2004 05 MAY RAG - RAG Magazine

elements, with fans having to withstand ankle-deep mud puddlesand the slush that comes from a monsoon-strength storm. Somego-with-the-flow (rain flow, that is) incidents occurred when anintense thunderstorm raged, postponing The Dead show forhours. The delay had the band playing well after midnight. Follow-upact, Primus, was shifted to the 2 a.m. slot. But for most ofthose attending, this was no major hindrance. Anastasio closedthe Bonnaroo festivities on Sunday night with the 40-piece NashvilleChamber Orchestra amid another torrential downpour.One significant disappointment was the cancellation of Maroon5’s Sunday afternoon show, an announcement that was maderight before the gig’s start time. Aside from a few postponements,most of the shows went according to plan – wooing audienceswith musical ecstasy.Many attendees and press have said this was anexcruciating experience, considering the unforgivingweather, massive crowds, and the most upsettingof all, two deaths, which the media havemade a primary focus when covering this event.I, too, must admit there were moments when Ithought, “Why am I here?” as I trudged throughpiles of muck, endured moments of complete heatexhaustion (with no hope for a shower), wanderedthrough hoards of smelly strangers and used allmy strength to steady my tent when the incrediblestorms and winds came (some tents were castalmost 50-feet into the air!). But my answer cameat an unexpected moment. I found my purposeafter running through the rain on Saturday morningto the media compound for an exclusivepress-only performance by My MorningJacket’s Jim James. The warm reverbof his lonely southern wailsdrowned out the growling, persistentthunder. As I stood there listening, hiswords (“I know I shouldn’t have gone ...There’s still time, for you, to change yourmind or whatever else you do.”) from“The Bear” surged right through me– andI realized why I, and thousands of others,had bothered to come. It was forthis - the music, and its indescribablepower to connect and relieve everythingit touches. The song had been everythingJames had said it was – “a surefirecure for what ails you.”Hopefully, the unique and forgiving natureof our human memory (an ability tooverlook the unpleasant experiencesand replace them with the positive) willwork its magic on those adverse audiencemembers. Days and even yearsfrom now, I know I won’t think about howmuch my clothes stunk or the uncomfortablesensation of being totallygrungy. Instead, I will remember the wayI was enlivened standing in the audienceas Patti Smith sang the first lines of“Trampin,” the crowd’s roars of excitementas Matthews and Anastasio appearedon stage, the uninhibitedadrenaline of Mr. North’s rock, the spontaneousdancing as the HackensawBoys fiddled their jig, and the way punkrockers camped aside hippies andshared stories of their days. These storiesof the days translate to make eachattendee’s own Bonnaroo novella, andno two are the same. Whether perceivedas awful or astounding, Bonnaroo 2004is certain to be an adventure that is rehashedby all who were present. So, letthis be yet another tale for the vault – ofone more unforgettable time when musicbrought the people together.