[Slip Slidin’ Away]
The final day started out with a scorching afternoon performance by Memphis’ own Lucero. I’ve really been enjoying seeing Lucero with a horn section, it’s added so much depth to their sound. A good example of where the horns excelled at this show lies in their performance of Smoke – the first track off their latest album, 1372 Overton Park. They also played such classics as Tears Don’t Matter Much and Kiss the Bottle. Their performance of Mom, also on the new album, was particularly meaningful – the song lyrics hit home and made me miss my parents.
Next up was John Fogerty. I grew up listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival and can recall the exact moment my brother ‘passed down’ his cassette tape of their greatest hits, so I was excited to see some music that I grew up with. When I arrived I heard the chords of Born on the Bayou being blasted through the speakers. I was glad I arrived when I did – because Fogerty kept up the southern rockabilly sound through his entire set. He ripped through cover versions of Night Time is the Right Time and Pretty Woman with relative ease. John played a version of Down On the Corner that would’ve made Willie and the Poor Boys proud – had CCR not departed on such bad terms in the early seventies. He also performed other classic hits from CCR and his solo career including Centerfield, Bad Moon Rising and Fortunate Son. Overall, a good song selection that helped one ignore the pounding heat you had to endure in order to see the show.
I opted to check out the Cafe Where stage that is located in the back of the main stage area because it was a tent and I desperately needed some shade. While there I happened upon a local band that I actually own an album of, but have never seen live – How I Became The Bomb. I stuck around for a couple of their songs – Zod and Secret Identity. I was impressed by their professionalism and the fact that they actually approached the audience and interacted with them. I’m definitely a fan of their synthy-pop rock, and most importantly – the fact that they have a keytar in their music (note: at least 2 keytars were played at this Bonnaroo – HIBTB and Mr. Stevie Wonder).
[Keytars on the comeback]
Kris Kristofferson started out his set by receiving the key to the city of Manchester from the mayor. What an honor it is to have him at Bonnaroo, much less see him perform live. He performed several songs that ran the gamut on his songwriting career. Shipwrecked in the Eighties opened the set and was dedicated to the soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other highlights of his performance included Me & Bobby Mcgee, Best of All Possible Worlds, Nobody Wins, Sky King, Loving Her Was Easier, Jesus Was A Capricorn, Your Time’s Comin (co-written with Shel Silverstein) and finally the Kris-written song Johnny Cash made famous – Sunday Morning Coming Down. The last two songs – A Moment of Forever and For the Good Times – featured Jamey Johnson on vocals.
Embracing all things boognish – Ween was also on the docket of bands to check out. Several Ween classics were performed in that of Voodoo Lady, Roses are Free, Bananas and Blow, the ever-so-fun sing-a-long that is Piss Up A Rope and The Mollusk. The highlight of the show was when Gene noticed Stevie Wonder on the side stage after they played Touch My Tooter to which Gene replied “That’s for Stevie Wonder, I know he’d understand.” I was particularly impressed with their version of Bowie’s Let’s Dance and they finally ended their set with the popular Booze Me Up and Get Me High and Buckingham Green.
Phoenix rose to the occasion for their short performance. Opening with Lisztomania the band came out thrashing and ready to rock. Lasso and Fences were played solidly back to back. Girlfriend was performed with a quiet eloquence. My favorite song of theirs – Rome – was just as beautiful as the city itself. The band closed with their hit 1901 and got everyone jumping up, dancing and celebrating the music. The song was even jammed out a bit and if it hadn’t been for the elongated and overplayed ending it would’ve been classified as epic.
I’ve had hits and misses with the Dave Matthews Band over the years. In high school, Under the Table and Dreaming was in constant rotation of the CD’s I listened to, but somewhere in the early 2000’s I lost interest in the music they were making. Most recently I saw Dave perform solo at the Music Saves Mountains Benefit held at the Ryman Auditorium in May and that changed my mind. I would, once again, give DMB a chance.
The show itself was a crowd pleaser, with sprinklings of songs old and new. Lying in the Hands of God featured an awesome sax solo toward the end and very much got my attention as I had never heard the track before. I also enjoyed Tripping Billies simply because it brought up some fond personal memories, the song lyrics themselves speak about celebrating life and in a way the mission of Bonnaroo. So Damn Lucky is a beautiful song and was performed with the eloquence it deserves and the fast-paced Two Step was simply tight. If I had to pick one highlight it would be Dave’s solo performance of Neil Young’s The Needle and The Damage Done. Perhaps it’s because of his solo performance from May – but when Dave is on stage by himself – he can be absolutely mesmerizing.
Bonnaroo has become the musical vacation destination of this country and next year it’ll be celebrating its 10th year as a festival. It is the place where a kid can be a kid. For four days you can be anything you want. You can dress up, you can dress down, you can go naked. For four days you can escape your responsibilities, your job, the five o’clock news – ultimately, you escape reality. And I’ll be damned if I don’t enjoy every single minute of it.
Perhaps Jay-Z was speaking of Bonnaroo in Young Forever:
Where the sun is always out and you never get old / And the champagne’s always cold, and the music’s always good.
