For most, the best part about summer is being able to hop in the car and experience something new! Just a little road trip away from Denver -- Bonanza Campout
There is no better escape from everyday life than packing up all your camping gear and heading to a music festival. Aside from seeing your favorite artists perform and being around the people you love, being immersed in the wilderness with minimal cell service is about as stress-free as it gets. Bonanza Campout Music Festival was definitely an experience, and definitely worth the road trip to Heber City, Utah.
Nestled next to Jordenelle Reservoir, Rivers Edge campground was the perfect location for the two-stage weekend-long festival. There were some concerns raised regarding the intimate setting (the stages were close!), but as soon as the music started playing, coupled with the perfectly timed schedule, there was zero overlap and zero worries that you may miss your favorite set.
And the lineup was worth the back-and-forth stage switching. Nick Murphy, Nas, Method Man & Redman, Duke Dumont, Jai Wolf, and of COURSE Odesza were all present and each represented their own special brand of musical mastery perfectly.
Not only were the stages and lineup perfectly aligned, the main festival grounds were mere STEPS from camping. If you lucked out and scored premiere camping, you had the luxury of a wider space, a gorgeous flowing river, and escaping the typical “tent city” scene most festivals have to offer.
Immediately upon setting up camp, we made friends with our fellow festivalgoers. Attendees had the option to get a camp site or have the comfort of getting a cabin for a couple extra dollars -- needless to say, we made friends with the cabin dwellers in hopes of using their facilities to avoid the dreaded festival porta-potty ... We were successful and met some amazing people while we were at it.
Festival vibes were abundant at Bonanza Campout. Never have I been around a more accepting, friendly, welcoming, and amazing group of individuals. There must be something in the water in Salt Lake City (where most of the people we met came from), because the people we met were just so friendly!
Most notable would be “Camp Covfefe,” manned by a former Mormon missionary and his brother. The two wandered around the campground Saturday morning, inviting any and everyone to stop by for a fresh cup of coffee. Obviously, we took them up on their offer. Coffee is life. Camp Covfefe not only had fresh coffee; one of the brothers was barista-ing it up with a legit cappuccino machine. I had the best caramel latte of my life that morning. With a little conversation and bonding, we were on our way to escape the desert heat.
[gallery size="large" ids="18571,18579,18572,18582,18570,18567"]Each day, the festival opened its doors around 11 a.m., but there was no consistent crowd until about 6 or 7 p.m. because let me tell you -- it.was.hot. Utah desert heat is NO JOKE. As much as we wanted to check out all the artists, it was almost impossible to stay out in the heat for too long. Luckily enough, the camps were close, perfect for a quick escape between artists we wanted to catch.
Now onto what you really care about — THE MUSIC!! Each night had a headliner for the ages. It’s rare to find a festival where every night features someone you’ve just been dying to see. Bonanza delivered. The lineup as a whole was pretty eclectic, with some true amazing hip hop perfectly represented. We’ll take it day by day:
To kick off the weekend, on Friday we caught Robert Delong -- a truly talented guy who literally used a joystick to play his music. The artist is known for mixing truly original tracks, and he did it right there in front of us. Many were confused at the strange high- and low-pitched sounds Delong was making at first, but when he mashed and mixed it all together, the crowd started bouncing. Cut Copy was up next, a more indy side for those who are into that sort of thing. When the band first stepped on stage, I thought, “Who’s dads are these?” The electronic/indie rock band started in 2001 and had some tried and true fans in the audience. Granted, we didn’t know any of the words but still had fun amongst the crowd.
[gallery size="large" ids="18583,18584,18585,18586,18587,18588,18589,18590" orderby="rand"]Friday night, Nick Murphy (Chet Faker) the mastermind behind possibly the sexiest song and subsequent music video ever, put on an amazingly moody and par-for-the-course sexy set. The lights and fog set against the mountainous hills behind the stage was a marvelous close to the first night of the festival. It always helps when the artists starts a set with your favorite song (Gold), as well.
Saturday began, as I said, with the most glorious cup of covfefe I’ve ever had. Aside from that, most of the day was spend hiding from the incredible heat. Being right next to a national park, we discovered a short trail that climbed the side of a large hill that held the tons and tons of water hovering just above the campground (remember that dam I mentioned earlier?). Perched at the top of the hill, we were granted the best view of the festival grounds below. We had to make a visit at night when the lights were going.
