Bonnaroo Wrap Up!!!
After a bit of careful reflection, re-examination, sleep catching-up-ness, never-ending unpacking/re-organization, and back-in-the-real-world-adjustment, I present Bonnaroo Day Three, and Wrap Up!
If you’re not up to speed on the whos and the whats and the what-have-yous, ‘Roo coverage day 1/2, day one and day two can be found here: http://www.geekscape.net/features/eb90e89c8cadf72ed921338a4b855f9d/
For those who didn’t make it this year, you’ll find a playlist after the jump. Follow along, kids. Let’s rock and roll.
DAY THREE
After a slow start, we arrived in Manchester, in time to see Madi Diaz perform in the Troo Music Lounge, hosted by Budweiser. Years ago, when I saw the documentary, “Rock School” about kids attending the Paul Green School of Rock in Philadelphia, I was quite taken with a young lady who had instrumental and vocal ability far beyond her age. When my memory was refreshed as to her name, that she was no longer a child, and playing the festival, I anticipated something special from her, and was not disappointed. Madi played with a backing band, which only enhanced her overall talent. It is part rock, part country, part singer-songwriter-y, but seeing that she’s only beginning her twenties and developing her sound, it will be interesting to see what will be the next step forward. Oh, and p.s……she covers Whitesnake. Holla.
I met up with friends, Rebecca and Brian to check out Snoop Doggy Dogg on the main stage; words I never thought I’d say. Have to admit….he was GREAT. He is one of those performers where you don’t exactly realize that you know many of his songs, until you start hearing him back to back. I’m not exactly an avid radio-listener, but even I recognized a vast majority. The cloud of smoke billowing above the crowd was akin to a Dave Matthews show times about twenty. I had an iced tea, and danced. You know you’re a geek/most sober person at Bonnaroo when you’re sippin’ on iced tea at Snoop. Bonnaroo might be the only place on earth where total strangers ask me if I have a bowl, or papers, or want to smoke with them. I, as well as my close friends, find this hysterical, because I am the least likely person to do any of the above, ever.
Speaking of drugs, I dropped Ms D and her ailing back at the medic tent. She was able to snag a prescription for more muscle relaxers, which we filled at 2:30 am at Walgreens in Murfreesboro. Some might say that you know you aren’t a kid anymore when psyched to get drugs the legal way….and at a music festival, to boot.
I caught the last few from Band of Horses; band whose name I constantly am hearing, but whose albums I have never actually listened. Where have I been?! I will be dog-earing this chapter of the weekend, and come back to it when I have the time/brain cells to hear their records. Beautiful.
Ms D and I met up in our hammock-spot for Phish. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Phish played beautifully, I recognized nothing, song-wise, (I wouldn’t, to be fair) but Ms D did, and while doubled over on a huge bean-bag in excruciating back pain, the last muscle-relaxer in her stash long since taken, new prescription not yet filled, she oohed and ahhed. Trey introduced a childhood idol, Bruce Springsteen, to the stage. Phish and Bruce played “Mustang Sally” and Bruce’s “Bobby Jean” and “Glory Days.” And it was good. It was the kind of good to where we were thankful that we had the foresight not to leave early, or in Ms D’s case, to completely succumb to the pain and peace out to a hospital for a drip of morphine. Even if it took us nearly two hours to get Ms D out of the bean bag and out to guest parking. Phish and Bruce onstage? Worth it. Thank you, all who engineered that meeting of the guitars.
BONNAROO THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS
While at music festivals, you have the opportunity to see fun, potentially inappropriate and downright awesome t-shirts worn by fellow festies. This was my favorite, purchased by his friend in Chicago, of course:
Bonnaroo showed random displays of artwork. Concepts here aren’t quite as fully-formed as they were at Coachella, but who isn’t into lit-cocoon-things hanging from trees?
I generally didn’t notice people’s blatant drug use until nighttime, as I was trying to maneuver my way around sitting clusters of those crouched around glowing pipes.
Bobbleheads, Ben & Jerry’s and fireflies:
Whole Foods sold frozen fruit bars for $1 each. If only Whole Foods back in the real world had this kind of recession-proof pricing.
Fountains are functional by day, fashionable by night:
Jack White, while absent at Bonnaroo this year, but present on my flight to New York City from Nashville, really has the pasty pale complexion one might think. His new (yes, newer than the Raconteurs) band, The Dead Weather’s album, ‘Horehound’ is dropping July 14.
Graffitti encouraged. No I have not seen a chicken.
Bonnaroo and iTunes have yielded two killer live albums, Warren Haynes: Live At Bonnaroo and Steel Train: Live From Bonnaroo 2008. Both are must-buys to glean the energy found at the festival, and utilization of seemingly random covers. Warren: U2, The Eagles, Radiohead, Otis Redding. Steel Train: Smashing Pumpkins, Fleetwood Mac. Check them out.
Mud can smell like sewage when there aren’t port-a-potties as far as the eye can see. I find this disconcerting.
Our aerial view from the hammocks:
I don’t know that there is another time of year, where I can sleep for three hours and awake oddly refreshed and ready to rock.
And to close……for more good times…….here is a playlist for all of you who didn’t have the chance to journey to Tennessee.
Noel’s Bonnaroo 2009 Playlist:
1) The Mountain, Heartless Bastards
2) Scarlet Begonias (live), Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band
3) Growin’ Up, Bruce Springsteen
4) Ah Mary, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
5) Little Plastic Castle, Ani DiFranco
6) Canvas, Madi Diaz
7) Wading In The Velvet Sea, Phish
8) The Funeral, Band of Horses
9) You Are What You Love, Jenny Lewis
10) Once In A Lifetime, Talking Heads
11) Golden Age, TV On The Radio
12) The Next Episode, Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg
13) Unstoppable, Santigold
14) Hurt, Nine Inch Nails
15) Gotta Cheer Up, Cotton Jones
16) Hate It Here, Wilco
