While impressed by the phenomenal lineup music of the bands, I was truly disappointed by the apathy and disinterest of the majority of the crowd regarding the “green” premise behind the event. There was widescale consumerism (obvious by the massive amounts of “stuff” brought to the festival) and wanton waste (plastic bags, bottled water, brand-new coolers and things thrown away after the event).

Many of the action panels and discussion events were sparsely attended. To me, it seemed like there were a lot of my peers wearing tie-dyed and “I heart the earth” sort of screen-print tees to dress the part, but really don’t really have the ambition to do something. Many only engage in finger-pointing about the environmental crisis, and are not really beginning by changing themselves.

bonnaroo can not hold a candle to rothbury. it was the best – and the sherwood forest alone blows bonnaroo away – less intense heat – shade – better bands – a lake. even though snoop thought he was in east lansing – he was still better than kanye west i’m sure.

I just got back from Rothbury around 6 in the morning on monday. This with out question was the best festival around today. The location was absoultuely beautiful, not too many people like ‘Roo, and the weather was reasonable. This is all makes it awesome even without the bands. I could sit inside the main grounds all day and not have to walk far to see band after band. The arts and forest were amazing as well. Everything about this festival was just sweet.
but i do have to agree with enviro_gal on the green aspect. While i am majoring in environmental environment, i do care about picking up after my self and trying to go green, especially at the festival which it was all about. Not everyone gave a shit about that whole message though. I would say there were only about a quarter or less of the people there would truly cared about the message and what the promoters were trying to accomplish. it really did piss me off. i know people go for the music and others for drugs and money for a good time, but simple things like picking up cups or putting cigarette butts in the trash were not done. I went to a few think tanks, but a small amount of people turned out. people would walk by these even if it was on their way back to sit down at their camp site.

Its just too bad that a great festival with an even better message was not fully taken in and acted out by the majority of the peeople. Any way i will see you all again in Michigan in 2009. peace

how green is rothbury really? the had a solar powered cell phone charging tent recycle bins and free water…but they torn down 100’s of acres of trees, burned tons of diesel in generators, put 50,000 people in a pristine forest i would say lollapolooza is probably more green simply because they are ruining old growth forests so hippies feel at home.

Awesome festival as the latter comments have quoted. I also agree with all comments about the environmental message; I was really looking forward the green message being acted out especially at a weekend festival. Although the act was not 100% the group of people I was with gladly enjoyed the opportunity to separate our trash…and some of us even picked up extra trash for extra points for Rothbury merchandise points (we would have done this anyway). I am so happy ‘09 has been announced and I will travel from Oregon again, peace from the upside down Phish flag! (A mourning tribute…for now?)

This was my first big music festival and it was incredible. The entire festival was very well organized and being from Michigan I know the weather can be wild but I can say it couldn’t have been any nicer. Perfect. Cups and forks made of corn. Farout. Who knows if energy was conserved when producing these fine utensils but it’s still a great idea. I never did get to lay in one of those hamocks.

this “the dude” guy is posting the same message in every forum discussing Rothbury, smells like a Bonnawho promoter to me. Those dudes are so shady, wouldnt be the first time they’ve made up false things about Rothbury. I talked to the Lipsitz guy who owns the JJ in VIP during Widespread (which was mind-blowing), and he confirmed that that burning down trees thing is a total lie.

and also dude, your numbers are way off

1- there were 40,000 people
2- The generators burned BIO-diesel (aka used vegetable oil) and I think it was the first festie to ever do that.

You show more and more, that you never even went to the ‘bury.

ROthbury was effing awesome

doses and rolls were running like the faucet was open, a little harder to find herb though….

one thing, little kids should NOT be there…

other than that, a great festival, amazing to say the least

WOW! I was blown away. Every aspect of this festival was so pro. It seems that the roth people have taken all thats good from other festivals and one upped them. The grounds were unbeatable (and clean), the weather was perfect, the shows were stellar. I cannot wait for next year. I am saving up already.
One recommendation – if the brain at roth are disappointed about the think tank participation then maybe next year they should take an hour on Satruday – stop all shows – and use the main stage to conduct a group session. It’s a start!

