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bonnaroo 2010 in review
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Festival Coverage Bonnaroo 2010
Cover Photo: Jay-Z photographed by Randy Cremean at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN. “Connecting the artist and the audience.”
Festival Coverage SXSW 2010
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Concert Coverage LCD Soundsystem at Stubb’s
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At Soundcheck, we connect the artist to the audience. Over the last four years, we’ve had the honor of interviewing and photographing many of our favorite bands. Check out our interview archive to get inside the heads of bands like Beirut, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, Grizzly Bear, My Morning Jacket, Justice, Octopus Project, Why?, Dan Deacon, Fanfarlo, Man Man, Sondre Lerche, Justice, Ra Ra Riot, Blind Pilot, DeVotchKa, Los Campesinos!, Annuals, Fujiya & Miyagi, Tilly and the Wall, Yeasayer, The Cribs, The Faint, No Age, The Ruby Suns, Colour Revolt, Flogging Molly, Islands, Cloud Cult, Frightened Rabbit, The Raveonettes, Clinic, British Sea Power, Cut Copy, The Sword, Liars, Les Savy Fav, Architecture In Helsinki, Portugal. The Man, Dirty Projectors, Au Revoir Simone, TV on the Radio, Fleet Foxes, Glasvegas, Girl Talk, The Walkmen, Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s, The Veils, Smoking Popes, Ben Kweller, Noah & The Whale and many more!
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Concert Coverage Phoenix at Stubb’s
Concert Coverage Jónsi at The Vic Theater
04 Introduction
Contents
06 Fanfarlo 08 Baroness 12 Local Natives 16 Miike Snow 20 The Dodos 22 Neon Indian 24 The xx 28 Conan O’Brien 32 The Gaslight Anthem 34 The Gossip 36 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros 40 Tenacious D 42 The National 43 Steve Martin 44 The Flaming Lips 50 LCD Soundsystem 54 Mumford and Sons 56 Weezer 62 Jay-Z 68 Japandroids 70 Dropkick Murphys 72 John Fogerty 73 Kris Kristofferson 74 Phoenix 78 Dave Matthews Band
Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips
bonnaroo
words by Elliot Cole photos by Randy Cremean
The Nashville Airport greets incomers with prerecorded messages from country legends, welcoming them to the music hub. Weaving past a Harley Davidson store and a shop dedicated to the Country Music Awards, the airport sported plenty of local flair. Nashville, however, was just the gateway to the more obscure Manchester, Tennessee, which for one weekend of the year becomes the third largest city in the state. Somewhere on a private farm in Manchester, over 70,000 people were propping up tents, parking RVs, and preparing for the distinctive experience that would become Bonnaroo 2010. Bonnaroo’s location - private as opposed to public - and general hippie-friendly atmosphere makes for an inimitable festival vibe. Patrons replaced showers with a dip in the Bonnaroo fountain, which had a brown, dirt-laden hue from the first day on (it seemed quite possible to pick up some rare viral infection from the fountain, making me all the more thankful for my nearby hotel room). Dozens of wooden stands create a maze of walkways that wander past Bohemian-inspired tapestries, make-your-own-drum tents, and food vendors peddling everything from Jamaican jerk chicken to vegetarian curry. To an extent, Bonnaroo seems to wear its badge of weirdness with pride. Where else could you see a “Silent Disco”, where people dance well into the night with the only music being fed to them through cordless headphones? What other festivals host a full-size ferris wheel overlooking campgrounds? The event sports a series of similar “did you see that?” moments, be they drug-induced or a result of rampant dehydration. One concertgoer managed to wear nothing but a Union Jack man-thong for the entirety of four days, while several girls opted for body paint over traditional attire. The fountain’s brown color gave way to a noticeable pink after Gwar used the fountain to clean off fake blood after its 2 AM Saturday set. Bonnaroo 2010 will also be readily remembered for what wasn’t seen. Lady Gaga purportedly hung around the festival, but never made a public appearance. Beyonce sightings were everywhere, but she didn’t perform with Jay-Z. A collaboration between Conan O’Brien and Jack White earlier in the week never materialized into anything onstage at Bonnaroo. That being said, the performances of Bonnaroo rendered special appearances unnecessary. There were stunningly few disappointments, as acts like The Flaming Lips and Jay-Z gave performances for the ages on the main stages. LCD Soundsystem, Miike Snow, and others made for impressive tent-stage sets. As Dave Matthews Band closed the festival down Sunday night, a series of dozens of paper lanterns were set into the air, like celebratory beacons. It was a dazzling sight, and the last of many idiosyncrasies that makes Bonnaroo one of a kind.
