Yo La Tengo |
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Fri. June 18.2004 12:00 AM EDT |
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Bopping Through BonnarooThe multi-artist fest featured something cool every hour of the day; here's one fan's diary. by Scott Lapatine |
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Nellie McKay (Scott Lapatine/VH1.com) |
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Sweltering heat and heavy rain couldn't deter 90,000 music fans from basking in the glory of the almighty jam at the third annual Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tennessee. With over 80 performances to choose from, concertgoers were all but
See Photos From The Festival Friday, June 11 11:30 AM: Manchester is 60 miles outside of Nashville - in the middle of nowhere, really - and off I-24 I can see hundreds of cars waiting to enter the festival grounds. To my surprise security fails to inspect my vehicle for contraband, which is great because I've hidden six bags of peanuts in the glove compartment. I set up camp in a grassy field behind What Stage (the largest of the six similarly titled performance spaces) and award myself "lamest tent in sight." A quick dousing of SPF 30 and I'm off to Which Stage to catch Texas rockers Los Lonely Boys. Frisbees and hackey sacks are everywhere. 1:10 PM: It's another Tex-Mex inspired performance, this time by elegant and jazzy Calexico. People arrive in the tent, seeking cover from the sun. Highlights include the lush "Quatrro Quattro (World Drifts In)," which features a catchy two-trumpet hook, and a cover of Love's "Alone Again Or." 2:10 PM: Armed only with guitar and drums, the Black Keys deliver a massive sound. The duo gets the crowd moving with the sleazy blooze groove of "I'll Be Your Man." After the performance, I sip a $5 beer in Bonnaroo Market, where hippie merchants hawk handmade soaps and sandals. 3:00 PM: Fresh out of rehab, denim-clad Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy jokes about fans' anticipation for the band's follow-up to 2002's sleeper hit Yankee Hotel Foxtrot; they then launch into the twangy new ballad "Muzzle Of Bees." I absorb, and head off to That Tent to catch radiant punk goddess Patti Smith romance the audience with "Ghost Dance." 4:35 PM: Pianist Nellie McKay charms an excitable audience with her quirky blend of rap and cabaret. The heat hasn't let up. "Dylan doesn't play in a tent," gripes the 19-year-old NYC slicker. "How am I gonna watch him? I wanna stay pale ... I'll have to borrow one of your hats." 6:20 PM: Despite starting a half-hour late, Bob Dylan wows the crowd from behind his keyboard. The set features some of the legend's more countrified tunes, and wraps up with a rousing "Like a Rolling Stone." 7:40 PM: String Cheese Incident's take on the Chili Peppers' "Give It Away" is fun, but Yo La Tengo await. I maneuver through a sea of tie-dye and dreadlocks to catch the beloved Hoboken trio's sweet "Autumn Sweater." It's then a blur of feedback as possessed frontman Ira Kaplan kneels at the amp before smashing his screeching Stratocaster to the floor. As the sun sets, the band launches into an especially jammy take of Sun Ra's "Nuclear War." 9:00 PM: Trey Anastasio and Tim Reynolds trade licks with headliner Dave Matthews on "Dancing Nancies," "Everyday" and half a dozen cover songs that keep fans on the edge of their sand-covered blankets. Versions of Hendrix, Beatles, and Phish are solid, but the real treat is the funk: Rufus' "Tell Me Something Good" and Sly Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)." 1:20 AM: Hardcore supergroup Praxis bring the noise, but guitarist Buckethead is freaking me out. Sadly, my trip back to the campsite does not cross paths with the Mardi Gras themed parade led by American Idol oddity William Hung. Saturday, June 12 11:00 AM: There's no entertainment here before noon, but creative scavenging has already led me to iced coffee and a just-cleaned Port-O-Potty. I hit the press tent to charge my camera and arrive in time to hear My Morning Jacket's Jim James strum gorgeous acoustic numbers for reporters. "After Ween we're gonna have a sand volleyball tournament near the catering tent," he promises. Suddenly everyone realizes it's pouring outside. 