The torch is passed
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Recently, every additional year that head down to Bonnaroo, I claim it will be my last for a while, but there then always seems to be a reason to go down again before I expected. When my little brother Michael decided that he wanted to make the pilgrimage down to Tennessee this year, I knew it was something I needed to participate. Of course, the fact that Bonnaroo also always seems to have an unparalleled line up each year as compared to other festivals always helps the case as well. 2013 would be my fifth Bonnaroo as well as the tenth anniversary of my first time there in 2003. Strangely, only a few days after wrapping up my fifth pilgrimage to my personal music Mecca, I would travel over the Atlantic for the sixth time to Jeddah, the Saudi Arabian city that serves as the gateway to the actual Mecca. I prefer Bonnaroo.
The drive from Chicago down to Manchester is a bit easier, so Lindsey and I made it down to Manchester by early Thursday afternoon without any late nights or early mornings. Michael and Jon had driven most of the way the day before, so were chomping at the bit for us to meet them at a Walmart parking lot so we could all drive into the campground together. Their car was packed with every possible item they could possibly need, along with a number of things they would never need. Their canopy in particular would be a wonderful and necessary addition. They also both “tattooed” the Bonnaroo logo into their hair. After meeting up with them a short ways out of Manchester, we quickly entered the campground and started setting up our campsite. Lindsey’s friend Katy, flying in from Cleveland and shuttling to Manchester, joined us at the campsite. Our site was very close to Centeroo, the central area that hosts all the music and events, near the Other Tent alongside a small patch of forest.
After setting up camp and killing some time, we ventured into Centroo to start the festivities. Another great new trick I discovered for the festival this year was to purchase a locker right outside Centeroo. Possession of a locker grants the key holder and a friend access to the ADA Accessible Entrance, meaning you can skip the long lines to enter Centeroo. While it didn’t seem that the regular entrance lines were as long as they had been in years past, access to a locker and the ADA lines were well worth the $40 fee.
A brief rainstorm cooled us off as we were waiting to enter Centeroo, but quickly cleared up into a mostly blue sky. All and all, the weekend was not nearly as hot as years past, which was lovely and made for a much more pleasant weekend. A few minutes after we walked through the Centeroo gates, Michael and Jon more or less disappeared for the day, blow away by the enormity of it all and wanting the chance to explore on their own. We saw them a few other times throughout the day, but only in passing. They eventually separated from each other as well. I hoped that I’d see a little more of Michael on this trip, and he wouldn’t repeat his actions at last year’s North Coast Music Festival.
The first show for Lindsey, Katy, and I was Twenty One Pilots at The Other Tent, a relatively young, new duo fusing synthpop, alternative rock, and hip hop. After discovering their debut album, Vessel (2012), it could be heard frequently in my apartment in the run up to Bonnaroo. We arrived early enough to secure a decent spot under the tent from which we could see and hear quite well. We were close enough to clearly see that both band members often wore a variety of masks throughout the show and the drummer dressed in a skeleton costume. They ended up being a great way to kick off the festival, with a fun, high energy set. The vocalist/keyboardist was particularly athletic, jumping off the piano and climbing to the top of the stage. As their catalog isn’t too deep, it was easy for them to cover all the songs that I wanted to hear.
Twenty One Pilots Setlist:
Ode to Sleep
Migraine
Screen
House of Gold
Semi-Automatic
Holding on to You
The Run and Go
Fake You Out
Car Radio
Trees
Encore:
Guns for Hands
Following at The Other Tent was electronic music producer AraabMuzik. The three of us weren’t as excited for this show, so we slide further back out of the tent. Unfortunately, Michael and Jon more or less switched places with us, and we missed them. The show sounded fine from outside the tent, though the boys were much more involved and enjoyed it more. The real highlight for the show for me was running into my friend and previous Bonnaroo companion Tim Willis in the grass during the set. I should have expected to run into him at Bonnaroo, but it was an unexpected surprise.
We had a bit of time to kill, so we stopped by HAIM at That Tent, indie pop newcomers yet to release a debut album. The band, comprised of three sisters and one non-familial male drummer, were recommended by NPR Music as one of the top ten bands to see at Bonnaroo this year. I liked what I heard, but it was from far away and only for ten or fifteen minutes. Definitely a band I want to listen to more closely in the future.
We next made our way over to This Tent to get a good spot for some of the prime acts that would play later in the evening. We first sat through another girl group, though of a much different genre. Deep Valley was a female garage/hard rock duo, consisting of a vocalist/guitarist and a drummer; I guess a good warm up for Japandroids, who would take the stage next. I was very excited though that there were so few people at the show, which meant that we would be able get and stay very close to the stage for later. I thought they were fine but nothing special, though it was quite amusing when their offer to dedicate a song to any naked men encouraged one fan to strip. Unfortunately, they only played 35 minutes of their hour long time slot, meaning that we had just shy of an hour to kill before the Japandroids took the stage. Of course at this point, This Tent was getting very full and we were crammed in too close for comfort to the people around us. The thing I hate about Thursday night at Bonnaroo is a large percentage of people have arrived, but the two largest stages in Centeroo are not yet open. This means that everyone in attendance is crammed into one of the three tents.
Fortunately, garage rockers Japandroids were well worth the wait and the crowded conditions. They played a great setlist, including six of the eight songs from their spectacular album Celebration Rock (2012), and rocked really hard. A mosh pit started shortly into what would be one of the highest decibel sets of the weekend. We were just outside of it but still victim to lots of pushing and shoving. The girls were troopers about the whole thing, but my guilt for bringing them so close and concern for them not getting crushed did sully my enjoyment of the pit a bit. If I would have been on my own, I would have probably pushed my way right up to the front. Katy in particular was standing with her face at armpit level. Nonetheless, Japandroids’ set was fantastic; their brand of anthem rock was perfect for opening night of Bonnaroo, even if exhausting and a bit sweaty and gross. It was obvious that the rest of the crowd was exhausted by the high energy set as well. When guitarist/vocalist Brian King encouraged the crowd to go crazy for their last song, the audience was actually fairly subdued. We gradually slid back throughout the 55 minute set, but it was still just as crowded further back.
Japandroids Setlist:
Press Corps
Adrenaline Nightshift
Fire's Highway
Younger Us
The Nights of Wine and Roses
Wet Hair
Evil's Sway
Continuous Thunder
The House That Heaven Built
Young Hearts Spark Fire
For The Love of Ivy
Following Japandroids at This Tent were Mercury Prize-winning indie rock quartet ∆ (pronounced and often written Alt-J). They were much more chill and subdued that the previous act, which was a nice change of pace. However, I wished they had taken the stage before Japandroids, because by this point, I was exhausted from the previous set. Lindsey requested that we move much further back, but there was really no escape from the crowd anywhere underneath the tent. The view wasn’t as good but we could still hear quite well. ∆’s intoxicating experimental blend of indie, alternative, and psychedelic elements was soothing to my overdriven eardrums. Their blue hued backdrop added to the hypnotic nature of their sound. A bit into the set, a few people near us left; they were followed by Lindsey and Katy shortly thereafter. My legs and back were killing me, so the additional elbow space afforded me allowed me to stretch a bit to take some of that edge off, making the rest of the set more enjoyable. Nonetheless, it felt fantastic to retreat from the interior of the tent and sit in the grass at the end of the set.
