Tales From The Playa are dreams and memories of events that took place at Burning Man, as told by its participants.

On the deck at First Camp, with Coyote on sax.

Crimson Rose and Will Roger, who’ve been together for 19 years, made their  relationship all official-like  in the glowy late-afternoon playa light when they stood on a deck overlooking First Camp and got married in front of a crowd of people who love them both dearly.

In a lot of ways, Crimson Rose is  the person who brought spiritual fire to the playa, as she was one of the first people to ritualize its presence here. To this day, she lights the cauldron at the entrance to Center Camp at the beginning of Burning Man, and then she and her fire conclave carry it out the base of the Man on the night of the burn.

Will Roger is the man who started the DPW, the hard-charging and hard-working group that builds Black Rock City. They put the first stake in the ground about five weeks before Burning Man, and then they pull the last one out during the restoration of the playa.  So Crimson is fire, and Will is earth, and the two came together.

Marian talked about the journey that led them here.

Rev. Billy was the officiant and emcee, and a group of people offered heartfelt performances and warm testimonials. Coyote was smooth and sexy on the sax, Marissa serenaded the couple soaringly, Holly from Jerk Church played a Joey Jello favorite on the flute, and people took turns on the megaphone to offer congratulations.
“It’s been amazing to watch this journey,” Marian said through her tears. “In a way, it’s like the way the six of us have committed to be together into the future. … These two partners are closing the circle.”

Then the high-coiffed Rev. Billy launched into a rousing stemwinder that let people feel like they, too, were in that inner circle of love on this day.

Tales From The Playa are dreams and memories of events that took place at Burning Man, as told by its participants.

“Nothing says ‘thank you’ like something.”

That’s one of the signs that’s carried along on the DPW’s annual parade through the streets of Black Rock City, as  worker crews take a ride, do a little showing off and offer  BRC residents a chance to show some love.

The mutant vehicles straight out of “Mad Max,” and some very striking individuals (“pirate carny tricksters” as Niko Peachez puts it)  start out at the Depot and make their way up 5:30. They take a couple of turns and go through some neighborhoods, to the general alarm of  some of the populace.

Overall, though, people seem to get it, and they rush up with a can or two of cold beverages, all the better to keep the restoration of the playa sufficiently lubricated.

There was some unlikely music at the “rave” that followed the parade.

This year’s parade ended with a round-up in front of the Heavy Machinery yard, where Weld Boy had engineered a DPW dirt rave. An art car played Katy Perry tunes and “Call Me Maybe” and other wildly unlikely songs. It should be noted that the DPW lapped it up and danced the afternoon away with a fury.

It should also be noted that “Free Bird” was also on the soundtrack, and everyone knew why, and everyone could see what Rachel was going through. It was a glorious day for a parade, but obviously there was some bittersweet mixed in with the good times. Read more »

Out between the Man and the Temple, a solitary woman danced in the dust.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Here we are on hump day, halfway through the week already. At least it is as gorgeous as you can imagine.

Yes, we’ve had our share of blowing dust, but nothing, NOTHING like two years ago. There was no way it was going to be one beautiful calm day after another like last year, but to these eyes it seems that balance has been restored. Sometimes you get caught in some nasty stuff, and you have to hunker down in your tent or in Center Cafe or whatever you have, and wait it out. But the waits have not been very long.

Folks continue to stream into the city, although anecdotal reports say the lines at both the Gate and the Greeters have been … dare we say it? … not that bad. Melissa and James, our guardian angels from S.F. who brought our backup camera to the playa, left Reno on Monday morning and were in their camp three hours later. Three hours! On Monday! … Another group of friends came in last night and pulled in to Gate road around midnight, and there were three cars ahead of them in line. Three.