Fanfarlo Cathy Lucas
“So, welcome to Bonnaroo,” proclaimed softspoken Fanfarlo frontman Simon Balthazar. The Soundcheck favorites were the first set of Bonnaroo 2010, playing on a humidity-soaked Thursday afternoon. Fanfarlo is already a growing name in the indie world with its blissful orchestral pop, but the quintet didn’t perform like some blogosphere upstarts. Instead, Fanfarlo played like a band honing in on a distinct confidence and precision. The arching harmonies and climbing percussion painted a warm and whimsical portrait during the group’s charming set. You could almost see the inherent shyness of the band transforming into onstage self-assurance. Balthazar in particular carried himself with a newfound poise, playing with more showmanship while still maintaining his endearingly humble persona. Fanfarlo has always had a distinct sweetness and calm about it, but refined tweaks to tracks like “We Live by the Lake” and a general confidence shows a band that is maturing into something special.
Fanfarlo Simon Balthazar
Along with Gwar and Isis, Baroness championed a respectable metal contingent at Bonnaroo. No strangers to the muggy heat, the Savannah, Georgiabased quartet creeped into a collective of ominous tones before the impending onslaught of mammoth melodies and sharp guitars dropped on the audience like an anvil. After the first song, a cluster of patrons retreated from the physical mob in front of the stage where a large circle pit had developed. The booming voice of John Baizley – perhaps further boosted by his truly ferocious beard - was more melodic than guttural, backed by heavy riffs and dynamic percussion. Guitarist Peter Adams whipped his hair around and offered some technical prowess as Baroness blasted through a mostly unforgiving (but surprisingly accessible) set. The band’s creativity and occasional divulgence from the oftrepeated growling metal canon makes it easier to adjust to than most groups of its ilk, but without sacrificing any of the brutality.
Baroness
Baroness Allen Blickle , John Baizley, Summer Welch
Baroness Peter Adams
Local Natives Matt Frazier & Kelcey Ayer
The growing buzz of Local Natives led the band to a comfortable 7 o’clock slot on the That stage, where the band’s penchant for vocal harmonies and buoyant, atypical percussion was on display. The buzz, apparently, has graduated to full on fanship, as an enormous audience packed under the tent to take in the show, singing along to tracks off of the group’s masterful debut, Gorilla Manor. Just short of Afropop and just shy of indie rock, Local Natives focuses more on well-crafted melodies and the occasional guitar eruption. An ovation greeted the band with the first notes of “Wide Eyes”, while Local Natives’ cover of “Warning Sign” was warmly received. The band would stick around for another hipster powerto-be: Neon Indian, who played the same stage later that evening.
Local Natives Ryan Hahn
Local Natives Taylor Rice
Miike Snow Andrew Wyatt
Miike Snow Andrew Wyatt
Clad in matching black garb and white Phantom of the Opera-style masks, Miike Snow was an immediately austere presence, portentous figures taking their instruments in the dark. The burgeoning crowd, however, knew better: they were ready to dance. Riding a thin line between mysterious and accessible, Miike Snow traverses tech-y layers with soft, pop pleasures. At the crescendo of “Black & Blue”, the band stripped off its masks to raucous applause, but they still seemed somewhat distant, strangely detached. It’s a mood that suits Miike Snow’s performance well. They are robotically ascetic, freezing in place between songs, but also warmly personable, joking with the crowd to tell all their friends that Miike Snow is indeed a full band and not one person. The end result was a marvelous performance supported by white beams of stagelight cutting across a black backdrop. Soft falsettos and flawlessly affecting renditions of “Silvia” and “Plastic Jungle” had the crowd grooving as the Thursday sun set in the background.
