Bonnaroo Music and Camping Festival
In the last seven years, Kel
Executive Services, led by
Frank Keller, has provided the
overall security coordination
for the entire
Bonnaroo Music
Festival. With mounted
security as a portion of the
overall plan, KES and A&O
have made Bonnaroo one of
the safest music events in
the country. KES personnel
oversee six additional security
companies that provide
specialized security teams for different facets of the comprehensive plan.
In its June 24, 2004 edition, Rolling Stone named the festival as one of the "50 moments that changed the history of Rock & Roll." The music and camping extravaganza draws more than 90,000 fans to a Woodstock-like setting.
Alpha & Omega Mounted Security Patrol has assembled the largest private peace time cavalry ever organized for Bonnaroo annually from its inaugural concert in 2002. Mounted patrol officers act as goodwill ambassadors and assist in crowd management.
Creating the largest horse patrol in the history of the company is no small task for the A&O staff. Logistics and planning start months in advance at meetings with Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment, organizers of Bonnaroo. All parties meet with state and local police as well as city officials. A comprehensive command and control center/camp with barn, picketing posts, and a semi-trailer of equipment is erected at the festival to bivouac horses.
Care of the animals requires more than 12,000 pounds of hay, 2,500 pounds of grain, and 6,400 gallons of water, all hauled to the 700-acre site. The state-of-the-art communications headquarters, reminiscent of a Wild West campsite, is equipped with a quartermaster to organize tack, a horseshoer, a veterinarian, and a truckload of equipment to keep the horses and riders comfortable and fit. From the site, mounted officers are ready to execute some 30-plus tactical activities designed to keep the peace at Bonnaroo. For instance, they are prepared to assist flight-for-life helicopters, direct vehicular or pedestrian traffic, or insert and extricate vehicles such as tour buses and limousines amid throngs of fans.
Rapport between fans and patrol officers is one of the most critical aspects of successful concert security. A&O mounted patrol riders take special care to set a standard of mutual respect. In addition to learning communication and public service skills, officers are trained in special maneuvers outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures manual written by Frank Keller, CEO of Alpha & Omega, after consulting World War I cavalry manuals housed under guard at the Library of Congress. These maneuvers and formations, recorded almost 100 years ago, still work successfully today to protect young people in the festival setting.
Riders at Bonnaroo come from more than 20 states and all walks of life. Several run horse ranches. Many are current and former law enforcement officers. All are experienced and enthusiastic riders.
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