Bonnaroo’s Silent Disco setting up to rock out later in the evening.

What features a DJ, lights, hundreds of stomping fee but is totally quiet? Why, Bonnaroo’s Silent Disco, of course!

For the seventh straight year Bonnaroo descended on Manchester, Tennessee for a long weekend of music, art and comedy, and it’s a spectacle to be sure. The annual festival featured four days of acts running from 12-15 June 2008 in Coffee County, TN. More than a music festival, Bonnaroo also featured the comedy (with sets by comedians Chris Rock, Louis C.K. and Janeane Garofalo), lots of art installations and a movie theater that played such titles as Know Your Mushrooms, The Doorman, the Live Earth Film Series and the NBA Finals.

Anyway, back to the Silent Disco. It works like this, when you arrive you’re issued a pair of Koss JR170 wireless headphones which allow you to hear the sweet, sweet sounds of the DJ. The concept is that you can jam out into the wee hours without keeping the people – who are camping about 300 yards away – awake all night. The concept is kind of novel but it’s a good one.

When I got some time to visit the DJ was spinning an upbeat, hip hop, 80s, old school set and it was fun to dance around and check out everyone’s headphones. At first I found myself hypnotized by the glowing LEDs on the headphones, but after getting comfortable they just faded into the background. In fact it doesn’t take long until you forget that you’re wearing headphones at all. When you take them off things get weird.

A particularly funny memory is taking my headphones off during Billie Jean and not hearing any music but instead hearing everyone sing out the chorus (totally off key):

Billie jean is not my lover
She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one!

Good times, good times.

I posted seven pictures from Silent Disco 2008 and a 86 more from Bonnaroo 2008 in my Flickr Photostream. I also recommend that you check out some of funny videos from the Silent Disco to get a better feel.