Miike Snow Christian Karlsson & Pontus Winnberg
The Dodos Meric Long
While the manic, melody-happy members that compose The Dodos are addictively catchy, the trio fell unfortunately flat to the Bonnaroo crowd. Meric Long crooned and yelped his way through the set, sweat dripping off his brow as he spazzed and wailed onstage. They combined newer material off Time to Die with the band’s more familiar work off of the stellar Visiter, but even fan-favorites like “Fools” couldn’t completely redeem a set that dragged through slow songs and a chatting crowd. The songs lost some of their urgency live, and the polite, shaggy-haired Long struggled to fill the breadth of his vocal melodies. Still, Logan Kroeber’s drumming is a sight to behold in itself. His hyper tom-driven style perfectly meshes with Long’s anxious lyrics, and it served as a reminder that The Dodos are still a brilliant band, even if the Bonnaroo tent wasn’t the best venue to prove it.
The Dodos Logan Kroeber
Neon Indian Leanne Macomber
Neon Indian Alan Palomo
The xx Romy Madley Croft
A blinding burst of light introduced The xx, a band strangely minimal for a prominent, top-billing performance to close the opening night of Bonnaroo. The trio offered no formal greeting, just an immediate transition into the stark resonance of their songs. That minimalism somehow reinvented itself live, the melodies stretched to their far most reaches. The xx’s sparseness becomes a strong suit, the spaces in-between notes filled only with the anticipation of the crowd. This, for some, led to a rather boring experience (at least one person admitted that the set almost put them to sleep). For others, the set resounded with a calculated perfection, each note hanging with certain extensiveness. The band is strangely dark and sexual, especially in the rose-colored lights that flooded the tent on “Infinity”. After a mesmerizing (or sleepy) set, The xx came out for the encore the crowd demanded to a backdrop of flickering white lights, drawing gasps from the audience. The gloomy set wasn’t for everyone, but the haunting presence of The xx couldn’t be denied.
The xx Oliver Sim
Conan O’Brien
Coco was undoubtedly one of the biggest draws of Bonnaroo, his name buzzing through the crowd at every interval. As part of his “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour” (which begs the question: could he legally be boring on television?), O’Brien performed a mixed set of standup, prop-based gags, and comedic musical numbers. O’Brien didn’t shy away from material regarding NBC, skirting around impressions of Jay Leno (er… not Jay Leno, just somebody that sounded very, very similar) and making subtle jabs at network powers. The fans in the tent, many of which had been waiting in line since 5 AM, were ferociously supportive of O’Brien. It was as if their generation was somehow disenfranchised when O’Brien lost his slot, as if they were unjustly removed of their turn. Unexpectedly, this has given O’Brien a sort of hipster reputability as the Pied Piper of indie comedy. Flanked by recognizable band members, O’Brien unveiled a few staples, from an appearance by Andy Richter to a hilarious video of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. A broken air conditioner made the 300-person circus tent almost unbearable, with Conan noting that it was “like doing comedy in a Native American sweat lodge.” O’Brien also ripped on the Bonnaroo experience, noting that, “We are losing the war on drugs,” and that, “In six months I’ve gone from hosting the Tonight Show to a refugee camp.” The songs were performed admirably, with O’Brien showing some impressive guitar chops. He covered Radiohead’s “Creep” in a cockney voice, and laid on the distortion for a rendition of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”. A side-splittingly awful inflatable bat (once property of Meat Loaf) helped close the set, which further boosted the gangly Coco as a growing indie emblem.
