My Bonnaroo - Day 3

It seems to always rain on Day 3 of Bonnaroo, and this year was no exception. Fortunately, the rain didn't last long and for the most part cooled things down a bit throughout the day. Starting off the day knowing that we would not be sticking around to catch Phil Lesh and Friends that night, I was looking to get the most out of my final day at Bonnaroo 2006.

- Andrew Bird -
My first stop was to see Andrew Bird for the second time that week, this time on the Sonic Stage. I thought I was getting there a bit early, all in hopes of obtaining an autograph from Matisyahu for a friend, but Mr. Bird was already getting ready on stage, and the line for Matisyahu's signature was beyond ridiculous. There was also a large crowd to check out Andrew, which caused me to come to the conclusion that the purpose of the Sonic Stage (to give an audience a more intimate look at their favorite artists) was quickly losing its effectiveness. Oh well, Andrew Bird is an amazing musician and a thrill to see (my fourth time now). I worked hard to work through the crowd for the above photo.

- Be Your Own Pet -
After Bird, it was time to check out Thurston Moore's new favorite band, Be Your Own Pet. Hailing from Nashville, the very young Be Your Own Pet are today's new hyped band. Probably the most punked out act at Bonnaroo, Be Your Own Pet rolled through their songs at lighting fast speed, only taking brieft moments with the "hippies" to announce the next song title. I will give it to them that they were a tight group, but after awhile the songs seemed to all mesh together to me. While I was leaving their stage, the band announced that they had only two more songs left, which would have meant they would have ended early during an allowed thirty-five minute set.

- Refugee Allstars of Sierra Leone -
I hadn't seen the new documentary about the next act, The Refugee Allstars of Sierra Leone, but I had heard very favorable reviews (they were actually playing the film later that afternoon at the Cinema tent). As members of the group explained their story and the significance of each song title, it was the groove of their beat that kept the audience entranced.

- The Streets -
I still don't own the new one The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living but I'm a big enough fan of the first two (2002's Original Pirate Material and 2004's A Grand Don't Come For Free) to be excited about the upcoming show. Frontman Mike Skinner's rap approach is far removed from what us American's are familiar with, and for some that might have been a turn off, especially for my girlfriend who was merely annoyed by The Street's performance, and Mike Skinner's lyrics, which she found to be a mere novelty. I myself was a bit disappointed (in the sense that I had high hopes for The Streets), and felt that most of the tunes didn't translate as well live as they do on the records. Oh well, it was rather amusing when Mike Skinner began to go into the Arctic Monkey's "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor," in between talking to the crowd about "soccer" (even he knew not to address it as football to an American audience).

- Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks -
After catching some of Son Volt in the shade, I made my way over to see Stephen Malkmus. I hadn't seen Stephen since his days with Pavement, so I was thrilled to see him again, especially coming off a strong record Face the Truth. The first track we caught was the highly infectious (as many of Malkmus songs are) number, "Baby C'mon". It was made clear by the playlist that this was a Jicks show, so there were no numbers from Stephen Malkmus' first solo album or old Pavement tunes. Still, he put on a good rockin' show. Though, I'll admit it would have been a bit anticlimactic if it had been the last show I had seen at Bonnaroo.

- Sonic Youth -
Nope, that honor goes to the legendary Sonic Youth, who after twenty-five years together, are still putting out amazing records, including the latest Rather Ripped (the Lovers' album of the week). By suggestion from Stephen Malkmus, Thurston Moore talked to the crowd for awhile before the group launched into their first number. What did he talk about? Well, Tennessee! He talked about how his dad living in east Tennessee, and that he spent a lot of time there when he was younger. And how each time he comes back to Tennessee, he feels like getting a house and starting all over. He also talked about how watching all the kids smoking free samples (?) of Natural American Spirit cigarettes made him want to start back up the habit, a habit he claims he kicked when he was 14 years old! He also recommened the pizza, so I bought one. After finishing up the first one, "Incinerate," Thurston Moore apologized for talking too much at the beginning of the show, and that it was all Malkmus' fault. If you were familiar with the new record, and think it is on par with their classic Sister and Daydream Nation than you were blown away by their Bonnaroo performance. The only older songs I recall before the encore (which I didn't catch but heard Malkmus joined them on stage for "Expressway to Yr. Skull!) were "100%" and "Pattern Recognition". Still, the new songs sounded great and the show was easily my favorite of the day and high on my list for the weekend.