∆ Setlist:
Intro
❦ (Ripe & Ruin)
Tessellate
Buffalo
Dissolve Me
Something Good
Fitzpleasure
Matilda
Bloodflood
Slow Dre (Kylie Minogue cover)
Hand-Made
Breezeblocks
Ms
Taro
As it was on the way back to the campsite, we stopped by Killer Mike at The Other Tent on our way out of Centeroo in hopes of catching regular Mike, but I wasn’t too upset when we couldn’t find him, because it meant that I could just go back to camp and sleep.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Though I usually only take Ambien to combat jetlag, it proved to also come in handy for helping me sleep through the short Bonnaroo nights in a campsite in close proximity to the blaring music of The Other Tent. Unfortunately, the heat still woke me up by 7:30am. After spending the morning relaxing, we headed into Centeroo around noon. I started off by jumping in the mushroom to get good and soaked to deal with the heat of the day. It was actually my only trip into the mushroom, which speaks to the relative cool weather we enjoyed the rest of the weekend.
I started the day seeing Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with Michael and Jon on the What Stage. It was the first show of the weekend on the main stage and the first that I would see with the boys. I have seen Trombone Shorty and his band several times before, including down on their home turf in New Orleans, and I knew they always deliver a fun, danceable show. This time was no different; it’s really the kind of music that anyone can get into.
Afterwards, Michael again split off. Jon and I headed over to the Which Stage for Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, mostly so we could arrive early and secure a good spot for Of Monsters & Men. Alabama progressive country artist Jason Isbell and his current band were fine, though nothing special as far as I was concerned. Good Bonnaroo daytime music though.
Another of the bands that I was particularly excited to see was Icelandic indie folk band Of Monsters & Men, who took the stage in the midafternoon. A six-piece, English-language band that released their debut album a few years ago, Of Monsters & Men is riding the currently hip indie folk wave trailblazed by Mumford & Sons among others. As in previous years, the area closest to the Which Stage is cleared out after every set, so we found a good spot in the general area a little further back, only about twenty feet from the front railing of our section. Lindsey and Katy tried to meet up with us but didn’t read the entirety of my text message and ended up on the wrong side of the impermeable central barrier. Overall, their sound and set list were awesome, certainly one of my favorite sets of the weekends. Their high energy performance of their biggest hit, “Little Talks” was my favorite performance of a song yet that weekend. They played ten of the eleven songs from their debut album, My Head Is an Animal (2011) as well as a cover and what I assumed were a pair of recently written songs. The crowd around us was very into the experience with most people dancing and singing along for the full hour of the set. During the last song, the lead singer, who naturally has a strong resemblance to Björk, ran up the central aisle to join fans on either side. Lindsey and Katy were close enough to reach out and touch her, so misreading my directions paid off in spades.
Of Monsters & Men Setlist:
Dirty Paws
From Finner
Slow and Steady
Mountain Sound
Your Bones
Skeletons (Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover)
Love Love Love
King and Lionheart
Beneath My Bed
Lakehouse
Little Talks
Six Weeks
Yellow Light
Following Of Monsters & Men, we quickly walked over to Amadou & Mariam at That Tent, a musical duo from Mali, composed of the couple Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia, who are both blind. The pair has crafted a unique blend of afroblues that combines elements of traditional Malian music with, American jazz and rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion. I had discovered their music several years ago when their wonderful album, Welcome to Mali (2008), was the top rated album on Metacritic for the year. They were joined onstage by four other musicians playing a variety of instruments. I knew their show would be fun, but it ended up being even better than I expected. It was the kind of music that even if you had never heard it before, you just wanted to dance. It was fairly empty, so it was easy to get close to the stage and still have plenty of elbow room. Just being under the shade of the tent with plenty of space was a treat.
After the Malian duo, we walked back over to the Which Stage for indie folk rock band Grizzly Bear. I really enjoy their albums as well as their live show, but since I had seen them before, no one else was really into the set, and I was pretty wiped despite recently sitting in the shade, our group found a nice spot further back in the grass. Despite not being too engaged in the show or hearing the entire set, it was nice to enjoy from a distance as the heat of the day was starting to dissipate. I did walk towards the front for the final ten minutes.
Grizzly Bear Setlist:
Speak in Rounds
Adelma
Sleeping Ute
Cheerleader
Yet Again
Knife
A Simple Answer
Gun-Shy
Ready, Able
On a Neck, On a Spit
Two Weeks (with Solange)
Half Gate
Sun in Your Eyes
As the sun sank lower in the sky, I walked over to The Other Tent with Michael and Jon to see electronic jam band Conspirator. I was expecting something along the lines of the Disco Biscuits, and it was, though while Bisco is more jam than electronic, Conspirator is the reverse with a lot of dubstep influence. The band played traditional instruments, but their sound was layered with synthesizers and bass drops. A nice little surprise and something I’ll want to listen to more. Michael spent most of the show spinning his glow staff. I left fairly early to get to the What Stage to ensure I had plenty of time to see the start of Paul McCartney’s headline set; I also stopped to catch a few minutes of My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James’ solo set.
I arrived with plenty of time to meet the girls to see Sir Paul, perhaps the greatest of all the living legends that have headlined Bonnaroo. We had agreed to meet in a predetermined spot; the boys finished up some other shows and met us a bit into the set. It was the first set of the weekend that all five of us would see together. We snagged a grassy spot on the far side a few hundred feet from the stage. Despite the distance, we could see and hear pretty well as we had a good view of the screen and were situated behind some rear speakers.
While this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first single in the UK, “Please Please Me,” it’s hard to relegate him to an oldies act. Part of that is because he’s one of the greatest and most influential songwriters in history; there are probably very few artists at the festival that can’t point to him as having at least some influence on their music or on the music of people that inspired them. So to a large degree, his music has never really aged. Part of it though is the energy he still brings to his performances even at 71 years of age. As he’s been on my bucket list of artists to see since I first made one, I was very happy to get to cross Sir Paul off the list and see him in my (or really his) lifetime. It was nice that Michael was there as well. Even though I don’t think he appreciated it nearly enough, I’m hoping that in years to come he’ll realize how lucky he was to get to see a Beatle perform.
Overall the show was amazing and a new contender for my favorite show of the weekend. His set lasted about three hours and included 38 songs, including 25 Beatles songs, 8 Wings songs, a Lead Belly cover, and 4 others of his own. He didn’t hesitate to share a number of stories about his various songs and experiences. Some of it included some attempts at humor that were only funny because it’s Paul McCartney and Paul McCartney, the rock ‘n rock legend, can make whatever joke he wants and the audience will think it’s funny because Paul McCartney told it to them. He mentioned before the start of “Paperback Writer” that he would use the same guitar he used on the original album recording of that song. He called specific mention to his playing of the ukulele at the start of “Something,” explaining that he promised his friend George Harrison that if George could teach him to play the instrument, Paul would use it to record one of George’s songs. Perhaps the most interesting anecdote was after he played the opening chords to the Jimi Hendrix song “Foxy Lady” as an intro to “Let Me Roll It,” he explained that he was messing around on the guitar with Jimi and helped him come up with the chords. By the next time he saw shortly thereafter, he had turned it into the iconic song. He also dedicated a song each to two of his wives, Linda and his current wife Nancy. Heather Mills received no such dedication. At the end of his set, he played “Live and Let Die” integrated with a series of explosions and then “Hey Jude,” my favorite song of the evening. He then played a total of three encores complete with several series of fireworks.
