I hesitate to say 'worst', perhaps 'most disappointing' is more appropriate. Oh well, enjoy!
WORST
1. The Flaming Lips at Which Stage Friday 6.12.10
I’m sure you’re thinking ‘Sacré bleu! How could The Flaming Lips be listed as the number one worst performance of Bonnaroo 2010?’ The answer is ‘with considerable disgrace and a complete lack of aplomb’. Firstly, their performance was billed as ‘Flaming Lips ft. Stardeath and the White Dwarves perform Dark Side of the Moon’ and they were supposed to play from midnight until 2am. We got to Which Stage at 11pm, hoping to get a good spot before the show started. At midnight, all of the stage lights went out suddenly and the crowd went wild. The Flaming Lips then came out and proceeded to play over an hour long set of their original music. The small group I was with all looked at one another and scratched our heads. What about Dark Side of the Moon? Front man Wayne Coyne announced that they would be performing Dark Side of the Moon directly after their set, and there was a low grumble from the crowd. Many of us had sacrificed The Black Keys and Bassnectar for The Lips, who happened to all be playing at the exact same time. We decided to stay and see the show, and boy was that a disappointment in itself. It was the exact same performance as the show they did in Denton for the NX35 Conferette: complete with shoddy playing, pre-pubescent style vocalizations, and Wayne’s trash talking to the audience. “Come on you mother fuckers!” he shouted, right after preaching the importance of loving one another. Ummmm what? We walked away about two-thirds of the way through their set, completely disgusted with the entire fiasco. Sure, they had Wayne come out in a giant hamster ball for the first song as well as balloons, confetti cannons, and giant LED screen behind the band that showed all manner of crazy visualizations. But that didn’t cover up the deplorable lack of musicianship and absolute disregard for the fans that Wayne seemed to embody proudly. Not only had we missed two other bands that we really wanted to see, but we heard Wayne announcing the beginning of The Dark Side of the Moon around 2am. We walked away and ended up catching Galactic instead (see ‘Top 5 Best’ listed below). The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, and what bothered me the most wasn’t the crappy music, the rehash of the Denton concert, or even the misleading information given to the fans. What bothered me the most was the complete lack of respect that the Lips showed for the 100+ other artists sharing the bill. Every other artist I saw stayed within the tight confines of their set times because they knew that for every minute they went over, they were taking a minute of time from another band. But not The Flaming Lips. Is there a word for a band that has sold not its souls but the fans that made them who they are in the first place? I know that they are a huge draw for festival-goers, but come on. I say it’s high time that we dethrone these false festival gods and tell Wayne Coyne to come back when the music, performance, and attitude is back up to the old Lips standards.
2. Lee Burridge (DJ set)The Lunar stage Friday 6.11.10
Think of the most generic, overplayed techno/rave music that you’ve heard in movies, clubs, or on TV since 1995. Now, imagine a huge field of 30,000+ glowstick-clad ravers dancing, spinning, and getting fucked up to that music. Add a super-powered subwoofer at a volume that was nigh impossible to stand, and you’ve got the Lee Burridge set in a nutshell. I couldn’t wait to get as far away as possible, although I admit the ravers were fun to watch. I saw a girl getting a light show from two gentlemen with lighted gloves on their hands and two girls spinning glowsticks on strings around them. The girl getting the show sat transfixed, mouth open in a happy grin.
3. LCD Soundsystem This Tent Friday 6.11.10
I am a huge fan of LCD Soundsystem, or should I say ‘was’. I only caught about 15 minutes of their set on Friday night, but I was immediately turned off by the amount of showboating and self-indulgence that lead singer James Murphy brought to the stage. This is the kind of electronic dance band whose bread and butter is a driving beat coupled with slick, sometimes irreverent lyrics delivered in a nice, sparkly package. The music was there, but he tried way too hard to change up the vocals and lyrics to the point that they were almost unrecognizable.
4. Against Me! This Tent Sunday 6.13.10
Florida punk band Against Me! didn’t necessarily play a bad set, but I question the inclusion of hardcore punk bands such as Against Me! and Rise Against (why don’t they just combine the two and change the name to ‘Rise Against Me!’) into a feel-good festival like Bonnaroo. I’m all for an eclectic variety of music, but I don’t think that the screamy, angry bands really fit in with the rest of the music at Bonnaroo. Not to mention their fans were all given a wide berth around their combat boots, shaved heads, and surly dispositions. I feel the same way about the pop hip-hop groups like Kid Cudi and B.O.B. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be invited, but the kind of mainstream music-lovers that they bring in are insufferable at best.
