BONNAROOOOOOOOOOOO

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I can't think of anything more boring than a music festival based strictly on "musicianship".

Wake me when it's over.

I don't think anyone there bought tickets to bask in the brown-water fountain. And the stages weren't built for goo-balls.

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[Deeps]

I can't think of anything more boring than a music festival based strictly on "musicianship".

Wake me when it's over.

MarcO was front row and shirtless for Sha Na Na at Festival Express flipping out as they ran from medley to medley.

Deeps

[MarcO]

I loved the Sha Na Na part!

[SmoothedShredder]

It's a marathon baby!!! And I can honestly say I didn't see a single thing that in some way didn't impress me on a musical level... even that geriatric version of Tesla I saw... aka Earl Scruggs.

~W

[Kaidy Mae]

William, that review was wicked! Thanks brother. You are so lucky to have gotten a "Dixie" from Warren. Fuck yeah!

Welcome back everyone!

[Del]

even that geriatric version of Tesla I saw... aka Earl Scruggs.

You're kidding, right?

[SmoothedShredder]

Sure

[dimafleck: the living legend.]

although the music is what its all about...

i think bonnaroo has a lot more to offer than just that.

its the enviorment that keeps me comming back year after year.

its like the greatest playground on earth for you to explore...

[Kaidy Mae]

I hope you guys got newspapers. I still get a kick out of mine.

[Deeps]

I loved the Sha Na Na part!

LIKE A ROOT CANAL? AS COMIC RELIEF?

Explain please. Explain to me that on some misfit hippy level the inclusion of Sha Na Na is a beautiful thing and should be duplicated. When does the musical integrity of the fest usurp inclusion?

So essentially there is no cool is there ?...everyone's welcome eh?

Except Trey I guess.

You one crazy crackah MarcO.

Deeps

[Del]

Sure

Earl Scruggs has more talent in one of his crippled arthritic fingers than most of the bands/artists you mentioned in your review have in their entire bodies...

Have some respect...

[SmoothedShredder]

I like older people... I think you misunderstood.

~W

[Del]

Comparing anyone to Tesla can't be a compliment...

[SmoothedShredder]

I love my newspapers... though sadly I could not find them this year.

[MarcO]

The Sha Na Na sequence was a lot of fun, made me laugh, and makes me wonder what offence there could be in simply being entertaining.

They played at Woodstock too ya know.

All this focus on "musicianship", haircuts, dance moves and the business of music is really depleting your capacity for fun.

What's the matter with pop music? Seriously, what are you afraid of?

[SmoothedShredder]

Well, I'm impressed with Telsa's ability to play with many acoustic guitar's in a row... which was the thought which came to my mind when I walked by Scruggs. I enjoyed the music. There's the compliment you must of been looking for. Though I was merely compariting the magnitude of acoustic instruments when you must of been refering to some spiritual quality. But in no way was I trying to deliever a negative fact into this argument... you've done that quite well on your own.

Peace,

~W

[ollie]

I liked the Sha Na Na part too. I liked ALL of Festival Express. Sha Na Na were a great diversion from the more hippie organic stuff on stage. A palate cleanser if you will. I love music and look for the beauty in all its forms.

Except Radiohead.

[Deeps]

I enjoyed the music. There's the compliment you must of been looking for. Though I was merely compariting the magnitude of acoustic instruments when you must of been refering to some spiritual quality. But in no way was I trying to deliever a negative fact into this argument... you've done that quite well on your own.

Peace,

~W

I think Shredder hits a nail on the head here. I personally am going to hold any further critique until the Bonnaroo peeps get their inevitably positive reflection from this past weekend in.

I went last year and it ruled so tell us why it ruled this year [color:purple]then I will save up all your positive comments and disect them one by one until you're left with no fun at all. Kidding....welcome home kids.

Sorry if any of our jawing has detracted from your experience at, I only hope it's fair and makes you think a little, but skim for the positive in this thread while you bask in the glow of one of the best music fests ever.

Deeps

[AD]

Will, yet again you forgot to run your opinions past Del for approval. Shape up!

My Bonnaroo review will be written and posted later tonight.

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[SmoothedShredder]

I bet I'll have more spelling errors in mine!!! Boo-ya!!!

~W

[SmoothedShredder]

I think Shredder hits a nail on the head here. I personally am going to hold any further critique until the Bonnaroo peeps get their inevitably positive reflection from this past weekend in.

Deeps

When the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything is a nail... and I'll see you at the bittersweet motel...

~W

[Del]

Will, yet again you forgot to run your opinions past Del for approval. Shape up!

Comparing Earl Scruggs to Tesla and me questioning that comparison is hardly an approval issue...

