Bonnaroo’s Headiest Hippies Tell All
As an artist, earning an invitation to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival calls for a celebration – check out our exclusive backstage gallery for evidence. But don't think the 70,000-plus festivalgoers aren't making their own fun, too. Take it from My Morning Jacket's Jim James: "You get to run around like a wild savage for a few days," says James, who led this year's Superjam with John Oates and the Family Stone's Larry Graham. "Anything goes." Enter photojournalist J. James Joiner, who paraded Great Stage Park in search of 'Roo's wildest characters. The following 27 ticketholders were asked a series of questions, including "What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?" and "What drugs are you on right now?" Their answers – "I stripped to get attention!" "All of 'em!" – may shock and suprise you.
By Blaine McEvoy and J. James Joiner
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Andrew Johnson
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Thirteen hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Chris Robinson.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I jumped a fence into a Porta-John.What drugs are you on right now?
No drugs. Just pot. -
Matthew Santens and Ella Zander
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Matthew Santens: 12 hours.
Ella Zander: 18 hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Matthew Santens: No one.
Ella Zander: Ben Gibbard.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
Matthew Santens: I once cut a bracelet off.
Ella Zander: Paid a lot of money!What drugs are you on right now?
Matthew Santens: None.
Ella Zander: None. -
Christopher Bower
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
23 hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
RZA.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I don't want to say.What drugs are you on right now?
All of 'em – acid, X, pot and molly. -
Christopher Moore
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Eight hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
I don't know.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I once sold pizza as a vendor.What drugs are you on right now?
Nothing now, but definitely pot, whiskey and DMT later. -
Colton Mai
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Eleven hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
None.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I stripped to get attention.What drugs are you on right now?
None. -
Rich Ped and Dixie Dawson
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Rich Ped: Fourteen hours.
Dixie Dawson: Seven hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Rich Ped: Bassnectar.
Dixie Dawson: No one.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
Rich Ped: Bought a ticket.
Dixie Dawson: Bought a ticket.What drugs are you on right now?
Rich Ped: Mushrooms.
Dixie Dawson: Can I just say "some?" -
Elijah Eggers
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Seventeen hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Neil Young.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I gave someone a joint.What drugs are you on right now?
I'm just coming off acid, 'shrooms and Mary Jane. -
Emily Tenney and Alvaro Ramirez
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Alvaro Ramirez: Spain.
Emily Tenney: Hawaii.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Alvaro Ramirez: Peter Murphy.
Emily Tenney: Steven Tyler.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
Alvaro Ramirez: I walked in as an artist.
Emily Tenney: I jumped a fence.What drugs are you on right now?
Alvaro Ramirez: None.
Emily Tenney: None. -
Hannah Rogers
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Sixteen hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Bassnectar.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I bought tickets in a Walmart parking lot.What drugs are you on right now?
Lemonade. -
Jimmy Bryant
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
21 hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Liz Phair.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I hopped over two guys and a fence.What drugs are you on right now?
No drugs. Just pot. -
Joe Valenzuela
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
San Diego to Tennessee.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Ron Jeremy.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I broke in.What drugs are you on right now?
Alcohol. -
Eli Elkus and Katie Bregenzer
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Eli Elkus: 3,000 miles.
Katie Bregenzer: 10 hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Eli Elkus: Conor Oberst.
Katie Bregenzer: No one.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
Eli Elkus: I jumped a fence.
Katie Bregenzer: Nothing crazy.What drugs are you on right now?
Eli Elkus: Molly, acid and MJ.
Katie Bregenzer: Pot. -
Lillian Beitel
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Philadelphia to Nashville.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Ben Stiller.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
Wait for hours.What drugs are you on right now?
None. -
Marcus Betts
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Florida to Maine.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Kevin Spacey.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
Nothing.What drugs are you on right now?
No comment. -
Caleb Jones
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Over 20 hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
The Polish ambassador.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I hopped a fence.What drugs are you on right now?
None. -
Melissa Flynn
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Four and a half hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
No one.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I showed my boobs.What drugs are you on right now?
Just alcohol and weed, but later I will be on Molly, if that makes a difference. -
Seth Carbaugh
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
West Virginia to Atlanta.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
McLovin!What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
I paid for tickets.What drugs are you on right now?
Weed. -
Shadae Warren
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Twelve hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Mick Jagger.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
Nothing.What drugs are you on right now?
Molly. -
Alicia Basil, Mallory Hyde, Jacob Smith and Ellie Lowell
What's the farthest you've traveled for a concert?
Alicia Basil: Five hours.
Mallory Hyde: Seven hours.
Jacob Smith: Fifteen hours.
Ellie Lowell: Eight hours.Who's the most famous person you've met at a concert?
Alicia Basil: No one.
Mallory Hyde: Ani DiFranco.
Jacob Smith: Conan O'Brien.
Ellie Lowell: No one.What's the craziest thing you've done to get into a concert?
Alicia Basil: I wailed and cried.
Mallory Hyde: I flashed somebody.
Jacob Smith: Nothing.
Ellie Lowell: I faked an emergency.What drugs are you on right now?
Alicia Basil: Molly.
Mallory Hyde: 'Shrooms and alcohol.
Jacob Smith: All of the above.
Ellie Lowell: Molly.