Conan O’Brien
The Gaslight Anthem Brian Fallon
“I’m not drunk, I’m just having a heat stroke,” joked The Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto. The Tennessee heat was stifling in the This tent, but it didn’t seem to bring Ditto or her bandmates – the trio was playing with an additional member - down. The Gossip wailed and shimmied through a rollicking set, sass and spirit ever-present the entire time. Her soulful resonance balanced on aggressive, punk-touched chords and pop hooks. Between tracks, Ditto greeting family that had come up to visit from the band’s homestate of Arkansas, and thanked individuals who helped her get out of there in the first place.
The Gossip Beth Ditto
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Alex Ebert
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Jade Castrinos
Looking every bit the poor man’s Devandra Banhart, the grizzly, shirtless Alex Ebert led his collective of bandmembers through an intoxicatingly joyful set that made for one of the best sets of the weekend. They were ambassadors of the Bonnaroo spirit, both full of spirit and communal harmony. Horns wailed as the engaging entertainer thanked the crowd for allowing them into its home with jangling tambourines and a full stage of 12 performers. Ebert surfed the crowd, making growling, hysterical noises, like a wild animal caught in the tornado of sound. “40 Day Dream” offered a marching whimsy, while “Carries On” created an ambiance owing to the energy of decades of folk pop past. The drawl of Jade Castrinos, whose small frame barely seems to contain the liveliness of her voice, brought huge applause. Edward Sharpe had the feel of a traveling band of gypsies, stopping in Tennessee as part of a nomadic existence geared to share musical ecstasy with whomever they can. The opening whistle of “Home” set the stage for a gigantic sing along, with fans alternating between the his and her parts of the duet and meeting up for an enormous chorus. The lone downfall of the set was technical issues that ate up a bit of the group’s time, rendering the set slightly shorter than most of the enamored audience would have liked. Nonetheless, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros made a solid case to be a Bonnaroo mainstay. Few bands encompassed the spirit of the festival with such energy and magnetism.
Tenacious D Kyle Gass & Jack Black
With his smooth, honey-coated voice and sophisticated threads (even the heat wouldn’t deter him from a slick vest/tie wardrobe), it’s easy to characterize The National’s Matt Berninger as the cool, calm, and collected frontman. This makes watching him scream and writhe through the audience all the more entertaining. Berninger and company traded in their poise for a rasping, far-reaching set that featured Berninger swigging from a bottle of wine between tracks. With a horn section backing a few songs, The National ranged from longing to mellow, but the more overarching sentiment was a surprisingly biting attitude. Tracks like “Squalor Victoria” – usually known for its silken composure – gave way to unpolished energy. The National ran the gamut of fan favorites like “Fake Empire” and “Mistaken for Strangers” (along with cuts off their new album), but it was the band’s rough take on “Mr. November” that garnered respect as one of the best performances of the day. Berninger clutched the microphone closely while being lifted by fans in the audience. He sprinted through the crowd barriers, greeting fans individually while still coarsely shouting the chorus: “I won’t fuck you over/I’m Mr. November”. His bottle of wine all but empty and his formal attire completely sweated through, Berninger revealed that even The National can strip off the polish every now and then, while still managing to shine even more.