Paul McCartney Setlist:
Eight Days a Week (The Beatles Song)
Junior's Farm (Wings Song)
All My Loving (The Beatles Song)
Listen to What the Man Said (Wings Song)
Let Me Roll It (with "Fox Lady" snippet)(Wings Song)
Paperback Writer (The Beatles Song)
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Wings Song)
The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles Song)
Maybe I'm Amazed
Midnight Special (Lead Belly cover)
We Can Work It Out (The Beatles Song)
Another Day
And I Love Her (The Beatles Song)
Blackbird (The Beatles Song)
Here Today
Your Mother Should Know (The Beatles Song)
Lady Madonna (The Beatles Song)
All Together Now (The Beatles Song)
Lovely Rita (The Beatles Song)
Mrs. Vandebilt (Wings Song)
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles Song)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (The Beatles Song)
Something (The Beatles Song)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles Song)
Band on the Run (Wings Song)
Back in the USSR (The Beatles Song)
Let It Be (The Beatles Song)
Live and Let Die (Wings Song)
Hey Jude (The Beatles Song)
Encore 1:
Day Tripper (The Beatles Song)
Hi, Hi, Hi (Wings Song)
Get Back (The Beatles Song)
Encore 2:
Yesterday (The Beatles Song)
Helter Skelter (The Beatles Song)
Encore 3:
Golden Slumbers (The Beatles Song)
Carry That Weight (The Beatles Song)
The End (The Beatles Song)
After Paul finished up, we battled the crowd and walked over to the Which Stage to see lo-fi indie rockers The xx. I had seen them before, so I was fine that we decided to stay fairly far back. While the twenty minutes or so of what we saw of their set was fine, the quite nature of their sound does mean that something is lost when you can’t hear all that that well, especially when loud music from other stages is also hitting your ears. Strangely, it was also freezing cold, which was an interesting sensation compared to the inferno that daytime can bring to Manchester in June.
Next we walked over to southern rock legends ZZ Top at the This Tent. ZZ Top is known in large by the long beards and style of dressing of guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill. The duo was decked out in their complete ZZ Top uniforms including sunglasses and cowboy hats. They were supported by drummer Frank Beard in the back, who ironically is the only member without a beard. We had a decent spot on the side, and they sounded ok, but to me, all of their songs kind of sound the same. The crowded was pretty quiet considering their driving blues rock sound. We only stayed for about thirty minutes or so, which was long enough to hear “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.” As usual I was tired, but the chill of the evening made the desire to curl up in my sleeping back even stronger than usual.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Many of the acts that I was most excited about had already played, so it was nice entering Saturday with the promise of a more relaxed and flexible day. The day started with catching the last few minutes of singer-songwriter Patrick Watson’s set at This Tent, then sticking around for indie folk band Lord Huron. For both sets, we listened more than watched, sitting in the shade of a large tree to the right of the tent. Lindsey, Katy, and I left the comfort of a seat in the shade to venture into This Tent in the midafternoon for The Tallest Man on Earth, an artist I have really come to enjoy over the past few years. We were reasonably close to the stage where it fortunately wasn’t too crowded. Last year, at my first Tallest Man on Earth show, I learned that despite the moniker, Swedish Kristian Matsson is actually quite short and wiry. However, it’s not completely unreasonable considering that his act consists solely of his guitar and powerful voice. Even though I knew exactly what to expect, he put on a great show, cycling through a series of beautiful songs in his warbling Dylan-esque voice.
Tallest Man on Earth Setlist:
King of Spain
Love Is All
To Just Grow Away
1904
I Won't Be Found
The Gardener
Leading Me Now
Where Do My Bluebird Fly
Burden of Tomorrow
Criminals
Like the Wheel
Wind and Walls
Revelation Blues
Thousand Ways
The Wild Hunt
Graceland (Paul Simon cover)
The tone of the day change completely when we moved over to The Other Tent for indie pop duo Matt & Kim. Their goal for the hour was for everyone to get as “weird” as possible, discarding all inhibitions and sensibilities for the next hour. Kim in particular was quite lewd and nearly offended my delicate sensibilities when she passed out baby wipes for the purpose of cleaning up before having sex at the end of the evening. She also offered to help facilitating random hook-ups via Twitter – #kimsdatingservice. All the banter was a wonderfully creative way to connect with the audience and encourage everyone to dance, jump, and crowd surf. It was an energy that few acts can match. At one point, they encouraged everyone in the back to crowd surf their way to the front. Eh, what the hell. I decided to take her up on it, separating myself from the girls. I made it a little ways but not nearly to the front. I was fortunate that I went fairly early after Matt announced the challenge. People were crowd surfing one after the next for 10 to 15 minutes. Shuffling people over your head is exhausting, so it didn’t take too long for people to start getting dropped on theirs. Fortunately, the ground is soft and I didn’t see anyone get hurt. However, a few people did take some pretty hard spills.
Matt & Kim Setlist:
Block After Block
Overexposed
Cameras
Push It (Salt-N-Pepa cover)
Silver Tiles
Let's Go
Now
Ten Dollars I Found
Tonight
Lessons Learned
Daylight
It's Alright
A few minutes before the end of the show, I left to gather up Michael and Jon to walk over to see Björk on the What Stage. On the way, I ran into Jen Sisto, a friend from DC, and a few of her friends, who were on their way to the same show. Again, it was a pleasant surprise to see a familiar face for a show at Bonnaroo. Our now larger group parked in the grass on the near side of the stage close enough to see the screen and hear well. It’s hard to even describe Björk’s sound, as it’s a mixture of everything – alternative rock, electronica, experimental, industrial rock, avant-garde, and post rock. By far the most trippy and mind-blowing experience of the festival, her set resembled as much of a performance art piece as it did a traditional concert. The Icelandic singer wore a silver, form-fitting, bubble-textured dress with an even stranger piece of full head and face headgear, consisting of a series of plastic spines, making her look like a dandelion from another world. Her large backing band was complete with a 14-piece all-female choir who looked like members of the future society from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. She cycled through songs from most of her catalog, including a song each from Debut (1993) and Post (1995), four from Homogenic (1997), three from Vespertine (2001), one from Volta (2007), and five from her most recent album Biophilia (2011). Songs included soft haunting melodies like "Crystalline" and "Hidden Place," as well as chaotic, explosive electro-industrial dance numbers "Declare Independence.” As the sun was setting as she finished her last song, I could help but think that as bold as the set was, its visuals and experimental nature would have been much more appropriate for late night, not early evening.
Björk Setlist:
Cosmogony
Hunter
Moon
Crystalline
Hidden Place
Heirloom
Bachelorette
One Day
Jóga
Pagan Poetry
Mutual Core
Hyperballad (mixed with "Freak" by LFO)
Pluto
Declare Independence
Encore:
Náttúra
I stayed with Michael and Jon through the set break for the start of evening headliner Jack Johnson. British folk rockers Mumford & Sons were scheduled to headline, but had to cancel at the last minute when bassist Ted Dwane required emergency surgery to remove a cerebral blot clot. The story goes that Johnson was already on his way to Bonnaroo to play a surprise late-night gig with friends Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) on Thursday night when he got the call asking him to get his band together and headline Saturday night. He flew his band in from around the country, acquired the necessary equipment, and rehearsed as much as he could to prepare for his first show with his band in a year.
So while I was disappointed that I wouldn’t get to see Mumford & Sons for a third time at Bonnaroo, it was amazing that Jack Johnson was able to put a show together so quickly to save the day. Halfway through his set, he explained the story through a little song that he wrote about the experience. In a slow acoustic rhythm. He musingly sang “[They said] can you get a band together in two days? I don’t know, it’s been a year or so since we’ve played these songs. Oh, what the hell. It’s Bonnaroo!” to a crowd that was soon erupting with cheers and glow sticks. His set was a little raw, and he made a few mistakes, but an amazing performance considering the circumstances. Naturally, his chill demeanor helped him have a sense of humor about the pressure to perform. You can’t help love him and hate him at the same time: love his attitude and ability and hate that he makes it look so easy. Alongside his regular concert staples like “Flake,” “Bubble Toes,” and “Inaudible Melodies,” he even covered Mumford & Sons’ “The Cave” and dedicated it along with the rest of his set to Ted Dwane. He played most of his encore alone acoustically before inviting the Preservation Hall Jazz Band onstage to join him on “Mudfootball.” It was no Paul McCartney, but then again, no one is.
