FESTIVAL REVIEW - BONNAROO 2008

Here’s a few interesting things that happened on stage at the seventh annual Bonnaroo in rural Manchester, Tennessee: My Morning Jacket controlled the weather, Eddie Vedder tripped on acid (allegedly), Chris Rock cracked wise, Metallica scared the shit out of a field of fucked up hippies, M.I.A. retired from the music biz (maybe), and Kanye West showed up at 4:30 in the morning to play a set originally scheduled for 8:15 PM.

To make matters worse for Mr. West (soon known as “Kanye Worst” to Bonnaroo Nation), his just-post 4:20 arrival time removed the dark from of his “glow in the dark” stage show, and, unfortunately, “glow in the dawn” just doesn’t work as well. Also, the handful of brave souls who actually stuck around ended up throwing their hackysacks at him in disgust (true!).

Oh well. The rest of the fest proved that Bonnaroo continues to be America’s best and most diverse live music and camping festival, branching out from its jamband roots in new and often unexpected directions. In addition to the creeping indie-rock presence at previous Bonnaroos, the 2008 edition also incorporated the heavy metal of main stagers Metallica and newcomers Mastodon, hip hop from Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco and Chali 2Na of Jurassic 5, a late night dance party with world-famous trance DJ Tiesto, hard rocking from the Raconteurs, and strong performances from strong women like Rilo Kiley, Sharon Jones, Cat Power, Adele and Alison Krauss, who generously shared her stage (and excellent band) with some old guy named Robert Plant. Speaking of old guys, the line-up also featured a lifetime achievement contingent, with excellent, catch-them-while-you-can sets from living legends B.B. King, Willie Nelson, and Levon Helm.

Starting about noon each day and extending well into the early morning hours, Bonnaroo’s relentless schedule was tempered this year by forgiving weather, with temperatures peaking in the low nineties, plenty of cloud cover, and just enough rain to keep things cool (and the dust down), without any of the near biblical flooding of years past. Fans responded by packing the post-midnight performances of legendarily expansive acts like Phil Lesh and Friends, the Disco Biscuits, and Sigur Ros, sleeping it off in their tents, and then returning to the fair grounds early the next day to catch exciting up-and-comers including Minus the Bear, Two Gallants, !!!, and Battles.

Of course, if it’s still too hot to suit you in the afternoon, stop by the air conditioned “Somethin’ Else” tent, which faithfully recreated the look and feel of a New Orleans juke joint, complete with performances by Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Trombone Shorty, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Ivan Neville's Dumpstafunk and other heavy hitters from the still recovering Big Easy music scene, with proceeds from the separate admission tent going to support the ongoing efforts to resurrect one of the world’s most legendary and important musical communities.

Meanwhile, back out in the heat, M.I.A. thrilled the Bonnaroo crowd like no other performer, inciting an ecstatic, chaotic moshpit that nearly overflowed into pandemonium, especially when the Sri Lankan born MC, who recently cancelled an upcoming European tour, announced. “This is my last show. And I’m glad that I’m spending it with all my hippies!”

Oh yeah, you’re probably wondering how My Morning Jacket controls the weather. No idea, but immediately after referencing the band’s legendary 2004 Bonnaroo afternoon performance, dubbed “Return to Thunderdome” because of an incredibly well choreographed rain storm arrival, frontman Jim James again showed an uncanny ability to incorporate the elements into his stage show, offering up a four-hour affair that featured new songs from the just released album Evil Urges, plenty of hits from the backlist, a guest appearance from Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, and covers of James Brown, Motley Crue, Kool and the Gang, and the Velvet Underground—all the while, starting and stopping the cloudbursts on cue, often with downpours and reprieves arriving right on beat.

As for Pearl Jam, the longstanding grungemasters mixed hits and rarities in another excellent, extended performance on the main stage. Playing to his biggest crowd since tragedy struck in 2000 during a performance at Denmark's Roskilde Festival, Eddie Vedder appeared physically moved by the experience. Towards the end, during “Better Man,” the crowd responded with a sea of lighters held up under the nearly full moon, a trippy sight to behold indeed.

“That’s… beautiful,” Vedder muttered, among his most coherent between-song comments of the night. So was he really on acid? That’s the word from the most unfounded of all rumor mills, some guy standing behind me who was also on acid.

Moving right along, here’s the best joke from Chris Rock’s performance, chiding the hippies for taking pharmies instead of smoking weed: "You all should be ashamed of yourselves for taking antidepressants to see a comedian. I am an antidepressant!"

Bringing it all back home on Sunday night, Widespread Panic, who headlined the first ‘Roo in 2002, returned for an extended festival closing show that left a field of exhausted, satisfied Bonnaroovians in its wake, some still dancing, but most sprawled out on blankets in a massive field of dew.

See ya next year!

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