Those that I wish I could have seen: Lewis Black, Elvis Costello, Steel Train, and The Magic Numbers

My Bonnaroo - Day 2

- Bill Frisell -
The first act on Day 2 was the well-respected jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. Frisell has an extensive back catalog that have explored an array of musical genres. Perhaps a bit predictable, but Frisell went the genre route of jam band (which thanks to the Dead is an understandable genre term). The sounds were mellow and relaxing, and I would have liked to have taken more of it in, but I had to check out everyone's favorite, indie band success story of 2005, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah -
No pictures of the band here, since I was too far away from the stage to get anything worth posting. Instead, I took in the show under the shade of a tree. I think I will have to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on a club date before I submit my verdict on their live performance.

- Amadou & Mariam -
The next obvious choice was Elvis Costello with Allen Toussaint but they were performing on the stage without any coverage. And to be honest, I had already seen Elvis Costello live but I knew that I might never get the chance to see Amadou & Mariam again. The blind husband and wife team musicians from Mali are fairly new discovery for me even though the two have been recording albums for the past six years. But it was their last studio release, Dimanche a Bamako that brought them their biggest exposure to the world, often finding its way on Best of 2005 album lists. Even as a developing fan of world music, Amadou & Mariam are an act that don't have a problem with crossing over to various musical tastes. This show was probably the biggest surprise for me at the festival, and also one my favorites of the week that I plan on purchasing from Bonnaroo.com when the mp3's come avaliable.

- Buddy Guy -
My next stop was to check out the Sonic Stage, a small venue set up to give Bonnaroo fans a more "intimate" look at some of their favorite artists. After a short performance, the artist sign autographs for a line that's longer than those for the bathroom. The first act I caught at the Sonic Stage was Buddy Guy, and while he had a nice size crowd, I was still able to get rather close. What can I say, the seventy year old blues veteran still knows how to entertain the folks.

- Beck -
Certainly one of the biggest draws for the week was Beck. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Beck but for some reason I wasn't bubbling with excitment about seeing him live. Perhaps this is due to the massive crowd which resulted in a less than intimate setting. Or perhaps this is due to the fact that I was hot and tired. Either way, I made my way over to the mainstage to check it out. There has been lots of talk on other blogs about the puppets that were modeled after Beck and were shown on the large screens on each side of the stage. Sure it was cute, but after awhile I wanted to see Beck and not his wooden representation. Oh well, I left after a few songs but I did hear "Devil's Haircut, "New Pollution," and "Hell Yes".

- Medeski Martin & Wood -
So, I left the Beck stage and went to check out Medeski Martin & Wood, a band that has played Memphis numerous times, and a band that I don't own any of their records or have even been exposed to that much. Still, I thought they would be nice relaxation in contrast to the other acts going on at that time (Cypress Hill, Blues Traveler, Les Claypool). Well, I was right and I actually feel asleep in the grass for awhile.

- Radiohead -
When I woke up, I headed back over to the end of the Beck show and then got a good position for Radiohead an hour before showtime. Even with that far of an advance prepartion, I was still pretty far back. At least, I could actually see the band. I am almost afraid to see photos of the crowd that night, since there was no other act was going on (and it wasRadiohead), all of Bonnaroo showed up. The Britsh act (the first as a headliner in Bonnaroo's 5 year history) didn't disappoint, giving us amazing live versions spanning their entire discography. Some of the songs played: There There, Kid A, No Surprises, Paranoid Android, The Bends, National Anthem, How To Disappear Completely, Pyramid Song, Fake Plastic Trees, etc. At one point, looking out into the sea of night visitors, Thom declared "Now, this is a festival!". We left after "Karma Police," the final song of the first encore. I didn't realize until later that there was an actual second encore with two additonal songs. In total, Radiohead played a set of 28 songs! (How did "A Wolf At The Door" not get thrown into mix?)

