I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is the closest I’ll ever get to a pilgrimage to Mecca
Thursday, June 10, 2010
I flew in from Houston on Thursday morning so as to arrive at the Nashville airport by late morning. I found my was to the overpriced bus that would take me to Bonnaroo, trying to ignore the country music videos that they insisted on playing the entire ride. I was more than ready for my third Bonnaroo, including the dozens of bands that I would see along with the thousands of other excited fans.
The atmosphere that Bonnaroo provides is unlike anything else that I could possibly image. From the straight laced professionals getting away from the kids for the weekend to the full time hippies stopping for the weekend as part of their festival circuit, Bonnaroo truly encourages people from all walks of live to descend on the small Manchester, Tennessee for a single weekend. Whether sliding over a few more inches so another person can squeeze into a coveted shady spot or letting a shorter person in front of you so they can catch a glimpse of the stage, everyone treats each other like an equal and a friend at Bonnaroo. Intimate moments with new friends come as quickly as you can infectiously yell “Bonnaroooooooo” and wait for the response.
The music is just as eclectic as the people, billing heavy-weights like Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z on the same sheet as smaller artists from the around the world sampling a wide variety of genres. From hip hop to bluegrass, from Afrobeat to electronic, from garage rock to jazz, Bonnaroo has it all. As I’ve said before, shuffling in the oppressive heat, where each exhaustive moment of suffering of humidity, mud, and lousy cell phone coverage brings with it incomparable bliss is the closest I’ll ever get to a pilgrimage to Mecca, and a show at Bonnaroo is the closest I’ll ever have to a religious experience.
Once again, I had a great group of people to camp with including old friends Jeff Schiz, his girlfriend Ali, Tim Willis, Benny Eiserike, Debra, and Hal as well as new friends Kate Nagel, Jessie, Trish, and a whole bunch of others whose names already escape me.
I was lucky enough to win an auction for a pair of Bonnaroo VIP tickets using points from one of my credit cards, a Chase Freedom card. When I first saw the auction, I thought that I was just bidding on a pair of VIP tickets. I was already going to Bonnaroo, so I was excited at the chance to win VIP tickets for the cash equivalent of a few hundred bucks - quite a deal! It was only when I received the information package in the mail that I realized that that I would be afforded the opportunity to get to see one band from the front of the music pit as well as another band from the photo pit for the first three songs, something that not even normal VIP ticket holders are allowed to do. Incredible! It was only when I arrived at Bonnaroo did I learn that Chase had set up the Freedom Lounge for the weekend, where I could escape to the air conditioning, get free water, lemonade, and snacks all day, and a free meal in the afternoon, all while watching the various stages on one of several TVs. There were even air conditioned, flush toilets (a HUGE perk as compared to the hot, frequently gross porto-potties I would otherwise be using) as well as a private viewing area for the Sonic Stage. It was an amazing perk to have for the weekend and brought my enjoyment to an unprecedented level.
Thursday is an abbreviated day, but there were still a few bands that I wanted t see. Tim and I started out the day seeing Miike Snow (which as I found out) is pronounced “Mike Snow.” Miike Snow is an enjoyable Swedish indie rock band whose epidemous debut album has been on high rotation on my iPod for the first half of 2010. We next headed over to the Dodos, another indie rock band that’s come onto the scene in the last few years. Unfortunately, their albums are a lot better than their live show. Though I enjoyed the show due to familiarity with the album, their set was forgettable save for an interesting percussion-based set up.
We next met up with Schiz and Ali at Mayer Hawthorne and the County, which unlike the previous two acts, I hadn’t heard of before. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable and energetic set. We next headed to another new band that I enjoy, The Temper Trap, who like Miike Snow, released a wonderful debut album, Conditions, that I’ve listened to a lot this year. They also put on a great live show and silidified me as a fan. The final act I wanted to see was another new band, the minimalist indie pair The xx. While the first ten minutes was well put together, at the end of a long day, I couldn’t maintain my interest in their quite, building sound and we opted to move along. Instead we headed over to hip hop artist, Wale. I wasn’t particularly excited to see the show, so I was pretty irritated when Wale ended up being a half hour late for no apparently good reason. In the interim, the rest of his band ended up just playing various samples to fill the time. When he finally did show up, I didn't even care anymore.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Time and I started the next day off the bluegrass band the Punch Bros, featuring mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile (formerly of Nickle Creek). As the heat of the day was just coming upon us, it was great to just sit in shade and listen to very talented and technically proficient group. Next we caught a few moments of Trombone Shorty rocking really hard from a distance before heading over the next low key band for the day, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an old-timey bluegrass band. More great music to casually listen too while enjoying the shade.
