Click here here to see a slideshow of images taken by Devin Grant at Bonnaroo. Until next year ...
Friday, June 26, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Winding Down
Last night, I went to the medical tent at 3 in the morning with the complaint that my throat hurt so much I could no longer swallow. I was prepared to drive myself to the emergency room in Manchester if such a thing existed. The doctor there assured me I would survive until Monday, that my body was run down and I just wasn't feeling well. He wrote me a prescription for antibiotics before going into a long lecture on how our society is over medicated and that I should not fill the prescription if at all possible. I asked, "so dancing until 4 in the morning is probably not a good idea?" To which he responded, "no, I think dancing is good for your immune system". And he was right. I feel much better today, after a few pain killers, many cough drops and as much sleep as Bonnaroo will allow.
The highlight of yesterday was Jenny Lewis bringing out Elvis Costello to sing with her. Raphael Saadig performed in the tent before Jenny Lewis and played some incredible funk music to which Emily, Katie and I danced like fools to. We waited until that crowd cleared out and moved up to the front for Jenny Lewis. She had the most hipster back up band I have ever seen and her voice was clear and beautiful. I could sing a long to almost every song she played. The two girl drummers had a face off and the set ended with her back up band transforming into her traveling choir with phenomonal 6 part harmonies.
Wilco played after Jenny Lewis and was extremely laid back. So laid back, Katie fell asleep on the ground and the crowd consisted of people wanting to get a good spot for Bruce Springsteen. After listening to Wilco play the beautiful emotional music that they play, we went back to home base to sleep before preparing for another all nighter. There is a pattern here.
I woke up at 1AM to get ready for MGMT. A dissappointing show to say the least, I was expecting a high energy show that was going to be fun to dance to, but they played psychedelic music that would have been great to listen to if I was on a psychedelic. But since I wasn't, after my medical tent experience, I curled up on the ground as the people around me watched their glowsticks melt into their hands.
This morning was a rough one, not making it to Centeroo until 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Emily and I set up camp at the big stage and watched Erykah Badu followed by Snoop Dogg who played everyone's favorites from 10 years ago. I snuck out to catch Neko Case-adding to my obsession of red headed musicians. She played confidently and her original, quirky lyrics transported me to somewhere else other than Bonnaroo. She has this nervous habit of tucking her hair behind her ears when she performs. I am currently listening to her play "that teenage feeling" in my left ear.
After Phish tonight, we are going to head out of this place and back into the real world.
Writing from my favorite place to write from, The Troo Music Lounge. ~Vima
The highlight of yesterday was Jenny Lewis bringing out Elvis Costello to sing with her. Raphael Saadig performed in the tent before Jenny Lewis and played some incredible funk music to which Emily, Katie and I danced like fools to. We waited until that crowd cleared out and moved up to the front for Jenny Lewis. She had the most hipster back up band I have ever seen and her voice was clear and beautiful. I could sing a long to almost every song she played. The two girl drummers had a face off and the set ended with her back up band transforming into her traveling choir with phenomonal 6 part harmonies.
Wilco played after Jenny Lewis and was extremely laid back. So laid back, Katie fell asleep on the ground and the crowd consisted of people wanting to get a good spot for Bruce Springsteen. After listening to Wilco play the beautiful emotional music that they play, we went back to home base to sleep before preparing for another all nighter. There is a pattern here.
I woke up at 1AM to get ready for MGMT. A dissappointing show to say the least, I was expecting a high energy show that was going to be fun to dance to, but they played psychedelic music that would have been great to listen to if I was on a psychedelic. But since I wasn't, after my medical tent experience, I curled up on the ground as the people around me watched their glowsticks melt into their hands.
This morning was a rough one, not making it to Centeroo until 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Emily and I set up camp at the big stage and watched Erykah Badu followed by Snoop Dogg who played everyone's favorites from 10 years ago. I snuck out to catch Neko Case-adding to my obsession of red headed musicians. She played confidently and her original, quirky lyrics transported me to somewhere else other than Bonnaroo. She has this nervous habit of tucking her hair behind her ears when she performs. I am currently listening to her play "that teenage feeling" in my left ear.
After Phish tonight, we are going to head out of this place and back into the real world.
Writing from my favorite place to write from, The Troo Music Lounge. ~Vima
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Bonnaroo Day Three
Taking a "shower" this morning consisted of me standing in front of a sink in my bra and underwear, covered in soap and asking the person next to me to please pour freezing cold water down my back because I couldn't reach it myself. It was worth it and I feel much better now. The heat is on in Manchester. People keep sweating and the real showers you can pay for are elusive.