The National Matt Berninger
Steve Martin
A charge permeated through the crowd prior to The Flaming Lips’ highly anticipated Bonnaroo set. It was an unspoken bond amongst the audience members densely packed in front of the Which stage, a sort of acknowledgment that they were all about to be a part of something special. The Flaming Lips can illicit this type of emotion on its own, but the group was also venturing into mystified territory: performing its own interpretation of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon from beginning to end. Glowsticks danced amongst the river of heads and the occasional inflatable beach toy traverse the waiting fans. The buzz was unlike most Bonnaroo sets; there were few people sitting or napping on the grass, instead there was just eager chatter and impatient applause. At midnight, the backing video screen brightened with the image of a dancing woman, who – upon spreading her legs – introduced the Lips to an eruption of fanfare. With lights flashing, the band stepped onstage through a hidden door on the video screen, starting off a flurry of props. Orange confetti filled the air, delicately fluttering past the oversized balloons launched into the audience. Lips frontman Wayne Coyne emerged in his giant plastic bubble and rolled atop the crowd on his hands and knees through the haze of streamers. The psych indie-pop heroes opened with “Silver Trembling Hands” and wasted no time turning to “She Don’t Use Jelly”. Thousands of fans sang along as the stage morphed into a cornucopia of lights and sounds. Comedian Margaret Cho was amongst the dancers that cluttered the sides of the stage, many of which sported fake mustaches and orange jumpsuits. The first hour and change of the set was dedicated to a proverbial “best of” Lips tracks, ranging from the soft singalong of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1” to the opaque electric haze of “See the Leaves”. The Lips pulled from its magic bag of tricks, ensuring every song was a distinct experience. Coyne popped oversized, confetti-filled balloons with the neck of his guitar, and a camera on Coyne’s mic stand gave everyone an up close view of the sweating frontman. He led the audience in singing happy birthday to Lips multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd. Later in the set, Coyne played T.A.P.S. in reference to the Iraq war, encouraging the crowd with messages of peace and love that would appease the spirit of music festivals past. The Flaming Lips latest trick was unveiled during “See the Leaves”: Coyne wore two oversized hands that beamed lasers from the palms. Coyne redirected the lasers to two discoballs onstage, bathing the audience in the darting green rays. The set concluded with a goosebump-worthy rendition of “Do You Realize??” before the band took the necessary 15-minute break to set up for Dark Side of the Moon.
The Flaming Lips Wayne Coyne & Michael Ivins
Stardeath and White Dwarfs accompanied the group onstage to provide the foggy moods of Dark Side, and the screen pulsed with a slowly growing display of the moon in the background. The stage was covered in layers of smoke as the ambitious soundscapes blanketed the crowd. “On the Run” soared through the sonic haze, and a display of a ticking clock appropriately supported “Time”. The songs meshed together with continuity, using a crosshatched sprawl of psych-filled ambiance, heavy guitar density, and vocal screeches. “These balloons are filled with real fucking money,” Coyne announced, holding an oversized balloon over his head prior to the band’s take on “Money”. The silhouette of cash sat on the bottom, and he propelled the balloons into the crowd. Fans held up car keys and lighters in efforts to pop the floating moneybags while singing along to an entrancing take on the track. Tackling Dark Side of the Moon was ambitious, and Coyne acknowledged the daunting element early in the day. “It’s nerve-wracking,” Coyne admitted. If the band was rattled, it didn’t show. The Lips integrated a perfect dose of foreboding darkness with its idiosyncratic mind-warping psych tendencies. As “Eclipse” washed over the crowd, it became apparent that The Flaming Lips’ ambition hadn’t just been rewarded; it had manifested itself into a new creation. The Lips’ take on Dark Side of the Moon wasn’t a rendition or a tribute. Instead, it was a band brave enough to channel a classic album through its own filter. After an expansive two and a half hour set, the band departed with Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” playing over the PA. All that was left was orange confetti and shards of balloons caked in the drying mud along with the lingering electricity of the crowd. Still, fans called for an encore with vociferous chants of “Fla-ming Lips”. It was an attempt to sustain the event, to prolong the sky-scraping emotions. But all that was left was the memory of something truly unique, an unparalleled experience championed by an unwaveringly ambitious group of artists. For twoand-a-half blissfully dreamy hours, the only place in the world to be was actually on the moon, accompanied by The Flaming Lips.