Maybe we'll see that Bonnaroo review of AD's around the same time we see that Coachella review...

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Oooh yeah. Maybe I will attempt two reviews in a night. I was gonna get all fancy with the Coachella review with pictures and stuff, but my brain is running on low these days so text it will have to be.

Should be interesting, I'll have to pace myself.

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[SmoothedShredder]

I don't like these games... can't we just talk about good music, and other things? Yar.

~W

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Well, here is my Bonnareview. It's long-assed and I don't really talk about styles or sounds of the bands much, but this is what you get.

I gotta say I love reading these reviews because everyone went to see different bands and had a completely different experience. I went down with Mr. SmoothedShredder and we saw 2 different Bonnaroos, and we both loved it. Getting back to the campsite and hearing about how everyone spent the day is certainly a highlight for me, when sober enough to listen and ask questions.

First off, the Centeroo and campgrounds. We only spent about 3 hours in line, and we were there nice and early so we got a primo site on the first block of Shakedown St., right beside the all-night reggae danceparty truck. Which was nice when we were awake but not so cool when we were trying to sleep. Thursday morning, first beer cracked at 8 am or so, the moment we got off the county road and onto the Bonnaroo property. Spent most of the day Thursday relaxing at the tent, checking out Shakedown and eventually exploring the Centeroo once it opened.

Centreoo is always fun. We did the batting cages (great for low and outside hitters who need no preparation), the pitching (55 mph first try - and that was just my slider), checked out the arcade, got some free VW swag just for owning one, go figure. Checked out the merch, got some Mozzadillas (I love those things)... Watched Shredder, Gorlash and Frey strut their stuff in the Silent Disco, very very entertaining. Also played is the Bamboo forest which was supposedly art, but was pretty much destroyed. It was fun though.

Thursday night we all ventured over to the Centeroo again to see some bands and drink some beer at the Brooers Village. Again my favourite was the Sweetwater Blue. Caught a bit of Rose Hill Drive, don't remember much of them. Liked Signal Path, although they owe most of their chops and style to the New Deal it sounded to me. Caught the end of Perpetual Groove, ("That sounds a lot like Rage...." "BULLS ON PARADE!") Interesting cover, got the crowd going and I was pumped. Checked out the Legendary Shack Shakers, really liked them. Kinda had a Razorbacks / Reverend Horton Heat vibe, lots of energy, and some girl got up on stage and "Earned some beads", if you know what I mean. After that we tried to check out Gabby La La but the crowd was so massive we couldn't hear a single note played. Claypool is popular, who woulda thunk it.

Got to bed fairly early and was up fairly early on Friday due to massive heat. Toodled around the campsite for the morning, checked out the portapotties (generally pretty clean all weekend, although I can't understand how someone can miss the giant hole when they take a shit.) Started drinking around 9 I think. Gotta love vacations. Sun was out in full force so we lathered up and went to get in line, which was pretty big unfortuanately. And now for the bands I saw.

Old Crow Medicine Show - These guys were good old-time music, a good start, and some foreshadowing for all the bluegrass / roots we were about to see. Decent, not great.

Gourds - Didn't stay very long for them, I know they're good, and I know their live show is excellent, but I just wasn't into it on this day. So instead we went to...

Peter Rowan and Crucial Reggae - Weird. I knew Peter Rowan from the Bluegrass Boys, was this really the same guy? Yup. Fronting a reggae band. Why? Who knows. Not the best reggae you'll ever hear. Kinda gimmicky I think. Wouldn't go see this show again.

Joss Stone - Say what you want about her, she can sing better than you and all your friends. She had some technical problems, and took a long time between songs, but she came across well and the crowd was eating it up. I don't think I'd see her if she came to Ottawa, but on a bill that I'd already paid for I have no problems with Joss Stone. Plus she's a hot blond, someone get cameras and screens on Which Stage next year!

Here me and another girl split off from part of our group to go see Allison Krauss & Union Station. The others would be seeing her at the Ottawa Bluesfest (as will I) but I like her a lot so I'll take all the Allison I can. Saw probably 6 or 7 songs and loved every minute. Dan Tyminski sang a few, Jerry Douglas made everyone's jaw drop with his crazy slide skills and sang a few, and of course Allison melted everyone with her voice. (Heheh, and of course she's a hot blond....) I've seen her a few times now and can't wait for the next show, at the Bluesfest in Ottawa.

John Prine - His voice dropped a full octave since his surgery so it took a little while to get used to his baritone, but after that was done it was a delicious set. His two accompianists were very dapper in their suits, and they could play. Good show, I think I stayed for about half of it before going to...

