The nerve-racking torrential downpours that soaked everyone’s tents Thursday evening actually worked out for the benefit of Bonnaroo. The majority of the bugs disappeared, and the weather wasn’t unbearably hot the entire time, with overcast clouds dotted throughout the weekend yet still enough sun to make funny patterns on peoples’ skin.

Experiencing Bonnaroo in a backstage-kind-of-way pushed to the forefront of my mind the reality of the number of people involved behind-the-scenes in order for Bonnaroo to be a success.

The excitement of reunited Phish playing two sets, Jimmy Buffet added to the roster at the last minute and “The Boss” rocking out under the stars really added an air of special vibes set apart from Bonnaroos past.

Throw in Snoop Dogg, The Mars Volta, Beastie Boys and Nine Inch Nails and the perma-smile sets in. The variety of bands gets better every year, especially those playing on stages other than the Main, from hip-hop’s People Under the Stairs to lovely ladies Lucinda Williams and soft hottie Jessica Lea Mayfield; from the spunky Yeah Yeah Yeahs to the electronic beats of MGMT, Bonnaroo 2009 was magical.