We’ll have some Bonnaroo coverage for you Monday, from our intrepid correspondents who have ventured down to Manchester, TN to take in the yearly rock mega-fest. But for now, those of us who didn’t commit to standing outside through three days of 90-degree temperatures and thunderstorms are happy to be up north. For readers who are in the same predicament, we present a quick guide to following Bonnaroo, which will feature performances by everyone from Jay-Z to The Flaming Lips to She & Him, from your laptop. It’s nice being dry, isn’t it?
1. Download NPR’s 11-song Bonnaroo compilation, featuring tracks by Dan Deacon, Miranda Lambert, and The Black Keys. Or perhaps Spin’s mixtape, which includes The National, Phoenix, and Gossip, is more your speed.
2. Keep track of who wowed the crowd and who bombed with the New York Times’ four-word reviews. Here are yesterday’s. Back-handed compliment of the week? “Blitzen Trapper: No longer simply derivative.”
3. Experience Bonnaroo style… such as it is. The Fader has spotted the festival’s essential fashion statement: tie dye. Browse the photos at the event’s official website and on Flickr to do your own critique.
4. Bug your friends who actually are at the festival with this handy guide to how not to behave at Bonnaroo. (In case you’re wondering, the more general rules from our 10 commandments of summer music festival behavior still apply.)
5. Follow Bonnaroo on Twitter and Facebook, and keep up to date with a live blog on the event’s website.
6. Listen to the festival live all weekend at NPR.
7. Better yet, watch high-quality streaming video of the performances at YouTube. You may just get a better view than the people who paid to see it.
8. Take a shower, eat a cheap, mud-free meal, or mix yourself a drink that isn’t warm piss beer. Why? Because you can.
Image via Bonnaroo blog.