Jurassic 5 - Fucking right. This was the energy boost some of us needed in the massive heat. Lots of great rhymes, wicked beats, Numark played a desk as Shredder said. Not sure how "Freestyle" their freestyles were as they all knew where to "Uh!" and "Yeah!", but it was definitely top-notch entertainment. They got an encore, and Chali 2na came out and did a track off his upcoming solo release. Should be good from what he brought to Bonnaroo.

I skipped the rest of the afternoon to go rest up and get out of the sun back at camp, which was probably stupid since, according to my peeps, the Duo were smoking, Ray Lamontagne actually made Frey cry a few times, Bela was Bela, and Herbie's Headhunters were the show of the weekend for 2 of us. Oh yeah, the Allmans were playing too, heard most of their set from the tent. Nice huge Whipping Post for the encore, too bad Gregg can't quite hit the note on that one anymore, but the music was sweet.

Headliner - Dave Matthews Band. Screw that.

After getting suitably primed (some of us more than prudent, not me though) went to get a good spot in That Tent for Saul Williams. Apparently he hasn't switched up his spoken word segments in a few years, but this was my first time seeing him and I was blown away. His beats were so heavy, he commanded the stage and bounced around everywhere, his message was intense and heavy, I loved the show. Very good. He was opening for...

The Mars Volta - AWESOME. This was my second-favourite set of the weekend. I just can't say enough about them. The singer is a Mexican Geddy Lee with a 'fro, the guitarist is a lefty who runs the stage like a whirling dervish, and there is so much going on in the music that it completely consumes your brain and you can't help but be 'into it.' Check them out live any chance you get.

And then sleep, surpising until 10 in the morning due to the overcast-ness. Woke up to champagne and orange juice, nothing like a Mamosa to start the day in Tennessee.

Ozomatli - I love these guys, and I walked in and commented to a friend I wanted to hear Dos Cosas Ciertas, and a split second later they opened with it. Wicked start to the day. I put this song on pretty much every mix cd I make. The rest of the set was sweet as well, playlist was heavy from Embrace the Chaos, which was fine with me, it's their best work. Other highlights were 1 2 3 4, Pa Lante, and Vocal Artillery. I really wanted Chali 2na to come out to do his part on Artillery but I guess J5 left on Friday. Oh well. I can't say enough good stuff about Ozomatli. There was crowd surfing from one MC, and at the end the whole band grabbed their more portable gear and headed into the crowd, first in a big drum circle playing complete with their horn section, and then they led a conga line all the way to the back of the field. I almost got run over by the bass player, it was awesome.

Kings of Leon - Don't know their music very well, but they can rock pretty good. I liked them.

Mouse on Mars - I'll see any Thrill Jockey band any time I can, and these guys were good but I don't know if I would see them again.

Xavier Rudd - Seen him many times now, he seems to follow me around to shows. It's good music I guess. Kinda sappy for me. I need something wih a bit more weight behind it. It's great that he can play everything at once, but think about if he could just concentrate on one thing at once and have a little trio backing him or something. I think it would have a bit more depth that way.

Yonder Mountain - Walked by YMSB on the way to the next show, heard On the Run, it was great, I'm always very impressed by these guys and can't wait to see them at Bluesfest. I would have stayed for the whole show, but magic was about to happen at What Stage...

THE BLACK CROWES - I know only one other person who is a bigger fan than me, and I can tell you that Sean Taylor would definitely approve of this set. It was AWESOME. In the pouring rain, most people didn't give up any ground or go run for a tent. It was so sweet to be standing in a field getting pummeled with Marc Ford's lines and Chris's vocals. I said in my review of the Montreal show that he's been listening to the Faces a lot; I now think 70s-era Rod Stewart should take some lessons from Chris on how to be the fucking best singer in the rock world.

Don't Do It

Sting Me

Cosmic Friend

Soul Singing

Seeing Things

Jam -> Thorn In My Pride

Space Captain

Hard To Handle -> Jam

Ballad In Urgency ->

Wiser Time

My Morning Song

Brokedown Palace

- encore -

Remedy

I picked Stare It Cold as the opener, but was super-stoked when Sven started up the Band's version of Don't Do It. Giant singalong, so good. Seeing Things really cemented Chris's vocal prowess. I love the riff of Cosmic Friend, it was suitably heavy. And the covers were flawless, Space Captain and BROKEDOWN PALACE. Rich's singing is waaay better than it was back in the Amorica / By Your Side days when he was shy and weak at the microphone. The whole band is firing on all pistons and it's a wonderful thing. Easily my favourite set of the weekend.