Take the `07 All Good Show and multiply it by 20! Freakin Great!
I`ll be back!

Agreeing with “the dude-is a Fraud”
The Dude mentions destroying old growth forests to please the hippies… trees didn’t grow in perfectly straight lines the last time I checked. Sherwood is not an old growth forest; plus it’s a resort, so the forest is used to regular foot traffic.

Think before you speak.

Already putting together my plan for next year’s Rothbury… making a concentrated effort to pack and plan with Green in mind.

its a dude ranch the man who owns it planted those trees 55 years ago he has had a working dude ranch for people & family’s and kids for the summer. the clearings are part of a 2000 acre ranch with cattle so if you don’t know you should learn the facts before you accuse the wonderful man whom shared his well loved and cared for ranch with those who were lucky enough to go maybe you need to see it not many people would care enough to plant a forest then share it

the dude is an idiot. no trees were chopped down. its a freaking ranch!!! horses can’t run through trees. That being said, this shit was the shit!!!! ROTHBURY FOREVER!!!!

I attended this show and the music and setting was beautiful. It was as close to the spirit of the 60’s as you can get in these cynical times. People all sat and sang along, different races, all ages. And as a gay man I can say that being at a concert with a feeling of peace and harmony is a rare treat in 2008. Peace and love…….

this is my honest opinion of the rothbury festival. i live 1 1\2 mile from double jj and i wasn’t even offered free tickets. but people up to 5 miles away were offered tickets. and the music was another thing. it would have been nice if they would’ve had music for people middle-aged instead of 25 yrs. and younger. and another thing is that i don’t think that the music should’ve went past 1:00 a.m. and you would think at $245.00 a ticket the fireworks would have been better.

Oldeni: Maybe you should pack up your eight track player and listen to your soft hits at the nursing home you are checking into soon. If you dont like the music then you didn’t have to go. And to give you a little wake up call the bands cater to 30,40, 50 something not 25. The 25 year olds are grown up now grandma…go get your cane and go to bed

They did cut down part of the forest to improve what they claim “sight lines” to the stage. Not very green!

OLDENI stop ur bitchin
phil lesh is in his 60’s
you don’t think he was playing for anyone over 25? your dumb. And boo hoo, buy a ticket like evryone else you dick. fireworks have nothing to do with a festival, emmitt nershi band also aint just for youngins, and why in the hell should the music have ended at 1 am? IDIOOTTT

Ok, I’m gonna start off by saying i’ve been to 4 bonnaroo’s including the first two. Rothbury was an absolutely dreadful festival. We arrived and paid $250 for a ticket. WAY TOO MUCH! I was so surprised when they made us pay that ridiculous amount and didn’t tell us where to park, didn’t give us a map, didn’t get a ticket. The weather in Michigan is also not the best for a show. Hot in the day, freezing and wet at night. The most important reason that Rothbury festival should call it a day is THE MUSIC! The line-up was ridiculously bad for a $250 ticket. Widespread Panic and Dave headliners, give me a break. They also scheduled it so when Dave played there was no alternative. YOU HAD TO SEE DAVE OR NOTHING! Secret Machines, Iron & Wine, Dresden Dolls, Of Montreal, Black Keys, and Modest Mouse were all worthy shows but with the exception of the brilliantly entertaining Of Montreal, the rest of the bands had 1 hour daytime shows. All and all, the festival had some bonnarooesque moments of clarity, but overall it was a cluttered mess of a festival. Most definitely the “Mercedes of Festivals” which was uttered by an organizer.

