With photo editing software on the fritz, pictures will have to wait until later — or they'll show up in print on June 27 for a special photo page from the festival.
First, I’d like to send thoughts to the family of Cody Conover of Kentucky. The 25-year-old died at the festival — no cause of death has been determined yet, according to a local TV station. It's sad news … Conover is the sixth death at the festival in six years.
It’s day three at Bonnaroo, and the dirt’s just getting thicker…
Another packed day of incredible music, but here’s what I’ve learned about the festival so far:
- When the sun comes up, your tent turns into an oven. No matter how late you get to bed, you’ll either wake up at 7 a.m. because it’s hot or later, in a pool of sweat.
-If you’re a guy, and wonder what you’d look like with facial hair – come to Bonnaroo. Cold water shaving isn’t fun – if you get to shower.
- Hippies may preach peace and love, but they should also include “clean up after yourselves.” It’s sad how many people just leave their crap behind. Sure, some of the people are probably too drunk or high to care, but even the journalists in the media tent leave their water bottles around.
- It’s hot. All the time. Find shade when you can, stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and stay hydrated. I don’t think I’ve ever drank this much water in a day … ever.
- Plan your days. You can’t see everyone, so choose wisely. Or, plan on bouncing around like Tigger to check out as much as you can.
- There’s a wide variety of food priced between $5 and $10.
- You never know when someone will show up at a set or who’s standing next to you. John Butler was spotted on the VIP bleachers, members of Brazilian Girls seem to be all over the place, singer of String Cheese Incident was in the Guest Bleachers, ?uestlove was in the photo pit. It’s great to see everyone – artists and fans – checking out all they can.
- Bring some food – I brought Pop Tarts and PBJ, so I only need to worry about dinner.
- Enjoy the music. There’s plenty of it … Think of this as a Lollapalooza, Ozzfest or Warped Tour. Instead of two or three stages, there are more like 10. And instead of a one-day, all-day event, it's four days going from around noon to 3 a.m. each day. (It starts later on the first day, and ends earlier on the last day.)
Enough of that.
Saturday’s music kicked off with the down-home Dixie stylings of Old Crow Medicine Show. The main stage welcomed the Wild Magnolia Mardi Gras Indians who were decked out in full regalia and having a party in front of a sparse crowd. Of course their opening song, “Aiko Aiko” drew plenty of people in.
At an early press conference, Lewis Black told journalists the festival is “a blur” and “a continuation of last year.”
Black was later seen on the side of the stage during The Police, as were Ben Harper and Laura Dern – reportedly.
Ziggy Marley said “the greatest thing is to bring people to gether.” Marley performed on the main stage, including a number of his father’s hits, including “Lively Up Yourself.”
Before that, Regina Spektor captivated audiences with her pop piano music. A solo Spektor seemed to truly be having a blast – even when she forgot the words. She greeted it with a pause and a big laugh noting that “it never happens at home, only on stage.” She also said the Jewish and Russian sides of her make her “care about everyone.” “Stay hydrated. Wear sun block,” she told the crowd.
An afternoon press conference featured an all-star lineup of Pete Yorn, Nathan Followill, Bob Weir, Chali 2na, Wayne Coyne and others. Coyne called Bonnaroo an “adventure” while they discussed the event’s roots in European festivals. Coyne said one of my favorite quotes of the festival: “Music reminds us of how good it is to be alive.”
Weir was asked about the origins of the Monterey Pop Festival – as it was the 40th anniversary of the event.
Lingering outside the press tent, for most of the day, was BMX biker Mat Hoffman. He was at the Spin tent doing some interviews, including one with Coyne.
Ben Harper led an energetic and full-spirited set on the main stage. It gave me the urge to check out more of his music.
Franz Ferdinand offered fans their European rock while Keller Williams went the acoustic route. Ween had a large crowd of followers who sang whole-heartedly. If you ever see Ween live, enjoy the singer’s faces and actions.
The first big show of the day was The Police. They came out and to put it simply, sounded fantastic. They were spot on and looked to be having fun. Stewart Copeland told the crowd that Sting would get naked with them before their encore, but the bassist only took his shirt off – to the delight of many women.
Many artists, including Warren Haynes and Kings of Leon, were seen walking toward the stage before the show started. And, like Tool, their set ended early – lasting about one hour and 40 minutes instead of the scheduled two-and-a-half.
I’d say the biggest show of the night was The Flaming Lips. Though they were scheduled for midnight, fans – and photographers – got a shock when a light show and the sound of “War Pigs” broke the silence an hour early.
A spot-on rendition of the song, as journalists ran toward the stage, ended with Coyne saying, “That was the most enthusiastic sound check we’ve ever had. We’ll be back in an hour.”
If that was their sound check, you knew the show would be amazing. And that it was. With girls dressed up as Santa Claus and alien cheerleaders lining the stage, a “spaceship” of lights landed on the stage. After most band members crawled out, Coyne rolled off the top in a giant plastic bubble. He made his way a short distance into the crowd before being released on stage.
As photographers were kicked out of the photo pit – we’re usually only allowed three songs or 15 minutes – Coyne said, “You don’t have to leave. You can all stay and take pictures if you want.” While the photogs were cheering, security said they couldn’t deal with all the people, and ushered us out.
Upon exiting the pit, you would think that the entire Police audience was watching the Lips. A sea of people were using laser pointers, tossing around a bunch of huge balloons and being covered by a mountain of confetti. The band truly puts on a “show” and an amazing one at that – musically and visually.
Meanwhile, the jam-at-heart were happy with Gov’t Mule – who were joined briefly on stage by Bob Weir for a couple tunes, including “Sugaree.”
On the other side of the festival, Galactic was getting help from a variety of hip-hop artists.
There is so much to see at Bonnaroo, that it usually takes a lot of time to just soak it all in.
Highlights for Sunday will surely include John Butler Trio, Ratdog, Wolfmother, Feist, Ornette Coleman and The White Stripes.
With an early departure time on Monday, it may be nightfall tomorrow before a final Blogaroo is posted.
Ah, music … Tune in, turn it up.