It was my first time to Suwannee Music Park in Florida and if I was excited before my arrival there it was nothing to how I felt upon my departure. It all started about a month before my birthday and I was wondering how to celebrate. I had been overcome with this idea that doing the same thing every year for my birthday was getting quite old.
Therefore when my friend begged me to go to a small festival five hours away being headlined by some DJ I had never heard of, I decided to go for it.
Never before have I been so happy with a decision I had made.
I was committed and having been to Bonnaroo (twice) as the only festival I had yet been a part of, I was excited for something smaller. My friends had been to Hulaween the last two years and still couldn’t believe I had never been to Suwannee.
We arrived in the sun on the day the festival was starting and I was immediately blown away, not only by the trees surrounding the lake and the sheer beauty of the venue but all of the people as well. It pulled an incredible smile from me to see all the colorful camps and beautiful people.
Having only barely listened to Tipper, I was wholly unprepared for one of the greatest weekends of my entire life.
The man himself took the stage as the full moon rose picturesque into the sky to set the evening off just right. I was caught completely unawares when he started his set and the screen started up.
That first night it was Brian Singer who was collaborating the artwork for the huge screen (Android Jones was the artist for the second night).
It is always a wonderful reminder when put in front of amazing work like that, that the beauty in people’s minds is powerful and inspiring, just as all the artwork we saw there was. Perhaps I was simply in a wonderful mood but everything seemed to be perfect.
The art would’ve been amazing and the music captivating separately but enjoyed together was something else entirely.
The music grabbed me and did not let go. The energy flowing around and through me picked up the entire gathering and flew us away to another place and time where nothing mattered but the sheer euphoria.
Tipper pulled from us such a joy and peace that was unlike anything else I have experienced.
Everywhere I looked people were moving and putting positivity into the universe.
It was as if the full moon was smiling down on the gathering and bouncing back all of the love and positivity that we could emanate back at us. I was so caught up I could’ve stayed enraptured in those moments forever.
There was nothing but the music, the love, the art and the joy; nothing else could penetrate the bubble we had created. As all good things do, the show ended and my friend and I simply sat there at the amphitheater stage where all the acts played, completely blown away.
That place is truly magical, even without the music.
We visited the rest of the venue then and I was shown around all the places my friends had been and hung out on their previous visits to Suwannee.
To say I was blessed by the experience just doesn’t do it justice, and if Tipper does another full moon gathering next year, I will be there with bells on; or perhaps a glow in the dark hat of some sort.
As with any festival I met a ton of new and exciting people, danced and grooved my socks off and put an incredible weekend into the memory bank. I just can’t wait to do it all over again!