Other than Sunday’s shows w/ Trey, Mike, Mule, and Phil, the shows I heard on Iclips were mediocre at best. Primus was diappointing compared to the late night I heard them do back in 03 at ‘roo. The Panic set was a standard fest set, nothing like their first few years at roo. I didnt attend either of these fests this year nor will I in the future. Corporations have hijacked the scene. I dont want to see Colby Caillet at the same fest as Trey, they just do this to sell massive amounts of tickets. Or go hear “muzak” produced on a laptop all night as my only late night choice. The promoter’s already saying he wants 80-90 thousand there next year. Go figure…

Great event. I do think they need to bring the environmental message out to the main stages though, maybe while the next band sets up. Because the talks and forums were really lightly attended. The festival was really clean, but I think most of that was because of the volunteers in the pink shirts. They did a lot of the clean up work. And about half

Amazing weekend of music. Late night sets were unreal-Lotus and Panic stood out for me, although others put on great sets. Sunday was filled with great music and very chill crowds at all the shows. Only two things I would like to see improved on if there is a next year (hopefully)–bigger entrance with more ways to pass through to stages-spent too much time waiting to get in while checking bags. Secondly, at front gates they should hand out programs and maps. This music festival rocked out and I will def be back next year.

I am back from Rothbury and must say I had a GRATE time. The music was good, the environmental message although somewhat muted was well received by everyone. The think tanks do need a main stage apperance next year. There was music for everyone. I had some tough choices to make on who to see but there were no bad choices. I found the fesitval to be diverse, well run and a lot of fun. I will return until it grows into a Bonaroo which would be a SAD thing. The local people I met were wonderful and amazed by the turnout. I hope the festival continues on the course as plotted.

I’ll second that … god bless the people in the pink shirts. Did you know that there was a second station in which the trash was re-sorted to make sure compost / recycle and landfill waste had the same place to go. I heard Micheal Kang played a private concert back there for them.

Also People People People, wake up its 2008 get used to seeing corporate sponsors, do you know how high tickets prices would be without them? How can you even call out Rothbury when Bonnaroo is the “mercedes” of corporate sponsorship, look at bonnaroo.com for god sakes. I can’t wait for R’bry 2009! if 2008 had 3/4 of Phish you know 4/4 of Phish will be rep’n at 2009!

PS: if you watched the fest on iclips over the internet you have no credibility to critique it. Like most quality fests, half the excitement were the people and the surroundings. And as far as I can tell there was no Sherwood Forrest or Swinging monkeys on iclips…

Primus – LaLonde rules the frets!

Rothbury was the first major festival event of my life so far. next time i will learn to mix my drugs better, but hey, lack of sleep is the ultimate hallucenogenic. Peace love and Rothbury.

I live about 5 miles away and that was the best I have ever seen JJ Resort look, Rothbury was AWESOME the music was great the drugs were great the people were great it just could not have been any better I will be back for sure next year and every year. HAPPY ROTHBURY

I went, it was…..OK. Same thing as Roo, just a bunch of wacked out of their skull hippy kids running running around acting to care about the issue of the day so that they can hang out with whoever has the drugs or the girl on acid with the hula hoop. I really agree with Dan Auerbach “Same shit, different field.”

Rothbury was an amazing experience! The camping was great, the bands were great, and the people were great! Will be back in 09!

I remember that I have viewed many famous mature celebrities’ hot
videos on UKsugarmommy – dotcom, it is an online dating on which the wealthy sugarmmma looking for younger and handsome partner. And those young guys who satisfy the mature sugarmomma can be awarded anything they want on that page.

have been to many of the other festivals…roo, langerado, all good, coachella…….Rothbury really set itself apart! It was nice to have the colder weather at night especially after some really hot days. The landscape was incredible! Roo is just a giant dusty field bowl with little shade. All in all the organizers did a fantastic job! Remember folks, this was the first one….it only get’s better! Can’t wait til next year!

have been to many of the other festivals…roo, langerado, all good, coachella…….Rothbury really set itself apart! It was nice to have the colder weather at night especially after some really hot days. The landscape was incredible! Roo is just a giant dusty field bowl with little shade. All in all the organizers did a fantastic job! Remember folks, this was the first one….it only get’s better! Can’t wait til next year!

have been to many of the other festivals…roo, langerado, all good, coachella…….Rothbury really set itself apart! It was nice to have the colder weather at night especially after some really hot days. The landscape was incredible! Roo is just a giant dusty field bowl with little shade. All in all the organizers did a fantastic job! Remember folks, this was the first one….it only get’s better! Can’t wait til next year!

