Bonnaroo 2011 - Day 2

Friday

8)  Ben Sollee: 

Over the years I’ve come to understand that I’ve come to enjoy certain artists’ live shows much more than their albums.  I first heard of Ben Sollee through JB and obtained a copy of his album, “Dear Companion” which, I’m not gonna lie, I never really felt.  I basically went to this show because everyone else in our group was and there was nothing else I wanted to see.  We got a great spot right up front and were treated to one of the best shows of the weekend.  Sollee is a cello player and combines his set with a drummer and a female violinist who also traded off on some other instruments throughout the show.  It is moments like this when the phrase “the lineup this year isn’t that good” is rendered ridiculous.  There’s always a surprise lurking somewhere.  You just have to have the wherewithal to seek it out.  It was also at this set where I found myself involved in what can be best described of the biggest hippie moment I’ve ever participated in.  Towards the end of the set, during one of the more emotional/peace loving songs, a number of Bonnaroo staff members started passing out yellow and green flowers en masse asking us to take one and pass the rest back.  People would take a flower, place it in their hair or hats, and pass the rest back.  I was towards the front so I was one of the first to get one and I doubted three would be enough for everyone.  But they kept coming.  And all the while Sollee and his band are playing this peaceful and somber musical accompaniment.  A few people around me flashed peace signs.  It was kinda cool, but also pretty cheesy.  And I somehow doubt that we’ll get out of Afghanistan any quicker because of it.  Oh, and in the video I’m linking here, you can see me, JB and James.  We’re off to the left and I’m wearing my blue Mets hat taking a picture. 

9)  Phosphorescent: 

I had some time to kill after Sollee so I checked out this band that was pretty decent but nothing noteworthy comes to mind.  Though I will say it is nice to pass time between shows you really want to see by seeing other shows that are invariably happening all around you.  If you plan it right, there is never a break at Bonnaroo.

10)  Justin Townes Earle:

I was expecting more of a rocking show from the son of legendary alt-country rocker Steve Earle (who for you TV buffs also had supporting roles in the HBO shows “The Wire” and “Treme”).  I didn’t know much of his stuff but knew enough that his show would be a good one.  While it took more of a folk/acoustic approach than what I had expected, I did enjoy this set which included two female musicians (one played the fiddle, the other the stand up bass).  A few songs into the set, I started to notice Earle’s guitar playing style and began to realize something amazing about it, and it wasn’t until later in talking with JB that my suspicions were confirmed.  Essentially, in many of Earle’s songs I heard a rhythmic guitar sound which seemed very apparent that he was strumming.  But I also heard more of a solo guitar part in which several notes were being plucked that went along with the rhythm.  I stood there for a few songs convinced that there must have been another guitarist playing offstage, or a recording playing those notes, or the possibility that Earle had looped that part.  The least plausible explanation that crossed my mind was that Earle was playing both parts.  For the life of me I couldn’t see him playing those solo-type notes.  I left the tent satisfied with the set but still puzzled over the guitar parts I heard.  Later that day JB told me that Earle most certainly was playing both guitar parts at the same time.  He is very familiar with Earle and also was front and center for the show so he got to witness it firsthand for himself.  I’m still blown away at the talent this guy has to be able to pull something off like that.  That alone could qualify him for the best musician I witnessed the whole weekend.

11)  Matt and Kim:

I decided to check out some of the set from this indie rock duo with techno type influences and Gail decided to come along with me.  I didn’t know much by them, other than what I’d heard on XM radio, but I liked it well enough to check out.  Of course, by the time we got there the crowd was huge and making our way up towards the front would have required a level of energy I just did not feel like exerting.  As we approached the back of the tent, I heard Kim talking about how she had noticed a few topless girls near the sound booth, and sure enough, as I looked up, I saw exactly what she described.  Kim then encouraged all the women to take their tops off since it was so damn hot out.  I immediately thought I picked the right set to see.  Of course, very few women, and none where I was standing, decided to take Kim up on her offer which rendered the set much less interesting than it could have been.  Anyway, Gail and I stayed for a few songs but since our spots weren’t all that great, we decided to leave and check out Grace Potter’s set.  Later on I heard that Kim herself took her top off as their set ended.  I’m still not sure if that’s entirely true, but I think it’s obvious that she at least likes to get others to show their boobies.

12)  Grace Potter and the Nocturnals:

This was another artist that I didn’t know much about but I had heard really good things about her live performances.  She played a nice style of blues rock that was highlighted by a dynamite version of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”.  Definitely worth the stop.

13)  Freelance Whales: 

After Grace Potter, there was nothing I was dying to see at any of the tents or stages so I decided to check out Freelance Whales again, but this time at the Sonic Stage which is reserved for artists to highlight their sets in a more intimate and acoustic setting.  I noticed that the woman who introduced them is the same woman who always worked that stage in the past and while her overly flattering comments about them before they came on were very nice, I began to realize that this woman says all kinds of good things about every band that plays this stage (or at least all the bands I’ve seen play there in the past).  It’s almost too much and self-indulgent.  Like she knows something that nobody else does and by somehow promoting the band beyond any reasonable degree would make me like them that much more.  Hey lady, just introduce them and stop hogging the stage and robbing the band of playing time, all right?!  At any rate, it was nice to see these guys again in a smaller setting and they continued to solidify themselves as one of my favorite acts of the weekend.

