Into The 'Roo: Dash After Dash

posted in: Features

Another Bonnaroo has come and gone. And while I try to console myself with the fact that next year will be here sooner than I know it, I have to recognize that I’m no longer in the middle of a 40 acre farm, dashing as fast as one can dash in the 100 degree heat to ensure I catch at least one song of every band worthy of my tired ears.

Saturday involved a LOT of said dashing. With acts like Mumford & Sons, The Dead Weather, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Beck and, of course, Jay-Z, it was all I could do to stay focused (and hydrated). Still I hit the ground running.

I knew after hearing “Little Lion Man” played out on the radio that Mumford & Sons was an act necessary of seeing. And while the general assumption was that the 4 piece’s set would consist of their best upbeat, rollicking tunes, our expectations were definitely exceeded. Songs like “The Cave” and “Awake My Soul” started slow and crescendoed into an exhilarating ruckus. But when the group brought on Old Crow Medicine Show to perform “Wagon Wheel,” it’s safe to say they brought everyone to tears as they wrapped up the set.

Up next was The Dead Weather, Jack White’s latest alt rock supergroup comprised of Alison Mosshart (The Kills and Discount), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age), and Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes).  In a weird twist of Bonnaroo fate, the skies opened up just long enough to drizzle over the main stage where The Dead Weather was performing. Rain and mud was perfectly fitting with their spooky and snake-hipped sounds, complete with Gothic slurs and Mosshart’s leather-clad sexuality. By the time The Dead Weather’s set ended, the rain subsided, allowing Jack White the perfect set up for his parting words “Just remember which band brought the rain today.”

If you were following along on Twitter, you know that I was particularly torn between the 7PM time slot when both Jeff Beck and John Prine were scheduled to perform. While Jeff Beck is my kind of musician, rock ‘n’ roll to his core and ranked 14th in Rolling Stone‘s Greatest Guitarist of All Time”never mind being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jimmy Page” I couldn’t ignore the effect that John Prine could have on this audience. A pioneer in American country/folk, Prine lives right in Nashville and has written some of the most well-known country songs in the world, including “Angel From Montgomery” and “Paradise”. I managed to “dash” between both of them. And while the music was very different between the pair, it provided a very cool paradox of two similarly influential and respected artists performing very different genres.

The nighttime brought out the heavyweights, Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z. Wonder played a career-spanning set, ensuring that the entire crowd sang along the whole time. Dressed all in white, he played hits such as “Superstition” and “Higher Ground.” He then went on to criticize dishonest politics, saying “If you want to be a supremacist, then be the supreme of getting people together,” before playing a bar of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.”

Jay-Z came on stage with the intention of turning the place “into a night club” and saying that he couldn’t wait to tell his mom that Stevie Wonder stayed around for his set. Despite Bonnaroo’s history as a jam fest, the event now embraces all music genres including hip hop, and Jay-Z’s performance was the epitome of this transformation. Though the rapper introduced himself to those who may not have known him, it was obvious everyone was familiar with his work when he performed hits like “99 Problems” and “Big Pimpin'”. Many were of the thought that Jay-Z’s performance Saturday night couldn’t be topped. And while his mastery of the crowd and glowing transformation of the field were none to be rivaled, there was still an entire day left of performances in store for Sunday.