Win! Win!
Two channels broadcast each day, on the appropriately named Channel 1 and Channel 2. I'm sure next year, they'll come up with much more creative names for these, but hopefully not as confusing as "This Tent," "That Tent," and "The Other Tent," just a few examples of real Bonnaroo stage names. Both channel feeds are found here:
Unlike television which is subject to panels of censors, youtube appears to be self-regulated, meaning that swear words can fly freely.
I caught Community TV star, Donald Glover, performing as Childish Gambino in an uncensored rebroadcast this morning. I have to give props to the guy -- he can energize a crowd, displaying sing-a-long lyrics on a big screen, exciting the crowd into clapping in time, then moving them with sad and heart broken lyrics.
Later today on Channel 2 at 6 p.m. EDT is Sing-Off TV show judge Ben Folds, reunited with his fabulous lineup from the late '90s: Ben Folds Five. Dr. Folds promises to stand on his piano, whip out his wide lens and photograph people flipping him off. Sounds like he’s a gluten for punishment.
Should be fun. Catch it if you can. Check out the uploaded videos on the Bonnaroo youtube channel as well.
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