14)  The Decemberists: 

I’d have to go ahead and say that the latest release from this group from Portland, Oregon The King is Dead may very well be my favorite album of the year so far (and bear in mind, Radiohead released a new album this year too, so what does that tell you?).  The album is pop/rock/folk perfection and melds a great number of relatively short songs that oftentimes sound like a cross between Springsteen and R.E.M.  To me, this is a much more welcomed effort than their previous album The Hazards of Love which was an odd concept album about……well……all kinds of weird stuff (including the brutal murder of one’s children).  For some reason the album never resonated with me, which makes it all the more intriguing that the songs I found the most exciting during this set to be from that very same album.  I don’t know.  I just can’t describe it.  Maybe I need to give the album another chance, but the songs from that album just translated so much better live than their other songs.  Not that any of their tunes were bad, I just don’t get as amped as I would like for their shows.  I’ve now seen them three times and I’ve yet to have that moment where I feel blown away.  Having said all that, I will say that front man Colin Meloy is one of the oddest I’ve ever seen.  But he does make for some interesting and funny banter with the crowd.  At one point he pointed towards the people in the VIP section and told them that when the revolution comes, they will be the first to go.  Needless to say, that comment drew out a raucous applause from us common folk.  It’s nice to know Colin is on our side.  It’s also relevant to point out that multi-instrumentalist Jenny Conlee was recently diagnosed with breast cancer so she was not in attendance for the show.  Instead, the band brought out Nickel Creek artist, Sara Watkins, to fill in the roll and a great job she did. 

15)  My Morning Jacket: 

Typically people are bound to ask a Bonnaroo attendee what the best show that person saw throughout the weekend.  For some this could be a difficult decision as there are usually so many dope bands that one sees at this thing that it can be hard to rank them all.  Oddly enough, I never remember having a year when this proved to be a difficult decision.  It was always an easy answer.  In ’06 it was Radiohead, in ’07 it was Wilco, in ’08 it was the Raconteurs, in ’09 it was Springsteen, in ’10 it was Kings of Leon, and this year it was My Morning Jacket.  And the funny thing is that I pretty much knew this was going to be the case within a minute or so of their set.  I had just purchased their new album, Circuital, and liked it from the start.  While they started the show with the first track from that album, it was very noticeable that the sound was off.  It sounded muffled and unclear and made me wonder for a moment if it was supposed to be like that, or if I was just losing my hearing.  After a few minutes; however, something kicked on and the speakers poured forth a much clearer and more powerful sound that automatically made it apparent that something was indeed wrong earlier.  Every song sounded perfect and I was in just the right frame of mind to be into each and every note they played.  From the most beautiful and soft melodies of “Golden” to the blistering rocked out version of “Anytime” the Jacket went balls out from the get go and never let up.  They have some great albums, but their live performance makes them pale in comparison.  I had seem them twice before at Bonnaroo but never all the way through.  The first time I saw them in ’06 they played a midnight to 3am slot and I lasted about an hour and a half before I started to fall asleep standing up.  The second time in ’09 they played another late night set but it started to pour halfway through and being as tired as I was I had to retreat back to the RV.  Finally, after so many years I was treated to an amazing set that I was able to stay for its entirety.  To say these guys are special is a gross understatement.  

16)  Arcade Fire: 

So how do you follow up one of the greatest shows you’ve ever seen?  How about a freaking headlining set by the Arcade Fire?!  Big ups to Kevin Macauley for introducing me to them back in the day before anyone else knew about them.  I made the comment before their set that it’s really amazing that they can headline a festival like Bonnaroo and only have released three albums.  But the thing is with these guys is that they can totally hang with that type of pressure.  They put on a phenomenal show with all kinds of energy, but it never seems to get to their heads.  Several times front man Win Butler expressed sincere gratitude towards the audience and it seemed genuine every time.  I’ve always seemed to give artists a pass for being assholes if the music is good enough to look past that.  But it’s really nice to have a stellar band be a group of good people too.  Yes, I understand that many great artists are tortured and have no choice but to be dickheads, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  I’d have to say that the My Morning Jacket/Arcade Fire one two combo might be the best I’ve ever seen at Bonnaroo.

17)  Big Boi: 

I realized a lot of things at this set by the co-member of what could be my favorite hip-hop act, Outkast.  First of all, I was surprised that he played just about every popular Outkast song within the first thirty minutes.  I thought for sure he was going to save them for the end.  After Arcade Fire I waded my way through a sea of people and broke away from my crew, for I was the only one who wanted to see Big Boi.  It took a while to make it to the tent he was playing.  For some reason the Bonnaroo heads make it very difficult to navigate yourself out of the main stage area.  As I made my way up to Big Boi’s set, I heard him playing a song that sounded somewhat familiar but I could not put my finger on it.  After a few moments, I realized he was playing “Rosa Parks” which is one of my favorite Outkast songs.  Thing is that it didn’t sound much like the song I had come to know and love.  He soon started taking requests and before I knew it he was playing a medley of Outkast hits including B.O.B., Ms. Jackson, and Ghetto Musik.  And as he played, I noticed how he would perform each song only for a short period of time before moving on to the next song.  And I realized that this was something that I had seen in previous hip-hop shows that I’ve seen.  Instead of playing the whole songs, they cut them short and oftentimes perform them in different versions than the originals.  Now while I appreciate the different approach to performing these songs, I’d have to say that I do not like it.    I mean, I’m glad he’s taking artistic integrity and mixing it up, but seriously, why only go halfway when I can envision him being so much better?  Then again, maybe it was because I was far away from the stage or that I was so tired, but he basically played everything I wanted to he hear so I headed out early.

-M

Bonnaroo 2011 - Day 3

Saturday

18)  Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears:  Saturday morning I was able to meet up with Vanessa.  At her suggestion, we went to go see Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears.  I had listened to a little of his stuff before the weekend and he sounded like he would put on a good show that mixed funk, jazz, blues, and rock and I was not disappointed by his performance.  We weren’t there long as there was another band I wanted to check out but I’m glad we took some time to stop by this tent.