The first act we caught of the day was Waka Flocka Flame. That's right. Waka made an appearance in Heber City, Utah, of all places -- and he KILLED it. Playing a fair mix of the club-bangers you know and love with a few of his new EDM tracks, he had the crowd on fire. It’s cool, though; he provided the audience with PLENTY of hydration. Whether it was chucking water bottles into the crowd or spraying the audience with champagne, he had the sweaty audience covered.
Big Wild was up next. A Foreign Family Collective member, he rocked the crowd with old jams and new, even picking up the mic and singing a bit. While I’m not the biggest fan of the phenomenon I will now coin as “Chainsmoker-ing” (aka electronic artists all of a sudden thinking they can sing when they cannot sing), Big Wild changed my mind ever so slightly by not being terrible. Still though, the singing when you can’t needs to stop. Stay true to your sound because that's what your fans love you for!! Seriously, forget what your record label is telling you -- you don’t NEED to be on the radio nonstop to garner a fan base. We love you just the way you are <3
[gallery size="large" ids="18591,18592,18593,18594,18595,18596,18597,18598,18599"]We caught Nas’s set perched on the top of our little hill looking down. The lights were amazing, getting flashes every now and then from spotlights hitting our secret spot. After Nas’s show we anticipated exactly what happened … the perfect representation of ultimate diva-dom we’ve ever witnessed by none other than Ms. Lauryn Hill.
[gallery size="large" ids="18600,18602,18601,18604"]Let me get real for a moment. She was terrible.
Not only was she 45 minutes late for her show, which was supposed to go from 11 to 12. She basically had what we could only equate to a straight-up mental breakdown on stage. After an intro song saying nothing more than “Everything is Everything” 14,000 times, she proceeded to butcher every Lauryn Hill/Fugees song we knew and loved. We had to get closer than our hilltop perch to see what the hell was going on. As we approached, we saw the travesty from about 10 feet away because most of the crowd had dissipated at that point (15 minutes into her show). Ms. Hill was berating her band, ending each song with a scolding session to either her drummer, the sound guy, or her poor (but extremely talented!) backup singers. She also proceeded to go over her hour allotted time by vocalizing and doing the worst rendition of "Killing Me Softly" I’ve ever heard.
PLUS with Nas literally on an HOUR before her set, you’d think the crowd would be graced with hearing “If I Ruled the World” by the pair… false. Apparently, Ms. Hill went over her time for soundcheck (which we were all woken up to at 7:45 a.m.) and took over Nas’s time, which caused a rift and ultimately robbed us of the performance we were all looking forward to the most.
Needless to say, the night ended on a sour note. But Sunday would make up for it by MILES.
Hands down, no doubt, ABSOLUTELY — Redman and Method Man stole the whole weekend. Vastly making up for the hip hop failure of the night before, the classic duo lit up the stage from the very beginning. “We’re about to put on an amazing show FOR ALL 15 OF YOU!!!” Redman and Method Man turned up the energy 10 times with their lively personalities, fun songs, and just overall great energy. Definitely the best performance of the weekend if you ask me.
[gallery size="large" ids="18605,18606,18607,18608,18609,18610,18611" orderby="rand"]Well… that's not to say Odesza didn’t end the entire weekend on the most amazing note. Performing brand new songs from their yet-to-be-released album, Odesza was the perfect close to the weekend, playing both classics and new songs. The crowd was swaying and dancing along to every note. Odesza's music surrounds you, and that was no different here. Ending the night with explosive fireworks, we were left with memories that will last us a lifetime.
[gallery size="large" ids="18612,18614,18615,18616,18617,18618,18619,18620,18621,18622" orderby="rand"]The weekend had its ups and downs musically, but overall, Bonanza Campout was well worth the road trip from Denver. Beautiful scenery, intimate festival grounds, and some of the best artists performing … what more could you possibly ask for?? (Other than it being held here in Colorado!) If you missed the festivities this year you should definitely keep an eye out for next year. Or, keep your eye out for the Superfly Festival planned in Denver in 2018. While a visit to Heber City, Utah, may have never been on your bucket list, experiencing Bonanza Campout absolutely should be.