By the time we headed over to our next act of the day, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, the crowds were growing. I was surprised to find that they were playing as early as they were and on the Other stage, on one of the more out of the way stages; I thought they were a fairly big name.Edward Sharpe earned it though, with an enthusiastic and fun show that affording me my first dancing of the day, even though we were pretty far away. Tim and I then headed over to the What Stage for Nas and Damian Marley, which Tim was excited to see. Since it was just the two of us, it would be the only show that weekend which we would what from the special What Stage VIP viewing area. For every other set, we instead opted to sit with our non-VIP friends. The mid-day sun was too much for me though, so I spent most of the set a little further back in the tent for what turned out to be a pretty good show.
For our next show of the day, Tim and I cashed in on our chance to be in the front of the music pit for Tenacious D. For each show on the What Stage, a new group of fans are allowed into the areas closest to the stage. To prevent fans from camping out there each day, at the end of each set, that group is shooed away and a new group is let in. Bypassing the rest of the fans standing in line, a member of the Bonnaroo staff ushered us past security and led us to the front of the pit before anyone else was allowed in. We secured a spot on the railing about as close to the stage as any fans were allowed. Among us were another set of winners, a mom and son pair, which I found quite amusing as the somewhat frumpy middle aged woman banged her head to the music. I almost felt guilty though for being in front of fans that had stayed in line for hours and were a lot more excited than me. However, packed in the front of the stage, we were also lucky enough to have a small thin metal platform to stand on that would keep our feet out of the several inches of mud in which those behind us had up to their ankles.
Nonetheless, when Conan O’Brien came out to introduce the band, my pangs of guilt quickly evaporated. Tenacious D’s show is part concert, part comedy show, featuring funny man Jack Black, his partner Kyle Gas, and appearance from a few other characters including “the Metal” (a robot personifying heavy metal) and the devil. I’m only a casual fan of Tenacious D, but chose to be up close because I thought that it would be something that Tim and I would both enjoy and something which would be interesting to see up close. I was right. Jack and Kyle are certainly very interesting characters and have a great time on stage. It was loud and they rocked hard, despite it being a humorous act.
The next act I had slated to see Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin, if you didn’t know he plays a mean banjo) and the Steep Canyon Ranger’s. I knew I would miss a good chunk of it, but really wanted to make it over to That Tent to see at least some of his set. Instead, I opted to just watch the rest it on one of the large TVs in the Chase lounge. I always set an aggressive music schedule, so for every Bonnaroo, there's always at least a few sets that I want to see but to which don't end up making it. Steve Martin would be the first of several. Though I couldn’t argue with the air conditioned tent at the time, I would have really like to see him in concert.
I next made it to meet up with Tim, Schiz, and Ali for a bit of Michael Franti at the Which Stage. It was a good, energetic set, even though I didn’t know any songs and didn’t stay that long anyway. After the show, we all headed over the What Stage for the first headliner of the weekend, The Kings of Leon. Though they’ve become extremely popular in the past few years and I’ve tried hard to get into them, it never really took. They put on a decent show, though I wasn’t particularly enthused for it. It didn’t help that no one else in my group was either. I did think it was cool to learn that hailing from Nashville, they’re one of the more local bands at the festival, and it was only a few years ago that they played one of the festival’s smaller stages.
