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I was fortunate enough to get to Coachella last weekend and I thought I'd post a brief review of some of the groups that I saw that are also playing Bonnaroo. Overall, it was a great weekend, although it was really crowded and HOT. Spent the first day running around from stage to stage trying not to miss anybody. Definitely the wrong approach to this kind of festival. By the end of the day I could barely stand, and I still had another day in front of me. Sunday I picked out a few bands that I really wanted to see and got to the stages early to get a decent view. Much more relaxing and enjoyable way to spend the day, although its hard sometime not to think about who you are missing.
And, by the way, if you are at all into electronic music, do not miss Daft Punk if they come your way. I hadn't really heard much of their music before, but they were absolutely fantastic! Best set of the weekend.
Be Your Own Pet: Loud, obnoxious "punk" set, and I mean that in a good way. I hadn't heard their music before, but it was a fun show. They are the kind of band that you either love or hate.
Lyrics Born: Eh. I was really looking forward to seeing this, but it was pretty average. The crowd was into it though. A little too much "waive your hands like this" and sing along stuff for my tastes.
Seu Jorge: I only got to see a couple of songs, but it was much better than I had anticipated. I was at another stage and I kept hearing thr crowd going crazy, so I went over to check it out. The crowd was way into it and much more energy than I had tought. Didn't hear any Portuguese David Bowie songs though. I will definitely go see his set at Bonnaroo.
Amadou & Mariam: Another big surprise. Saw half the set and it was great. Great sound and you could just feel the love. Like Seu Jorge, I will try to see the entire set at Bonnaroo.
Magic Numbers: They played the main stage in the heat of the afternoon and it was almost unbearably hot. I'm glad I braved the heat to see them though. I wasn't sure how good they would be live, but I love their album. They tore it up! I was surprised, given the makeup of the crowd, that everyone was so into them. It was like a show from the sixties, with everyone smiling and dancing. Seems like a perfect fit for Bonnaroo.
Matiisyahu: I was slightly disappointed since my expectations were so high, based on comments about his show at roo last year. It was hot and he came out after Magic Numbers, so it was a tough slot. It wasn't bad by any means, just not spectacular.
Cat Power: Another nice surprise. Chan was dancing and laughing and, although she seemed nervous, she seemed to be enjoying herself. Her voice can be so beautiful. She had the same band as her latest album and they sounded great. I know she can be hit-or-miss live, but this was definitely a nice show.
Common: He played on the main stage on Saturday afternoon. I really like his album "Be", so I was excited to see him. His show was fun and he had a lot of energy. A little too much of the sing along with me stuff, but that's pretty standard at hip-hop shows. Definitely worth checking out if your into it.
Damian Marley: I was going to skip him because I was gonna see him at roo and I really wanted to see Sigur Ros, who were playing at the same time. The first couple of songs from Sigur Ros were freakin fantastic, but then Marley came on on another stage and the sound was washing out Sigur Ros. I was kinda pissed at first, but decided not to fight it and just went over to see Jr. Gong. He was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. After a long day in the sun, everyone seemed to be drained by the time the sun went down. Marley changed all that with a blistering set of Regae. It just seemed like the perfect type of music for a festival like this. Can't wait to see what he does at roo and it also got me excited to see Steel Pulse again. Unless you have major conflicts, do NOT miss him!
My Morning Jacket: I think everyone here is familiar with how good they are live. Coachella was no exception.
I missed Atmosphere to see Depeche Mode. DM was allright, but I heard Atmosphere tore it up. I have seen him a few times before and I will definitely see him at roo.
Sorry for the long post. I am bored at work today.
Post by chopperdave on May 4, 2006 14:05:15 GMT -5
I love Damian Marley, but if I was there, and he was drowning out Sigur Ros, I'd have a hard time not bumrushing the stage and shutting him the hell up.
What kind of a lineup did Seu Jorge have? Was it a big band with horns etc. and a lot of funk going on or was it a more stripped down kind of thing (like his most recent album "Cru")?
If you aren't into the "throw your hands in the air" part then live hip-hop probably won't do it for you. I've never seen it play well to a huge crowd (J5 and Roots at Roo have come the closest to really pulling it of for me), but if you are up in the mix and willing to participate it can be an incredible, uniquely "hip-hop" concert experience. After seeing him give one of the best shows of my life my last two LB shows have been slightly underwhelming so I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Did LB have a band or just a DJ (I actually prefer the latter for him)?