Jack Johnson Setlist:
You and Your Heart
If I Had Eyes
Taylor
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing (with "Just What I Needed" Snippet)
Fortunate Fool
The Horizon Has Been Defeated
Badfish (Sublime cover)
Inaudible Melodies
Upside Down
Tomorrow Morning
Bubble Toes
Wasting Time
I Got You
Breakdown
Bonnaroo Improv
Banana Pancakes
Same Girl
Mellow Mood (Bob Marley cover)
Go On
The Cave (Mumford & Sons cover)
Staple It Together
[Improv]
Flake (with Dan Liebowitz of ALO)
The Joker (Steve Miller Band cover) (with Dan Liebowitz)
Good People (with Dan Liebowitz)
At or With Me (with Dan Liebowitz)
Encore:
Do You Remember
Gone
Better Together
Mudfootball (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
Unfortunately, while there was plenty I did not mind seeing, there was not much happening for the Saturday late night sets that got me really excited. The boys parted ways, and the girls and I walked over to the Which Stage for rapper R. Kelly. He was slow to take the stage but the girls were excited that he started off with an “Ignition,” remix which included a medley of a few of his other hits. They were mostly satisfied so we didn’t stay too much longer. Though only barely, we also heard him close his set with “I Believe I Can Fly” from a distance as we walked back to the campsite, also seeing him release hundreds of balloon doves into the air.
We next moved over to That Tent for 80’s punk rocker Billy Idol. Unfortunately, when we arrived he was well into a slew of newer songs that we didn’t recognize. He also did way too much mumbling to the audience for any Englishmen who isn’t Paul McCartney. He plainly doesn’t have the same clout to get away with talking so much. After a few more minutes of him not playing his hits, the girls decided they had enough, and we walked back to the campsite. However, I wasn’t tired and decided to return to Centeroo for a few more shows. Unfortunately, the ample collection of glow sticks adorning me were confiscated on the way back in; I found more.
I walked over to This Tent to see some of the Rock n' Soul Dance Party Superjam featuring Jim James (of My Morning Jack), John Oates, Zigaboo Modeliste (of The Meters), and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The show was fun and I enjoyed wandering through the crowd. They played all covers including everything from The Temptations to John Lennon to T. Rex but focusing in particular on Sly & the Family Stones, from who they pulled six selections. R. Kelly and Billy Idol also each joined for parts of the encore.
Superjam Setlist:
Star Spangled Banner (with Michael Winslow)
Standing on Shaky Ground (The Temptations cover)
Hey Pocky A-Way (The Meters cover)
Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield cover)
Love Train (The O'Jays cover)
Use Me (Bill Withers cover)
Don't Do It (The Band cover)
Instant Karma! (John Lennon cover)
1999 (Prince cover)
When Something is Wrong with My Baby (Sam & Dave cover)
Dance to the Music (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Hot Fun in the Summertime (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Family Affair (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Everyday People (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Encore:
A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover) (with R. Kelly)
Bring it on Home to Me (Sam Cooke cover) (with R. Kelly)
Bang a Gong (Get It On) (T. Rex cover) (with Billy Idol)
Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones cover) (with Brittany Howard)
I Want to Take You Higher (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
After the Superjam, the inside of the tent cleared out substantially, but I stuck around for Bustle in Your Hedgerow, a jam band playing the songs of Led Zeppelin. Unfortunately, they seemed to be having technical issues and were twenty minutes late taking the stage, not something I was happy about at 2:30am. When they finally did start, I stuck around for a few minutes to see what they were about but headed back to the campsite to get some sleep. It was perhaps my latest night ever at Bonnaroo.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
We woke up Sunday morning and started the process of packing up camp. Michael and Jon in particular had the challenging task of trying to cram everything that they brought down back into their car, realizing as they went along just how much stuff they had brought with them but never used. Michael, a few long nights finally catching up with him, was struggling with the process. The last day of Bonnaroo is always the same for me – I’m exhausted and ready to go home but at the same time not quite ready to leave the little utopia in Manchester. I know that after a shower and a night’s sleep on an actual bed with a fresh set of sheets, I’ll want to come back and do it all over again.
When we finally finished packing up in the early afternoon and headed into Centeroo for the last day of the festival, Michael retreated to a cool and shady spot. He didn’t see any music on Sunday, and we didn’t see him until the end of the day. The rest of us spent a lot of the day together, but there were a few instances where the girls’ interests diverged with my own, so they went their own way. Jon and I spent the entire day together, and it was nice to get to spend some time with him, having known him as Michael’s friend for many years but only finally getting to really spend some quality time with him.
We started the day at The Other Tent with rapper Action Bronson, though only because he was recommended by NPR. Though we sat passively in the back, it was clear much of the rest of the crowd was really into the show, and he was equally excited to be on stage. He was a good showman and had some clever, if vulgar, lyrics. Two songs into his set, cheers erupted from the front of the stage as the 280 pound MC did an early victory lap around the entire venue, dancing, posing, and handing out high-fives along the way. It was a little silly but sure made me smile.
We next moved over to the Which Stage for North Carolina folk rockers Delta Rae, comprised of six members, three of which are siblings. I wasn’t familiar, but Lindsey spoke highly of them. We caught most of their set and while there, I liked what I heard. In particular, several of the singers had really beautiful voices. The crowd was surprisingly empty and I was able to walk up and touch the front railing. I will definitely pick up a copy of their recent debut album soon.
By midafternoon, I was walking over the What Stage for hip hop act Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who at that moment, were probably the most popular band at Bonnaroo, at least by measure of recent industry charts. Their recent album, The Heist (2012), was currently at #18 on the Billboard 200. Three singles from that album, including “Can’t Hold Us,” “Thrift Shop,” and “Same Love,” were currently at #1, #14, and #65 on the Hot 100, respectively. The explosion in their recent popularity has been such that 2013 was the duo’s first appearance at Bonnaroo, and they were invited to play the What Stage. Not only were they invited to play it, but the grounds were full, especially for a midafternoon set. It’s all quite impressive. While Mackelmore brought tons of energy and passion to his set, it left a lot to be desired. His antics on stage were just weird. But it was not the Matt & Kim, let’s get freaky kind of weird; it was just weird. For starters, Macklemore did WAY too much talking, including too many pointless stories that took too long to tell. Billy Idol isn’t Paul McCartney; Macklemore really isn’t. For example, a guy (who I suspected was planted) in the audience was wearing a fur coat. Macklemore had the guy pass the coat to him on stage so he could wear it for his smash hit, “Thrift Shop,” as he does in the music video. Naturally, the coat fit him perfectly. Then of course, the coat had to be passed back. He also spent way too much time talking up his British alter ego in a series of Bill Brasky-esque tall tales. By the time he came back onstage as the character, I didn’t care. My favorite song by far was “Starting Over” a gut-wrenching song detailing his struggles with addition, wavering between sobriety and relapse. While other more popular songs like “Same Love” and “Can’t Hold Us” are more relevant to the times or more fun, respectively, I prefer “Starting Over” because it’s clear that it’s so personal.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Setlist:
Ten Thousand Hours
Crew Cuts
Thrift Shop
Same Love
Otherside
Starting Over
Can't Hold Us
White Walls
And We Danced
Irish Celebration
Following on the What Stage was west coast rapper Kendrick Lamar, who invokes more of a throwback to the misogynistic hip hop of the 90’s with songs like “P&P’ [Pussy & Patron] and “Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe.” A fun show though assuming you can take some of his lyrics as tongue-in-cheek. Like Macklemore, Kendrick Lamar’s star has also been on the rise, moving from a Thursday night slot at Bonnaroo in 2012 to the What Stage in only a year.