19)  Hanggaii: 

The moment I checked out this band’s stuff on Youtube I knew it was a show I wanted to catch.  I almost feel like words cannot describe this band from Beijing who performs while wearing traditional and ancient Chinese garb.  Their music is a combination of traditional Chinese folk music and modern types of rock.  The band consists of many members who create one of the most unique sounds that you can ever find.  I found myself really enjoying the show at first and was getting pretty into it, but halfway through I started realizing that some of the parts were over the top and borderline ridiculous.  I also found it funny that the lead singer always spoke to the crowd in between songs and spoke only in Chinese.  After each phrase the crowd would erupt in applause which made me laugh because in all honesty the dude could have been saying that we all were a bunch of assholes or something and nobody would have been the wiser.  He also had the most ludicrous “shirt” on that I have ever seen.  It was actually more of a cover for his shoulders and back as the entirety of his chest and stomach was exposed.  At one point I turned to Vanessa and said “I don’t know whether I love this or hate this.”  To which she replied that she loved it.  We watched the rest of the show and I still have that feeling of confusion which would probably make this one of the most interesting shows I’ve ever seen.  I still find parts of their stuff really great, but then another side of me chimes in and tells that what I saw is quite ridiculous.  Either way, this was a great show to have caught, and another reason why Bonnaroo is so great.

20)  Old Crow Medicine Show:  I don’t like to think I have many regrets going to Bonnaroo in terms of the bands I’ve chosen to see.  But that doesn’t mean that regrets aren’t bound to surface from time to time.  I have seen Old Crow a few times before in the past and have always enjoyed their bluegrass/Americana sound and to this day feel that their song “Wagon Wheel” is one of the best I’ve ever heard.  However, sometimes when you see a show, things just don’t work out the way you’d like them to.  The sound was not very good and it simply was not as loud as it should have been.  I was not even that far back but it was noticeable that the speakers just weren’t generating the power that they should have.  At one point, one of the members had to take the dobro he was playing and hold it up to a microphone since the PA it was originally hooked up to was not working.  And even when he did this it was not amplifying the sound nearly enough.  After the show I realized that while they were good, I missed out on an opportunity to see a band I’ve never seen before but was interested in, the Low Anthem.  But by the time I realized this, the Low Anthem were done and I had to focus on what to do next.

21)  Deer Tick: 

Sometimes you can see a band or artists and depending on the circumstances in which you find yourself, you can like a show more or less than you normally would.  I was beginning to feel more tired than I normally feel at this time during the day and my energy level was low.  I didn’t know much by this roots rock/Americana band but JB and many of the people I was with were very excited about this show.  While they all lauded this performance later on, I was left with a feeling that they were just OK and that I just wasn’t feeling them.  This was not an opinion that was popular amongst the members of my group as some said it was one of the best shows of the weekend.  What can I say?  I just wasn’t that into it.  Maybe if I had known more of their tunes or had been in better spirits when I saw them I would have felt differently, but I cannot pretend to like what I’m just not that into. 

22 +23)  Allison Krauss and Union Station / Portugal. The Man: 

I place these two acts together because I did not see a lot of their sets and used this time mostly to sit down and rest my legs which were killing me at the time.  Krauss was pretty solid as she and her band played a very mellow set of bluegrass type music along with Jerry Douglass.  Portugal. The Man was a band I had seen a few years ago at Bonnaroo and I was not all that impressed with them.  I felt I liked this set a little more and found myself enjoying a lot of what they were doing.  But I spent most of the time sitting down in the back trying to cool off a bit before meeting Vanessa for Amos Lee at the Sonic Stage.

24)  Amos Lee: 

After Hanggaii, Vanessa and I separated but agreed to meet up for this small set by singer/songwriter Amos Lee.  I didn’t know much of his stuff but really enjoyed this 30 minute set that included just Lee and his acoustic guitar.  And while watching the set, something happened that I had never seen before at another show, a couple in the front row got engaged.  Also, Lee made the comment that because it was so hot and muggy out, he couldn’t keep his guitar in tune.  While I agree that it sounded off in some spots, it wasn’t bad enough to take much away from this set.  I’m also not sure why the weather conditions would make it impossible to tune his guitar even for a little bit, but hey, he’s the professional I guess.  One final noteworthy occurrence was when the annoying woman who was introducing the bands at the Sonic Stage came out at the end and requested he play one more song.  Lee agreed and while he started getting ready the woman requested a specific song and Lee basically said “no”.  Not sure why he denied her but it was pretty funny to see him react like this. 

25)  Mumford and Sons: 

One of the downfalls of trying to see so many artists is that you forgo the opportunity to stake out and claim a good spot for a bigger act.  Sometimes it’s worth doing this if the act in question is one you really want to see or if there is nothing else going on and you can sacrifice 30-45 minutes to wait for the band you want to see.  Or you could just not plan ahead enough to know that the Mumford and Sons set would be so freaking packed that finding a good spot will be futile at best.  Vanessa and I met her friend Gwen and tried to make our way over to where JB and crew were but that proved too difficult.  We were pretty far back and again, the sound was not that great.  It’s too bad when you’re that far back because not only are you less invested in the show, but the people around you talk and move around much more so the intimacy of the show is somewhat diminished.  I was psyched to see Mumford especially since I missed out on them last year as they played at the exact time as the Avett Brothers, and there was no way I was going to miss them.  What I like about them too is that they do not seem to have any image problems.  Most of the members were wearing wife-beaters, mostly because it was so damn hot.  At one point they called out to someone backstage to come out and play the fiddle.  The guy that came out looked like some overweight kid you’d find at a videogame convention or something.  At any rate, they put on a very solid se that I’m almost sure I would be saying was one of the best I had seen over the weekend had I been in a better position to see it.  But such is the ways of the Bonnaroo gods.