At Bonnaroo on Friday and Saturday night, just because the headliner is over doesn’t mean that it is time to go to bed. Late night sets go on all night and can be some of the best that the festival has to offer. The common discussion up to this point in the weekend was how difficult it would be to decide who to see for the first round of late night on Friday, with Flaming Lips’s rendition of Dark Side of the Moon, Bassnectar, the Black Keys, and Daryl Hall & Chromeo all up against each other. Save for the last one, I toyed with committing to each the first three. Bassnectar was fun, but I wasn’t a huge fan. I had seen the Flaming Lips twice before at other festivals recently and had mixed feelings. Most importantly, since I had seen both the Flaming Lips and Bassnectar within the last year and missed an opportunity to see the Black Keys, I figured the blue rock band would be it for me that night. However, Tim and I ended up changing our minds at the last minute with the logic that we could see the Black Keys on another night, but the Flaming Lip’s playing the Pink Floyd classic Dark Side of the Moon could really be something special. It ended up being probably my biggest regret of the weekend.
The Flaming Lips ended up coming out pretty late and when they did, they ended up doing an entire set of their songs in a version of a show that I had already seen twice before. While the theatrics of the show with all its explosions of light, sounds, and confetti it quite the experience, it wasn’t enough that evening for me to forgive front man Wayne Coyne for his usual annoying and rambling self. I was planning on heading over to see hip hop act Kid Cudi, to which I was really looking forward, at 2 am, but the Flaming Lips were just beginning the start of their Dark Side of the Moon set by the time that Cudi was taking the stage, so we just ended up staying. Their version of Dark Side of the Moon ended up being a very faithful rendition, not accompanied the antics of their earlier set which I was kind of expecting. We didn’t even end up staying for the entire second set, leaving somewhere around what would be track 7 or 8 on the album. However, the following day, I heard only mixed reviews of Kid Cudi and almost nothing good or bad about the Black Keys, while everyone was talking about the pros and cons of the Flaming Lips, so clearly it wasn’t a complete waste. Though take a pretty critical attitude in the preceding paragraph, it’s important to keep in perspective that I would have gladly paid $50+ and been very happy to see that same Flaming Lips show on a normal night. However, both expecatations and opportunity costs are so high at Bonnaroo that it requires one to recalibrate the quality of any performance.
Tim and I ended our evening with Dance Punk act LCD Soundsystem with Hal and Jesse. Though I was excited for the show, considering the late hour and exhausting nature of the day, I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise, almost looking forward for the set to end so that I could go home. Nonetheless, it was a very fun show and we all danced considerably.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
I started out the day with Jesse seeing Rebulation, an African band that I had heard of before and enjoyed. However, the suggestion only came up because it was early in the day and there wasn’t too much playing opposite them. This is one of the benefits of starting your day early at Bonnaroo though, it’s likely that you’ll be able to see something interesting you otherwise wouldn’t have made the effort to see. We next worked our way over to Pennsylvania native, Langhorne Slim for some twangy indie folk. Always a pleasure to see is an smaller act like Langhorne Slim as excited as could be just to have a set at Bonnaroo, pouring all his energy into his set, even if it is on a small stage before 2pm.
Before all this, I had stopped by the Chase Lounge for a bathroom break or a bottle of water and learning that the Avett Brothers would be playing a special set in the Chase Lounge. At this point, it wasn’t even noon and Chase had given me yet another pleasant surprise. The Avetts would be playing on the Which Stage later that day but I had slated seeing a similar band, Mumford & Sons, at that time instead. A string band, all five of the Avett Brothers were able to fit in a corner of the tent, without about 40 or so guests looking on. They riped through a short 5-7 song set with catchy bluegrass lyrics, twangy chords, and lots of energy despite the small stage. I didn’t know any of their songs, but made a mental note to give them a more thorouogh listen. After the Avetts, I headed over to the Which Stage to see jazz singer-songwriter Nora Jones, whose quiet and slow tunes provided a relaxing break in the day and enjoyable background music but wasn’t very engaging. Next, I headed over to see Jamaican cultural icon Jimmy Cliff, who liked James Brown several years before, danced around the What Stage at Bonnarro like a man half his age.
