Highlights From Bonnaroo 2011 (Part 1)
It is almost inexplicable that a serious live music fan from Tennessee would miss Bonnaroo (the US answer to Glastonbury Festival) for each of its 9 first years, but that is indeed what I have done. Thankfully though, 2011 was finally my year, and all the stars aligned to get me there with a schedule that allowed me to take a full 4-day dose of Bonnaroo medicine at one pop. Thus, having now survived my first Bonnaroo with new wife Athena as my adventuring companion, I can say that I’m definitely ready to go again, but I’ll undoubtedly be prepare better for the marathon of music and dirt and sleep deprivation than I did this time around.
Athena and Jesse at Bonnaroo 2011
I could write about the dust which transformed the whole area into a post-apocalyptic landscape populated by hippies and half naked college students, or about the mind-boggling logistics of hosting a 90,000 person camping/music festival on a farm (having just hosted a wedding on my own farm), or about the amusing stoner antics of all my camping neighbors, but instead I just want to jot down my notes on the music so someday I can tell my grandkids who I saw and what I thought of them.
Here then forthwith is my personal Bonnaroo 2011 “setlist” of every single act I saw perform in the order I saw them… (click the band names below for videos or info…)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Uncle Skeleton – A big local band from Nashville that won all the battle of the band contests to earn a slot a Bonnaroo. Great sound with 4 violins, cello, a small horn section, keyboard, drumset, bass, 2 guitars, vocals, and a DJ/turntablist. A bit too heavy on the atmospheric electronica side, but their live gig was better than their studio stuff…
Kopecky Family Band – Another local Nashville band… sort of rootsy alternative rock with some loud stuff mixed in. The best part was that halfwway through their set they suddenly pulled out a hidden trombone and a cello and rocked out on them like there was no tomorrow.
Hayes Carle – The latest singer-songwriter from Austin is as expected: funny, smart, twangy, folk-rocky, good. He didn’t play my favorite song (She Left Me For Jesus) though. He’s good, but one notch down from the likes of Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, or James McMurtry.
Karen Elson – Mostly slow atmospheric alternative roots rock sound with some harder stuff mixed in. She would be better in a cub venue than a big outdoor stage. She’s pretty (used to be a supermodel) and a haunting but not terribly dynamic singer. I actually like her stuff alot, but got really annoyed that she used the exact same strumming pattern for every single song. Athena says this is good slow-dancing in the kitchen music. I agree as long as you like your slow dances to be mostly about dead people.
Karen Elson looks like her songs sound.
The NBA Finals – Watched the Heat get beat in a raucous but blissfully air-conditioned tent with 1000 other drunken basketball fans.
Mawre and Company – African Drum and Dance ensemble from Ghana (by way of Chatanooga).
Fresh Trix Breakdancing – A few amazing moves, but not the cream of the crop.
Gypsy Hands Tribal Dance – Super sexy. Amazing muscle control and isolation. I tried it myself. It’s really hard. Impossible actually.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Sharon Van Etten – A Brooklyn based folk-rock songwriter with a big, all-electric band (3 guitars, drum, and base). Beautiful, atmospheric, sad songs. Incredibly polite stage banter. Seemed like she was new to being on really big stages, but she held her own well.
Sharon Van Etten said "I had no idea Bonnaroo was such a big deal..."
Ben Solee – Ben Solee is the best show I have seen so far at Bonnaroo. How much can one dude rock out with only a cello? More than you can possibly imagine. More, at least, than I imagined in advance. I love happy musical surprises, and though I new his music from an album I bought, I had no idea how good his live show would be. Really engaged audience was bopping along. His vocals were great, and he brought along a violinist, drummer, and a horn section for added awesomeness. Apparently the last time he came to Bonnaroo he rode his bicycle 330 miles from Kentucky (with the cello attached!) to spread the word about the evils of mountain removal coal mining. Cool guy. Good music. Good show.
Bela Fleck & The (Original) Flecktones – It has been a LONG time since I’ve seen Bela Fleck in full tie-dye jazz jam band mode, and I’d forgotten how good it is. The last four times I’ve seen him have been with Toumani Diabate, or with Zakir Hussein, or with Edgar Meyer, or in “new” Flecktones mode with Paul McCandless. This is the first time since the 90′s that I’ve seen him with the “original” Flecktones including harmonica and piano player extraoridnaire Howard Levy. Where has he been all this time? Howard Levy is the most amazing harmonica player I have ever seen, and his jazz piano chops ain’t bad either. His harmonica sounds can also sound like the funkiest clarinet you have listened to, or like a Curtis Mayfield wah wah guitar on full Superfly setting. Bela is the best banjo player in the world, and Victor Wooten is still my favorite bass player in any genre. I still wish they would replace future man with a someone playing a real drum kit (and I hate it when they let him sing), but I’ll let it slide. Good show, and we got good spots not too far back.
Bela Fleck jamming with Victor Wooten...
...before changing clothes and running over to jam with Abigail Washburn.
Abigail Washburn – Great vocals. Lots more powerful than I would have expected from videos and recordings. Sings in Chinese too! Bela Fleck, having changed from tie-dye into “nice” clothes sat in. Great to see her “clawhammer” old-time banjo style mixed with Bela’s bluegrass style. Plus 2 violinists, including a woman in a very distractingly sexy dress. Athena called it “the naked dress.” Also had bass and drums and guitar. The set was marred by terrible feedback. the first of many sound engineering problems at this same stage… Too bad, but sounded great in fits and spurts.
The Decemberists – The first thing I went to see at one of the two really big stages. Great energy. Songs I already knew. LOTS of people singing along and having a good time. I liked them more than I expected.
Wanda Jackson – Man, I stumbled into this by accident, and only caught the last 4 or 5 songs, but oh what a rockin’ party. This old lady was burning down the house better than most of the acts 50 years younger than her. I love old ladies who kick ass. Wanda is indeed the Queen of Rockabilly. Another good surprise.
The Del McCoury Band with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band – This is more or less musical nirvana for me. I have lots of warm fuzzy memories surrounding the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and youthful trips to New Orleans, and the Del McCoury band is still the best traditional bluegrass band on earth. I would have bought a ticket to Bonnaroo just for this. The talent on display is monumental. I danced and sang along to the whole set. And the encore: of course, When The Saints Go Marching In. Pure musical ecstacy and a match made in heaven. Apparently there is an album out featuring the two bands together, but I can’t imagine it coming close to a live show. Catch them if you can. (only downside was a feedback problem again. same stage as Abigail Washburn earlier in the day. Get a soundman who understands acoustic music damn you!)
We got right up front to hear Del Mcoury and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Arcade Fire – I saw Arcade Fire from four feet away in a crumbling hotel lobby in Haiti a couple of months ago with a crowd of 40 people. Then I saw them at Bonnaroo on the big stage with a crowd of 90,000 people. They were great both times, but man what a change in venue. These worlds could not be further apart.
After Arcade Fire, we had to stumble back to our tent and crash. Only two more days to go…
