6/15 1:10pm
blogging away as I broadcast from backstage at Bonnaroo this afternoon...
so we had a big decision to make as we made our way back to the media area around 730 last night. We had been told to be there by 745 to be part of the posse sidestage (on the main stage!) for Jack Johnson...but we had also heard that only the closest associates of Pearl Jam would be allowed sidestage for their set (they clear everybody out in-between). So Tad, Elizabeth and I reasoned that, as much as we all like Jack Johnson, we didn't want to have to fend for ourselves amongst the crowd of 80,000 to try and get a good spot that late in the game for PJ. Some PJ fans had been in the pit line since 10am that day! So we took our chances and walked all the way through the What Stage crowd to get in the pit line for PJ on the far side, since the closest side to us was jam-packed full. Seemed like there was a line of some kind, but with no security keeping people from cutting and no tape or fencing organizing it, fans had to police themselves, which for the most part went suprisingly ok, although Elizabeth and I started getting nervous towards the very end of Jack's set when more fans figured out the "line to the pit" process that they institute for the What Stage. We ended up bailing out of the line and enjoying the show from the lawn. Our side had plenty of space, esp. once all the people in the line were ushered into the pit. Tad took his chances and texted us "I'm in" a little after 10pm. Sounds like it was rough getting there, but he ended up with a spot just a few feet away from the stage for his first PJ experience. Turns out the Jack Johnson sidestage crew (including Jaclyn) were allowed into the PJ pit first, but Jaclyn bailed when it got too cozy after they let all the pit people in. Clearing everybody out between sets I guess is a good idea...there are 2 sections of the pit separated by an empty aisle between them, and then the mass of the crowd is behind a barrier behind that. Only problem is, when there is no defined line or security to enforce it, plus when that line effectively blocks the most direct line to the portajohns on that side, folks tend to get restless, so anxious and restless would be the words i'd use to describe my mood during Jack Johnson's set. And of course, Jack's music is about the most easy-going, catchy, mellow sound around, which only served to increase my own personal UNease at the pit situation. Ironic, eh? Plus, this being Elizabeth's first PJ show too (it's my 14th), I didn't want her to have to worry more about her claustrophobia than the music onstage. And the camera work and screens beside the stage were excellent, so we all got tons of great pics from various vantage points. Corner Teamwork! And knowing that I'll have fan club (1st few rows) seats for the PJ show in DC next Sunday helped make the decision much easier...apparently this new system was instituted last year - 2 years ago, those kids who had been there at 10am would have been in the front all day, and we would've had to do that too, which is exactly the opposite of the whole point of Bonnaroo. You should WANT to experience tons of different flavors of music & activities and people and not stay hunkered down in one place for hours. Ah, well, the ying and the yang of the festival circuit, I suppose...
The highlight of Jack Johnson's set was Eddie Vedder coming out and singing "Constellations" with him. He also made a nice dedication of "Bubble Toes" to his wife, who was sidestage, and he tinkered with an authentic Jimi Hendrix wah-wah pedal loaned to him by a friend just for Bonnaroo (I'm guessing it was PJ's wah-wah expert lead guitarist Mike McCready).
Pearl Jam's alloted time was 10:15-12:15, but I felt pretty confident they're immune to playing "just" 2 hour shows, and they did not dissappoint. 2 of the 1st 3 songs were B-sides, still got plenty of hits ("Alive," "Betterman," "Daughter," "Evenflow"), a spot-on Who cover ("Love Reign O'er Me") and they closed with one I'd never seen or expected them to do - "All Along the Watchtower" (Ed does it with the Million Dollar Bashers on the I'm Not There soundtrack). Rants about 80,000 changing the world, stopping the war, gas prices, and special dedications for Father's Day and a couple of friends were part of the emotional rollercoaster that the nearly 3-hour set included. Tad ran up behind us afterwards, on cloud 9 from what he said was easily one of the top 5 shows he's ever seen!
Kanye West was supposed to take the stage at 245am, so we gathered up our 3rd wind and roamed around, enjoying a bit of Sigur Ros on the way. They pulled out all the stops on their one-of-a-kind brand of epic, soaring, name-your-own-lyrics indie rock, with strings and horns included with the very soft-very loud guitar combo.
We snagged VIP bleacher spots for Kanye right around 245, but after the big screens indicated he wouldn't be starting til 315, then 330, we decided to call it a night, while Tad endured, waiting until 430 before Kanye got his wish to play at "Sunrise" at Bonnaroo...from the backstage chatter we've been hearing today, most folks were none too pleased with not only the lateness, but the lameness of his set. Sounds like we didn't miss much...
some things I may have neglected to mention in previous blogs...
--i do love the "new" Metallica bass player
--Kirk Hammitt of Metallica joined My Morning Jacket onstage for their almost-4-hour set to do "One Big Holiday"
ok, off to explore the last day of Roo 08...can't wait for Plant & Krauss! cheers!