Last night, Ani DiFranco was amazing. She played with a bassist and a drummer, keeping everything pretty simple. Just her words and her voice, her political agenda and her poetry were all beautiful. The sun started setting, it was almost 8 o'clock and I was due for a much needed nap. I slept until Phoenix started playing, the french rock band was one of the best acts I have seen at Bonnaroo so far. Their electronic music was amazing to dance to and everyone who was in the crowd decided to skip the first set of Phish to see them play. They only played for 45 minutes, so at 12:15, we headed over to the large stage and watched Phish play until 2AM. This will be my 10th Phish show and I haven't seen them play since before their hiatus. Some of the songs that I remember include: waiting in the velvet sea, golgi, what your feet say, free! (my favorite), Wilson, and the encore was the band covering two Beatles songs. The energy was pretty low for a Phish show, but there were thousands of people spread out over an enourmous field, so the glow sticks that kept hitting me in the head and the exitement that usually comes along with all that was missing for some reason. At least it didn't rain.
The best part of the night was Girl Talk, a DJ who claims he is not a DJ! that mixes the wildest songs together. Katie, Emily and I danced like there was absolutely no one else around. Katie wore a jellyphish costume and Emily and I wore lime green and hot pink fake eyelashes, respectively. Girl Talk mixed Kelly Clarkson with the Supremes with Dr. Dre with MGMT with some of the dirtiest, nastiest rap I have ever heard in my life. I was blushing, the lyrics were so graphic at times, and then quickly mixed with Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield. The night ended at 4 AM with balloons falling from the ceiling of the tent. I went to sleep as the sun was rising.
This morning I woke up to the hottest car I have ever been in. I rolled to the outside and tried to sleep on the ground for a few more hours, but it was no use. So now I'm sleep deprived, sun kissed and happy.
My first act of the morning was Cherryholmes, one of my new favorite bands for when I am driving barefoot on long country highways with the windows down. The family band consists of the mom, dad and their four extremely talented children. They ended their set singing an old revival in 6 part harmony that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Today I am going to get up front for Jenny Lewis and then go to Wilco. I'll most likely take another nap and then wake up for Nine Inch Nails, MGMT and Ben Harper, all who play from the hours of 1-4AM.
Writing from the Troo Music Lounge. ~Vima
Last night, Ani DiFranco was amazing. She played with a bassist and a drummer, keeping everything pretty simple. Just her words and her voice, her political agenda and her poetry were all beautiful. The sun started setting, it was almost 8 o'clock and I was due for a much needed nap. I slept until Phoenix started playing, the french rock band was one of the best acts I have seen at Bonnaroo so far. Their electronic music was amazing to dance to and everyone who was in the crowd decided to skip the first set of Phish to see them play. They only played for 45 minutes, so at 12:15, we headed over to the large stage and watched Phish play until 2AM. This will be my 10th Phish show and I haven't seen them play since before their hiatus. Some of the songs that I remember include: waiting in the velvet sea, golgi, what your feet say, free! (my favorite), Wilson, and the encore was the band covering two Beatles songs. The energy was pretty low for a Phish show, but there were thousands of people spread out over an enourmous field, so the glow sticks that kept hitting me in the head and the exitement that usually comes along with all that was missing for some reason. At least it didn't rain.
The best part of the night was Girl Talk, a DJ who claims he is not a DJ! that mixes the wildest songs together. Katie, Emily and I danced like there was absolutely no one else around. Katie wore a jellyphish costume and Emily and I wore lime green and hot pink fake eyelashes, respectively. Girl Talk mixed Kelly Clarkson with the Supremes with Dr. Dre with MGMT with some of the dirtiest, nastiest rap I have ever heard in my life. I was blushing, the lyrics were so graphic at times, and then quickly mixed with Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield. The night ended at 4 AM with balloons falling from the ceiling of the tent. I went to sleep as the sun was rising.
This morning I woke up to the hottest car I have ever been in. I rolled to the outside and tried to sleep on the ground for a few more hours, but it was no use. So now I'm sleep deprived, sun kissed and happy.
My first act of the morning was Cherryholmes, one of my new favorite bands for when I am driving barefoot on long country highways with the windows down. The family band consists of the mom, dad and their four extremely talented children. They ended their set singing an old revival in 6 part harmony that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Today I am going to get up front for Jenny Lewis and then go to Wilco. I'll most likely take another nap and then wake up for Nine Inch Nails, MGMT and Ben Harper, all who play from the hours of 1-4AM.
