Four Hours @ Bonnaroo 2010

Honestly, I didn't think much of this year's lineup. Truly, there were only five bands I had any desire at all to see. The main reason I was even in Dullahoma in the first place was to visit my parents, not the festival. It just so happened that the timing was right and I had committed to helping Dennis and I keep my promises. The first band I had an interest in seeing was Blitzen Trapper, and I just finished my first spin of their new album. Lo, they were scheduled on the first night while I was busy inhaling carbon monoxide at the gate. One patron asked me who to see once they got inside, and BT was my suggestion. They promised to give them my love. Cool. On Friday, I had considered the midnight performance of the infamous Flaming Lips and their version of "Dark Side of the Moon", but earlier in the day I found out the main stage was running an hour behind, and I'm just not that young anymore. So Saturday was it, as the other three bands I wanted to see were scheduled perfectly for me to do in a few hours.


Coordinating with Dennis, I acquired a resident access pass so I could get to the location of their great setup. Turning off the main highway, I was greeted by a fleet of motorcycle State Troopers, all lined up with somewhere to go, just not yet. Weird. Passing through two check points (a resident pass with Florida plates..."of course, I live here!"), I follow the directions down the country road to literally 100 feet of a gate to the festival. But I have to wait for a limo and some county sheriff vehicles to pass before I can turn in. Was that Norah Jones in that limousine? Turns out it was, as our hookup location actually adjoined the VIP access road and gate! Sweet! Could have literally hopped the fence and been on Bonnaroo property. I was greeted by the sign in the picture above (OK, so there is a misspelled word; it was the spirit I found enlightening). The owners had been looking for some rural property a few years earlier when they found the current location and told the real estate agent they liked it. In a fit of open disclosure, the agent said she needed to inform them that the property backed up to the big music festival that had been in the news. Obviously, it had been a deal-breaker more than once for her. "Sold!" So every year since, these people invite close friends to stay with them and enjoy Bonnaroo in a truly local fashion. Very nice.


So Dennis and I make the fifty yard walk to the gate...gotta love it...and we're off to my first Bonnaroo. Mumford & Sons was the first stop, this picture taken just as we walked up. Decent crowd for a band I did not figure many to be aware of. Those who were there were certainly in the know, singing along loudly through some of the selections from Sigh No More, making the ol' Mad Rocker very happy. Trotting out for the finale was the Old Crow Medicine Show and Gillian Welch, and the crowd absolutely exploded when they finished the set, screaming for more. But the boys had used their allotted time, and at Bonnaroo, if your set is 5 - 6:15 and you want to do an encore, then you'd better stop at 6 so the crowd can call you back and be done at 6:15 as the program states. Mumford & Sons obviously won over many in the crowd as their album has broken the Top 100 here in the States. Again, a happy Mad Rocker.

Next to the main stage and the Dead Weather. I'm not going to get too carried away on this post since I have the new record ready for comment and will do so in the next posting, but do yourself a huge favor and go to http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127088792 and listen to their set, and Mumford & Sons set as well, for that matter. Or better yet, even though it's only one song, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SHMt-2bpxU for a visual sample. Alison Mosshart looks like a skinny Siouxsie Sue and, boys and girls, that's what a "Rock Star performance" is all about. I looked at Dennis about twenty minutes into the set and I told him, "I want to do her right now, sweat and all, right there on the stage." Dirty, nasty Rock 'N Roll is still alive and well and living in the Dead Weather.

 

We then made quite the musical shift from loud to soft, and crowd size from thousands to eighty, as we stepped under the Cafe Where? tent for the Stone siblings.
With Weezer blaring away on the second stage, it was difficult to grasp the subtleties of the Stones from the edge of the tent, so I eased into the middle where I captured this song...

I hope they get some recognition in the States. Probably their first trip to America, but they were used to the Aussie heat so temps in the mid-90's didn't phase them. After they finished, Dennis and I meandered for a while, watching the crowd build in anticipation of Stevie Wonder. Had to be over thirty minutes later before we decided to bail, and as we walked past the Cafe tent, Julia was still there signing CD's and talking to a few fans. I stopped to have a word but opted out as Mr. Wonder cranked up.
Please people, if you like singer/songwriter music, support these kids. They deserve it.

And that was it for my Bonnaroo experience.