End of Day 2.

The Lovers' Album of the Week

Sonic Youth Rather Ripped

Night Train playlist for 6/22/06

1. James Brown - Night Train
2. John Coltrane - Love Supreme (Part 1: Acknowledgement)
3. Charles Mingus - Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting
4. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Alamode
5. Lee Morgan - Terrible "T"
6. Max Roach - Tears
7. Sun Ra - Saturn
8. Sonny Sharrock - Who Does She Hope To Be?
9. Freddie Hubbard - The 7th Day
10. Miles Davis - So What
11. Tim Berne - Terre Haute
12. Moondog - Moondog Monologue
13. Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man
14. Can - Halleluhwah
15. Fela Kuti - Zombie
16. The Last Poets - It's A Trip
17. Bob Dylan - Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
18. Bob Dylan - Wallflower
19. Bob Dylan - Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie
20. Woody Guthrie - Hard Travelin'
21. Kris Kristofferson - To Beat the Devil
22. Neil Young - Running Dry (Requiem For The Rockets)
23. Simon and Garfunkel - America
24. Ray Charles - Bye Bye Love
25. Dorothy Love Coates - Strange Man
26. Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers - The Last Mile of the Way
27. Washington Phillips - The Church Needs Good Deacons
28. Mahalia Jackson - The Lord's Prayer
29. Grateful Dead - Attics Of My Life
30. The Byrds - Captain Soul
31. Boots Randolph - Cacklin' Sax

Tonight I Sub On Night Train

Forgot to mention this at the end of the Lovers but I will be helping out Charles tonight by subbing for Night Train. Expect a lot of jazz because I'm in a jazzy mood. But the show is three hours long so my mood will probably change numerous times thoughout the night. And the Night Train certainly allows that!

The Music Lovers playlist for 6/22/06

My Bonnaroo - Day 1

Welcome to Planet Roo

Let's get started!

- Bettye LaVette -
Bettye LaVette, the underappreciated soul singer from the Motor City, was the first artist I caught at the festival. While Bettye celebrated her 60th birthday this year, you wouldn't have known it once you bore witness to her dance moves. At one point, LaVette mentioned that the next song she was going to sing was written before anyone in the crowd was even born. And that usually, she only says that about half of her audience. But for this moment, there was no dobut that the former statement was the appropriate one. Above LaVette belts out "Joy," a song written by Lucinda Williams and which can also be found on LaVette's new album I've Got My Own Hell To Raise. While LaVette might not be a household name, she was definitely a diva to the kids of Bonnaroo.

- Andrew Bird -
Next up on the agenda was Andrew Bird. Like most of us, I came to Andrew Bird's music a bit late. 2005's Mysterious Production of Eggs to be exact (Bird has five releases under his belt prior to Mysterious...). But after hearing songs such as "Sovay," "Measuring Cups," "Fake Palindrones," and "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left" I was hooked. Mr. Bird played all the above tunes as well as some new ones including a tune called "Secret Society," which I've heard at previous Bird shows (I have now seen Bird four times). One thing that I realized during Bird's performance, however, is that nothing can replace the small, intimate feel of a small club appearence (like Bird's show last year at the HiTone).

- Seu Jorge -
Seu Jorge is probably most famous for being that Brazilian fellow who sings those David Bowie covers in Portuguese. Which he did for Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. You might also know the man as Knockout Ned in 2002's City of God. Either way, it should also be noted that Jorge is an extremely talented guitarist and vocalist who has yet to make his biggest impact on the world. Jorge opened up his set with "Rebel Rebel," which got such an alarming response that one would have thought Mr. Bowie himself had joined him on stage.

After the first song, I succumbed to the heat and retreated to the shade. Sure, I wanted to hear Jorge tackle "Queen Bitch," "Changes," and other non Bowie tunes (including my personal favorite, his cover of Leiber and Stoller's "Don't" off of 2005's Cru) but I had to save my energy for the rest of the day.

- (Notice how I am representing WEVL with my Blues on the Bluff T-shirt?)