Kendrick Lamar Setlist:
The Art of Peer Pressure
Backseat Freestyle
P&P
Fuckin' Problems (A$AP Rocky cover)
R.I.P. (Young Jeezy cover)
Money Trees
Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Poetic Justice
The Recipe
A.D.H.D
m.A.A.d city
Swimming Pools (Drank)
While I initially planned to walk over to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetics Zeros at this point, the idea of staying put on the lawn was too tempting to pass up. I had also seen Ed Sharpe twice before, so I more or less knew what to expect. Conversely, I had recently been listening to more of Ohio indie rockers The National, for whom my appreciation was growing. As such, I opted to stay on the lawn and hear their set. Much of the rest of the crowd didn’t agree though and the lawn during The National was much more sparse than for the two previous shows. It did also afford Jon and me an opportunity to get closer to the What Stage than we had been yet that weekend. Overall, I really enjoyed their show. They chose a good setlist, rocked hard, and had some good visuals. The whole experience was perhaps the most surprisingly good set of the weekend. St. Vincent, who provided support on their recent album, joined them for the song “This Is the Last Time” before having to run over to the Which Stage for her own set.
The National Setlist:
I Should Live In Salt
Don't Swallow the Cap
Mistaken for Strangers
Bloodbuzz Ohio
This is the Last Time (with St. Vincent)
Sea of Love
Afraid of Everyone
Anyone's Ghost
Conversation 16
Squalor Victoria
I Need My Girl
Abel
Apartment Story
England
Humiliation
Graceless
Fake Empire
Mr. November
Terrible Love
Towards the end of The National’s set, I finally left the What Stage to return to the Which Stage for David Byrne & St. Vincent, touring in support of their recent collaborative album, Love This Giant (2012). They had a full stage including a brass section and appeared to be having a lot of fun, playing a mix of songs including seven from Love This Giant, five St. Vincent songs, and five Talking Heads/David Byrne songs. As it was one of those shows that I wanted to see, but probably won’t have gone to it on its own, I felt fortunate to see it at Bonnaroo.
David Byrne & St. Vincent Setlist:
Who
Weekend in the Dust
Strange Overtones (David Byrne cover)
I Am an Ape
Marrow (St. Vincent cover)
This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads cover)
The Forest Awakes
Like Humans Do (David Byrne cover)
Lightning
Wild Wild Life (Talking Heads cover)
Cheerleader (St. Vincent cover)
I Should Watch TV
Northern Lights (St. Vincent cover)
The One Who Broke Your Heart
Cruel (St. Vincent cover)
Burning Down The House (Talking Heads cover)
Encore:
The Party (St. Vincent cover)
Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads cover)
Heartland rock legends Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers closed down the festival on the What Stage. I had seen them before and enjoyed it, so while it was not a highlight to get to see them again, it was certainly welcome. Compared to the last time, their set this time was a little more experimental, taking the time to jam out a bit instead of playing songs that closely resembled their studio versions, including more acoustic, less electrified versions. Perhaps it was a product of having the closing set of Bonnaroo, a slot often reserved for jam bands like Phish, Dave Matthews Band, and Widespread Panic. The setlist was varied and he pulled deep into his catalog for songs like “Good Enough” and “Rebels” alongside the ten or so staples like “American Girl” and “Refugee” that he plays at nearly every show. He also threw in a few good covers. We left as he was finishing up his encore, for the first time all weekend, passing through the main Bonnaroo arch.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Setlist:
So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star (The Byrds cover)
Love Is a Long Road
I Won't Back Down
Baby, Please Don't Go (Big Joe Williams cover)
Here Comes My Girl
Mary Jane's Last Dance
Good Enough
Free Fallin'
A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
Listen to Her Heart
Tweeter and the Monkey Man (Traveling Wilburys cover)
Rebels
Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead cover)
Learning to Fly
Yer So Bad
It's Good to Be King
I Should Have Known It
Refugee
Runnin' Down a Dream
Encore:
Don't Come Around Here No More
You Wreck Me
American Girl
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Recently, every additional year that head down to Bonnaroo, I claim it will be my last for a while, but there then always seems to be a reason to go down again before I expected. When my little brother Michael decided that he wanted to make the pilgrimage down to Tennessee this year, I knew it was something I needed to participate. Of course, the fact that Bonnaroo also always seems to have an unparalleled line up each year as compared to other festivals always helps the case as well. 2013 would be my fifth Bonnaroo as well as the tenth anniversary of my first time there in 2003. Strangely, only a few days after wrapping up my fifth pilgrimage to my personal music Mecca, I would travel over the Atlantic for the sixth time to Jeddah, the Saudi Arabian city that serves as the gateway to the actual Mecca. I prefer Bonnaroo.
The drive from Chicago down to Manchester is a bit easier, so Lindsey and I made it down to Manchester by early Thursday afternoon without any late nights or early mornings. Michael and Jon had driven most of the way the day before, so were chomping at the bit for us to meet them at a Walmart parking lot so we could all drive into the campground together. Their car was packed with every possible item they could possibly need, along with a number of things they would never need. Their canopy in particular would be a wonderful and necessary addition. They also both “tattooed” the Bonnaroo logo into their hair. After meeting up with them a short ways out of Manchester, we quickly entered the campground and started setting up our campsite. Lindsey’s friend Katy, flying in from Cleveland and shuttling to Manchester, joined us at the campsite. Our site was very close to Centeroo, the central area that hosts all the music and events, near the Other Tent alongside a small patch of forest.
After setting up camp and killing some time, we ventured into Centroo to start the festivities. Another great new trick I discovered for the festival this year was to purchase a locker right outside Centeroo. Possession of a locker grants the key holder and a friend access to the ADA Accessible Entrance, meaning you can skip the long lines to enter Centeroo. While it didn’t seem that the regular entrance lines were as long as they had been in years past, access to a locker and the ADA lines were well worth the $40 fee.A brief rainstorm cooled us off as we were waiting to enter Centeroo, but quickly cleared up into a mostly blue sky. All and all, the weekend was not nearly as hot as years past, which was lovely and made for a much more pleasant weekend. A few minutes after we walked through the Centeroo gates, Michael and Jon more or less disappeared for the day, blow away by the enormity of it all and wanting the chance to explore on their own. We saw them a few other times throughout the day, but only in passing. They eventually separated from each other as well. I hoped that I’d see a little more of Michael on this trip, and he wouldn’t repeat his actions at last year’s North Coast Music Festival.
Twenty One Pilots Setlist:
Ode to Sleep
Migraine
Screen
House of Gold
Semi-Automatic
Holding on to You
The Run and Go
Fake You Out
Car Radio
Trees
Encore:
Guns for Hands
Following at The Other Tent was electronic music producer AraabMuzik. The three of us weren’t as excited for this show, so we slide further back out of the tent. Unfortunately, Michael and Jon more or less switched places with us, and we missed them. The show sounded fine from outside the tent, though the boys were much more involved and enjoyed it more. The real highlight for the show for me was running into my friend and previous Bonnaroo companion Tim Willis in the grass during the set. I should have expected to run into him at Bonnaroo, but it was an unexpected surprise.
We had a bit of time to kill, so we stopped by HAIM at That Tent, indie pop newcomers yet to release a debut album. The band, comprised of three sisters and one non-familial male drummer, were recommended by NPR Music as one of the top ten bands to see at Bonnaroo this year. I liked what I heard, but it was from far away and only for ten or fifteen minutes. Definitely a band I want to listen to more closely in the future.