Maybe the longest delays have been caused by the very noticeable police presence here. We are told by reliable people with direct knowledge of the situation that there are more law enforcement personnel here than in previous years, and they are keeping a higher profile. More cars than ever before are being pulled over and searched as soon as they pass the Greeters’ stations. And almost any infraction will be cited, so make sure your tail lights are working, and that your bicycle racks do not block your license plate. And of course obey the Black Rock City speed limit. Also, reacquaint yourself with your rights regarding searches, because in almost all cases officers will try to search search your car. And they have dogs to help them. A word to the wise.

Beyond all that, things proceed apace. The city feels positively crammed with high-quality art, maybe more than ever before. The 35 pieces associated with the CORE project enhance that impression, but in general, there is art everywhere. And there are art cars everywhere, as well. There are old favorites like the Neverwas Haul, and new favorites like Christina, the giant yacht. Really, it’s never been easier to hitch a ride around the playa on something fun, cool or loud – or all three.

Mike Garlington’s and Laura Kempton’s “Ego” draws visitors no matter what the conditions.

Even though the population of the city is ahead of last year’s pace – there were 40,000 people here yesterday, and today we’re at 47,249  – the city seems quieter than in recent years. The public spaces like the Esplanade and Center Camp seem almost eerily quiet. It’s hard to figure out why, but one theory goes that because there is so much art out in the playa, and so many ways to get out to it, that more people are out exploring than gathering in the more public meeting places. Read more »

The Temple in progress

Despite four days of nightly white outs, including the mother of all sandstorms and 12 hour delays on I-80 over the pass, being surrounded by hundreds of wild fires burning, and rumors of a fuel line break that would make gas impossible to procur, somehow most of the art for this year is either complete or almost there. This is indeed a fertile year for art as it springs up seemingly everywhere on the playa.

A few of the larger pieces are still putting on finishing touches. The Temple of Juno is built and there are only cherry pickers affixing the intricate decorations to the outer walls as they finish the altars inside the courtyard and Burn Wall Street has all their buildings up and at night you can see the neon signs.

Zonotopia and the Two Trees

Now that the gates are open, playa citizens wander along in fresh packs wearing clothes that have yet to be brushed with the color of playa. They ride through the art on blinking bikes as mutant vehicles boom or blast disco and the city now hums with the sound of construction as themecamps spring up along the Esplanade, and points beyond are filling in. Scaffolding rises, Pink furry places with fluffy couches and Shipwreck Tiki Lounges are close to being open for camaraderie. The graceful French Quarter, BaalMart, Spankys and large scale sound camps of pyramids and enormous domes lit from inside at night out at the ends of the city are appearing with wild abandon in this frontier town.

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The view from the top of the Otic Oasis in the walk-in camping section of the city.

The sense of anticipation reached a high point last night around midnight out at the Man base. The gates had been open for  six hours, and blinky crowds and art cars were gathering around the beautifully lit Man base. and everyone was ogling the Man and panting for the chance to get inside and clamber around.

There were a few final touches that needed to be finished first, though. Mr. Blue and his lighting team were making sure the big hanging flower chandelier at the main entrance was secure. The wind had been blowing hard all day, and the crew wanted to make sure everything was stable.

Every now and then an overanxious participant would wander past the safety cones, and one of the guardians would tell them the time hadn’t come yet. So we watched and lingered, waiting for the big moment.

When it came, it was joyous. People couldn’t get inside the Man base fast enough, and within a minute the base was mobbed, and the Pistil had people climbing all over it. A couple of guys scrambled to the very top, whooping and hollering and waving to their friends. Cheers all around.

Although it’s only the first day of Burning Man, the streets around the center of the city have filled in quite nicely. Folks are setting up their camps and dusting off their bikes and generally getting in the swing of things. The Esplanade isn’t crowded with people yet, but there’s lots to see and many places to go.

Lou and Brian, two of the carpenters who worked on the Man base.

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Do we have time for a personal anecdote before the gates open and Burning Man gets started? You might need a distraction as you’re waiting in line to get in. (Speaking of which, we heard that the wait was three hours long at midnight LAST night, so maybe you might have some time on your hands.) So with your indulgence we shall proceed.

