Sunday
The Beach Boys
Official Bonnaroo press shot
I was both incredibly excited and slightly apprehensive for The Beach Boys’ show. Much like anyone who grew into a musical fanatic, I grew up loving Brian Wilson and co., but I also knew how most shows by bands this far past their prime tend to go. My mind drifted to The Cars at last year’s Lollapalooza, and so on.
Still, I wanted to grant the guys some credit, especially considering the solidity of their most recent LP. If nothing else, some fun in the sun with the original backers of summer ecstasy would have to guarantee minor fun at the very least. The forecast had gone so far as to call a thunderstorm an inevitability, but it was as if God himself couldn’t find it in his heart to rain on the legends’ parade, allowing for a beautifully sunny, laid back dance amongst the occasional light drizzle. All in all, the performance turned out much as I expected: slow, with Wilson and friends just about as burnt out as one might imagine, but still turning in a gleeful set. Classics such as “Good Vibrations” were mixed with tracks from the recent That’s Why God Made the Radio, most prominently its title track. Coming from The Beach Boys, it may have been a somewhat slight performance, but being The Beach Boys, it didn’t much matter, it was still a memory to preserve, an opportunity to tell future generations, “yep, I saw ‘em.”
– Chase McMullen
Bon Iver
Photo by Malcolm Martin
A crowd in the tens of thousands welcomed the group to the largest stage on the farm on an overcast Sunday evening. Considering the band’s relatively dormant career and a banner year, they are in a phenomenal position. Just a couple days shy of a year since their most recent album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver was released, their music has been licensed for (more) television bits, topped innumerable “Best of” lists (including our own), and Justin Vernon became the poster child for the Grammy Awards. At the ceremony, they walked away with awards for Best Alternative Music Album as well as Best New Artist. My first time hearing them was in 2009 at their last Bonnaroo performance inside of one of the tents. The band, then an insular quartet, was reserved and mysterious, but the performance connected with striking intensity and intimacy. Three years and five new members later, Vernon, the reluctant superstar, walks in the middle of the band, making conscious efforts to diffuse attention to the nine-piece outfit. Swiftly picking up their instruments, they tiptoed into “Perth,” maintaining a gentle sway until the ballistic percussion commanded the stage. The new additions to the band made great use of the stage space and sound, the widening expanse of dynamics adding depth to each composition. Material weighed favorably from the newest album, occasionally punctuated by fan favorites like “Skinny Love” and invigorating electric renditions of “Blood Bank” and “Creature Fear.” The band’s virtuoso saxophonist, Colin Stetson, was given a space for his vibrant, polyphonic hum, all the while singing through his saxophone. It seemed that the hushed instrumental breaks failed to maintain the power over the outer fringes of the crowd, especially with the lesser-known compilation track “Brackett, WI.” The highlight of the set was “Wolves (Act I & II).” The audience, in choral unison, cried the coda of the song and crescendoed into a howl that blanketed the field in sound. The band closed with “For Emma” and left on an emotional high note. Bon Iver’s music is not exactly arena-ready, but with audiences growing by the thousands, the emotional affect translates surprisingly well. I have no doubt that they will not only adapt to their surroundings, but with their ability and savvy, they will define them.
– Malcolm Martin
Phish
Official Bonnaroo press shot
How do you finish off the last day of the world’s biggest music festival? With the world’s best live band. Given two two-hour sets, Phish were ready to close off Bonnaroo with a bang.
Now I know our little circle of music fans and journos don’t typically cover Phish but their talent is undeniable. Personally I find frontman Trey Anastasio’s more lackadaisical, upbeat songs to be a bit irritating, but when the focus on a darker, tighter, more rock-heavy sound, they kick ass.
The noodling rockers from Vermont played a fairly standard set (they tend to experiment, and verge off the original path of their songs even more at regular shows) but surprised us with a guest appearance from Kenny Rodgers (of all people) to play “The Gambler.” Highlight of the night though was “Wilson” — there was not a moment more awe-inspiring that having the entirety of the crowd at that main stage crooning out “WIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLSON!” in unison. Check it out below.
Phish’s ultra-proficiency and world class light-show (second only to Radiohead’s) was the perfect way to wrap-up the weekend of madness that is Bonnaroo.
– Evan Kaloudis
[Intro] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Saturday – Cont’d] [Sunday] [Survival Guide] [Gallery]
