I took over 700 pictures, many of which turned out blurry. But if there are any you would like to see, shout at me or message me and I'll hook you up. Since I didnt want to load all of them onto a photo sharing site, I cant embed them in my Bonnareview.
Thursday
MGMT
Although I really wanted to see MGMT, I didn’t see much of them. We got into Centeroo about halfway through their set, with enough time for me to catch “Electric Feel”. That was the only song I heard that I remember, because we were walking around, checking things out. I only took two pictures of them for some reason, and neither turned out well at all since my camera didn’t work too well at night, as you’ll see later on.
Battles
I’m still not sure what to think. At the time I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. First, I wasn’t sure when they were actually playing or just doing a soundcheck. Plus, the sound seemed really quiet and I was far back, so I’m sure that if I were up close, it would have totally rocked. As their set progressed, it got incredible though. Especially “Tonto”.
Vampire Weekend
We actually got a pretty decent spot for these guys, right in the middle and about halfway back in the tent. And as with most Thursday night bands with this time slot, they had a large crowd. Although some songs sounded as if they were straight from the album, others had great energy, such as “Blake” and “M79”.
Friday
The Fiery Furnaces
In my opinion, these guys weren’t nearly as good as I expected. I’d heard about how their shows feature skewed interpretations of their songs, but this Widow City-heavy set was rather straightforward. My guess is that the material they played is much more direct than songs from Blueberry Boat. Although none of my friends really enjoyed them, I thought they were good, just not as good as I expected.
Minus the Bear
MTB wasn’t a band I would expect to see at Bonnaroo, but there were more “WTF?”-prompting bands this year (read: Metallica, Kanye West). Anyways, I was actually excited to see these guys because the last two times they were in Cleveland I couldn’t make it. At first they were very disappointing but as they progressed, they turned out to put on a pretty good show. My biggest complaint was that the singer had the enthusiasm of a frozen corpse.
!!!
Wow. I arrived about 30 minutes into their set following a trip back to the tent and I really missed out. Their brand of dance-funk sounded even better live, especially when you are up towards the front dancing. Nic Offer had some snazzy dance moves, dancing like a hooker in front of the speakers. And their whole tension-and-release thing worked out really well. Nic Offer pretty much made this show better, whether it was his attempts at kicking beach balls into the crowd, his humorous stage banter or his short shorts.
The Raconteurs
Sadly, I was only able to squeeze The Raconteurs into my schedule for about 10 minutes in between !!! and M.I.A. In that 10 minutes, I really enjoyed them, though I didn’t get to hear “Broken Boy Soldier”, my favorite song of theirs, which is rather funny because I hate the rest of that album. But at least their new cd is fantastic.
M.I.A.
Did I really see M.I.A.’s last show? If it really was her last gig ever, then what a great show to go out on! Early on, she told us that she would leave her politics for later and that we would be in rave mode. Well, the politics didn’t really come and the rave was in full force. From what I could see, she had one of the biggest crowds among bands not playing the main stage and I would bet that no one in that crowd was disappointed. She brought as many ladies on stage as she could fit and then brought as many of the boys on stage as she could fit during the song “Boyz”. Sadly, I couldn’t get on stage, but it didn’t really matter, because I got to hear all of my favorites, from “Galang” to “20 Dollar” to “Pull Up The People” and sent the crowd apeshit for her encore “Paper Planes”. I love M.I.A.
Chris Rock
I actually wasn’t planning on catching him but my friends and my dad all went, so I decided to go. I never thought Chris Rock was that funny but during the 30 minutes or so that I saw him, I laughed my ass off. Plus, I now know the only time that white people are able to say the n-word.
Metallica
I didn’t see them at all. I went to the tent and napped. I hear that my dreams were more exciting.
MSTRKRFT
I love techno music. Or at least this style of hard rock influenced techno, similar to Justice and Daft Punk. MSTRKRFT were outstanding and got everyone dancing and a lot of people tripping. There was a kid next to us who stared into a blinking light for a good 20 minutes. You know it’s a great dance party when the stage is filled with people dancing like there is no tomorrow. Now I just need to see Daft Punk and Justice.