26)  The Black Keys: 

By this time I really need to just lie down and rejuvenate for the evening.  I had separated from Vanessa and Gwen so that I could find JB and get an idea of where to meet him for Buffalo Springfield later.  I then headed over to the main stage area to catch some of the Black Keys set and relax a bit.  The main stage area is very large and is a nice place to find some grass to lie down in as opposed to the dry and dusty areas that are found in just about every other area of the venue.  I had recently seen a great show by the Keys in Orlando back in December so seeing this show was not on the highest of priorities and I was fine with just hanging out in the back rather than trying to get up close.  I will say that I do love this group and find them even more important now that the White Stripes are no more.  For few bands can create such a great combination of modern blues rock as the Stripes and the Keys can.  It was nice to see them introduced by comedian Aziz Ansari who must have just been hanging out as he was not on the bill for the weekend.  Like their show in Orlando, they started by playing many of their older songs just the two of them and later on they brought out more musicians so that they could play their more layered songs from their most recent album, Brothers.  I first heard of the Keys back in 2005 when I saw them at Lollapalooza in Chicago at the suggestion of my friends Kevin and Tina, and it has been nice to see their progression since then.  I’m glad they’re doing so well because they really are a great band and they deserve every bit of the notoriety they get.

27)  Buffalo Springfield: 

I think there is a law out there somewhere that states that if you take any old group of aging hippies that group’s performance will automatically be made ten times greater if Neil Young is playing with him.  I understand if people get sick of the aging artists of the 60’s and 70’s but seriously, if you can’t get down with Neil I almost don’t want to know you.  I left the Keys set early to make sure I wouldn’t have a problem meeting up with JB, Billy and crew and as I arrived I was pleased to see that they had established a spot much closer to the stage than when I had left them earlier.  As I found my spot it wasn’t long before I noticed a girl next to me who was just talking up a storm about how psyched she was to see Springfield.  She kept yelling things out that if memory serves me correctly, was something to the effect of “Buffalo Fuckin’ Springfield!!!  Whooooo!!!!”  Not the most creative thing I’ve ever heard, but I could tell she was pretty psyched.  I also noticed how the people around her were paying her more attention than she was probably used to due to the fact that she was one of those topless painted booby chicks that are no doubt found in large numbers at Bonnaroo.  At one point, an older guy asked if she wouldn’t mind having a picture taken with his buddy.  The young quasi-nudist happily obliged as the man told her it would totally make his buddy’s day.  Shortly before the set began, she and her friends began teaching another guy near us about the effects of ecstasy, or what is more commonly referred to as “Molly” amongst the concert going masses.  The guy was clearly trepidations about what he was about to embark upon but evidently, painted booby chick and her friends made convincing enough arguments for him to take the plunge and snort the powdered substance off his hand.  Once that was done, the guy was instructed to “enjoy the ride”. 

While few people probably had a better time than those taking Molly all around me, it was still great to see Young, Stephen Stills, and the other remaining living member of Springfield, Richie Furay play together once again.  While I only knew four songs (one of which was the Young solo classic “Rockin’ in the Free World”) I still thought these aging hippies brought all the energy and rocked out enthusiasm we’ve come to expect from such classic artists.  I’m glad I had such a good spot for this show and there was not one moment I was disappointed.  Towards the end of the set Young stated that they were about to play their one hit, which of course is “For What it’s Worth”.  He kept referring to it as their “45”, a tongue-in-cheek reference to what was once the norm in the music industry and now means absolutely nothing to anyone born after 1990. 

28)  Eminem: 

After Springfield I headed out to catch this headlining set for the evening by Eminem and I was surprised that Billy wanted to join me.  As we walked towards the main stage I heard the speakers pumping out the classic lines of Slim Shady’s track “Kill You”.  I don’t think Billy was all that familiar with the song and when the line “You don’t, want to fuck with Shady/ ‘Cause Shady, will fuckin’ kill you!” came out, Billy could do nothing more than laugh, and I had to join in too.  Quite a jump from “Stop children/what’s that sound?/everyone look what’s going down”, huh?  Billy and I grabbed a slice of pizza and stood watching the show from the back and apparently that’s all he needed to see, and I soon found myself alone to watch the rest of the show.  I gotta say, Eminem has amazing flow as a rapper and his show was very entertaining.  Granted it was over the top when he and his buddy MC took turns instructing both sexes to make rude gestures to the opposite sex and say “fuck you!!!” in some strange and childish competition, but the songs were spot on.  And it’s worth pointing out that he took the same approach Big Boi did and played many of his hit songs in a medley type style while saving the full song treatment for his more recent tracks.  I’m still not sure how normal that is, but my guess is that is the way the majority of rappers do it since every act I’ve ever seen follows that same protocol.  And I’m sorry, but his theme song from “Eight Mile” is one of my favorite rap tracks of all time.  I would probably never see an Eminem show on my own which is why I’m so glad he played Bonnaroo.  It’s yet one more example of a great show I would never see otherwise. 

29)  Dr. John with Original Meters and Allen Toussaint: 

I only caught a little of this set because it started right after Eminem finished and after that show I sat down to wait for the crowd to dissipate and as I did I was pleasantly surprised to be treated to a fireworks display off to the left beyond the VIP area.  I don’t recall this happening before at Bonnaroo, so it was pretty cool to see, but it also took time away from this set by a classic funk/jazz/rock pianist, best known for his song “Right Place, Wrong Time”.  Not only was I late in arriving, but apparently John found it necessary to take a set break about 45 minutes into his show.  I guess the guy is pretty old and breaks are pretty important for him, and he even needed someone to help him stand up from the piano and walk off stage.  I decided I didn’t want to wait around this late at night unless I was watching some band play so I decided to head out and catch one more show.