Iron & Wine - Message to Sam Beam: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. He transcribed most of his set from his quiet solo record versions to somewhat louder, more dense full band versions and I thought it convoluted the whole delivery too much. Not the ideal artist for an outdoor festival of this size. I love Iron & Wine, but the music is better in a quiet club with not so many loud people on loud drugs.

Headliner - Widespread Panic. Screw that.

Holy fock we all got really hammered during Panic, it was ridiculous. That said, I don't know much of what happened for the rest of the night. I remember 46 Days and Panama from Trey. I remember falling over into mud puddles 3 times. I remember an older woman trying to massage me while waiting for my friend Andrea to catch up to me. I remember showering in the fountain 3 times to get rid of all the mud. I remember De La Soul going on late and kind of rocking it, but they didn't seem to have their shit as tight as I would have wanted. I do remember stumbling home to another great party that lasted until at least an hour after sunrise. I heard the next day that I was chatting up 2 beautiful blond girls at some point that night and I remember none of that. Dammit. And apparently because I was covered in mud and Gorlash had been taking some "extras" the night before, he though I had broken my leg. But because I was handling it so well no help was offered. That was a hilarious moment.

After about an hour of sleep woke up to a hurricane and our tents crumpling and flying everywhere, a pole jammed in Gorlash's leg. And I was soooo fucking hungover, kinda screwed myself in the ass on that one. But I came to party and the show was going on so I had to get moving to the stages.

Old 97s - Good alt-country stuff, nothing too memorable but not terrible either.

Matisyahu - After a 5 minute dub intro that it seemed like we had heard all weekend courtesy of the all night reggae partytruck, Matisyahu comes on and starts his delivery which was very positive and upbeat. Couldn't understand much of the vocals, not sure if it was because they were Hebrew (were they?) or because it was muddy sound or something like that. And Mr. Shredder won't like this too much, but to me he sounded exactly like Sublime. Which is a good thing, but I don't think he lived up to his hype. I will definitely check him out again though given the chance, it was interesting enough to warrant that.

By this time my hangover was killing me so I told my peeps I was gonna go chill in the movie tent and get some sleep and AC, they would come get me in a few hours. Saw the end of Raising Arizona and the first half of Austin Powers. Smoking in movie theaters has got to make a comeback, so convenient. On the way to the cinema tent, I managed to stay upright long enough to catch about half an hour of...

Umphrey's McGee - These guys live up to their hype. Nothing they played bored me, their profiency was definitely incredible, they seemed super tight, and the bass player was something else. He was playing some sick lines that got even my hungover ass moving. Can't wait for them at Bluesfest.

Friends woke me up at the cinema tent to go see Herbie on the Sonic Stage, but we missed him. Luckily the man playing to about 75 people there was none other than Toots Hibbert. We managed to get up pretty close and listen to him sing about Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and other figures, to a nice reggae rhythm. It was a great 10 minutes of the weekend.

Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers - "Welcome to your barbecue." The 15 minutes or so I was here was fun, but nothing to right home about. Good trumpet player though.

My Morning Jacket - Everyone on this board knows how good these guys are so I'm not going to gush, but it was fucking sweet. Great great set, all controlled by the conductor and his little remote control. June 28 in Montreal is going to be one for the books, mark my words.

Modest Mouse - 3 songs from Lonesome Crowded West (according to my peeps), Paper Thin Walls, Please Bury Me With It, I was happy. The first half of the set was rocking hard, the second half looked like they were super tired and were phoning it in. Kinda disapointing, but the setlist was at least decent. Issac didn't address the crowd once, except to ask why the climbers preferred Tree A over Tree B. He was concerned about Tree B's feelings.

Went to go finish off our beer tickets and find more free cigarettes (I recommend the American Spirit Lights), met up with WilliamShredder and went to check out the SuperJam. ?uestlove was on drums, Herbie on keys, and 2 of Herbie's new Headhunters on bass and guitar. I guess it would have been a good jam if I had heard the whole thing, but the part we stumbled into was very repetitive and more of a long-ass groove than a jam. Good to see ?uest at Bonnaroo again though. My question is where was he for Saul Williams, De La, etc, or any band that wanted a wicked drummer to sit in?

Headliner - Widespread Panic. Screw that.

Skipped out of Bonnaroo 2005 early and headed for the comfort and cleanliness of a Nashville hotel room. Tried to see House of Cash on the way home but it was closed to the public. (Note: Don't put it on maps then, Rand McNally).

All and all it was the funnest and most rewarding of the 3 Bonnaroos I've attended. We were missing some of the crew from previous years (shout outs to Ryan and Kate), but we had new faces coming for the first time and they were definitely awesome to go with. My face and stomach still hurt from laughing too much. And I'm pretty sure my liver wanted to jump into the washing machine while I was doing laundry last night.

5 stars.

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