The Flaming Lips Wayne Coyne
LCD Soundsystem James Murphy
Already scheduled for a 2:30 AM start, the extra half hour it took the band to start was a bit draining, but we’ll give LCD Soundsystem the benefit of the doubt since The Flaming Lips’ epic set went well over time. James Murphy and his group made up for it with an infectiously danceable performance that brought out all of Bonnaroo’s night owls. The survivors of the day seemed charged for the band, with glow sticks and spurts of water being flung throughout the waiting crowd. Murphy dodged and swatted at the glow sticks that were being hurled onstage as LCD Soundsystem rolled through “The Time Has Come”, “Drunk Girls”, and “Daft Punk” early in the set. A discoball effectively reflected white spots that circled the tent as Murphy – half his face obscured by the microphone – yowled to an impressively alert audience. LCD survived a few technical issues and a crowd that included a surprising abundance of the shirtless bro contingent to take the dance party into the wee hours. “All My Friends” brought a roar from the crowd, collectively responding as if to say that the entire crowd was now friends. The dance party would go well into the night, a testament to the restless feel of Bonnaroo itself.
Mumford & Sons Marcus Mumford
A fan waved an English flag in the crowd of London-based Mumford and Sons, showing allegiance to a team that tied the U.S. earlier in the day at the World Cup. “Congratulations on your draw,” said the group, with just a tinge of sarcasm. The World Cup wasn’t the only stage for England vs. U.S.: Mumford and Sons played at the same time as Americana indie folk stalwarts The Avett Brothers, forcing fans of both into the unenviable position of choosing between the two. With wispy melodies and springy standing bass, Mumford and Sons played one of the stronger, more delightful sets of Bonnaroo 2010, rewarding fans that chose them. Meshing laidback twang with a healthy sense of urgency, Mumford and Sons’ multipart harmonies charmed an enthusiastic crowd. The tease of rain started hovering over Bonnaroo, and fans packed into the crowded tent for enthralling cuts like “The Cave”. With the perfect amount of poignant gentleness and insistent pop structures, Mumford and Sons proved itself as a fantastic festival band.
Mumford & Sons Ted Dwane
Weezer Scott Shriner & Rivers Cuomo
Weezer’s set was a hit-or-miss affair, coasting on nostalgia (“Say It Ain’t So”, “My Name is Jonas”), excitability, and niche tracks (covers of Lady Gaga and MGMT’s “Kids”, both of which I missed), but the set still drew the biggest nonmain stage crowd of the festival. A colossal audience at the Which stage may have surpassed The Dead Weather’s main stage reception. For future reference, Weezer is definitely a capable main stage performer, and the band could have justifiably switched stages with Jack White and crew. The massive crowd extended back to the Centeroo area of shops and food stands, with fans looking for higher ground to see the bouncing, kicking Rivers Cuomo. The Weez opened with “Hash Pipe” and rolled through a set of addictive, party-ready pop songs from the gamut of the band’s back catalogue. Newer tracks were expectedly met with rolled eyes and grimaces (Raditude, it seems, is not a Bonnaroo favorite), but singing fans backed each of the band’s older numbers with zeal. Cuomo brought an upbeat climate to the stage, bouncing and bantering with the crowd. Weezer gave a solid (if not spectacular) performance with a casual, fan-friendly feel to it, despite a few obvious duds.