30)  Scissor Sisters: 

I was surprised to see this group get one of the late night billings but it wasn’t long after I arrived that I realized the billing made a ton of sense.  I’m not much of a fan of this flamboyant/glam/electro/dance/disco group but did find their set fairly entertaining.  And their song “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” is just about as catchy as you can get for a dance song.  But as is the case with most late nights at Bonnaroo, my energy level was near zero and I didn’t feel like I needed to stay out much longer so I headed back.  Though I was surprised to find everyone in my group sound asleep when I arrived back around 1:30.  I guess my younger cousins staying out until 7 am the night before did them in a bit.  Seriously, they shattered the old record for late nights by about three hours.  Oh, and this video isn’t the performance from Bonnaroo, but I since I couldn’t find a link for their performance of this song, I picked another one. 

-M

Bonnaroo 2011 - Day 4

Sunday

31)  Smith Westerns: 

I woke up Sunday morning fairly rejuvenated and made a promise to myself that I would have a much better day than the day before.  I found myself getting back into the groove of trying to see as much as possible and for some reason I wasn’t as tired as I was on Saturday.  The day started off by a set from this new band that consists of two brothers who are roughly 19 years old.  I had read some articles about them and bought their debut album Dye it Blonde which sounds like MGMT only with a little more rock/folk than dance/techno.  The lead singer also seems kinda pompous and arrogant (his closing remarks were: “If you didn’t like this set, Fuck You!”) but as I mentioned earlier, if the music is there, that’s not such a bad thing.  They put on a decent set and I was off on my last day.

32)  G. Love and Special Sauce: 

I think these guys play just about ever other Bonnaroo and I had never seen them until this year.  I had some time to kill before the next show and I was glad to have caught some of it.  It’s not my favorite type of music but it is pretty fun and is one of those bands I like much more live than I do on their albums.  While I was there, I noticed some guy walking around with a large bag draped over his shoulder.  Inside the bag were a number of smaller plastic bags containing something I couldn’t make out, but people were jumping at the opportunity to receive one of these free items from this strange man.  I found myself raising my hand to try to get my own free item when I then realized what it was…… pistachios.  I’m not a big pistachio guy and as soon as I saw what it was I retracted my arm and hoped I would not receive one.  But it got me to thinking about how people get all kinds of excited when someone else gives something out for free.  Regardless of the item in question, people love getting free stuff and I saw myself falling into that trap at the G. Love show.  Are we really that materialistic that we’ll jump at anything if someone is willing to give it to us free of charge?  It certainly appeared so at this particular gathering.

33)  Ryan Bingham: 

My buddy Bryan first introduced me to Bingham with the statement that if I liked the Avett Brothers, I should check him out.  While his style isn’t necessarily that of the Avetts, he does play a very good blend of roots rock and country.  I stayed for most of his set but was surprised that it ended so early.  I then looked at the program and noticed he was only slated for a 45 minute set and I don’t even think he lasted that long.  I’m not sure why that was because he has enough material to last that long and it made me wonder how they decide if an artist is to get 30, 45, 60, 75, or 90 minutes.  It probably has something to do with how big the band is, but 45 minutes just doesn’t seem like enough for anyone.

34)  Neon Trees: 

This was an OK set by a fairly unknown band, though I did recognize their song “Animals” from XM radio.  Nothing spectacular happened during this set which I did find a bit disappointing.  The lead singer seemed like he was going for the punk look but the songs and antics just didn’t seem to match up.  And he also did that cool rocker live performance thing where he held the microphone out for the audience to sing some of the parts.  I don’t necessarily mind this, but when you do it all the time and always do it during the chorus, it annoys me.  If that happens, my guess is the singer has no voice left or can’t hit the notes for some reason.  I don’t know if the crowd ever sounds better than the singer does.  Overall, not a bad set, but not all that great either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBwbx2KC2Uc

35)  Amos Lee: 

I caught Amos Lee’s large stage performance which was pretty good but I’d have to say that I enjoyed his smaller set the day before.  This time he had a band behind him and it was nice to hear a fuller sound come from him.  But since I was further back and slightly tired, I just didn’t get that into it.  He’s still a very talented guy and has some great songs, but I think by this time in the day I was starting to lose it a bit.

36)  Junip: 

I think I would have enjoyed this set more had I not been so tired (I’m noticing a theme this year, I think I’m getting old).  This band plays a mellow/atmospheric/tranquil type sound that would have been much more appropriate in an evening setting.  While I enjoyed some of their songs, I found myself getting a little bored towards the end.  I was also getting annoyed by the dude smoking a cigar in front of me.  Being at Bonnaroo you have to get used to all types of smells in a crowded tent area including sweaty people and the things that they’re smoking.  While I’m quite used to and tolerant of cigarette and pot smoke, I just can’t condone cigars.  Take that nonsense somewhere else.

37)  Iron & Wine: 

I was expecting more from this band that has been getting all kinds of good press over the years.  Front man Sam Beam has created some very good albums and songs and the newest album Kiss Each Other Clean is very good.  Though he didn’t seem to play much from that and he opted for a fairly mellow set.  While he was pretty good, I wish he would have sped it up a bit more since I was in need of a pick me up before the last show of the weekend.  He did end the set very well with a much more upbeat and rocked out track and I saw more into what was possible with his group.