Japandroids Setlist:Press Corps
Adrenaline Nightshift
Fire's Highway
Younger Us
The Nights of Wine and Roses
Wet Hair
Evil's Sway
Continuous Thunder
The House That Heaven Built
Young Hearts Spark Fire
For The Love of Ivy
Following Japandroids at This Tent were Mercury Prize-winning indie rock quartet ∆ (pronounced and often written Alt-J). They were much more chill and subdued that the previous act, which was a nice change of pace. However, I wished they had taken the stage before Japandroids, because by this point, I was exhausted from the previous set. Lindsey requested that we move much further back, but there was really no escape from the crowd anywhere underneath the tent. The view wasn’t as good but we could still hear quite well. ∆’s intoxicating experimental blend of indie, alternative, and psychedelic elements was soothing to my overdriven eardrums. Their blue hued backdrop added to the hypnotic nature of their sound. A bit into the set, a few people near us left; they were followed by Lindsey and Katy shortly thereafter. My legs and back were killing me, so the additional elbow space afforded me allowed me to stretch a bit to take some of that edge off, making the rest of the set more enjoyable. Nonetheless, it felt fantastic to retreat from the interior of the tent and sit in the grass at the end of the set.
∆ Setlist:
Intro
❦ (Ripe & Ruin)Tessellate
Buffalo
Dissolve Me
Something Good
Fitzpleasure
Matilda
Bloodflood
Slow Dre (Kylie Minogue cover)
Hand-Made
Breezeblocks
Ms
Taro
As it was on the way back to the campsite, we stopped by Killer Mike at The Other Tent on our way out of Centeroo in hopes of catching regular Mike, but I wasn’t too upset when we couldn’t find him, because it meant that I could just go back to camp and sleep.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Though I usually only take Ambien to combat jetlag, it proved to also come in handy for helping me sleep through the short Bonnaroo nights in a campsite in close proximity to the blaring music of The Other Tent. Unfortunately, the heat still woke me up by 7:30am. After spending the morning relaxing, we headed into Centeroo around noon. I started off by jumping in the mushroom to get good and soaked to deal with the heat of the day. It was actually my only trip into the mushroom, which speaks to the relative cool weather we enjoyed the rest of the weekend.
I started the day seeing Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with Michael and Jon on the What Stage. It was the first show of the weekend on the main stage and the first that I would see with the boys. I have seen Trombone Shorty and his band several times before, including down on their home turf in New Orleans, and I knew they always deliver a fun, danceable show. This time was no different; it’s really the kind of music that anyone can get into.Afterwards, Michael again split off. Jon and I headed over to the Which Stage for Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, mostly so we could arrive early and secure a good spot for Of Monsters & Men. Alabama progressive country artist Jason Isbell and his current band were fine, though nothing special as far as I was concerned. Good Bonnaroo daytime music though.
Of Monsters & Men Setlist:
Dirty Paws
From Finner
Slow and Steady
Mountain Sound
Your Bones
Skeletons (Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover)
Love Love Love
King and Lionheart
Beneath My Bed
Lakehouse
Little Talks
Six Weeks
Yellow Light
Following Of Monsters & Men, we quickly walked over to Amadou & Mariam at That Tent, a musical duo from Mali, composed of the couple Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia, who are both blind. The pair has crafted a unique blend of afroblues that combines elements of traditional Malian music with, American jazz and rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion. I had discovered their music several years ago when their wonderful album, Welcome to Mali (2008), was the top rated album on Metacritic for the year. They were joined onstage by four other musicians playing a variety of instruments. I knew their show would be fun, but it ended up being even better than I expected. It was the kind of music that even if you had never heard it before, you just wanted to dance. It was fairly empty, so it was easy to get close to the stage and still have plenty of elbow room. Just being under the shade of the tent with plenty of space was a treat.
Grizzly Bear Setlist:
Speak in Rounds
Adelma
Sleeping Ute
Cheerleader
Yet Again
Knife
A Simple Answer
Gun-Shy
Ready, Able
On a Neck, On a Spit
Two Weeks (with Solange)
Half Gate
Sun in Your Eyes
As the sun sank lower in the sky, I walked over to The Other Tent with Michael and Jon to see electronic jam band Conspirator. I was expecting something along the lines of the Disco Biscuits, and it was, though while Bisco is more jam than electronic, Conspirator is the reverse with a lot of dubstep influence. The band played traditional instruments, but their sound was layered with synthesizers and bass drops. A nice little surprise and something I’ll want to listen to more. Michael spent most of the show spinning his glow staff. I left fairly early to get to the What Stage to ensure I had plenty of time to see the start of Paul McCartney’s headline set; I also stopped to catch a few minutes of My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James’ solo set.I arrived with plenty of time to meet the girls to see Sir Paul, perhaps the greatest of all the living legends that have headlined Bonnaroo. We had agreed to meet in a predetermined spot; the boys finished up some other shows and met us a bit into the set. It was the first set of the weekend that all five of us would see together. We snagged a grassy spot on the far side a few hundred feet from the stage. Despite the distance, we could see and hear pretty well as we had a good view of the screen and were situated behind some rear speakers.
While this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first single in the UK, “Please Please Me,” it’s hard to relegate him to an oldies act. Part of that is because he’s one of the greatest and most influential songwriters in history; there are probably very few artists at the festival that can’t point to him as having at least some influence on their music or on the music of people that inspired them. So to a large degree, his music has never really aged. Part of it though is the energy he still brings to his performances even at 71 years of age. As he’s been on my bucket list of artists to see since I first made one, I was very happy to get to cross Sir Paul off the list and see him in my (or really his) lifetime. It was nice that Michael was there as well. Even though I don’t think he appreciated it nearly enough, I’m hoping that in years to come he’ll realize how lucky he was to get to see a Beatle perform.
Overall the show was amazing and a new contender for my favorite show of the weekend. His set lasted about three hours and included 38 songs, including 25 Beatles songs, 8 Wings songs, a Lead Belly cover, and 4 others of his own. He didn’t hesitate to share a number of stories about his various songs and experiences. Some of it included some attempts at humor that were only funny because it’s Paul McCartney and Paul McCartney, the rock ‘n rock legend, can make whatever joke he wants and the audience will think it’s funny because Paul McCartney told it to them. He mentioned before the start of “Paperback Writer” that he would use the same guitar he used on the original album recording of that song. He called specific mention to his playing of the ukulele at the start of “Something,” explaining that he promised his friend George Harrison that if George could teach him to play the instrument, Paul would use it to record one of George’s songs. Perhaps the most interesting anecdote was after he played the opening chords to the Jimi Hendrix song “Foxy Lady” as an intro to “Let Me Roll It,” he explained that he was messing around on the guitar with Jimi and helped him come up with the chords. By the next time he saw shortly thereafter, he had turned it into the iconic song. He also dedicated a song each to two of his wives, Linda and his current wife Nancy. Heather Mills received no such dedication. At the end of his set, he played “Live and Let Die” integrated with a series of explosions and then “Hey Jude,” my favorite song of the evening. He then played a total of three encores complete with several series of fireworks. Paul McCartney Setlist:
Eight Days a Week (The Beatles Song)
Junior's Farm (Wings Song)
All My Loving (The Beatles Song)
Listen to What the Man Said (Wings Song)
Let Me Roll It (with "Fox Lady" snippet)(Wings Song)Paperback Writer (The Beatles Song)
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Wings Song)
The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles Song)
Maybe I'm Amazed
Midnight Special (Lead Belly cover)
We Can Work It Out (The Beatles Song)
Another Day
And I Love Her (The Beatles Song)
Blackbird (The Beatles Song)
Here Today
Your Mother Should Know (The Beatles Song)
Lady Madonna (The Beatles Song)
All Together Now (The Beatles Song)
Lovely Rita (The Beatles Song)
Mrs. Vandebilt (Wings Song)
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles Song)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (The Beatles Song)
Something (The Beatles Song)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles Song)
Band on the Run (Wings Song)
Back in the USSR (The Beatles Song)
Let It Be (The Beatles Song)
Live and Let Die (Wings Song)
Hey Jude (The Beatles Song)
Encore 1:
Day Tripper (The Beatles Song)
Hi, Hi, Hi (Wings Song)
Get Back (The Beatles Song)
Encore 2:
Yesterday (The Beatles Song)
Helter Skelter (The Beatles Song)
Encore 3:
Golden Slumbers (The Beatles Song)
Carry That Weight (The Beatles Song)
The End (The Beatles Song)
After Paul finished up, we battled the crowd and walked over to the Which Stage to see lo-fi indie rockers The xx. I had seen them before, so I was fine that we decided to stay fairly far back. While the twenty minutes or so of what we saw of their set was fine, the quite nature of their sound does mean that something is lost when you can’t hear all that that well, especially when loud music from other stages is also hitting your ears. Strangely, it was also freezing cold, which was an interesting sensation compared to the inferno that daytime can bring to Manchester in June.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Many of the acts that I was most excited about had already played, so it was nice entering Saturday with the promise of a more relaxed and flexible day. The day started with catching the last few minutes of singer-songwriter Patrick Watson’s set at This Tent, then sticking around for indie folk band Lord Huron. For both sets, we listened more than watched, sitting in the shade of a large tree to the right of the tent. Lindsey, Katy, and I left the comfort of a seat in the shade to venture into This Tent in the midafternoon for The Tallest Man on Earth, an artist I have really come to enjoy over the past few years. We were reasonably close to the stage where it fortunately wasn’t too crowded. Last year, at my first Tallest Man on Earth show, I learned that despite the moniker, Swedish Kristian Matsson is actually quite short and wiry. However, it’s not completely unreasonable considering that his act consists solely of his guitar and powerful voice. Even though I knew exactly what to expect, he put on a great show, cycling through a series of beautiful songs in his warbling Dylan-esque voice.