12:50 PM: The rain lets up long enough for me to enjoy Los Lobos, who celebrate their 30th anniversary this summer. Sunburned bodies cool off in the colorful Centeroo fountains. 2:15 PM: Following the bluegrass group Hackensaw Boys, Gomez raise the energy level with "Bring It On" and the upbeat new single "These 3 Sins." Grandaddy, however, are the afternoon's buzz band. Hiding behind a stack of synths, band boss Jason Lytle gets fists pumping to the bouncy psych-pop of "The Crystal Lake" and "Stray Dog And The Chocolate Shake." At The Other Tent, fans wait respectfully as up-and-coming Americana artist Mindy Smith struggles to tune her guitar. "I'm so frustrated!" she grumbles. "That's okay!" the patient crowd calls back. At the end of "Come To Jesus," a tune about Smith's early days of dead-end gigs, fans push toward the stage, clamoring for autographs. 3:48 PM: Beth Orton maintains the mellow vibe with bare-bones renditions of her best folktronica ballads. Guest guitarist M. Ward is introduced and the duo performs "Stolen Car" before Orton comments on the unbearable heat. My watch displays 4:20 and I realize it's time for ... a lot more sunscreen. 4:30 PM: Outside Bud's Café, where the music-weary recharge with rounds of pool and Ms. Pac Man, two bands compete for my attention. Gov't Mule jam endlessly on "Young Man Blues" and My Morning Jacket rockout in the distance. It's extremely windy. "This is so f*cking awesome," Jim James says of the ominous skies. "I've always wanted to play Return To Thunderdome." 7:45 AM: Torrential rain pushes Steve Winwood two hours behind schedule, but a solo acoustic "Can't Find My Way Home" is worth the wait. Rain fails to dampen the spirits of the thousands of Deadheads eager for tonight's headliner. Warren Haynes ably handles Dead vocal duties on "Casey Jones" and "St. Stephen," but a cover of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" does little to convince me I'm witnessing more than a nostalgia act. Sunday, June 13 12:18 PM: Overnight, the 700-acre cow pasture has become a repulsive swamp. At Roo's version of Starbucks, Jerry Garcia prints hang on the wall and "Friend Of The Devil" plays quietly from the speakers. Coffee in hand, I head to Sonic Village's XM Radio stage where pro-surfer turned singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter can barely be heard above the din of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Audiophiles customize free Bonnaroo mix CDs and I check my e-mail next to a topless woman surfing the Web. 1:30 PM: Guitarist Marc Ribot takes a bow after an energetic performance with his Latin band Los Cubanos Postizos. Next up: The Bad Plus, the piano jazz trio that does lots of pop covers. They seem genuinely stunned by the crowd's enthusiastic response to jerky instrumentals like "1972 Bronze Medalist" and Aphex Twin's "Film." David King, the trio's inventive drummer, strikes the drum riser and mic stand for percussive effect. 2:44 PM: David Lowery thrills with selections from the Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker songbooks. College-radio staples "Take The Skinheads Bowling" and "Low" receive the most thunderous applause. Later in the air-conditioned comedy tent, Paul Scheer (of VH1's Best Week Ever) and his Upright Citizens Brigade win over a tough crowd with improvised sketches about sex, drugs and Ronald Reagan. The adjacent cinema tent screens Reservoir Dogs to dozens of concertgoers sleeping on grimy couches. 5:02 PM: Barbara Cue, side-project of Widespread Panic's Todd Nance, impress with a gritty Warren Zevon cover, but David Byrne's on soon and an obstacle course of giant puddles stands between us. Byrne's set draws heavily from his new orchestral album Grown Backwards with a string of Talking Heads hits mixed in. The six-piece Tosca string ensemble breathes new life into "Psycho Killer" and the singer, looking sharp in a black suit, elicits bursts of applause by wiggle dancing between songs. 10:00 PM: Backed by the Nashville Orchestra, guitar virtuoso Trey Anastasio tears into Phish gems "All Things Reconsidered" and "Inlaw Josie Wales" during a marathon four hour set. Those who braved the storm are rewarded with a fireworks display that lights up the Bonnaroo sky. Twelve more months and I'll be back (with extra sneakers). |
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