We had an incident last night. It wasn’t a good one. We were out and about, getting a look at the progress of the art pieces on one of the last nights before the crowds arrive.  We were way out at Burn Wall Street when, it pains us to report, our camera died. It’s dead. Kaput. Finito. Done.

The end came suddenly, if not completely unexpectedly. For the photo nerds, we’ll tell you that we still use the Canon 5D Mark I. It has been a trusty, faithful beast, and it is a veteran of five, count them, five, campaigns here in the desert. And they have been  LONG campaigns, when we arrive before there is anything out here and as we watch the city rise from the dust.

In short, the camera doesn’t owe us anything. We got probably more than we could have expected from it. We spent a moderate amount of time protecting it, but that damn alkaline dust, as fine as talcum powder, gets EVERYwhere, even inside the best weather-sealed DSLRs. On top of that, it has been strangely humid here this year. We suspect that the moisture-attracting dust, combined with the ambient wetness (there were raindrops last night) were a deadly combination for our beloved 5D.

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Completing the Pistil

48 hours after the Otic Oasis crew entered the Man Base to build the Pistil, the last of a tirad of finials atop the piece were put into place. The Pistil is composed of Gregg Fleishman’s interlocking wooden pieces and it spans most of the middle of the Man Pavilion, climbing up to just below where the Man stands above over the open oculus. It’s an elegant sculpture that swirls around in a series of modules connected by stairways with a flowing symmetry suggesting both a honeycomb and very much this year’s theme of Fertility.

Scott and Gregg with a node

The crew climbed all over the sculpture working, and as the last pistil top was lowered, there were many deft fingers in there making adjustments, with bodies intertwined, twisting and raising the graceful piece into place. When the node slid down to a stop there was applause. Then one by one, curved vertical pieces were inserted and pins placed, then each crew member took a turn knocking the pins into place with their mallets. It was all very deliberate and with the absence of power tools, it seemed very ritualistic and beautiful to behold. Read more »

Dylan and the Spires crew

They put down the last spire in Black Rock City yesterday, which is one of the more significant events that marks the end of the preseason around here.

The city structure is is virtually complete. Dylan and his spire crew have put down about 300 of those tall wooden spires, after Lexy and her assembly crew have put them together. And we can report with complete accuracy, thanks to the meticulous record-keeping of Art Art Art, that the shade crew has built 113 structures of various sizes, using 6,191 feet of 12-foot shade cloth. Oh, and they’ve dug an average of 63.29 post holes a day to do so. The power crew is still installing spider boxes and connecting them to miles of electrical lines hooked up to mobile generating stations. The Heavy Equipment folks are doing lots of the heavy lifting, and Makeout Queen gets trailers and water where they need to go. Sweet Thang makes sure that people and camps are where they should be, the IT team has had wifi banging all week long, and Hayseed and the catering crews and Spectrum  keep the various armies well-fed. While all this and more has been going on, the devoted and ever-bubbly Fluffers have supplied water and snacks and sunscreen, plus lots and lots of smiles.

The Gate and Perimeter crews are gearing up for their big night – the gates to the city open at 6 pm Sunday, and it’s up to them to make sure that all who enter have tickets. The number of inspection lanes has been increased from 8 to 12 this year, and they are hoping to keep wait times to 4 hours or fewer. Then the Greeters have the new arrivals ring the bell, roll in the dust and get a hug to welcome them home to Black Rock City.

Some of the Fluffers who gathered for a team picture when the last spire was put into the playa. (And remember, one finger in the air means “We Love You.”)

All of this preparation and all of the work behind it is celebrated when the last spire is put down. Crews gather from all over the playa to do some last pounding and janky decorating. There’s also a sledgehammer-tossing contest, and Marlee was  blasting 100-pound anvils into the air. Refreshing adult beverages were readily available.
So once again we’re coming down the home stretch. It’s the end of one thing, and the beginning of another. One door closes, another one opens.  And we can’t wait till you get here to get this party started.

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