Your Magic Numbers and Damian Marley comments have confirmed my high hopes for those sets. See you there!
I figured Seu Jorge would be accoustic, since the only thing I had ever heard by him was from the movie "Life Aquatic with Steve Zazou". Totally different than I had expected. It was definitely a funk show. I was part of the overflow crowd outside the tent, so my view wasn't great. Sounded awesome though.
LB had a band as well. Actually, aside from Brother Ali (who was the awesome!), all the artists I saw that were not in the dance tent all had bands playing with them.
I do enjoy hiphop shows and I can handle a bit of the "call and reponse" stuff, but when they do it five times a song for every song, it gets a little boring and takes away from the performance, me thinks.
The only things that seemed to be missing during the weekend were performances that were unique (besides Daft Punk) and an overall lack of communal spirit. The crowd was very young and we had the Madonna factor to deal with, so I guess it was to be expected. Plus, it was freakin hot. I guess I was expecting more guest appearances and slightly longer sets. My guess is that Bonnaroo will be different in that sense.
Also, the sound systems at the stages were incredible! There were times when it sounded as good as any concert I had ever been to. And they had some cool lighting. How does Bonnaroo compare on that front?
With some exceptions towards the back where the sound from multiple tents can bleed together (especially the second stage), the sound at Bonnaroo is the best I have ever heard, and seems to get a little better every year. The best possible sound should be an indoor venue, so that's a mouthful. I've been places with incredible sound for classical music or jazz, but for "rock" music in the broadest sense, the sound at Bonnaroo is mind-bogglingly good.
Yes, Tool was incredible. Great sound and amazing visuals. They were definitely one of the highlights and a great way to end the weekend. That was one performance that felt special, since it was their first show in three years. Massive Attack came on right before Tool on the main stage and I think its been 7-8 years since they played live, so that was pretty sweet too. They had the singer of Cocteu Twins with them and Horace Andy from Jamaica. The best shows of the weekend, IMO, were 1.) Daft Punk 2.) Tool 3.) Massive Attack 4.) The Editors 5.) Damian Marley 6.) Magic Numbers 7.) Carl Cox 8.) Wolf Parade 9.) Brother Ali 10.) The Walkmen.
Oh, and unfortunately I missed Dungen because they were playing at the same time as Massive Attack and/or Tool. I have been listening to them quite a bit actually, and I was bummed when the schedule came out and I knew I would miss them. Hopefully I'll catch them at roo.
Post by DJ DonkeyPunch on May 5, 2006 9:15:03 GMT -5
I was also at Coachella this past weekend and seemed to have saw many of the same acts as Jankster (with regards to those performing at Bonnarro also) and agree with his assessments.
I would like to add that MMJ probably had one of my very favorite sets of the weekend (behind Daft Punk and Gnarls Barkley). They didn't put on quite the visual performance that they have been known to supply in the past, but that didn't stop them from really energizing the crowd after a very ecclectic Animal Collective set. They also refrained from playing a lot of their slower/more mellow stuff and stuck pretty much to their fast-paced rock. I have heard somebody else describe their Coachella show as "Claptonesque" and I think that summed it up pretty well.
What about Dungen??? Did you happen to catch them...I think they have really become my new fav band for the year.
Unlike Jankster, I was fortunate enough to catch Dungen. I thought it sounded great, almost exactly like hearing them on my stereo. Unfortunately, I was expecting them to sort of jam for a while and improvise on a lot of their songs (they may have had to change their set a bit though because the previous act ran over by about 15 or 20 minutes and overall I think Dungen only got about 35 minutes to play because of it). But the sound and the energy were great and those who sort of knew what to expect seemed to be much more into it than those who didn't.
With some exceptions towards the back where the sound from multiple tents can bleed together (especially the second stage), the sound at Bonnaroo is the best I have ever heard, and seems to get a little better every year. the sound at Bonnaroo is mind-bogglingly good.