I then headed back to the Chase Lounge in anticipation for my escort to the English string quartet Mumford & Sons, for which the first three songs I would get to watch from the Photo Pit. After falling in love with their freshman album over the first half of 2010, it was the show that I was most looking forward to at Bonnaroo. Tim was supposed to meet me, but was nowhere to be found. Flying solo didn’t bother me at all, as I would have gladly gone to this set under any circumstance. Superfly extraordinaire, Summer, escorted me to the show and introduced me to the stage manager, Rod, explaining that I was entitled to go into the photo pit for the first three songs with the professional photographers. As we were waiting for the show to start, the photo pit started getting really crowded with photographers, so Rod requested that we step back for the first three songs and instead go back in once the majority of the photographers cleared out and a smaller group entered. Not a problem, as I was already amped just being on the side of the stage. Even with the first few songs of Mumford & Sons delectable mix folk, indie, and bluegrass, I could tell that their sound would translate well to a live performance. The first group of photographers cleared out and Rod motioned that I could slide into the photo pit with the second, smaller group, though after seeing how I was jumping and dancing for the first three songs on the side of the stage, he warned me that I had to stay seated while I was in the photo pit. I positioned myself in front of a large subwoofer and as the music blared in my unplugged ears, I did my best to respect his request, bouncing up and down on the small metal seats built into the back of the metal rails that separate the crowd from the stage. When I wasn’t belting out lyrics and dancing in my chair, I would slide up along the stage and snap pictures, though I felt a little silly holding my point and shoot alongside the professional photographers with their long-lensed cameras. After the first three songs, I glanced over at Rod, who didn’t seemed concerned with pulling me out of there, at which point, I decided that the only way I was leaving was if they dragged me out of there. Staring up at the stage in amazement, I could tell that anyone who saw me would probably notice the huge smile that was plastered across my face even more than the sweat pouring down it. Mumford played a fantastic set in front of their largest audience ever. After 8 songs from their fantastic new album, Sigh No More, as well as 3 new songs. They then invited guests Dave Rawlings Machine and Old Crow Medicine Show, fellow Bonnaroo artist and local Nashville band, respectively, on stage with them, bringing the number of musicians from four to nine. They all jammed together on the Bob Dylan inspired Old Crow Medicine Show song “Wagon Wheel” and another Mumford selection.
By the end of the show, the memory card on my camera was full and my neck hurt from moving my head so furiously. I was also able to walk away with a copy of the setlist from the show. On my way out, I was jumping up and down and practically shouting my gratitude to Rod for letting me stay there the whole show. He said he saw the expression on my face and didn’t have the heart to say I had to go. I couldn't help from running out of the venue, yelling and laughing with excitement, jumping up and down. The smile on my face lasted quite a while as the adrenaline finally left my body. It was certainly the highlight of my weekend and one of the best concert experiences I've ever had in my life.
Mumford & Sons Setlist:
Sigh No More
Awake My Soul
The Cave
White Blank Page
Timshel
Nothing Is Written
Feel the Tide Turning
Little Lion Man
Lover of the Light
Thistle & Weed
After the Storm
Wagon Wheel
Roll Away Your Stone
My heart rate slowed and I worked my way over to Which Stage to see Weezer, a favorite band of mine from my youth but whose recent work has never been able to affect me the way their records from the 90’s were able. Though I wasn’t particularly close to the stage or involved in the set, a Weezer show is always nonetheless fun. Benny, the biggest Weezer fan I know, who came to Bonnaroo specifically because Weezer was playing, was of course up as close as he could get. So he was nowhere to be found, though it would have been fun to see the show with him. I ended up spilling time between WEezer and guitar legend Jeff Beck, playing at That Tent, literally. I positioned myself in such a way that I could hear both the stage, sliding a little closer to the Weezer stage whenever I heard a track from the Blue Album or Pinkerton and otherwise sliding a little closer to Jeff Beck.
