Bonnaroo - Day 2

I had predicted that I'd be asleep until nine or ten in the morning - you know, the usual time - but with the sun up early cooking our tents like a casserole, it was impossible to stay in "bed" past seven AM. I awoke and stumbled to a port-a-let about fifty yards away. One thing to know about Bonnaroo going in: port-a-lets are used often by many people and are the only repositories available. Be prepared to hold it.

My companions and I had a hearty breakfast consisting of hot dogs and granola. These, along with a handful of fruits would be our main foodstuffs for the weekend. It was going to be heavy.

Of the many artists we had come to see, none piqued the passion of one my companions as much as an appearance by Conan O'Brien as part of his Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on TV Comedy Tour. The original plan was to get up to the campgrounds a couple hours early to wait in line so as to have a good seat for the show - after all, if we were sitting far away, how could my friend's dream to be hugged by Conan be realized?

Upon getting to the festival grounds, however, we realized the foolishness of our plan. A line as imposing as that to get into the campgrounds led up to the Comedy Tent where Conan was performing. We had no chance. Our only alternative was to relocate to a stage that was showing the live taping on a giant screen. We set out a blanket in the field overlooking the stage - it would be nearly an hour until the taping commenced and the Tennessee sun was looming overhead. Completely baked after nearly fifteen minutes, we split into two groups with half of us tasked to reserve our spaces for the show, and the others to seek mystical "water-filling stations" for our empty water bottles that supposedly existed but were difficult to find without the maps we were supposed to but never did receive as we entered the festival.

On our way, we stumbled upon Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, a funk band with one seriously charismatic front man blasting on the 'bone. We momentarily passed them by, finally eying the water station that was currently being mobbed by a crush of overheated rockers, and after another long wait (are we developing a motif?) started back towards Conan. But we were unable to pass by Trombone Shorty a second time. As the 'boner wailed a solo, a huge audience cheered him on. Orleans Avenue sports a classic Louisiana jazz sound but with a funk sensibility. Heavy drums and impressive soloing.

But a quick glance at my watch reminded me that, *gasp*, we were late for Conan. We made it back just in time to deliver some much needed water to our sweltering friends, and catch the end of Conan’s opening band headed by Max Weinberg of E Street Band fame – this was a Bonnaroo miss, with their version of “Move On Up” continuing to haunt my dreams.

And on came Coco. His set was clearly geared less towards comedy and more towards hating on NBC for “destroying his life.” But by now, Conan’s ordeal of hitting a life low, seeking psychological help, and growing a beard were familiar to me, so it felt a little too much like rehash. I would have rather heard a straight up comic set from Conan, but instead, it felt more like a variety show, with other comedians and musical numbers featuring Conan himself (he’s worked himself into a pretty decent guitarist) periodically interrupting the stand up. The one highlight? Conan’s patented Walker Texas Ranger lever was featured, with the infamous Haley Joel Osment clip making an appearance - I don’t know what I’d do if Walker told me I had AIDS.

Finally, Conan was over. And a couple hours in the heat had nearly done us in. We were able to stagger over to a nearby stage where there was tree cover from the sun. Though the trees themselves had been the main draw, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros were playing at the stage, and we were able to catch the tail end of the concert. Though I didn’t know them and though that type of indie rock is generally not my thing, a stupendous rendition of “Home” charmed me into having a great time.

When they finished, we decided to move forward and get a good setup for Dr. Dog, another group that I hadn’t heard before. They put on one heckuva show, featuring dynamic indie rock with good stage presence. Not much to describe with the show other than the fact they brought an energy boost to what was fast becoming a lethargic day.

But I couldn’t stay too long for Dr. Dog. On the other side of the festival, one of the biggest draws was taking stage: Damian Marley & Nas. The son of reggae master Bob Marley, Damian’s music is much more confrontational than that of his father’s. His political lyrics combine with a hard beat that still keeps a reggae sensibility. Though I like Marley’s music on its own, the combination with Nas’s wordplay and flow made for a hip sound that kept things upbeat for the listeners in party mode. Definitely a Bonnaroo highlight.

Something that did become painfully obvious during Marley & Nas’s set was that there was little chance I would be up close for any featured group at Bonnaroo. For that concert, I was located about a football field’s length away from the main stage, and though the sound quality was still stellar (surprisingly stellar in fact) there was little stage visibility. Luckily, a bevy of large video monitors allowed for a visual experience even for those of us in the back.

While several of my companions ventured off to a variety of groups (She & Him, The National, OK Go, Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers), I elected to stay put with another featured group and one of my favorites: Tenacious D. Jack Black is one helluva performer (er, I should qualify that: one helluva musical performer. I could deal without some of his movies [I’m looking at you The Holiday]), and Tenacious D is one helluva rock show. Part of the beauty of the music is its irony, making fun of rock with songs like “Tribute” while at the same time creating considerably good rock music.

The concert itself mixed actual music with little skits between Black and Kyle Gass, the self-deprecating straight man and gifted lead guitarist. One, for instance, featured a cartoonish Devil in red spandex with a cape attacking the duo and being defeated by the power of Rock! They struck a great balance with just enough comedy to engage the audience, backed up by a backbone of solid rock tunes.

Though I would later be somewhat jealous that my friends got to see so many groups while I was watching DM&N and Tenacious D, both were excellent concerts that I consider Bonnaroo highlights. But by the end of Tenacious, the heat had done me in, and I needed to regroup at the campsite with the gang. There would be some food involved, but mostly, we rested up for the big night ahead of us.

That’s right. The day still wasn’t done…-