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Friday, June 15, 2007
Music Blogaroo - Thursday
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jun 15, 2007 at 10:09 AM
Helicopters, portajohns, sunburns, beer, water, pot, tents, bad cell phone service – they all go hand-in-hand with Bonnaroo, it seems.
The first day started at around 5 p.m. for me as I pulled in to my camping site – in the middle of a field – and pitched a tent. After a celebratory beer after the hammering of stakes into what seemed like rocks, I made my way out into “Centeroo” – the heart of this four-day festival that takes place on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn.
A mushroom-shaped fountain greets all who enter with plenty of water shooting from all angles. In the 90-degree heat, plenty of people run through or just stand under it. Of course, some people just took in the shade wherever they could find it.
By the time darkness fell, it looked like a good portion of the nearly 100,000 people expected were already here. A helicopter is also constantly flying circles around the site, even at night ... not too sure why.
A note to Cingular cell owners – get a different carrier before attending Bonnaroo. Your phone may work in the early hours, but with 100,000 in attendance and only one cell tower to serve them, making calls is anything but easy. (Verizon users seem to have no problem, but I can’t even send a text message.)
While smaller acts began at noon, the main entertainment kicked off at 6 in the comedy tent. With hundreds waiting in line – it’s air conditioned – the 1,300-capacity venue filled in quickly.
Lewis Black kicked off the set warning one member of the crowd who was continually screaming that he “peaked too early.”
L.A. indie pop band The Little Ones welcomed in the music portion of the day. Singer Ed Reyes wished the crowd “Happy Bonnaroo” before launching into their set.
Things got harder with The Black Angels. A Morrison-esque singer howled and conjured images of Radiohead as they rifled on through the night.
Rock-noise band MuteMath made things interesting as the drummer came out and violently taped a set of headphones to his head with black electrical tape. (I hate to think of the pain when he has to rip that stuff off.)
David Cross wrapped things up in the comedy tent along with Aziz Ansari and Nick Kroll. While Ansari was weak at times, the trio hit a high point with a “You Might Be a Deadneck” performance a la Blue Collar Comedy Tour.
The trio mostly focused on music and the drug use at Bonnaroo, asking one girl about her mushroom use while suggesting that audience members should learn how to ration their supply instead of taking it all on the first day. Some were obviously high enough to light up pipes in the front row.
Around midnight, the night was capped off with a duo of intense performances. Clutch kicked up a dust bowl in “This Tent” while Rodrigo y Gabriela strummed their fingers off in “That Tent.”
The names of the stages here play like an Abbott & Costello routine:
“Let’s go to This Tent.”
“Ziggy Marley is on What Stage. The Flaming Lips are on Which Stage, and Keller Williams is in The Other Tent.”
It can be confusing …
Rodrigo y Gabriela brought on a lot of “Who is that? They’re awesome!” comments from people in the crowd. They also drew the heat in more ways than one. At least two people passed out before the set began – in combination with urinating on themselves. Yep – good times are had by all.
If it sounds a bit rushed – it is. For the most part, I spent the evening bouncing around between stages, getting a glimpse of bands I haven’t heard before, and sticking around for a little while for those I enjoy.
By the time things wrapped up around 2 a.m., effort was put into the long walk back to the campsite.
Oh, and I found out why the showers are such a hot commodity. They should call this “Dirtaroo.” It doesn’t take long before everything is covered in it – your feet, your camera, your hands, your face … it’s everywhere.
Friday’s festivities are about to kick off. Highlights of the day – Kings of Leon, The Roots, The Nightwatchman, a headlining set by Tool and a late night “Superjam” with John Paul Jones, Ben Harper and ?uestlove.
Stay hydrated …
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