Show Reviews

After the dual spectacle of Wonder and Jay-Z Friday evening, I did a few slow laps around Centeroo, marveling that the last day of Bonnaroo 2010 had arrived – and that most people just didn't know it yet. Easing by each music tent, I circled, impaling my brain on a sort of late night "sensory spit." Dan Deacon's slapdash, noisy barrage of sounds is incredibly jarring in the live setting. The exploratory fascination of his last album, Bromst, was challenging, but not nearly as challenging as watching his band attempt an approximation of the sound live. It's the kind of music that can give you a skin condition after prolonged exposure.

A line from "Young Forever," one of Jay-Z’s biggest recent hits, nicely summed up Saturday at Bonnaroo 2010 – "Just a picture perfect day that lasts a whole lifetime." Just

Friday at Bonnaroo 2010 was one of those special days when you felt the collective electricity of bands and audience surge through your body as soon as your feet hit the ground on site. Just up the road waited a top-shelf open bar of music with enough spirits to create a limitless array of personalized audio-visual cocktails, and no two people concoct the same blend.

When one of the biggest names in televised comedy goes on tour, it’s a rare opportunity to deliver the best material, with no censorship, night after night.  Likewise, Conan O’Brien gave the packed Mohegan Sun Arena much more than an hour of stand-up.  All of his old friends from late night helped out onstage: Andy Richter, the house band, even Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, via video.