The sun was setting as we made our way over to the What Stage for Stevie Wonder, a legend many times over. Stevie, with a large ensemble, rocked hard and put on an amazing show. His show had a great vibe and wholesome message of peace and harmony. Jamming on his keytar, he played many of his hits, medleys of several of them, and even a few covers. Though I’d probably be hard pressed to list the names of more than half a dozen of his songs, he’s one of those acts that when hearing live, you realize just how many universal hits he can claim, over his illustrious 45 year career. Though I’ve rarely actively listened to Stevie Wonder, save for downloading a few of his more famous albums and greatest hits collections, I recognized every one of his songs. Perhaps even more impressive is to consider the incredible influence that Stevie Wonder has had on the other acts there, from Jay Z to Nora Jones to even Dave Matthews Band.
Saturday was an interesting set up in that following Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z was billed as a second headliner for the evening, a legend in his own right. And in addition to the complexity of his rhymes and catchiness of his beats, on-stage Jay-Z showcases a swagger and stardom that few performers I have ever seen can match. His show was as much a show as it was a concert, though until Taylor Swift’s attempt that I saw earlier this year, for whatever reason he was able to pull it off. With impressive setups and backdrops, he cycled through all his hits, developed great rapport with his audience, and seemed genuinely excited and appreciative for Bonnaroo to invite him onstage.
It was an exhaustive day and Saturday’s late night lineup wasn’t nearly as strong as Friday’s. A second headliner meant that it was already well after 1 am by the time Jay-Z left the stage. On the way back to camp, I caught a little bit of DC-based trip hop duo Thievery Corporation, but was too tired to enjoy the show thoroughly. I was more looking forward to getting a decent night’s sleep after only a few hours the previous night and a long day of shows. Though the Disco Biscuits' ultra late night set would have been fun, it was just too much for me and I knew I had another day ahead of me tomorrow.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Our group packed up camp on Sunday morning and headed into the venue shortly thereafter. I started out the day similarly to the previous day with an African band, Tinariwen, for another good introduction. I next caught a bit of mariachi influenced Calexico before heading over to the heat of the What Stage for John Butler Trio, a favorite of mine. Sitting in the sun during the hottest part of the day was well worth it to see John Butler’s amazing guitar work on the guitar as he snaked through a strong setlist of both old and new tunes, taking amble time to solo on both his acoustic and slide guitars. Though still enjoyable, the new pair that he found to round out his trio does not have nearly the same level of talent as the previous set, though perhaps they just need to come into their own.
After JBT, I headed to the far end of the venue to for Blues Traveler, another blast from the past, with harmonica virtuoso John Popper still at the helm. Since I haven’t really kept track of any of Blues Traveler’s work since 1994’s Four, their sets wasn’t enough to hold my attention, especially continuing to sit in the sun during the heat of the day. Hearing a few songs was more than enough for me before I decided to wander somewhere else.
Back on the What Stage, John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival was taking the stage. Like Jimmy and Stevie, Fogerty put on an impressive and energetic show with an ensamble cast despite playing to a younger generation of fans. He played a number of classic CCR tunes, which like Stevie Wonder’s setlist, was very recognizable despite the fact that I’ve only ever been a passive CCR fan.
I was able to grab some lunch at the Chase Lounge and sit in the shade while watching John Butler Trio play a second set on the Sonic Stage. He played a more experimental set devoid of hits for the smaller crowd and I got to briefly shake his hand as he exited the stage.
The sun was finally starting to sink lower in the sky as country rock band Zac Brown Band took the stage. I had enjoyed listening to their most recent album over the past few months and was even more impressed by their live performance. They had a lot of fun onstage and played some great version of the songs on their album as well as a great cover of “The Devil Went Down to George” complete with a rocking fiddle.
Concert legends Dave Matthews Band had the honor of closing out the festival on Sunday night, a concert which I’ve always enjoyed, though I was exhausted by the end of the weekend and both my feet and back were ready to call it quits. I took the opportunity to sit down and relax when he played songs I didn't particularly care for so that I could dance hard and fast for the songs that I did like. The full band was present including Tim Reynolds and Leroi Moore replacement, Jeff Coffin. It was a solid set which included several of my favorites, notably Two Step and All Along the Watchtower, which are incredible to see live.
Four days and 35 bands later, we climbed into the car to head home. Though tired and dirty, it was as always an incredible trip and an unparalleled experience.