5. B.o.B. That Tent Friday 6.11.10
Speaking of insufferable, young hip hop/rap artist B.o.B. is the honorary recipient of the award for ‘Most Unlisten-able Band at Bonnaroo’. I was curious about this youngster, not just because I had yet to pin down the specific genre of music but because I had heard absolutely no buzz about B.o.B prior to the show. As soon as I heard the first few chords of the first song, I knew why. This group is all over the place, and they’re trying to do way too much of what other people have already done. By trying to incorporate 80’s pop, techno, rock, and rap the group stretches themselves too thin. The result is an angry mixture of competing styles, all vying for the spotlight and none of them getting it.
BEST
1. Stevie Wonder's performance at What Stage Saturday 6.12.10
By Saturday, the feeling throughout the crowd was considerably more subdued than it had been the previous days. It had been hot and sunny both Thursday and Friday, and everyone wore uncomfortable-looking sunburns and weariness on their faces. But when the sun went down, everyone began to perk up in anticipation of seeing the great and powerful Stevie Wonder perform on the big stage. He went on around 8:30 pm, and by the end of the first song it didn't matter that we were all exhausted. His band outshone all of the other bands at the festival, and the sound of his voice and expressions of utter joy were awe-inspiring to say the very least. He encouraged us to join in on many call-and-answer vocalizations, and the 80,000+ crowd participated with a zest that filled the evening air and our downcast spirits with cheer.
2. Galactic's set at The Other Tent Friday 6.11.10
After the disappointment of The Flaming Lips' performance, we wandered over to catch Galactic around 2:15am. We were tired and a little crestfallen, and we practically trudged over the slight hill to get to the stage. Bassnectar was playing at This Tent next door, their incredibly powerful bass eclipsing all other sounds until you were almost completely under The Other Tent’s giant white awning. But when I saw that stage filled with drums and trombones backlit by soft hues of alternating cool and warm colors, I knew I was in the right place. The incredible amount of energy and good feelings coming from the stage were so powerful my eyes shimmered with tears. Finally, a band that understood the festival vibe and graciously fed us hungry late-night jammers! Every trombonist was a veritable rock star in their own right, and they jostled one another for the spotlight with a good-natured charm that let us know that they were only fooling. After all, their real enemy was the mind-blowing saxophonist that incited many whoops and cheers from the audience, elbowing his way past the many trombone players to add his fire to the mix. All the while, the drummers and rest of the rhythm section did a superb job of keeping the party going, barely pausing between songs as they cranked out Latin grooves, Dixieland jams, and everything funky in between. The crowd took it all in and gave everything back, dancing with a ferocity and excitement that exceeded any other performance that I witnessed.
3. Ween at Which Stage Sunday 6.13.10
I cannot overstate the vulgarity of Ween's lyrics. I also cannot say that they didn't elicit a chuckle from me here and there as my brain struggled to digest their crude yet brilliantly-delivered lyrics juxtaposed against some of the most delightful country music I've ever experienced. After playing a few tunes in that manner, they began adding guitar and vocal effects that colored their sound in lushly psychedelic tones. In addition to their wealth of genre-crossing songs and sounds, they played a cover of David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' that was absolutely stunning.
4. Punch Brothers ft. Chris Thile at That Tent Friday 6.11.10
There were times when I thought mandolin player Chris Thile was getting a little too big for his britches, and other times when I thought they fit just right. In addition to some seriously furious mandolin picking and strumming, the other members played the string bass, banjo, guitar, and fiddle. Having never heard of the acoustic/bluegrass/folk group, I was impressed by how big of a crowd they drew considering how early they played on Friday. I loved their covers of The Strokes’ ‘Room on Fire’ and Radiohead’s ‘Morning Bell’. I love a band that can select a cover from outside their own genre and make it their own: there’s nothing like hearing heavily produced tunes stripped bare by musicians that are just as capable as the ones that wrote the original tunes.
5. Medeski, Martin, and Wood at the Sonic Stage Sunday 6.13.10
The Sonic Stage is a tiny stage that features half hour sets by artists that are also playing on the bigger stages. Progressive jazz trio Medeski, Martin, and Wood brought the jams to both the Sonic Stage and The Other Tent on the last day of the festival. But it was their intimate show on the Sonic Stage that stuck out in my mind. We were close to the stage, and the other audience members around us maintained a respectful distance from one another so that everyone would get a good view of the tiny little platform. The sun beat down on our backs and legs underneath our Camel Paks, but we didn’t mind. The cool, mellow sound of the three men improvising washed over us, refreshing our tired bodies and minds.
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