Wow! Rothbury was an amazing experience! I have been to quite a few festivals and every aspect of this one was phenomenal! From Sherwood Forest to the monkeys to all the great shows. I joined the green team because i couldn’t afford a ticket and I was a little nervous about working but i am telling you I had the best time of my life. I met soo many cool people and I helped save the enviornment! It was a win-win situation. I couldn’t have been more happy while at Rothbury. I can’t wait for next year! And for those few of you who didn’t like Rothbury, are you sure you went to the right place?!?!

to oldeni poated 7-7-2008 10:58pm
note:: on the ticket all you had to do was was call the DJJ number
and show ID .. got mind that way and i live in town by the post office..
love every min of it .. lets do it agian

First off this was the best festival I’ve ever been to. Way better than Roo, less than half the people, shade in the day, great weather all weekend until it finally rained Sunday night. The sound for every band was phenomenal, a little loud the first night but toned down a bit after that. I was so glad to be able to sit around my camp site and not sweat my butt off. We camped in the back and the walk was a bit much, but next year I will be parking much closer to the entrance to the fest. I loved that after 311 and other bands got done I saw a ton of employees cleaning up the grounds before the next show. I also loved that I could walk 5 minutes in the morning and get a huge breakfast burrito and coffee to start the day. The vendors were great and so was shakedown. Lots of cool original stuff you don’t find anywhere else. See you all there next year!

I had an AWESOME time!!!I just wish that you guys wouldn’t get on here and write such hateful comments.Having an opinion is one thing, but to bring down what was quite an Enchanting Experience for thousands of people is another.This festival was over the top! SO much attention to detail it really brought out the best in everyone there!The music was awesome(I rocked my Face off at EVERY show),the ranch was just BEAUTIFUL,awesome weather,LOVELY People All Over and there was not a dull moment. I also really liked that they made it family friendly(family camping areas, cool idea)

ALL weekend I lived in a MUSIC COMMUNITY!!!I seriously was part of this town that brought so many people to one area for ONE REASON! They were my family and I WON”T EVER FORGET the 1st Annual Rothbury!I can honestly say I’ve already been dreaming about next year!I hope those of you who went had a GReaT time and will go back.For those of you with negative attitudes, well, I really hope something HUGE and INSIGHTFUL will happen in your life and you’ll one become full of joy and leave the all judgements behind.

Peace and Much Love to EVERYONE!

Screw that tool shed from the Black keys who said “same shit different field” Rothbury totally kills Roo and All Good etc. More like same shit different trendy indy rock hipster band. I hope that pile of shit doesn’t get booked again. I for one will make the drive from Raleigh, NC to Rothbury next year…and hopefully no black keys will infest the fest.

This was by far THE BEST FESTIVAL EVER.. and after going to Bonnaroo the last three years and many other festivals, nothing even comes close to comparing.

Orgasmic musical experience. The Black Keys were without a doubt the worst band I saw. Ive never seen Dave play a better show. I never thought I would be so close to John Mayer. And I always wanted to burn one with Snoop.

Btw, that guy from the Wailers sounded like Bob Marley was transmitting to us from the grave.

CRAZY

I didnt even attend the venue.
I had a great time hearing about it!
I will be there next year if they pay the bills

rothbury was awesome!! i agree completely with what people are saying about the green deal though. for as many hippies that were there, not too many were throwing trash away, picking up cig butts, etc. thats what the ashtrays were for! anyway i thought it was fantastic. first fest i’ve been to and loved it. cant wait til next year!

rothbury was hands down the greatest festival ever CANT WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR

Rothbury was the greatest festival every. Try to stay on the Back Forty, if it’s not sold out already.

Rothbury rocked and we have our tickets for this year already. I was one of the painted ladies walking around. Hurray for Hibiscus!!!

2008 was life changing. STS9, Primus, it was all good

2008 was life changing. STS9, Primus, it was all good