Roo-flections

Well, it was certainly a whirlwind adventure hitting Bonnaroo for approximately 44 hours but I did it and remained relatively unscathed. I got to see a few favorites and come home with a few new ones which I'd like to share with you. Sorry, my camera was in the shop so no super special eye candy this time.

After logistics were settled and bearings relatively achieved, I got to shake it all off and dance with my former home-town champions, Tea Leaf Green. It's quite satisfying to be at Bonnaroo and see the mass of people screamin' and hollerin' for a band that I saw years ago at a little bar in Cotati, CA. Bonnaroo had clearly begun by the time they got to the obligatory and epic "Sex in the 70s".

Friday was the perfect festival ADD day, wandering from stage to stage getting a glimpse of a number of different bands. This started out with the Cold War Kids at "That" tent. I love this band but I thought some of their intensity got lost in a space that big. But then again the last time I saw them was in the tiny Union Hall space and almost got smacked in the face by a guitar in the front row. From there, we stopped by the Sonic Stage area to say hello to the JamBase booth and my girl Annabel who was running the show at that stage. While over there we were treated to a "Magnolia" by Apollo Sunshine.

Next up was the amazing Richard Thompson, my first time seeing the British folk rock guitar legend. His guitar playing was mesmerizing. He would barely move a muscle as he so effortlessly delivered some of the most soaring sounds I've ever heard. There's a great quote on his website: "Richard Thompson can play two or three guitar parts at once while getting his nails done and talking on the phone at the same time." He's playing this week in Prospect Park for Celebrate Brooklyn.

The major wandering part of the afternoon came next as we enjoyed a frozen lemonade on the bleachers at the "Which" stage for the spicy Brazilian Girls with a little Tortoise on the way. We then doubled back to That tent to see the young and beautiful Scottish soulful singing sensation, Paolo Nutini with his rockin' band.

More young beauty ahead as we trekked over to the "What" stage for Kings of Leon. Again, I had the very satisfying feeling of remembering seeing these boys at the Great American Music Hall when they were really just babies playing 3 minute songs. They always had the chops to grow into themselves (they always seemed way bigger than they actually were) and here on the main stage of one of the biggest festivals in our country, they've really made it and show no signs of slowing down. We got a nice sprinkle of rain during this set which settled down the dust and the heat. Nothing like the torrential downpours I experience in 2004. But then again, My Morning Jacket wasn't around this year so I guess the storms stayed away.

The ADD took over again and we pressed on back to This tent for what would be my favorite new discovery of the weekend - Hot Chip. It's no real surprise that I've never heard of these guys before as they are an electronica sorta thing out of the UK. Man, are they fun! They threw down the late afternoon dance party and had everyone sweating and kickin' up dust. I've been listening a bunch since I've gotten home, too. Kudos to Bonnaroo for being able to dig up awesome little surprises like this!

From there, I caught the beginning of The Roots but my FOMO (fear of missing out) was acting up so I had to run back to This tent to see my girl Lily Allen. She still wins the prize for adorablest even as she downed almost an entire bottle of Jaegermeister on stage. I love her songs and felt like a 12-year-old as I sang along and twirled around.

After some much needed down time in the evening hours, I made it back out for some late night action with the likes of STS9 and DJ Shadow. The best part of the night was rocking in the Silent Disco with DJ Logic spinning. Imagine walking by a tent and seeing everyone in headphones dancing with each other. It's hilarious! Logic is great too - he plays everything you want to hear!

The next day, I had only a little bit of time to catch a few things before taking off for the airport. First stop was Breakfast with the Babies at the Sonic Stage. Tom Hamilton's American Babies won the OurStage contest for that slot. Forget everything you know about Tommy's other band, Brothers Past. This is a showcase band for musical and songwriting talent made up of a few of our favorite things: Jim Hamilton, Tommy's brother, on vocals and bass, Joe Russo on drums and backup vocals and Scott Metzger for the gratifying guitar solos. Check out the new cd and catch them on tour this summer.

Time was running thin so I got a bit of Alexa Ray Joel and a smidgen of Dr. Dog before heading back to That tent for the beginning of The Slip. Thank goodness High Sierra is just around the corner cause having to leave a Slip set is heartbreaking. I did get a nice "Proud" into "Even Rats" and then the fitting "Airplane Primitive" to send me off to the airport on the day before the rest of my life.

So, there you have it. Bonnaroo, check!