Once again, Bonnaroo sold out in advance, this year a staggering 90,000 tickets, up 10,000 from last year. In addition to patrons, Bonnaroo hosted an estimated 5,000 extra people, including special guests, staff, and band members for a total of approximately 95,000 people on site. The Nashville Scene remarked, "Davidson County city planners would do well to offer a consulting contract to Bonnaroo's organizers. An event of this size is always a potential train wreck, and the logistics are mind-boggling. Yet everything, save the weather, went smoothly. There was enough food, water and facilities, and lines were reasonable". The article continues, "There's little doubt that this was a much safer environment than your typical Titans game. There were virtually no altercations, and people left their campsites unattended and cars unlocked with little fear that they'd be burgled."

Arrests at Bonnaroo were few, with a total of only 27 reported by the Coffee County Sheriff's Department, Manchester Police Department, and the Tennessee State Highway patrol, according to Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves. Organizers improved traffic flow again this year. Local roads were clearer than in previous years, and most patrons enjoyed shorter delays getting in and out of the campgrounds. Bonnaroo once again had a significant economic impact on the local communities of Coffee County, the City of Manchester and surrounding areas. Promoters are expected to pay an estimated $1.4 million in taxes, and an additional $180,000 has already been raised for local charitable causes, with more to be donated in the near future.

Downhill Battle - the activist pro-file sharing, pro-sampling/mashup, anti-restrictive copyright, anti-RIAA organization - has begun a new campaign, the 2004 Summer Concert Blitz:

Downhill Battle was at the Middle East in Cambridge, Massachusetts last night to check out the Chinese Stars and indie dance-party favorites !!!. There was much locomotion. Thankfully we made up for poorly executed dance moves by getting nearly 100 people to read up on our mission with convenient, sharp looking handouts and we had a lot of people coming up to us specifically to ask about what we're doing. There were also bumper stickers to be had by those folks who promised to display them prominently. Not the least of whom was !!!'s very own Nic Offer, who wore the sticker proudly on his midsection (see the photo above). It was a fun for all, and we did it with just two people.
page 1 | 2 | 3