Thursday morning, it's 7:45am and my alarm is banging out a rumba that seems to be a part of last night's dream about kittens and 1970's horror films. The sun is asking to enter and the crows and Blue Jays are reminding me that a new morning has come , and Bonnaroo is on the horizon. I get out of bed and walk to the bathroom, take a swig of water and look in the mirror and think,
"Today is going to be a long one and a good one."

At the airport: After purchasing our overpriced coffees and snacks, we walked to the gate to await our flight, which, by the way, was the worst flight we've ever taken. We flew into a weather system that propelled our hearts into a frenzy, made us dizzy, and shook us to our core. In fact, there was a moment where I crossed my heart and hoped for the best as we held onto whatever we could grab and shook through the southern sky. The pilot announced that he would need to make an emergency landing in Alabama because the plane was running out of fuel. We landed in Birmingham and sat on the empty runway for a good 30 minutes while the jet was refueled, then took off for the second time towards the electric sky. By some miracle and in a moment of celebration, we sifted through the lightning bolts and landed in Nashville, TN at 1:30 am, got to our hotel at 3:30 am and took a much needed 4 hour nap before we headed to the Bonnaroo festival site for our day in the life. The morning air was sticky and warm, the sky overcast and indicating thunder and rain, we hoped for the best.
Once we got to the festival site, we grabbed our acoustic guitars and headed to the Radio Bonnaroo trailer to perform an intimate set of 3 songs for their broadcast. We played Tall Buildings(new song), Rebels and trees. Got the chills. In the moment. When we finished there, we headed to the Troo Music Stage to get ready for our set. Once we dropped our guitars and gear, I took a walk around the grounds to take in the enormity of the festival. I saw tons of smiles, good souls, music lovers and I felt refreshed to be a part of something so large. The moment was in front of us, there for the taking. To be a band, performing at a festival like this is a reward.
We stepped on the stage at 1:20pm. My acoustic didn't work, my glasses fell off, my guitar toppled off of it's stand, Davey couldn't hold onto his sticks due to the sweaty conditions, Joel's guitar kept slipping out of his hands, but none of that mattered. The crowd was into it and we had, in my opinion, one of the most transcendent experiences on stage to date. One of my favorite shows ever. There was a raw energy and a spirit behind the performance that I have not felt in a long time, if ever. We were connected and in the moment.
After the performance, we cruised around the grounds collecting conversations with old friends, new friends, and expressed our views with several publications, web sites and the like. It was tremendous, I have to say. Thanks to all who care! -Russell