My Morning Jacket
Wow, where has My Morning Jacket been all of my life? I was never a huge fan of Z and every year I dismissed MMJ as another band I could go ahead and miss. Yet every year I’d read reviews of Bonnaroo and hear about these epic live shows, which always seem to happen in the rain. So this year, I was a bit more into MMJ and decided I had to see them after MSTRKRFT. Well, it was raining like all hell and the band played like there was no tomorrow. Even the lighting was phenomenal, adding another dimension to their already-stellar performance. This was easily one of the best shows of this year and quite possibly the best one of the festival.
The Disco Biscuits
We watched them for about 20 minutes or so during the My Morning Jacket set break and as usual, Bisco was great. We caught them during a trance groove, filled with their flashing lights and whatnot. Even my friend, who doesn’t enjoy too much dance or jam music, agreed that they were good.
Saturday
sharon jones & the dap kings
So I slept too late to see Two Gallants and the line to get into Centeroo was much too long, causing me to miss Mason Jennings, so I started my day off with some Sharon Jones. And what a great way to start my day! She really brought the funk in the midst of the devastating heat. And once my group left to catch Little Feat, I was able to get up pretty close to the front, which only made the show better. And for a woman of 52, she set the stage aflame with her energy, running around, wailing and whatnot. I am really regretting skipping her Cleveland show back in November!
Mason Jennings
Sadly, I missed his actual show earlier in the day, but I was fortunate enough to catch him for a few songs during his set on the Sonic Stage when Against Me! ended much earlier than expected. I had heard all about how his live show was just incredible, but this didn’t really seem anything too special. I mean, it was good, but it sounded pretty much the same as his albums. Maybe it just had something to do with the Sonic Stage.
Gogol Bordello
Wow. Just like last year, Gogol Bordello put on one hell of a show. I can’t even describe their show and neither can any of my pictures. All of the members of the band were incredibly energetic, despite the heat. And once again, Eugene Hutz sang while standing atop a bass drum being held up by the audience. I have never been able to listen to their albums much, but the live show could go on for years and I’d be pleased.
Cat Power
I caught her for only part of one song, pretty much just so I could say that I’d seen Cat Power. I’m not really much of a fan and what I saw didn’t do too much to change that. But damn, Chan Marshall is hot.
Avett Brothers
“Die Die Die” and “Shame” are the only two songs I really know by them, both of which I love, so I figured I should see these guys, especially after hearing great things about their live show. I was shocked by how good they were. Everything I’ve heard was pretty mellow, yet they had the energy of a punk band. And when they kept the audience singing while they left the stage for a moment, I understood why they had such a huge crowd.
Ben Folds
If it weren’t for Ben Folds, I wouldn’t be into a lot of the music I enjoy now. Even though I don’t listen to him too much nowadays, I wanted to see him. Although I’m sad I missed B.B. King, I am glad I chose Ben Folds over Iron & Wine. This was one of the most fun shows of the weekend. With Ben standing atop his piano, he asked us to give him the finger so he could get a picture and later on, he conducted the crowd in a sing-a-long from the top of his piano. He played a lot of really cool new songs, including one which features various household items on top of his piano strings to create an interesting sound. But the best, or worst, depending on your perspective, part of the show was when he play “Bitches Aint Shit” for the last time ever.
Jack Johnson
I’m embarrassed that during the 10 minutes we actually watched Jack Johnson, I knew the words to every song. But seriously, how is he that huge? He isn’t that great, is he?
Pearl Jam
We showed up, layed down and fell asleep. All I needed to hear was the beginning of “Even Flow” (“Freezing, he rests his head on a pillow made of concrete”) which has become an inside joke amongst some of my friends and I. Since we heard it on the way in, I had no desire to see the rest of Pearl Jam so we briefly napped and then waited for Sigur Rós.
The Coup
While we waited for Sigur Rós, we decided to go see The Coup for a little, since I had heard a few songs which weren’t too bad. All I really knew about them before was the Boots Riley was a Marxist. Afterwards, I learned that The Coup is freaking awesome. Playing with a live band, Boots proved to be a really commanding MC who sounded great live. Plus, it really helped that his backing band sounded as if they were a 70’s funk group.