38)  The Strokes: 

It wasn’t until the last timeslot of the weekend until I came across the greatest conflict of the weekend.  The organizers somehow managed to schedule the Strokes at the same time as Explosions in the Sky, Beirut, and the Superjam combo of Dr. John and the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach.  I had narrowed it down between the Strokes and Explosions but it wasn’t until the end of the Iron & Wine set that I made my decision.  The Strokes were scheduled to play the same stage and I had a very good spot for what would no doubt be a very crowded show.  I decided it would be worth it to just stay there in the crowded area towards the front for one of  the bands I was most excited for when the lineup was announced.  I waited about an hour for them as they were late coming out and front man Julian Cassablancas later admitted they were watching the beginning of the Beirut show.  He also noted the conflict and thanked the crowd for making the decision to see them, but it almost seemed like he was thinking that we had all made a mistake. 

The Strokes are an odd band and it’s clear that they’re not very close at all.  And when they perform live they don’t seem like they’re having much fun.  They play some of the best rock/pop out there and their hooks are so infectious sometimes that you have not choice but to dance and sing right along.  But the way they stand there just makes it seem like they’re more concerned with their image as cool rock guys with a strong sense of fashion than they are about playing the music that made them so famous in the first place.  Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. is the only one who gives off the slightest sense of enjoying what he is doing.  Having said all that, the crowd was still very into the set as was I.  Cassablancas was kind of funny at times.  At one point he noticed famed Baltimore movie director John Waters off to the side of the stage and said “Oh, shit!  John Waters!  Right on!”, and while trying to begin the next song, he looked back at drummer Fab Moretti and Hammond talking back and forth and said “Oh, I’m sorry.  Don’t let me interrupt”.  Overall, it was a very good closing set, but like many other artists, they stopped short of their hour and a half schedule and did not play an encore.  I like the Strokes a lot and think their new single “Under Cover of Darkness” is the best of the year, but each one of them could take the ego and hipster thing down several notches.  It’s almost nauseating. 

39)  Superjam featuring Dr. John and Dan Auerbach: 

Since the Strokes finished early I had time to catch the end of this set while eating some delicious pad Thai for dinner.  The set was pretty decent but what I will always remember from it is the conversation I had with some concert goers near the table I was eating at.  Someone had left a to-go box on the table and had written on it “Please eat me.  Sunday, 7:00”.  I did not look inside the box but did wonder if anyone would take the box up on its generous yet somewhat sketchy offer.  Sure enough, a couple of stoned out younger hippie dudes walked up and pointed at the box and asked me if it was mine.  I told them it wasn’t and that I didn’t know whose it was, nor did I know what was in it.  One of the guys opened up the box and inside found a ton of food including slices of turkey and ham along with potatoes, some veggies, and what appeared to be chocolate pudding.  The guy then asked me and some others standing around if he should eat it.  I told him that it was up to him and then made the comment that someone probably had a camera and microphone on us to see what would happen as some sort of sociological experiment.  This got others to chime in with similar comments and finally the guy asked me what time it was.  I looked at my phone and informed him it was 8:15, a mere hour and fifteen minutes after this box was claiming to have been abandoned.  Of course, that is if you trusted that the box was telling the truth.  As soon as I told him the time you could almost see relief come over the kid as if an hour and fifteen minutes does not even come close to the threshold of how long the food would need to be stagnant before it would be rendered inedible.  I actually wonder how much time would have needed to pass before this kid would decide eating it would be unacceptable.  He then opened the box and dove in quite enthusiastically as did his friend, much to the disgust and disapproval of the girls across from us as their faces made painfully obvious.  I couldn’t help but laugh as they continued to chow down on this free food (further proving my point about people and the thrill of anything that is given away free of charge, even if it’s mysterious food that was touched by God knows who) and seemed quite happy with their decision.  I soon finished my food and then started to make my way back to the RV, for the weekend had come to an end.  As I left, I told the two kids to take care and to be sure and not get sick.  I’m not even sure if they heard me.  Either way, it was a very comical ending to an extremely full and busy weekend.

We took a while to leave our campsite as there was some cleanup to do around the area.  We were originally going to drive to O’Reilly’s house near Atlanta and spend the night there but plans changed and we ended up getting a hotel in Chattanooga.  The ride home was fairly uneventful.  I spent the majority of the time watching all three Back to the Future movies that my cousin John brought with him to play on the TV in the RV.  Incidentally, my cousin John absolutely loves that trilogy.  And while I myself very much enjoy it, as does just about everyone else I know, he takes his love to a different level.  For while most will say how much they like those films, he would go so far as to say they’re some of the greatest of all time.  And he means it.  As I watched them again for the first time in several years, I came across a lot of interesting observations that I will have to save for another time.  But I can say with some degree of certainty that they still hold up.  We made it JB’s house near St. Augustine and I then had a three hour drive back to my place.  I arrived home around 11ish and then had to get up the next morning to go to work.  It was kinda sad but also very fulfilling, for another year was in the books.

After reading all of this again, I realized there are several parts where it seems like I was complaining about the acts, or being too tired, or not being into a show for one reason or another.  I do not mean to come across like I did not have a good time, for the actual case is quite the opposite.  I still think seeing live music is one of the greatest experiences ever and even seeing a show that is merely OK is still a much better way to spend your time than many other ways.  Maybe I’ve come to expect too much from certain bands and their live performances.  Maybe the novelty of Bonnaroo has somewhat worn off with this being my sixth consecutive year.  Or maybe I’m just getting old and hanging out in an extraordinarily crowded venue in 90+ degree weather is getting more difficult.  Any way you look at it, it still is a great deal, to pay a few hundred dollars to see tons of bands in one place with people you really like hanging out with.  I still plan on going again in the future, but I also think it would be nice to mix it up at some point and check out another festival like Austin City Limits, Coachella, or to check out Lollapalooza again.  If anyone is down, let me know.  I’m sure we could work something out.

