By Saturday, I had my bearings around the Bonnaroo grounds, and had mapped out the quickest routes to my most anticipated acts of the day, which ranged from bands I had never heard before to legends the likes of:
Jimmy Buffet with ILO & The Coral Reefer AllStars
Although he wasn’t formally slotted to play, rumor spread via word of mouth that Jimmy Buffet would kick off Saturday’s performances. When noon rolled around, sure enough, there he was. Though the late notice of his show meant a shortage of Hawaiian shirts, his audience was no less ready to party than would be expected at a Buffet concert. He opened unceremoniously with “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw,” and I was immediately in the minority of people not singing, lyric-for-lyric. After that, the hour-long set meandered happily forward with Buffet amiably chatting with his audience between classics like “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Margaritaville.” Buffet was a nice early surprise, and functioned as a great primer for the acts to come later in the day.
Bon Iver
My toughest decision at Bonnaroo this year was between the furious classical-guitar picking of Rodrigo and Gabriela and the delicate, soul-rending songs of Bon Iver. I opted for the latter, which was immediately satisfying as lead singer Justin Vernon confirmed the french pronunciation (bone ee-ver) of the band right off the bat. He and his soft-spoken band-mates performed numbers from both his full-length album and his EP, notably “Lump Sum” and “Blood Bank.” The quiet meditative nature of the songs provided a welcome break from the thumping bass that had defined my first two days, and also displayed warm melodies and harmonies that never appeared on the albums.
Though Bon Iver’s show was by no means a jaw-dropping experience, it did speak to the quality of his song writing, as the simple additions of drums, bass, and harmonies fleshed out his acoustic songs nicely. About halfway through the show, Vernon brought out a quartet consisting of Elvis Perkins and friends on saxophone, clarinet, trombone and trumpet to enhance his cover of a Yo La Tengo’s “I Feel Like Going Home.” The quartet remained on stage and joined both the band and the audience, who added vocals upon request in a massive crescendo at the end of “Wolves.” As Bon Iver departed the stage to a thunderous ovation, it occurred to me that he’s come a long way from that little cottage in Wisconsin.
Wilco
Later on in the evening, I was able to catch the second hour of Wilco’s set on the main stage. I was a little surprised to see them there, although they’ve perhaps earned seniority by sheer number of Bonnaroo performances. Regardless, I would have preferred to see the Chicagoans at a more intimate venue packed with fans, instead of the large field littered with pockets of people. Personal preference aside, Wilco had more than enough presence to fill the stage, doused by golden rays from the setting Tennessee sun. Jeff Tweedy sounded fantastic vocally, especially on “Impossible Germany” and “Walken” from Sky Blue Sky. He seemed to be having a genuinely good time up there. Though he couldn’t easily interact with the large audience, at one point Tweedy had one of the cameramen strum his guitar as he formed chords on the fret board. It was a fun, relaxed concert by one of the great contemporary rock bands. Little did I know that my seat on the lawn would become such a commodity when The Boss took the stage only an hour later.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
I can’t say I’ve ever gone out of my way to listen to Springsteen. I’m familiar enough with some of the classics, but I was in no way prepared for the three and a half hour spectacle that was to unfold before my eyes. The folks at Bonnaroo estimated attendance at around 75,000 this year, and I would gauge that at least 60,000 of them packed in (behind me) to witness The Boss in action. I became acutely aware of my coveted seating, and made the same kind of deal with my bladder that I did at the beginning of “The Lord of the Rings” in the theater. I wasn’t going anywhere, but I was skeptical—until Bruce and The E Street Band went to work.
Springsteen appeared to a tremendous roar, and after launching into “No Surrender,” appropriately rasped to the hippie counterculture in attendance, “We learned more from a three minute record/than we ever learned in school.” I was absolutely blown away by the magnitude of the spectacle. To put things in perspective, the beautiful background harmonies that would have warranted a sentence or two in another review were overshadowed by Max Weinberg’s perfect drum beats, Clarence Clemons’ soulful sax blasts, and iconic images like Steven Van Zandt joining Springsteen for spirited harmonies at the center mic.
The hours flew by as The Boss donned a cowboy hat for a killer, theatrical rendition “Outlaw Pete,” during which a neighboring attendee remarked, “This is like a movie, but better!” When it came time for requests, Bruce collected signs from the audience members in the pit, closest to the stage, and revealed a giant cardboard Santa—a seemingly silly notion, to play the Christmas favorite—but when the band launched into “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” I was sold. As the show paraded forward, Max’s son, Jay Weinberg manned the drums, providing a more new-school feeling back beat behind the E Street Band. After a gorgeous harmonica solo during “The River,” The Boss handed the instrument to a girl sporting an “I <3 NJ” shirt, and later invited her on stage for a dance. The look on her face as she returned to the pit gave me the chills, and made me realize that this was big time. The Bruce Springsteen concert may not have been my personal weekend favorite, but there's no doubt in my mind that it was the best show of Bonnaroo 2009.
Yeasayer
Yeasayer is a band I wasn’t familiar with prior to Bonnaroo, but there was a good amount of buzz circulating the grounds, so I figured I’d give them a listen. It was one of the most pleasant surprises of the weekend. The most arresting aspect of Yeasayer initially was their set design, far and away the coolest of the festival. Several glowing, color-shifting orbs of various sizes were positioned around the stage, over which shapes and patterns danced from the light rack. They may have been catering to those under the influence of performance enhancing drugs, but it certainly had an intoxicating effect for all.
Their music proved both versatile and extremely creative within the first few tunes. The tone shifted from slow, trance-like Air grooves to extremely danceable synth-pop, kind of like the Gomez I was hoping to hear. As the set went on, I found myself shaking my groove thang to the funky bass and syncopated drums more so than at any other show, and I thought to myself that if I were to own a club, I would want Yeasayer’s music bumping. Best of all, in a day and age when programmed beats dominate much of live, up-beat electronic music, Yeasayer supplied the beats organically, either using an acoustic kit or by playing on midi pads. This is a band who I’d definitely go see again, as nothing but their live show does the music justice. When MGMT took the stage afterward, I felt the energy level drop a few notches. Just something to think about.
DOWNLOAD: - Bon Iver - Your Love (live) (MP3) or Follow us for more MP3s (Twitter)
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
By the way, I really liked the mp3 posted. Thanks.
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “Picture yourself coasting your bike past space funk palm trees, homeless harpists, vintage video arcades, electronic drum circles, and 60s psychedelic singers who’re waiting for the bus. Cosmogramma is kinda like that if someone suddenly tripped you just as you’re starting to enjoy the ride. But in a good way.””
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
