It was hotter than Dante’s Inferno on the sun-parched plains of a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee (the same one that kicked up so much dust when I was there in 2006 that you could still clearly see the acronym “GHB” etched by someone’s ironic finger onto the hood of our badass black Mustang as we completed the 1,000-mile journey up the Eastern seaboard and rolled back into the streets of Boston) where Bonnaroo’s four-day music festival takes place every June. Apparently, this year the hellish heat took its toll. According to MTV News, 29-year-old David Sloan of North Carolina died Sunday in the hospital to which he was rushed after collapsing from heat exhaustion. His core body temperature had reached 108 degrees. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t the only one affected by the oven-approximating temperatures; over the weekend, 25% more concertgoers flocked to the AC-equipped medical tents than in years past. The award-winning Bonnaroo engineers should really erect more mushroom fountains throughout the grounds to keep people cool.
Meanwhile, others were being handcuffed. Over 100, in fact. At least my friends and I had the foresight to stuff our drugs in our bras before reaching the security checkpoint and suffering the requisite search. Apparently, many of them were apprehended before the music even began, as an astute sheriff’s office hellbent on ruining everyone’s fun made it their mission to lay the smack down on crack (and/or any of the other plethora of illegal substances attendees were trying to smuggle in). Because of these increased narc-seeking efforts, more than 70 Bonnaroo intendeds were apprehended in their cars before the music even started. I have a sneaking suspicion that those cops didn’t enjoy getting half-naked and fucked up in 100-degree heat to watch their favorite bands by navigating between tents and stages oh-so-helpfully named “Which, What, and That” when they were younger.
• Bonnaroo: http://www.bonnaroo.com