Sigur Rós
I was really looking forward to this. It is extremely tragic that I only was able to see them for about 30 minutes. During the time we saw them, they were really beautiful. The ambient lighting made it hard to photograph them from where we were, but it was perfectly suited for their songs. Apparently they played “Gobbledigook” and two other songs from the new album, which sold out before I could pick up my copy.
Lupe Fiasco
As much as I love Lupe, I was positive that he’d kinda suck live. But he actually turned out to be one of the best of the weekend, even if he did look a teenage R&B star. Much like The Coup, Lupe’s backing band really added a lot to the performance, making everything sound much fuller. He played pretty much all of the hits and had the energy to play each one three more times. He turned “Kick, Push” into a lengthy party jam and for “Superstar”, Matthew Santos made an appearance to sing his chorus.
Kanye West
There are so many ifs. If I hadn’t had to skip Talib Kweli, Sigur Rós and Ghostland Observatory, I wouldn’t be so angry. If I didn’t have to wait two hours to see this, I wouldn’t be so angry. If Kanye weren’t such an asshole, I wouldn’t be angry. And last, if Kanye didn’t suck so hard, I wouldn’t be angry. Seriously, it was awful. Over two hours of waiting to see Kanye’s corny “performance”, where he actually says to his robot “I need pussy!” And how were we supposed to enjoy Glow In The Dark when the sun is coming up? I could ramble on all day. I’m glad I didn’t buy one of his $35 shirts.
Sunday
Rogue Wave
Due to their very small crowd, we were able to get right up front for this. And it was precisely as I had imagined: It sounded the same as the album. At least their albums aren’t bad. And at least they dissed Kanye, so they’re alright in my book.
Broken Social Scene
This was the first of two times I saw them over the weekend, with this being a shorter, acoustic set at the Sonic Stage. It was excellent and it was even better when they signed my Feel Good Lost. And Brendan Canning is a very funny man with a kickass beard.
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
*This was actually called Robert Randolph's Revival* What happened to the Family Band? How can he have a revival if he never died down? Whatever the case, this show was pretty much the same as every other Bonnaroo performance of his: Good. The three times I’ve seen him at Bonnaroo, he has been pretty good, but none of those compare to the two times I’ve seen him Cleveland, both of which were spectacular.
Jakob Dylan & the Gold Mountain Rebels
I had never even heard Jakob Dylan before, so I was just kind of expecting another Bob Dylan. But he played some really good roots/blues music which was a nice way to spend part of my Father’s Day with my dad.
Yonder Mountain String Band
Sure, I wasn’t really watching them, but I was listening to them play while we tossed the Frisbee around. And no, it wasn’t one of those damn obnoxious Xbox Frisbees. But as usual, YMSB was good. I never really expect something outstanding nor do I expect something awful and I always get what I do expect and that is what I like about YMSB.
Broken Social Scene
Well, the hype was correct. Broken Social Scene is in fact amazing live. I got pretty close and it was incredible. Plus, they made up a song which goes “Put down the bong and vote for Obama, you know you want to!” It was a classic. Anyways, they played pretty much all of my favorites, except for the fast version of “Major Label Debut”, which is actually my favorite. It was truly magic and an epic success.
Death Cab for Cutie
My thoughts during the 30 minutes or so I was there: “Wow, is it just me or does this sound exactly like their CD?” or “Wow I was expecting them to be a little more energetic.”
Widespread Panic
Why are they so damn reliable? Every time, they are good. They aren’t even a band who I can sit and listen to on my iPod, but live, they really are consistently good. After seeing them 4 times, one would think they would have one show that was a bit sub-par. They’re always good for closing out Bonnaroo.
So yeah, this year was excellent. I had a great time, with the exception of you know what and I plan to go back next year.
5 Best Shows of Bonnaroo 2008, In My Opinion:
1. My Morning Jacket
2. Broken Social Scene
3. M.I.A.
4. Lupe Fiasco
5. Gogol Bordello
Still Awesome of Bonnaroo 2008:
MSTRKRFT
Ben Folds
!!!
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Avett Brothers
5 Bands I Really Wish I Saw:
1. Sigur Rós
2. B.B. King
3. Talib Kweli
4. The Raconteurs
5. Ghostland Observatory
Yonder Mountain String Band