- Devendra Banhart -
I have seen Devendra Banhart before - it was at the HiTone, on his Rejoicing in the Hands tour. The buzz wasn't around him as much it is now which would explain (I think) the lackluster crowd that night. And while I was impressed with him, he was upstaged by opening act, Joanna Newsom. Still, I was very excited to see Banhart again, especially coming off his best release yet, Cripple Crow. Admittedly, the show did start a bit slow, leaving one Bonnarooian to yell out "Get it started". Devendra laughed it off and said the band was just getting it started and well they weren't use to playing shows at two thirty in the afternoon. Completely understandable. Still, Banhart's softer side is quite beautiful and songs such as his opener, "Bluebird" really did shine. Devendra did get things rolling pretty quickly though with some rockin' versions of "I Feel Just Like A Child," "Africa," and "Long Haired Child".

The greatest moment of the afternoon, however, was when Banhart took a rather odd depature. Labelling it as his favorite part of the show, Banhart asked the crowd if there was any musicians in the audience that would like to come onstage to perform one their own songs. An young eager fellow was randomly chosen and given Banhart's guitar as Banhart himself retreated to the side of the stage to watch. The young kid looked on the largest crowd he's probably ever played before in his life, and uttered "I can't believe I'm playing Bonnaroo!" The crowd ate it up and cheered as the brave young soul performed his song (I can only imagine what was going through his head as he scrambled to think of what song he should play). The kid's song, which was heavily Bright Eyes influenced (and politcal, I believe) was actually pretty good and the Banhart band (who claimed that their name for the day was the Tennessee Cocks) even did their best to keep up. After the song, Devendra gave the kid a hug and then the kid went back to his position among the crowd. What a story this kid has got for the rest of his life!

- Bright Eyes (with Friends) -
Okay, next up was the Bright Eyes (aka Conor Oberst). A few days before Roo, I had sworn that the online schedule showed a conflict between Bright Eyes and Cat Power. So I was pleasently surprised to discover that I had been wrong and that, in fact, I would have the chance to see Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes). Conor might have one time been the child musical prodigy, but now at 26 he was a quickly maturing artist with a larger following than I realized. I was stationed waaaay in the back, between two trees that seemed to frame Conor on stage. By far, the biggest response from the crowd came from the opening chords of "First Day of My Life" (a song that's video is so cheesy it bares on uncomfortable). He even played "Lover I Don't Have To Love," which led one casual listener next to me to scream, "this is his best f!#%ing song," a sentiment which I'm sure causes many a Bright Eye's fan to shun the song as any personal favorite. The biggest thrills came not from Conor but from his onslaught of guests.

First, there was the lovely folk singer Gillian Welch who took over the job of Emmylou Harris with vocals on "Lua" from 2005's I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.

Next, there was Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys, who was even allowed to solo "Hello Sunshine," a number from the Super Furry Animals 2003 release Phantom Power. Afterwards, Conor claimed "Hello Sunshine" should be the Bonnaroo anthem (or did he say theme song?) Either way, no arguments here.

By the end of the set, the stage was made tighter by another addition - Jim James from My Morning Jacket. All this was obviously suppose to last longer than it did, as Conor admitted that for the first time that he could recall, the band had actually gone through the playlist before their allotted time was up. No fear, because Conor had a back up plan. To play all the songs that had agreed not to play - and they did. There was no time to stick around for it, though, since it was of dire importance to get a better position in the crowd for Cat Power.

- Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band -
Other than Radiohead, there was no other artist that I was more excited to see than Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) and her accompanying backup - the Memphis Rhythm Band. I have been a fan of Cat Power ever since the release of Moon Pix in 1998. When she released 2003's You Are Free, I thought she had hit her peak as an artist. I was sorely mistaken. The new album The Greatest is not only her greatest achievement thus far, it is also one of the greatest albums to have come out of 2006. Recorded in Memphis with a band of Memphis legends (Teenie and Leroy Hodges, Jim Spake, and Doug Easley), The Greatest was Chan Marshall's ticket to make her biggest spalsh. There was even a tour all lined up with the M-Town crew backing her up the whole way. Fittingly, the first show was to occur in Memphis at the Gibson Lounge but was cancelled due to "health reasons". It is no secret that the "health reasons" were alcoholism. Well, luck for us Chan has a handle of the situation at the moment. At one point during the Bonnaroo show, Chan confessed to the crowd, "Sober". And with a smile added, "It's not so bad".

