I’ve been dog-sick with a fever for most of this new year and only two things so far have gotten me seriously up: seeing Melvin Van Peebles at a live audience Q+A (up soon) and the announcement of the 2011 Bonnaroo line-up. Herewith, the first round of the line-up and a few flashback vids from from ?uestlove +Led Zeps JPJ + Ben Harper jamming, David Byrne, Neon Indian, Erykah Badu and !!!, with much more en route…WARNING: partial nudity, nipplez alert!
Thanksgiving notwithstanding, Bonnaroo is my favorite week of the year. I have love for a lot of festivals, but I’ve simply never felt more comfortable and well, naturally happy than on that damn farm in Tennessee.
Erykah Badu taking one of the biggest festival stages on the plant, filmed by DG Loral.
From the second she came out onstage, Badu owned the crowd in a way that few performers do at any festivos, and with a genuine, live musicianship — that voice — that puts you in the moment, in a state of grace. I’ll always brag about he fact that I’m the guy who told her, at about 3 a.m. many moons ago during an interview at Jimi Hendrix’s old studio, that she should play Bonnaroo…and she did, and this was a legendary show; one of my all-time favorite moments of an artists taking WHAT STAGE (that’s its proper name) — we’re talking about the biggest stage Roo has — and by definition one of the biggest festival stages in the world.
David Byrne brings his arty travelin’ show to TN
DB is one of the few cats who could seriously challenge the late, great Ian Curtis to a spazzy dance-off. Byrne is also incredibly gracious about being filmed and has been known to argue with meat-headed security (not at Bonnaroo) about them stopping folks from shooting. Beautiful set, ‘nice moves, here’s two songs.
?usetlove, Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones and Ben Harper
This is amongst my very greatest festival experiences…this summer night saw them do Mayfield, Zeppelin, and simply all kinds of stuff at the annual the Bonnaroo Superjam…I remember being backstage and Roots guitarist Captain Kirk introduces himself to me, told me he was late and asked me where he should go. I was holding my camera and I bowed and helped him find the stage manager. ‘Wish you coulda been there…
!!! fully comprehend that the live show is a chance to jam along with each other, as opposed to just a laptop.
I would seriously say that “jamband” is not a noun but an adverb and that !!! are amongst my favorite jambands and they are one of the bands that I hoped prayed would be at Bonnaroo again. Another band I was hoping would be there are Widespread Panic, who are the perfectly example of not necessarily famous cats delivering insanely good and varied musical sets that have everybody and anybody smiling. I will never forget when they played War’s “The World Is a Ghetto” which is a seven-inch I bought at like age 6? in the Bronx. You couldn’t take the smile off of my face for a day. Tears of joy and yes, pouring some out for the brothers and sisters not with us, as the crowd chanted, rightly so: Widespread Panic ain’t nuthin’ to fuck with! I also remember someone was throwing tortillas in the air like frisbees and it was really trippy; I caught one and ate one, and it felt like nourishment and it was heh heh Everybody should experience a Widespread panic show at least once: I’m talking about going from soul to funk to stone-cold metal through myriad, one-of-a-kind moments. Additional metal and funk highlights for 2011? The Sword who are simply devastating, and yes, Bootsy Collins! Sigh…
Neon Indian, Bonnaroo 2010..nipplez alert
Always clutch the way Bonnaroo uniquely curates the classic with the contemporary in THAT TENT (that’s its proper name); Phoenix, MGMT, Dirty Projectors, Santigold, MIA, Sigur Ros, along with stone cold legends, like the late great Solomon Burke (to whom Jagger did a tribute at this year’ Grammys) Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson have played my favorite stage at any festival anywhere…you could just spend the day @ THAT TENT and be straight.
Bonnaroo 2011 Line-up. more info at BONNAROO
Eminem
Arcade Fire
Widespread Panic
The Black Keys
Buffalo Springfield feat Richie Furay, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Rick Rosas, Joe Vitale
My Morning Jacket
Lil Wayne
String Cheese Incident
Robert Plant & Band of Joy
Mumford & Sons
The Strokes
The Decemberists
Ray Lamontagne
Bassnectar
Iron & Wine
Girl Talk
Primus
Dr. John and The Original Meters performing Desitively Bonnaroo
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Pretty Lights
Florence + the Machine
SuperJam with Dan Auerbach and Dr. John
Explosions In The Sky
STS9
Gogol Bordello
Beirut
Big Boi
Scissor Sisters
Gregg Allman
Ratatat
Global Gypsy Punk Revue curated by Eugene Hütz
Robyn
Warren Haynes Band
Deerhunter
Opeth
Atmosphere
Old Crow Medicine Show
Bootsy Collins & the Funk University
Wiz Khalifa
Matt & Kim
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
The Del McCoury Band & the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Mavis Staples
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Chiddy Bang
Jovanotti
Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers
Loretta Lynn
Cold War Kids
The Walkmen
Devotchka
Wanda Jackson
Neon Trees
Portugal. The Man
Sleigh Bells
Amos Lee
Best Coast
Dãm-Funk & Master Blazter
The Sword
The Drums
The Black Angels
School of Seven Bells
J. Cole
Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea
Wavves
!!!
Junip
Freelance Whales
Justin Townes Earle
Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses
Deer Tick
Band of Skulls
Sharon Van Etten
Abigail Washburn
Omar Souleyman
Twin Shadow
Kylesa
Man Man
The Low Anthem
Alberta Cross
Railroad Earth
Jessica Lea Mayfield
Smith Westerns
The Head and the Heart
Karen Elson
Beats Antique
22-20s
Phosphorescent
Clare Maguire
Hayes Carl
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