Writing from the Troo Music Lounge. ~Vima
more, from the press tent:
right. yep. I've been playing their music obsessively since I found
them. the kaki king album, "dreaming of revenge" is really special.
and both of the bon iver releases "for emma forever ago" and the new
EP, "blood bank," are fantastic. (though I wish he would get rid of
that damn autotune vocoder thing.)
so yep. they were right there, and it was am amazing feeling to be so
close to musical heroes.
I was amazed at how humble they both are. outside of this tent, you
wouldn't know that they are "stars" or whatever. love it.
.marcus
Friday, June 12, 2009
At the DJ Academy
Dancing to Daft Punk in the DJ Academy booth, where I am about to take a class on how to scratch and spin records. This will be a good warm up for the silent disco, where everyone has headphones on and is listening to the same music, but from the outside, it looks like everyone is dancing to the music in their heads.
I just came from Kaki King who is a phenomonal guitar player. Her fingernails are extremely long and she played acoustically on the sonic stage. Her instrumental music is soothing and she is so extrememly talented with those 6 strings. She plays the body of the guitar so that it sounds like there is percussion playing with her. I left the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to go see Kaki King. The experimental electronic music must have been a theme that day at the Which Stage, before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs the Animal Collective played. The set started out strong and danceable but then slowly turned into a strange mix of sounds that was almost hard to listen to. We stuck it out until the end and they pulled it together, ending on a strong note where it seemed as if they were interacting with the audience and with each other. I left the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when the screaming started.
This morning I sat underneath a tree and listened to Toubab Krewe, a band from North Carolina that plays West African music. I saw them play at the Pour House when they came to visit Charleston. I love complicated instrumental music. After Toubab Krewe, Bela Fleck played a set that gave my friends and I a much needed break from dancing in the sun. He played dueling banjos as his last song. Bluegrass is my favorite.
Have I mentioned the sun yet? It came out after I left the cafe this morning and has been around all day. I believe sunscreen is for wimps, but for those who burn easily in the sun, a lot of water, sunscreen and a hat are needed today. My idea of a shower was running into the fountain with hundreds of other sweaty dancers. I got a good tip from the guy next to me, "just don't look at the color of the water".
Have I mentioned the water yet? Eggs. Sulfur. Wow. There are free water stations where you can fill up empty water bottles and the smell is overwhelming. Katie said, "when I burp, I taste eggs". Yummy.
I am on my way to see Ani Difranco and Lucinda Williams before I go back to the tent to take a break. Phish plays from 11-2 and then Girl Talk goes until after 3 in the morning. Good thing I brought my dancing shoes. Off to learn how to be a DJ.
I just came from Kaki King who is a phenomonal guitar player. Her fingernails are extremely long and she played acoustically on the sonic stage. Her instrumental music is soothing and she is so extrememly talented with those 6 strings. She plays the body of the guitar so that it sounds like there is percussion playing with her. I left the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to go see Kaki King. The experimental electronic music must have been a theme that day at the Which Stage, before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs the Animal Collective played. The set started out strong and danceable but then slowly turned into a strange mix of sounds that was almost hard to listen to. We stuck it out until the end and they pulled it together, ending on a strong note where it seemed as if they were interacting with the audience and with each other. I left the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when the screaming started.
This morning I sat underneath a tree and listened to Toubab Krewe, a band from North Carolina that plays West African music. I saw them play at the Pour House when they came to visit Charleston. I love complicated instrumental music. After Toubab Krewe, Bela Fleck played a set that gave my friends and I a much needed break from dancing in the sun. He played dueling banjos as his last song. Bluegrass is my favorite.
Have I mentioned the sun yet? It came out after I left the cafe this morning and has been around all day. I believe sunscreen is for wimps, but for those who burn easily in the sun, a lot of water, sunscreen and a hat are needed today. My idea of a shower was running into the fountain with hundreds of other sweaty dancers. I got a good tip from the guy next to me, "just don't look at the color of the water".
Have I mentioned the water yet? Eggs. Sulfur. Wow. There are free water stations where you can fill up empty water bottles and the smell is overwhelming. Katie said, "when I burp, I taste eggs". Yummy.
I am on my way to see Ani Difranco and Lucinda Williams before I go back to the tent to take a break. Phish plays from 11-2 and then Girl Talk goes until after 3 in the morning. Good thing I brought my dancing shoes. Off to learn how to be a DJ.
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