Festival season is upon us. Locally, on the next three weekends, one could easily enjoy Farming Man, Nipperfest, and the Rye Bread Festival without traveling too far from Nipper’s perch in Albany. The live music, the food and drink, the artwork, the heat-but most of all, the people forming a unique new society for just a day (or four). Bonnaroo is Creole slang for “a really good time.” I am Bonnaroo is local graphic designer David Bruce’s ongoing film photography project, “archiving life one frame at a time,” a passion project that keeps him trekking to the popular Tennessee festival each summer.
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is held for four days each June in Great Stage Park, a former 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. “The Farm” is transformed with an average annual gathering of 80,000 Bonnaroovians and music around the clock. Attendees radiate a loving, positive vibe between the What, the Where, and the Huh Stages. David Bruce first went in 2011 and has gone back for the next 11 festivals (2020 was Covid-cancelled, and 2021 was canceled at the last minute due to flooding from Hurricane Ida). Armed with old-school cameras and an impressive, downright biblical beard, Bruce sets up in the campgrounds of Outeroo, then sets out to capture the magic of the festival on film.
Leif Zurmuhlen: Why do you shoot film?
David Bruce: Images captured on film have a look and feel that is unique. More and more moviemakers are shooting scenes (and whole movies) with film again for this reason. And I love being able to point to a film frame on my light box and think, “That’s it; that’s the original capture.” To me, that makes it more substantial from an art photography standpoint. Having said this, if I were shooting events for publication or doing commercial photography, it would make sense to shoot digital. Shooting film is an expensive labor of love, but it’s the only way I’ll ever shoot my personal work. The I am Bonnaroo project is full-on street-style photography, shot mostly on black and white film. I just started incorporating color film a few years ago. Typically I feel that unless color plays a role in making an image better, it can be a distraction. Then I realized that I was missing something at Bonnaroo-specifically, color is a big part of the festival.
LZ: What first brought you to Bonnaroo?
DB: In 2011, my daughter was a freshman in college and told me she was thinking about going to Bonnaroo. I told her I was envious. Her roommate’s father also wanted to go, and that’s how the idea of embarking on a trip together was born. I bought a wristband, packed up some gear, and rendezvoused with this girl’s dad in Long Island. It was a leap of faith. We literally got to know each other on the 18-hour road trip to The Farm. Hindsight tells me that this was an integral part of my Bonnaroo journey. Meeting new people from places I’ve never been is a big part of the Bonnaroo experience.
LZ: Why do you keep returning to Bonaroo?
DB: The festival is a visual feast. I had no idea how overwhelmed I’d be with the Bonnaroo culture from a photographer’s standpoint. I became aware that I didn’t bring enough film to shoot on my first day there, so I went up to anyone with a camera and asked if they knew who I might be able to buy some from. Miraculously, I found someone who sold me a couple of rolls. Now I travel to The Farm with three 35mm cameras and 40-plus rolls of film.
LZ: How did you first get into photography?
DB: I bought my first 35mm camera in the early ’80s, inspired by photographers like Danny Lyon and Sally Mann.
LZ: What camera(s) are you shooting with?
DB: I have six different Nikon 35mm film cameras that have all been used for the I am Bonnaroo project.
LZ: Do you find that your subjects react differently to older/film cameras?
DB: Some people recognize that I’m using a handheld light meter and film camera, ask questions, and immediately become more interested. There’s a different kind of interaction because it’s a bit more of a process. I’m not simply pointing my camera at them and shooting 30 frames a second.
LZ: I notice you focus on the festival goers as much or more than the bands-why?
DB: I learned the first year I attended that the people who attend Bonnaroo are truly what makes that festival the unique experience that it is. There’s a real sense of community on the Farm. The photographers that go there to shoot bands do an amazing job of capturing that aspect of the festival. The I am Bonnaroo project is a homage to the beautifully diverse community that makes Bonnaroo Bonnaroo.
LZ: Do you wear anything identifying yourself as I am Bonnaroo?
DB: Not intentionally. People recognize me probably because I’ve worn the same hat and had the same look since 2011. This has made things a bit tricky for me the last couple of years. Being anonymous makes it easier for me to meander through crowds and take photos without drawing attention.
LZ: How do you establish trust with your subjects? Do you always ask first?
DB: I ask first when I can, but when I see a real moment I shoot and explain later. This has always yielded my best images and has never been a problem. The only way to capture real life in real time is to shoot when it’s happening.
