Saturday
Bad Brains
Official Bonnaroo press shot
“They suck live now.” Lifelong fans and cynics alike don’t hesitate to take jabs at Bad Brains in their recent reincarnation. They are full-blown Rastafarians, each in their 50s, and now have several decades (and musical endeavors) between themselves and their heyday as one of hardcore punk’s fiercest and most precocious bands. Before their Saturday performance, the Bonnaroo Cinema Tent hosted a screening of ‘Bad Brains: Band in DC’, a new documentary that sutures found footage with interviews with family and friends, and spotlights candid confrontation within the band. The film went to great lengths to contextualize the band’s midlife identity within the band’s tumultuous history.
Come Saturday, shortly after Pelican’s gracious performance, the fabled dreadheads took up their instruments to a bellowing welcome. The crowd exploded with energy as the band cut into “Intro” and quickly into the anthemic “Attitude.” The set was kept focused on ’80s and ’90s Brains material, with only a couple cuts from the Aughts. On stage, all troubles that Thursday’s film brought to the fore were visible. H.R.’s crowd antagonism met with decidedly hushed vocals; his eccentricity and unpredictability burdensome to a band built on a reputation of an impenetrable, unified sound; a restless crowd unable to digest the dub reggae breaks; all of it one stark reminder that this is not the Bad Brains from 1982. The relentless pessimism seemed to have some legitimacy. But to Bad Brains’ credit, they accomplished the relatively simple task of breathing life into visages of their electrifying past for the sake of a new, growing generation of fans.
– Malcolm Martin
Das Racist
Battles
Santigold
I’d seen Santigold before, on the tour for his first album, and if there was anything I’d learned, it was that she knew just how to put on a show that was fun for her audience, above all else. I was anxious to hear her perform the new material, as well as for how energetic the set was sure to be. Though performing on the mainstage presented her with a crowd so large it was hard to manipulate, Santigold still nailed her time at Bonnaroo, with her constant pace from song to song and her talented dancers keeping the audience in step. The material largely slanted towards the new album, which was no surprise, but Santi still played older essentials such as “Creator,” and even busted out her portion of “Brooklyn, Go Hard.”
Of the many things Bonnaroo is known for, relaxed security measures between the audience and performers is not one of them. All festivals are concerned for their patrons safety, but a guy can hardly crowd surf for a moment before security descends on them and moves them to the back of the audience. The defenses go on. Hence, Santigold was surely the staff’s least favorite performer of the year, inviting hundreds of Roo-goers onto the stage with her, telling the audience it was in spite of safety’s wishes. Go Santi.
– Chase McMullen
SBTRKT
SBTRKT are a fantastic act live, and they’re only getting better. Since I last saw them in October, they’ve seemingly ironed out all technical issues, added depth to their setlist, diversified their drum fills (which I took issue with last time), and maintained their high energy.
The problem was that a 5:15 spot is a bit early for the super-producer and accompanying vocalist. Sure, there were plenty of people dancing and the pit was quite hectic, but the dark and dance-y tones of SBTRKT are far better suited for the night scene. With the right spot these guys could be the party of festival.
When these guys get bigger (hopefully after their next album) they definitely need a late-night spot. Festivals everywhere, I hope you’re listening.
– Evan Kaloudis
Mogwai
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