-M

A Love Affair With Radiohead: Part 4 - Kid A

One of the things that is most important for me as music fan, and in particular, a fan of a certain artist or band, is the idea that an artist can vary his approaches and sounds in the music that he produces.  Over the years I’ve found myself engaged by a band for one reason or another but that I eventually lose interest in that band with subsequent albums they’ve put out because at the end of the day, each album becomes a slight variation of the previous one.  I’ve heard others praise artists for this because, according to them, the band in question has never compromised their integrity or goals or whatever and has always stayed true to who they are and their particular genre.   While I understand this point of view, I highly disagree with it.  For the artist that continually puts out slightly different variations on what was done before might be very good at what they’re doing, they also kind of serve as a one trick pony and fail to reach the levels of those artists that can truly branch out and create a completely different sound than what they are accustomed to.  I do not mean to knock any artist that does what they do very well, but I think there is something to be said for the artist that never settles for what was done in the past and what is known to be popular, for it is in this type of decision that history is made.

Bob Dylan made plenty of enemies when he first went electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965,  Miles Davis perplexed his solid jazz fan base when he went towards the ways of fusion with Bitches Brew, and the Beatles took the masses by surprise when they released Sgt. Pepper which was a drastic turn from their previous work.  It is extremely rare when an artist just up and completely reverses course on all the work previously released and usually such an act is met with uncertainty, skepticism, and oftentimes, scorn.  Radiohead is no exception to this event and for them, their decision nearly divided their audience in half.

Kid A was released in the fall of 2000, several years after OK Computer, and it also represents the first album the band released that I was genuinely excited about before its release.  By this time in my life, I had moved to California to begin a year long volunteer program called the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.  Despite the fact that I had agreed to “live simply” as one of the tenets of the program required, I never deviated from my fascination and excitement with music.  In fact, it may have reached its apex.  I remember reading about the album before its release and that it essentially dropped all guitar sounds from its makeup in favor of an electronic and “liquid” sound that, according to “Rolling Stone” was ‘weird, and wonderful’.  I wanted to buy the album immediately, but I had little to no disposable income to speak of and I went weeks without hearing or buying it.  However, shortly after its release, I was able to listen to it in one of the most memorable musical experiences of my life, courtesy of a friend, a walkman, and a beautiful sunset.

At one point during my volunteer experience in California, I found myself at a retreat in the hills and woods of Northern California with scores of friends from the same program.  I had gotten to know several of them and had realized that many of them had similar musical tastes that I had.  It was during this weekend that I happened upon my friend Odioka who had recently purchased a copy of Kid A, on tape nonetheless, and was toting it around with him for the weekend.  One evening, I asked him if I could borrow it and he graciously allowed me to.  I retrieved my walkman, located a secluded spot on top of a hill after dinner and sat there by myself to play the tape as the sun set over the horizon.  It was one of the most beautiful music listening experiences of my life.  And I was confused as hell.  What was this?

I knew I wasn’t going to get any guitars or structure that I was used to, but that still didn’t prepare me for what I heard.  In fact, the only songs I remember truly enjoying the first time I heard them were “How to Disappear Completely” and “Optimistic”, probably because they had more guitar parts than any other track on the album, rendering them more familiar.  I freely admit that I was not a huge fan of this album the first few times I heard it.  I think at first I wanted to like it more than I did.  But like any truly great album, this took time to digest, and I realized there was something to be said for it.  Shortly after my initial encounter with Kid A I scraped together some cash and went out and bought a copy at an indie record store in Berkeley.  As a promotion for buying the album, I was given a Radiohead bear pin, a Radiohead bear sticker, and a poster of the cover of SPIN Magazine featuring Radiohead with the caption “The world’s greatest rock band?”  The poster still hangs in my room as does the sticker, but as far as I can recall, the pin is in the possession of my college buddy Pat who was one of the ones who got me into Radiohead in the first place.

Over the years, Kid A has come to define the album that people either love or hate.  I have not come across anyone who merely says that it is OK, or fine, or whatever other mediocre description you can think of.  It is the essence of a divisive album and while I completely understand why someone can hate it, I wholeheartedly disagree with that person.  Yeah, it’s different and odd and out there, but it is also one of the most innovative and creative albums that I have ever heard.  And in this day and age of endless music pouring out from all different areas, there is something to be said for the more creative and interesting music that varies from song to song even within the same album.  In this example, there are elements of rock, folk, jazz, dance, electronic and classical music.  Few artists branch out this far and at the same time create something this groundbreaking.  Say what you will about Radiohead, but they are anything but boring.

There are some albums that hold a special place in one’s heart and this typically happens when one can associate a positive experience with the album.  My year in California with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps was one of the best of my life and this album is the definitive album of that time for me.  It will forever hold a significant place in my heart and I freely admit that I probably like it more because of the circumstances surrounding my initial exposure to the album.  I remember sitting in my friends’ house in Sacramento watching an episode of Saturday Night Live where Radiohead played a blistering and jaw-dropping version of “The National Anthem”.  My brother, who is not a fan of this album by any means, said at the time that it was one of the best live performances he’s ever seen on television.  It’s hard to argue with that statement.

