High Temp: 89.1°F Low Temp: 64.4°F
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Bonnaroo 2008
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| Centeroo entrance, Bonnaroo 2008 |
It’s going to be hot and humid. This day would be the most similar to the weather we faced last year. I decided to go for a walk and found the Green Pod, which was home to the Solar Bus that Shannon had told me about. I saw a cool line of bikes called Dahon. They fold up really small but (supposedly) do not give up any performance.
During a trip to the port-o-lets, on which there is new artwork everyday, I read the inscribed:
For a good time call Drew 401-996-2915. I called and woke up this guy.
"Is this Drew?" I asked.
When he said yes, I told him "Yeah, I'm calling for a good time." When he was thoroughly confused, I asked “Do you have friends at Bonnaroo?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said groaningly.
“We’ll you should expect more calls ‘cause they put your name and number on the side of a port-o-let. I expected Drew Barrymore and all I got was your sorry ass.” I said.
“Sorry,” he replied, “How are the shows?”
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| Centeroo view 2008 |
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Bonnaroo campground view 2008
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After lunch I decided to go to Centeroo. I rode the ferris wheel for the first time. It offered excellent views of Centeroo and the campgrounds. I rode with another couple – Eric and Megan from Birmingham, Alabama. Eric was kind enough to take the picture of me.
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| Bonnaroo Chris 2008 |
Then I went to check out
Israel Vibration – one of the first bands of the day.
Despite the name, none of the band members are from the State of Israel. They’re from Kingston, Jamaica and they play reggae, mon. Still, it was pretty cool. Lots of interesting smells came from the crowd.
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| Israel Vibration, Bonnaroo 2008 |
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| Bonnaroo Ferris Wheel 2008 |
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Jack White photo from Bonnaroo 2007
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| Steve Kennedy and Rosebud, Bonnaroo 2008 |
On the way back I met Steve Kennedy and his friend Rosebud. It was Steve’s sixth Bonnaroo. I also got a temporary tattoo and my picture taken at the booth from
ilovemountains.org. Then I stopped at the Bonnaroo post office to send Christine a postcard. Romona was the postal worker and was a damn pleasure to deal with.
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| Romona at the Bonnaroo Post Office 2008 |
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| This Tent, 2008 |
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| Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels, Bonnaroo 2008 |
Around 3pm it was time to see
Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels.
(Jakob is the singer of the band The Wallflowers and has a father named Bob.) It was a mellow performance and Dylan’s voice is just as smooth as syrup. The sun beat down and shade became the precious resource. Even bits of shade from a sign or sculpture was used.
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Bonnaroo sculpture and shade 2008
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Bonnaroo 2088 meat vendor
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Tattoo, Bonnaroo 2008
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| Oklahoma Gang, Bonnaroo 2008 |
I headed over to the comedy tent and picked the first group in line. They were from Oklahoma and were waiting out in front of a vast line to see
Louis CK. As it turns out, they were at the front of the stand-by line. Another equally vast line had formed on the other side for people who already had tickets. But for most of the group this was their first Bonnaroo and their 2nd comedy show in two days. They were all big fans of the Pearl Jam and Sigur Ros shows.
Dylan’s set ended and we headed to the Which Stage to see
O.A.R. I was not greatly impressed.
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| Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Bonnaroo 2008 |
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| Mike and Bonnaroo Chris 2008 |
But at 6:15 on the What Stage, I witnessed my favorite show of the festival.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Zeppelin is an all time favorite of mine. Alison played one of her songs. She is a natural beauty with an angelic voice. And she plays a mean violin to boot. Featured artist T Bone Burnett played a song too. And Plant and Krauss played a couple of other songs they had done together. But the real gems were the Zeppelin songs that had been converted to bluegrass. It was familiar songs in a crazy tempo. Pretty frickin awesome.
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| Patriotic Ankle, Bonnaroo 2008 |
I took a picture of a girl’s foot because she was wearing a flag-like ornament. Her name was Gabriella and she didn’t mind the intrusion. She and her boyfriend were happily medicated and enthralled with the show.
When Plant & Krauss ended we stopped to see
Death Cab For Cutie. The production was clean and clear but I don’t know a lot of their songs.
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| Death Cab for Cutie, Bonnaroo 2008 |
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| Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi’s Soul Stew Revival, Bonnaroo 2008 |
After Death Cab, we headed to That Tent to see
Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi’s Soul Stew Revival. They played way past their scheduled 8:45pm cutoff. And if the crowd had had anything to do with it, they would have played all night long. As with most great jam bands, they were able to maintain a pool of tensioned energy with the crowd, so when the band starting kicking in harder – the crowd responded. It was true illustration of the power of live music. The crescendo of the performance came during their last song, a cover of
“Hey Jude.” I was blown away by both the synchronicity of the band and the reality that this would be the last show I would see at Bonnaroo. The final band
Widespread Panic was due at 8:45pm but neither Mike or I were big fans and besides, Derek Trucks & Co were playing an hour longer than they should have. They came out for an encore to a fanatic crowd and played
“Take a Load Off Annie.”
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| Bonnaroo Fountain at Night 2008 |
We went back to the campsite listening to Widespread Panic and the crowd reactions in the distance. Some of our neighbors sat in the intersection as cars began to take early leave of the festival. They wished everyone equal amounts of “Happy Bonnaroo” and “Have a safe trip home!” and “See you next year” and, of course, “Kanye Sucks!”