The Memphis Rhythm Band started things off without Chan, giving the band a chance to show off their chops to an obviously impressed crowd. When the group advanced into "The Greatest," Chan Marshall danced on to the stage smiling, demostrating her best boxing moves. This was a completely different woman than the one I had seen a few months ago performing a solo show at the HiTone. This was a woman that was confident with her talent and having a blast being in front of a loving crowd. With the Memphis Rhythm Band, Chan performed song for song the order on The Greatest. The most telling moment of the set was the reworking of the song "Hate," where Chan changed the lyrics of "I hate myself and I want to die" to "I do not hate myself and I do not want to die". Nice.

Things changed a bit after the Memphis musicians finished up the album and left the stage, leaving Chan by herself with the piano and her guitar. It was a bit like the HiTone show all over again, fumbling over songs, stopping and restarting, complaining about the lights, etc. She did two covers, "House of the Rising Sun" and "Hit The Road Jack," the latter of which she got frustrated with, swore off, and finally brought the Memphis Rhythm Band back onstage to end on a glorious note. While the band and Chan started up, I was on my way to check out the end of Death Cab For Cutie.

- Death Cab For Cutie -
Not much to say here, since the time I arrived at the other side of the field to catch Death Cab, the boys were on their last song, "Transatlanticism". It did sound lovely though.

It was time to go back to camp and grill up some hotdogs. At this time, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage. And the greatest thing was that they could be heard perfectly from our camp. Stevie Nicks even joined Tom on stage for "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around". A nap was then had until nearly midnight.

- Common -
Common is a showman. And a great closure to the first night of Bonnaroo. At one point he brought up a young woman from the audience on stage for a serenade that quickly progressed into some dirty dancing.

Some tunes he performed that I remember where: Be (Intro), The Corner, Faithful, Go, Testify, and I Use To Love H.E.R.

- My Morning Jacket -
My Morning Jacket was probably the most memorable show that I saw at Bonnaroo two years ago. Nothing could compare to the nature's light show as storm clouds formed over the stage and the downpour that followed during the closing "Steam Engine". This time around I left before the group had finished playing but their jams were a nice soundtrack back to home base. I did hear them play: At Dawn, Golden, Gideon (with Andrew Bird apparently, though I was too far back to see), Xmas Curtain, Dondante, Phone Went West, and Run Thru (the song playing as we were leaving for the camp grounds).

Sleep came quick on that first night and the morning sun woke us all up way to early. (To be continued...)

Bonnaroo Updates - Coming Soon!

Gear Up For Bonnaroo playlist for 6/15/06

1. Radiohead - The National Anthem
2. Sonic Youth - Do You Believe In Rapture?
3. Dungen - Panda
4. Devendra Banhart - The Beatles
5. Death Cab For Cutie - Start Again
6. The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You
7. The Streets - Fit But You Know It
8. Stephen Malkmus - Jo Jo's Jacket
9. Andrew Bird - Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left
10. Ben Folds Five - She Don't Use Jelly
11. Beck - Broken Drum (Boards of Canada Remix)
12. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Details of the War
13. Amadou & Mariam - Artistiya
14. Damian "Jr Gong" Marley - Welcome to Jamrock
15. Balkan Beat Box - Cha Cha
16. Mastisyahu - King Without A Crown
17. Elvis Costello & Allen Troussaint - Tears, Tears, & More Tears
18. Bettye LaVette - Down To Zero
19. Lyrics Born - Callin' Out
20. Common - The Light
21. Blackalicious - Alphabet Aerobics
22. The Wood Brothers - Chocolate On My Tongue
23. Steel Train - Better Love
24. Bill Frisell - Girl Asks Boy (Part 2)
25. Seu Jorge - Don't
26. Cat Power - I Found A Reason
27. Matt Costa - Cold December
28. Bright Eyes - Road To Joy (live)
29. Devendra Banhart - Heard Somebody Say
30. My Morning Jacket - At Dawn (live at Bonnaroo 2004)