Tallest Man on Earth Setlist:
King of Spain
Love Is All
To Just Grow Away
1904
I Won't Be Found
The Gardener
Leading Me Now
Where Do My Bluebird Fly
Burden of Tomorrow
CriminalsLike the Wheel
Wind and Walls
Revelation Blues
Thousand Ways
The Wild Hunt
Graceland (Paul Simon cover)
The tone of the day change completely when we moved over to The Other Tent for indie pop duo Matt & Kim. Their goal for the hour was for everyone to get as “weird” as possible, discarding all inhibitions and sensibilities for the next hour. Kim in particular was quite lewd and nearly offended my delicate sensibilities when she passed out baby wipes for the purpose of cleaning up before having sex at the end of the evening. She also offered to help facilitating random hook-ups via Twitter – #kimsdatingservice. All the banter was a wonderfully creative way to connect with the audience and encourage everyone to dance, jump, and crowd surf. It was an energy that few acts can match. At one point, they encouraged everyone in the back to crowd surf their way to the front. Eh, what the hell. I decided to take her up on it, separating myself from the girls. I made it a little ways but not nearly to the front. I was fortunate that I went fairly early after Matt announced the challenge. People were crowd surfing one after the next for 10 to 15 minutes. Shuffling people over your head is exhausting, so it didn’t take too long for people to start getting dropped on theirs. Fortunately, the ground is soft and I didn’t see anyone get hurt. However, a few people did take some pretty hard spills.
Block After Block
Overexposed
Cameras
Push It (Salt-N-Pepa cover)
Silver Tiles
Let's Go
Now
Ten Dollars I Found
Tonight
Lessons Learned
Daylight
It's Alright
A few minutes before the end of the show, I left to gather up Michael and Jon to walk over to see Björk on the What Stage. On the way, I ran into Jen Sisto, a friend from DC, and a few of her friends, who were on their way to the same show. Again, it was a pleasant surprise to see a familiar face for a show at Bonnaroo. Our now larger group parked in the grass on the near side of the stage close enough to see the screen and hear well. It’s hard to even describe Björk’s sound, as it’s a mixture of everything – alternative rock, electronica, experimental, industrial rock, avant-garde, and post rock. By far the most trippy and mind-blowing experience of the festival, her set resembled as much of a performance art piece as it did a traditional concert. The Icelandic singer wore a silver, form-fitting, bubble-textured dress with an even stranger piece of full head and face headgear, consisting of a series of plastic spines, making her look like a dandelion from another world. Her large backing band was complete with a 14-piece all-female choir who looked like members of the future society from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. She cycled through songs from most of her catalog, including a song each from Debut (1993) and Post (1995), four from Homogenic (1997), three from Vespertine (2001), one from Volta (2007), and five from her most recent album Biophilia (2011). Songs included soft haunting melodies like "Crystalline" and "Hidden Place," as well as chaotic, explosive electro-industrial dance numbers "Declare Independence.” As the sun was setting as she finished her last song, I could help but think that as bold as the set was, its visuals and experimental nature would have been much more appropriate for late night, not early evening.
Björk Setlist:
Cosmogony
Hunter
Moon
Crystalline
Hidden Place
Heirloom
Bachelorette
One Day
Jóga
Pagan Poetry
Mutual Core
Hyperballad (mixed with "Freak" by LFO)
Pluto
Declare Independence
Encore:
Náttúra
I stayed with Michael and Jon through the set break for the start of evening headliner Jack Johnson. British folk rockers Mumford & Sons were scheduled to headline, but had to cancel at the last minute when bassist Ted Dwane required emergency surgery to remove a cerebral blot clot. The story goes that Johnson was already on his way to Bonnaroo to play a surprise late-night gig with friends Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) on Thursday night when he got the call asking him to get his band together and headline Saturday night. He flew his band in from around the country, acquired the necessary equipment, and rehearsed as much as he could to prepare for his first show with his band in a year.
Jack Johnson Setlist:
You and Your Heart
If I Had Eyes
Taylor
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing (with "Just What I Needed" Snippet)
Fortunate Fool
The Horizon Has Been Defeated
Badfish (Sublime cover)
Inaudible Melodies
Upside Down
Tomorrow Morning
Bubble Toes
Wasting Time
I Got You
Breakdown
Bonnaroo Improv
Banana Pancakes
Same Girl
Mellow Mood (Bob Marley cover)
Go On
The Cave (Mumford & Sons cover)
Staple It Together
[Improv]
Flake (with Dan Liebowitz of ALO)
The Joker (Steve Miller Band cover) (with Dan Liebowitz)
Good People (with Dan Liebowitz)
At or With Me (with Dan Liebowitz)
Encore:
Do You Remember
Gone
Better Together
Mudfootball (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
Unfortunately, while there was plenty I did not mind seeing, there was not much happening for the Saturday late night sets that got me really excited. The boys parted ways, and the girls and I walked over to the Which Stage for rapper R. Kelly. He was slow to take the stage but the girls were excited that he started off with an “Ignition,” remix which included a medley of a few of his other hits. They were mostly satisfied so we didn’t stay too much longer. Though only barely, we also heard him close his set with “I Believe I Can Fly” from a distance as we walked back to the campsite, also seeing him release hundreds of balloon doves into the air.
We next moved over to That Tent for 80’s punk rocker Billy Idol. Unfortunately, when we arrived he was well into a slew of newer songs that we didn’t recognize. He also did way too much mumbling to the audience for any Englishmen who isn’t Paul McCartney. He plainly doesn’t have the same clout to get away with talking so much. After a few more minutes of him not playing his hits, the girls decided they had enough, and we walked back to the campsite. However, I wasn’t tired and decided to return to Centeroo for a few more shows. Unfortunately, the ample collection of glow sticks adorning me were confiscated on the way back in; I found more.