The more I listened to this record, the more I liked it.  Soon I learned that there would be another album Radiohead would release in the spring.  This one was billed as being similar to Kid A in its emphasis on electronics (as many of the songs were recorded at the same time as the Kid A tracks) but that it would also have more guitars.  I was excited by this because while I did (and still do) love Kid A I also missed the guitars.  I remember thinking they could have gotten a lot of their ideas down while adding more guitars and making it more of a rock-based album.  Several years later in retrospect, I’m really glad they made the album the way they did.  It represented a distinct break for the band and its melancholy and bitter sentiments were exactly what was needed for the group at the time.  They grew to hate touring and the media frenzy that followed them in the wake of OK Computer and in some respects; it was amazing that they were even able to make another record.  I later read that “How to Disappear Completely” was inspired by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe who had befriended Thom Yorke around the OK Computer days.  Evidently, when Yorke started freaking out about all the attention his band was getting, Stipe advised him to just sit in a corner, close his eyes and repeat the phrase “I’m not here, this isn’t happening” over and over again.  It’s an extraordinarily delusional and disingenuous piece of advice that denies all reality, but it was also exactly what Yorke needed to hear at the time to get through that tour. 

At the end of the decade, there were several lists of the best albums of the oughts and Kid A topped many of the charts I had seen.  Maybe it received more praise than was deserved.  Maybe people said they liked it more than they really did because they felt they had to.  And maybe people don’t give enough of a chance because they are too set in their ways and cannot grasp certain styles that branch out beyond what is normally desirable and enjoyed.  To me, all the controversy and the ‘love it or hate it’ attitude towards the album as a whole makes it even better.  For in today’s music business where we are flooded with generic and boring music that is in the mainstream for a fleeting second, it feels very satisfying that there are albums like Kid A that provoke thought and conversation in the realm important and influential music and art.  I love this album, but I think I love what it represents (the ideas, the history, the creativity, the boldness, the necessity, the genius, the integrity) more than the music itself.  I suppose this last statement could lead others to call me a snob and that’s certainly true.  But with so much great music out there, sometimes it takes circumstances surrounding an album that truly make it great.  And that is what Kid A is for me.

-M

Comedy Sunday

I experienced two different sides of the comedy spectrum today. To whit:

Cyrus (2010)

I really wanted to like this much more than I did. I don't have enough experience with mumblecore to say whether or not this is representative of it (Although another mumblecore movie, Hump Day, co-starring one of the co-directors of this movie, Mark Duplass, I thought was much better than this) I have to say for all the talent here, this didn't do that much to me. The problem for me, was it felt so inauthentic, sure it was a bunch of broken characters meeting eachother and trying to figure out life-I get that. But the main romance, between John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei rang really false. Mostly because Reilly, while damaged himself, seems like a prototypical nice guy, and Marisa Tomei, while beautiful, seems way too strange and too-close to the son (the main crux of the problem in the movie) it just doesn't seem like Reilly would actually put up with her no matter how beautiful she is. (And she is.) So, in that respect, despite its indie, lo-fi trappings, it is pretty much like any number of big screen romantic comedies where a woman acts crazy and a seemingly normal guy still falls for her. That being said, I have to admit, that John C. Reilly is a hell of an actor, and has a few quietly affecting moments here. But in the end, despite, having a few moments, its simply wasn't that funny or interesting to me. (The one real surprise, to me, was that it was produced by Tony and Ridley Scott.)

Bridesmaids (2011)

Ah, now this is more like it. A straight-up great entry in the Apatowian school of comedy. It was truly funny and truly heartfelt without it ever feeling like it was forced, pretty much in the vein of the best Apatow tradition. But he only produced here, and I think a lot of the credit should go to Kristen Wiig, who cowrote the screenplay, and Apatow/Freaks and Geeks alum, director Paul Feig.  If there is justice this movie should make the likes of Kristen Wiig a star, but I have to point out the turns of Melissa McCarthy and Chris O' Dowd, who are both great here. McCarthy, in particular, rises above what could have been just a stereotypically raunchy role, to reveal a certain depth, and that she is actually one of the most well-adjusted of the bridesmaids. It doesn't matter, and it shouldn't, that this movie is a women-centric one, the truths here about friendship and finding oneself in the world are universal.

-K

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

Your mileage is really going to vary with this one. I guess it's just like any other horror movie in that you either find it scary or you find it boring. I suppose a boring argument can be made, honestly,  since for long stretches of this movie not that much happens. And it depends a lot on your knowledge of the first movie to give these scenes of nothing happening any sort of suspenseful power. Me? I have to admit I fell into the former camp, I actually thought it was creepy. For me, the idea to record, this time, mostly on home surveillance cameras gave everything an eerie quality which ratcheted up the tension. Maybe it was the setting I watched it in: late at night with three other people who were eager to get scared and have fun, and to us, at that moment it delivered pretty well. And storywise, as much as there is one beyond "things going bump in the night" it actually made a pretty good justification as a sequel/prequel with a pretty good twist at the end. I wouldn't be against seeing Paranormal Activity 3 (coming out in October, so I won't have to wait long) to see them actually deepen the mythology surrounding this family somewhat. (The family that gets bothered by the demons this time is the sister of the woman who was haunted in the first Paranormal Activity). 

R.I.P. Jackie Cooper

Actor Jackie Cooper died yesterday at 88.  For people, of my generation, I am quite sure we know him best as Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet in the original four, Christopher Reeve Superman movies.



(By the way, its really hard to find embeddable Superman  clips that feature Cooper for some reason.)

When someone passes away, it goes without saying, that you tend to find out things about people you might not have known about them. Like I said, it goes without saying. But I found that Jackie Cooper's story, which I didn't realize was that he was one of the few in Hollywood to parlay his childhood acting success into an actual, long term career. He started out in the old Our Gang shorts, became one of the youngest actors, at 9, to be nominated for an Oscar, and was apparently one of MGM's first studio stars in the 1930's. I had no idea. Anyway, read the AV Club article, where I borrowed most of this from, is really good and should be checked out. Yeah, I'm being lazy