Friday, June 12, 2009
Posted at
05:30
by
Rob Turbovsky
And, the frantic desire to see every performance ever has taken over, which means I'll probably be doomed to a festival of sweaty, sweaty failure. I wandered into a press conference featuring, among others, Janeane Garofalo and Ani DiFranco, who seemed to be arguing about who loved Obama the most. Outside of the press tent, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was interviewing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio. A mile and a half east of that, some twenty-year-old fainted. Early reports indicate that it may have been a case of "uncool vibes." Meanwhile, I keep trying to figure out how many different snarky ways there are to say that my eyes are melting.
Also, there is a tent here that sells every kind of jerky imaginable. I had some ostrich jerky. It was not the thirst-quencher I was hoping for.
I did catch the Dirty Projectors, playing on the stage curated by David Byrne. Byrne was on the side of the stage dancing, in white shorts, a white shirt, and a flat cap, like Tom Wolfe on a golf outing. The Projectors are goddamn fantastic live, by the way. Byrne joined them briefly on their final number, video of which is coming...eventually. Post Projectors I wandered into a performance by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, whose stage, amps, and instruments were covered in red roses. I guess they were taking their equipment to prom. They are a returning Bonnaroo champion, having made a big splash in 2006. This year, they've added a couple of members, subtracted one other, and have a whole bunch of other songs in their catalogue, which is a kind of Bonnie Raitt/The Band/Crazy Horse/J.J. Cale fusion, and thus perfect for anyone knee-deep in mud in Tennessee. Their upcoming album is being produced by T. Bone Burnett, so keep an eye on them...I think I may have accidentally discovered a great band under 60 without Pitchfork telling me about it first. TBD, I suppose.
Okay, that's it for now. On to Santigold...and tonight, Phish. That's right. Phish, reunited, at Bonnaroo with 75,000 people. This shouldn't be a hot, hairy mess at all. I'll be filing casualty reports whenever I can. Stay tuned.