Weezer Rivers Cuomo
Weezer Scott Shriner
The king of hip-hop doubled as the king of Bonnaroo, using Saturday night to launch a 90-minute set that would claim the throne as perhaps the biggest, most epic, and most dazzling performance of the festival. Amidst Jack White, Rivers Cuomo, and Kings of Leon, Jay-Z emerged as the ultimate rockstar, whipping the crowd into a frenzy when an accompaniment of crunchy guitars brought him to the stage. Dressed in all black with his distinctive “sunnies”, the hip-hop icon transcended the stage, bringing together the audience with charm, showmanship, and flawless delivery. Jay-Z delivered the hits, reminding the audience in a not so subtle way that the he had 11 number one hits to share with them. A lone, solitary spotlight tracked him as the glow of thousands of cameras in the crowd gave the set a certain monumental quality. Jay-Z gave shout outs to Jack White, Rick Rubin, and Stevie Wonder, all of whom stuck around to experience the concert. Along with Memphis Bleek, he bounced through a heavy mix of “99 Problems”, flowed with ease on “On to the Next One”, and got the crowd moving on “Brush Your Shoulders Off”. With rumors of Beyonce flying around the entire weekend, you could hear the disappointment when Bridget Kelly came onstage to join Jay-Z on “Empire State of Mind”. As Beyonce watched from the side of the stage, Kelly did total justice to the song, quickly dispelling the anticlimax. Every song seemed to roll off with a combination of poise and daring. The surprise of the set for many was the crowd-friendly atmosphere fostered by Jay-Z. After having the stage lights turned down, he scoured the crowd, acknowledging everything from posters to basketball jerseys to the most fervently dancing fans. He even took the time to bring a girl named Maggie onstage so that 70,000 people could serenade her for her 19th birthday. It was a touch of appreciative class by Jay-Z that served as an immediate disparity to Kanye West’s legendarily off-putting treatment of the Bonnaroo crowd just two years earlier. The main stage was Jay-Z’s court, but he’s a gracious king. The legend gave the set a communal feel, emphasizing that the immensity of the set was fostered by the spectacle of 70,000 strong doing something together, not just one man on a stage. He was a vessel of sorts, bringing everyone in the crowd to the apex of musical experience. As the fireworks shot off in the sky, Bonnaroo had played host to an absolute star.
Jay-Z
Japandroids Brian King
There are times when Japandroids just can’t seem to keep up with itself. Sunday afternoon was not one of those times. Despite the oppressive heat, Japandroids played one of the better sets I’ve ever witnessed them play, finding a nice middle ground between rough hyperactivity and tight tempos. The squealing guitar and hectic rhythms was somehow still composed, despite the breakneck speed of the tracks. Wearing rolled up jeans and a sweat-soaked shirt, guitarist/singer Brian King stared longingly at the fountain behind the tent. “It’s not this fucking hot in East Vancouver,” he stated before blaring into “Rockers East Vancouver”. Japandroids also performed “Younger Us”, a new track that the band claims had never been played in the United State before. Towards the latter part of the set, the duo was plagued by a few technical difficulties on the drums. Still, it wouldn’t be a Japandroids show without some sloppiness. “We’re so professional, we’re making up the set list as we go,” announced King. This, to some extent, serves the band well; if Japandroids ever bills itself as a professional band, we should probably stop listening.
Dropkick Murphys Al Barr
Dropkick Murphys Jeff DaRosa
John Fogerty
Kris Kristofferson
Phoenix Thomas Mars
Phoenix seems to defy its rockstar persona at every chance. Singer Thomas Mars is charmingly self-reserved for a frontman, his narrow shoulders and childlike stage presence almost apologetic for receiving such fanfare. The rest of Phoenix follows suit, offering pop whimsy in the place of bravado. Ironically, this just makes them bigger rockstars. As the sun set on the final night of Bonnaroo, thousands packed in front of the Which stage, batting around balloons in anticipation of Phoenix’s set. Bright strobe bursts and dozens of red and black beach balls introduced the group, which opened with the dance-inspiring “Lisztomania”. The beach balls chased the setting sun before changing their collective minds and heading east, mimicking the waving arms of the crowd. The bubbly pop of “Girlfriend” contrasted the tweaked-out, rocking version of “Run Run Run”. Mars and company taught the crowd the art of the Parisian clap (slightly more nuanced) and played to a backdrop of pink clouds and thin bars of stage lights. Mars, not lacking some semblance of showmanship, climbed lighting structures and danced his way through the entirety of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, which the band played in its entirety. At the close of the set, lightning shot through the sky, mixing with the flashing cameras that captured Mars darting through the crowd barrier on the set closer “1901”. Mars, held up by fans, stood on the railing in front of the soundboard, wailing out the final lines of the track. It was a rockstar moment for the most reluctant rockstars at Bonnaroo, and a fitting sendoff for the Which stage.
Phoenix Deck D’Arcy
Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews Band Boyd Tinsley
Dave Matthews Band