Rockin' Rothbury

Bonnaroo is a huge annual music festival that takes place in Tennessee and has continued to grow each year since it started in 2002. I've never been, but I know many people who have and, from what I've heard and seen, it seems to be a real good time, and a well-done festival. Lineups have been terrific in the past, with artists such as Phish, The Dead, Les Claypool, Bruce Springsteen, The Allman Brothers, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Tool, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, Metallica, etc. - some pretty big name bands, even Snoop Dogg. Of course not to mention dozens of terrific jambands, bluegrass infused string ensembles and great musicians of all sorts.

Up until this year, Bonnaroo was the most talked about and pretty much biggest festival around, with a 2009 attendance of more than 75,000. This is huge, but Double J Ranch in Rothbury Michigan is slowly starting to rise to meet the masses of Bonnaroo, by providing the music and the experience that festival goers all over the nation are seeking. Rothbury Festival is hands-down the best music experience I've ever had in my life. From what I heard while I was there this summer, from people who have been to Bonnaroo, it's the best festival a lot of people have ever been to.

Of course, this is subjective, because that can be based on a lot of things. There's absolutely no doubt that they have the music covered without question. Rothbury has had lineups with artists such as The Dead, String Cheese Incident, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Black Crowes, Damian Marley, Jackie Greene, Umphrey's McGee, Toots & the Maytals, Flogging Molly, Railroad Earth, Taj Mahal, Mike Gordon, Trey Anastasio, State Radio and many many more.

In addition to the kickass lineup they have numerous activities and such that people can participate in. The had Think Tanks and people speaking about the environment. In fact, the festival itself was completely green: being environment-friendly and everything green. There were people guarding every trash station with their only job to make sure people are throwing things into the right receptacle: compost, trash and recyclable. It was cool, everything was served in cups or on plates made from corn starch. Bathrooms were cleaned every few hours or so. It was very comfortable and accommodating.