LZ: Are you seeing some of the same people year after year?
DB: Yes! Which has been pretty cool. Time and life changes everyone and I love being able to document time this way. My motto is, “archiving life one frame at a time”, it’s tattooed on my arm underneath a tattoo of a 35mm camera.
LZ: How do you think young festival goers now compare to the Woodstock generation?
DB: Both the Woodstock generation and our current generation were and are dealing with a lot of uncertainty. People go to events like this and feel a sense of unity. Everyone is on the same frequency, and they celebrate life in that moment the same way. It’s a shared experience. I wasn’t at the original Woodstock fest but I believe that Bonnaroo would be the closest I could get to it.
LZ: I’m interested in the idea that you’re suited up like Dennis Hopper’s character in Apocalypse Now, with Vietnam-era camera gear attending a communal gathering like the original Woodstock festival. Do you think you were searching for a peace and love vibe that you may have missed, being too young to go in 1969? If so, did you find it?
DB: Ha!! That’s wild because Apocalypse Now is my favorite movie of all time. And I’ve dressed up like Dennis Hopper’s character in Apocalypse for Halloween. But I’ve never made the comparison to how I dress for Bonnaroo. I guess the similarity is undeniable. When I first thought about how I wanted my images to look before heading to Bonnaroo in 2011, I immediately thought about the original Woodstock Fest. So I bought a 1969 Nikon F and brought a few rolls of Kodak Tri-X to the Farm. Back when I was 14 years old and living in Nebraska I came across a book of photos from the ’69 festival. I was blown away by those images. I couldn’t imagine what being there must’ve been like. So my camera and film choice for Bonnaroo was deliberate. The Bonnaroo culture is very modern hippie. It’s a modern Woodstock ’69, with laser lights, but organized much better. Radiating positivity is the vibe.
LZ: Do you camp on the festival grounds?
DB: Yes. I don’t fly to Tennessee or stay in hotels. The 1,000 mile road trip to the Farm and living in a tent in a field with tens of thousands of people are all part of what gets me in the frame of mind I want to be in for capturing life for this project.
LZ: Do you have any multi-day music festival survival tips?
DB: Definitely. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and over do it. It’s a four day festival. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Stay hydrated. Bring sunblock, Gorilla tape and baby wipes.
LZ: Any tips for photographing bands/crowds?
DB: Know what your objective is and focus on gear that’ll help achieve that goal. Leave everything else at home. If you’re going to shoot bands primarily, gear up for that. If you’re taking crowd shots or shooting atmosphere, gear up for this. I think being specific with gear selection will yield better images without generalizing.
LZ: What have you experienced at Bonnaroo that made you laugh the most?
DB: Oh, there are so many moments. I saw a dude walking around mid-day one year wearing nothing but a Dunkin Donuts apron. This year a guy showed up at the Yearbook shoot with his girlfriend and asked if he could get naked for his portrait and proceeded to disrobe in front of a line of people waiting to have their photo taken!
The I am Bonnaroo Yearbook series is a new, official collaboration with Bonnaroo which kicked off this year. It’s a more refined portrait series in comparison to the I am Bonnaroo Project. It’s all shot on color film with more of a portrait style lens, and I use a diffused flash for a soft fill. I pitched this concept to Bonnaroo back in February as a possibility for 2024 and they decided to start it this year. I did an installment exhibition this year (2023) that was made up of nine 12 foot panels of my photos on site. Bonnaroo had them printed on vinyl with grommets and the intends to use them every year. It was beyond surreal to see my work displayed at the Festival after 13 years of building this project!
LZ: What have you experienced at Bonnaroo that made you cry (if ever)?
DB: I’m not an emotional person but when Paul McCartney headlined in 2013 and 85,000 people all sang Hey Jude in unison… that was a spiritual moment. And this year my daughter, who now lives in Nashville, showed up on site at the Yearbook shoot and surprised me. It was Father’s Day, I hadn’t seen her in months and work commitments had prevented her from attending Bonnaroo this year. But she managed to make it, just for the day.
LZ: What’s next?
DB: I’m pretty excited because I’m a big fan of the ’69 Woodstock Fest and this August is the inaugural Catbird Music Festival, which is taking place on the original Woodstock site in Bethel, NY. Catbird is showing every sign of being the closest homage to the original Woodstock Fest to date. I’ll be there-dressed like Dennis Hopper, capturing the festival’s culture with my vintage Nikons!
@iambonnaroo
