I think there are a lot of plusses and minuses to Bonnaroo. Will I go back to Bonnaroo? I’m not sure, but if I don’t, it certainly won’t be because of a lack of great people.

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Setting: Coachella is beautiful. It has a beautiful skyline, which is something that Bonnaroo does not have. However, there is a tradeoff because Coachella is isolated in the desert. This makes it a bit difficult of a location for traveling. Many fly into an airport two hours away (minimum), but of course, with Bonnaroo you have to fly into Nashville, about an hour away from Manchester.

Traffic: About equal, though could be a bit better at Coachella. I believe there are more routes to get into Coachella and I discovered a way where I was consistently stuck in traffic for no more than five or ten minutes.

Climate: It is hot at Coachella during the day, but I prefer the climate to that of Bonnaroo. Personally, the worst thing for me is humidity. With either festival, you are going to have to deal with heat, but I would take dry heat any day over humidity. I just can’t deal with wet heat, which is impossible to get away from. Even in the shade, sweating is unavoidable. At Coachella, I love how at nighttime, it gets all nice and cool. Of course, if you hate carrying extra stuff with you, then ‘Roo would be better.

Scheduling: It depends. If you are going for the reason that I go, Coachella is better. The schedule is spread out more efficiently. If you like getting samples of many artists, you will probably like Coachella more. In addition, Coachella is certainly better if you are looking to check out and discover new musicians. Bonnaroo has long set times, so if you are going for one of the major acts, it is probably nice to have an opportunity to see them perform for three hours and you will get more bang for your buck. ‘Roo goes all night and some people obviously love that, but I much prefer having a real chance to sleep and refresh.

Stage Names: Which, What, This, That – you can’t do worse than ‘Roo.

Setup: I like the way Coachella sets up the stages. I think it is faster from one end to the other. On the other hand, I loved Centeroo and I think the market is great. There is nothing really like that at Coachella.

Camping: I have never camped at Coachella, so I don’t know which is a better experience. However, based on my experience, I can say that you probably will not sleep much at either. At Bonnaroo, music goes later, which is a real nuisance to sleeping. Coachella, you probably will sleep more, but I’d imagine with the crazy climate, the heat would wake you up awfully early.

Environment/Scene: Despite what you may have heard, there is a vast distinction between the two festivals. If you are looking for a party, I would assume that you are not going to be able to beat Bonnaroo. Personally, I go for the music and I feel like the music scene at Coachella is better. Of course, the ‘Roo is a special music festival in its own right. In my four days in Manchester, I witnessed a ton of musical collaboration. While you are bound to find them at times during Coachella, I’ve never seen anything to the extent that I did at Bonnaroo. On the other hand, while I’ve been in Indio at Coachella, I felt a real vibe that I was witnessing something special. There is a sense of being an insider into the industry and having a sneak peak into what is going to be new and hip in music over the next year or two, a feeling I didn’t really get at Bonnaroo. Part of the absence of the feeling at the ‘Roo may be that there are different types of acts, but more likely it goes back to the fact that there are so many attendees that are there to party. In fact, many of the people at Bonnaroo did not seem to know any of the artists besides the headliners and a few of the bigger second tier acts. There is just a very different feeling overall, despite the fact that there are super long sets and those special collaborations at Bonnaroo.

People: The people at Bonnaroo are so cool and it is extremely easy to meet people. In fact, I think you would really have to go out of your way not to meet some new friends. I did not get the same vibe while at Coachella. I know people do meet and get to know new people at Coachella, but I’ve attended twice and I did not get farther than a good conversation. To be fair, I did not camp either time I visited Indio, but I did go to Coachella by myself once, giving me more of a chance to meet people.

Diversity of Music: Coachella had a much more diverse lineup for many years. It is possible that it still does, but even if this is the case, it is extremely tight at this point (not to mention the overlap of bands playing both.)

Extras: Bonnaroo has some great extras, including a comedy and movie tent. There is also a karaoke tent, featuring a live band that allows festival attendees an opportunity to pick a song to sing in front of a cheering crowd. There are tons of things to do if you need a break at the ‘Roo, which are nice to have.

TAGGED AS: Bonnaroo Music Festival, Coachella Music Festival, CoS at Bonnaroo