I walked over to This Tent to see some of the Rock n' Soul Dance Party Superjam featuring Jim James (of My Morning Jack), John Oates, Zigaboo Modeliste (of The Meters), and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The show was fun and I enjoyed wandering through the crowd. They played all covers including everything from The Temptations to John Lennon to T. Rex but focusing in particular on Sly & the Family Stones, from who they pulled six selections. R. Kelly and Billy Idol also each joined for parts of the encore. Superjam Setlist:
Star Spangled Banner (with Michael Winslow)
Standing on Shaky Ground (The Temptations cover)
Hey Pocky A-Way (The Meters cover)
Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield cover)
Love Train (The O'Jays cover)
Use Me (Bill Withers cover)
Don't Do It (The Band cover)
Instant Karma! (John Lennon cover)
1999 (Prince cover)
When Something is Wrong with My Baby (Sam & Dave cover)
Dance to the Music (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Hot Fun in the Summertime (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Family Affair (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Everyday People (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Encore:
A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover) (with R. Kelly)
Bring it on Home to Me (Sam Cooke cover) (with R. Kelly)
Bang a Gong (Get It On) (T. Rex cover) (with Billy Idol)
Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones cover) (with Brittany Howard)
I Want to Take You Higher (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
After the Superjam, the inside of the tent cleared out substantially, but I stuck around for Bustle in Your Hedgerow, a jam band playing the songs of Led Zeppelin. Unfortunately, they seemed to be having technical issues and were twenty minutes late taking the stage, not something I was happy about at 2:30am. When they finally did start, I stuck around for a few minutes to see what they were about but headed back to the campsite to get some sleep. It was perhaps my latest night ever at Bonnaroo.Sunday, June 16, 2013
We woke up Sunday morning and started the process of packing up camp. Michael and Jon in particular had the challenging task of trying to cram everything that they brought down back into their car, realizing as they went along just how much stuff they had brought with them but never used. Michael, a few long nights finally catching up with him, was struggling with the process. The last day of Bonnaroo is always the same for me – I’m exhausted and ready to go home but at the same time not quite ready to leave the little utopia in Manchester. I know that after a shower and a night’s sleep on an actual bed with a fresh set of sheets, I’ll want to come back and do it all over again.
When we finally finished packing up in the early afternoon and headed into Centeroo for the last day of the festival, Michael retreated to a cool and shady spot. He didn’t see any music on Sunday, and we didn’t see him until the end of the day. The rest of us spent a lot of the day together, but there were a few instances where the girls’ interests diverged with my own, so they went their own way. Jon and I spent the entire day together, and it was nice to get to spend some time with him, having known him as Michael’s friend for many years but only finally getting to really spend some quality time with him.
We started the day at The Other Tent with rapper Action Bronson, though only because he was recommended by NPR. Though we sat passively in the back, it was clear much of the rest of the crowd was really into the show, and he was equally excited to be on stage. He was a good showman and had some clever, if vulgar, lyrics. Two songs into his set, cheers erupted from the front of the stage as the 280 pound MC did an early victory lap around the entire venue, dancing, posing, and handing out high-fives along the way. It was a little silly but sure made me smile.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Setlist:
Ten Thousand HoursCrew Cuts
Thrift Shop
Same Love
Otherside
Starting Over
Can't Hold Us
White Walls
And We Danced
Irish Celebration
Following on the What Stage was west coast rapper Kendrick Lamar, who invokes more of a throwback to the misogynistic hip hop of the 90’s with songs like “P&P’ [Pussy & Patron] and “Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe.” A fun show though assuming you can take some of his lyrics as tongue-in-cheek. Like Macklemore, Kendrick Lamar’s star has also been on the rise, moving from a Thursday night slot at Bonnaroo in 2012 to the What Stage in only a year.
The Art of Peer PressureBackseat Freestyle
P&P
Fuckin' Problems (A$AP Rocky cover)
R.I.P. (Young Jeezy cover)
Money Trees
Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Poetic Justice
The Recipe
A.D.H.D
m.A.A.d city
Swimming Pools (Drank)
While I initially planned to walk over to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetics Zeros at this point, the idea of staying put on the lawn was too tempting to pass up. I had also seen Ed Sharpe twice before, so I more or less knew what to expect. Conversely, I had recently been listening to more of Ohio indie rockers The National, for whom my appreciation was growing. As such, I opted to stay on the lawn and hear their set. Much of the rest of the crowd didn’t agree though and the lawn during The National was much more sparse than for the two previous shows. It did also afford Jon and me an opportunity to get closer to the What Stage than we had been yet that weekend. Overall, I really enjoyed their show. They chose a good setlist, rocked hard, and had some good visuals. The whole experience was perhaps the most surprisingly good set of the weekend. St. Vincent, who provided support on their recent album, joined them for the song “This Is the Last Time” before having to run over to the Which Stage for her own set.The National Setlist:
I Should Live In Salt
Don't Swallow the CapMistaken for Strangers
Bloodbuzz Ohio
This is the Last Time (with St. Vincent)
Sea of Love
Afraid of Everyone
Anyone's Ghost
Conversation 16
Squalor Victoria
I Need My Girl
Abel
Apartment Story
England
Humiliation
Graceless
Fake Empire
Mr. November
Terrible Love
Towards the end of The National’s set, I finally left the What Stage to return to the Which Stage for David Byrne & St. Vincent, touring in support of their recent collaborative album, Love This Giant (2012). They had a full stage including a brass section and appeared to be having a lot of fun, playing a mix of songs including seven from Love This Giant, five St. Vincent songs, and five Talking Heads/David Byrne songs. As it was one of those shows that I wanted to see, but probably won’t have gone to it on its own, I felt fortunate to see it at Bonnaroo.David Byrne & St. Vincent Setlist:
Who
Weekend in the Dust
Strange Overtones (David Byrne cover)
I Am an ApeMarrow (St. Vincent cover)
This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads cover)
The Forest Awakes
Like Humans Do (David Byrne cover)
Lightning
Wild Wild Life (Talking Heads cover)
Cheerleader (St. Vincent cover)
I Should Watch TV
Northern Lights (St. Vincent cover)
The One Who Broke Your Heart
Cruel (St. Vincent cover)
Burning Down The House (Talking Heads cover)
Encore:
The Party (St. Vincent cover)
Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads cover)
Heartland rock legends Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers closed down the festival on the What Stage. I had seen them before and enjoyed it, so while it was not a highlight to get to see them again, it was certainly welcome. Compared to the last time, their set this time was a little more experimental, taking the time to jam out a bit instead of playing songs that closely resembled their studio versions, including more acoustic, less electrified versions. Perhaps it was a product of having the closing set of Bonnaroo, a slot often reserved for jam bands like Phish, Dave Matthews Band, and Widespread Panic. The setlist was varied and he pulled deep into his catalog for songs like “Good Enough” and “Rebels” alongside the ten or so staples like “American Girl” and “Refugee” that he plays at nearly every show. He also threw in a few good covers. We left as he was finishing up his encore, for the first time all weekend, passing through the main Bonnaroo arch.Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Setlist:
So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star (The Byrds cover)
Love Is a Long Road
I Won't Back Down
Baby, Please Don't Go (Big Joe Williams cover)
Here Comes My Girl
Mary Jane's Last Dance
Good Enough
Free Fallin'
A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
Listen to Her Heart
Tweeter and the Monkey Man (Traveling Wilburys cover)
Rebels
Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead cover)
Learning to Fly
Yer So Bad
It's Good to Be King
I Should Have Known It
Refugee
Runnin' Down a Dream
Encore:
Don't Come Around Here No More
You Wreck Me
American Girl