I totally agree with you Ka Mai. All other festivals I've been to do not compare to sound quality at Bonnaroo. Even in the tents there is very little bleeding (it seems to be more prevalent at night for some reason) from other tents/stages. A lot of times at festivals the mix will not be right or mics will be too hot, but I've rarely seen it occur. YMSB in 2004 was maybe the worst I've seen, and it only got bad a few times. With all the changes in acts it is miraculous how great the mixes and the sound quality are.
I was fortunate enough to get to Coachella last weekend and I thought I'd post a brief review of some of the groups that I saw that are also playing Bonnaroo. Overall, it was a great weekend, although it was really crowded and HOT. Spent the first day running around from stage to stage trying not to miss anybody. Definitely the wrong approach to this kind of festival. By the end of the day I could barely stand, and I still had another day in front of me. Sunday I picked out a few bands that I really wanted to see and got to the stages early to get a decent view. Much more relaxing and enjoyable way to spend the day, although its hard sometime not to think about who you are missing.
And, by the way, if you are at all into electronic music, do not miss Daft Punk if they come your way. I hadn't really heard much of their music before, but they were absolutely fantastic! Best set of the weekend.
Be Your Own Pet: Loud, obnoxious "punk" set, and I mean that in a good way. I hadn't heard their music before, but it was a fun show. They are the kind of band that you either love or hate.
Lyrics Born: Eh. I was really looking forward to seeing this, but it was pretty average. The crowd was into it though. A little too much "waive your hands like this" and sing along stuff for my tastes.
Seu Jorge: I only got to see a couple of songs, but it was much better than I had anticipated. I was at another stage and I kept hearing thr crowd going crazy, so I went over to check it out. The crowd was way into it and much more energy than I had tought. Didn't hear any Portuguese David Bowie songs though. I will definitely go see his set at Bonnaroo.
Amadou & Mariam: Another big surprise. Saw half the set and it was great. Great sound and you could just feel the love. Like Seu Jorge, I will try to see the entire set at Bonnaroo.
Magic Numbers: They played the main stage in the heat of the afternoon and it was almost unbearably hot. I'm glad I braved the heat to see them though. I wasn't sure how good they would be live, but I love their album. They tore it up! I was surprised, given the makeup of the crowd, that everyone was so into them. It was like a show from the sixties, with everyone smiling and dancing. Seems like a perfect fit for Bonnaroo.
Matiisyahu: I was slightly disappointed since my expectations were so high, based on comments about his show at roo last year. It was hot and he came out after Magic Numbers, so it was a tough slot. It wasn't bad by any means, just not spectacular.
Cat Power: Another nice surprise. Chan was dancing and laughing and, although she seemed nervous, she seemed to be enjoying herself. Her voice can be so beautiful. She had the same band as her latest album and they sounded great. I know she can be hit-or-miss live, but this was definitely a nice show.
Common: He played on the main stage on Saturday afternoon. I really like his album "Be", so I was excited to see him. His show was fun and he had a lot of energy. A little too much of the sing along with me stuff, but that's pretty standard at hip-hop shows. Definitely worth checking out if your into it.
Damian Marley: I was going to skip him because I was gonna see him at roo and I really wanted to see Sigur Ros, who were playing at the same time. The first couple of songs from Sigur Ros were freakin fantastic, but then Marley came on on another stage and the sound was washing out Sigur Ros. I was kinda pissed at first, but decided not to fight it and just went over to see Jr. Gong. He was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. After a long day in the sun, everyone seemed to be drained by the time the sun went down. Marley changed all that with a blistering set of Regae. It just seemed like the perfect type of music for a festival like this. Can't wait to see what he does at roo and it also got me excited to see Steel Pulse again. Unless you have major conflicts, do NOT miss him!
My Morning Jacket: I think everyone here is familiar with how good they are live. Coachella was no exception.
I missed Atmosphere to see Depeche Mode. DM was allright, but I heard Atmosphere tore it up. I have seen him a few times before and I will definitely see him at roo.
Sorry for the long post. I am bored at work today.
Jankster,
great write-up! I wrote a long summary of my own over on the off-topic board, with pics, check it out. I'm glad you got there early and got to see a lot of the acts i missed. we waited until 4 to get there each day because it was so hot. I totally agree with you about the daft punk set... we are still talking about that... what an experience. All the pictures on the net and video clips on youtube do not even come close to doing it justice... you had to be there