check out my updates on Bonnaroo 2007 over at Impose Magazine througout the rest of the week – should have some press conference audio and an overview as the week concludes! I’m still exhausted from the festival, regular updating should resume tomorrow!

Here it is, the number one moment at Bonnaroo, and my favorite live show of all time. I considered skipping this for Common that night, but had I skipped this, I probably would have regretted such things the rest of my existence. This was a night where MMJ came out with no gimmicks, no expectations, and so much rock n’ roll that most people didn’t know what to do with themselves. A 3 1/2 hour set that blasted through songs off each one of their titles, some that hadn’t been played in years. They also managed to get through covers by the Misfits, The Who, Velvet Underground, Flying Burrito Bros, and the Rolling Stones. Andrew Bird made his way up to play on several tracks, but he was flooded out by the loud amps. I must have had 6 winds during this show, because I didn’t stop moving around, I was so full of life, and so energized the entire show. This is why I come back to Bonnaroo each and every year – because people play their best, and deliver shows that chances are, we will never have a chance to see again. I can not wait to see you guys in Manchester tomorrow – be safe this weekend, and have too much fun! Heres the setlist from last years MMJ show:

Wordless Chorus
It Beats 4 U
What A Wonderful Man
One Big Holiday
Older Guys > Head Held High
Lowdown
The Way That He Sings
Masterplan
At Dawn
Golden
Gideon
Xmas Curtain

Dondante
Dancefloors
Anytime
Interlude
Mahgeetah

Set Two
—————————————–
A Quick One
Loving Cup > Easy Morning Rebel Jam
Attitude
Off The Record
Lay Low

The Dark
The Bear
I Will Sing You Songs
Heartbreakin’ Man
Evelyn Is Not Real
It’s About Twilight Now
It Makes No Difference
Phone Went West
Run Thru

During this performance, I really didn’t think my legs were going to make it. They had given out completely during RJD2 and I considered skipping this show completely to head back to my tent and get some much needed sleep. But it’s Bonnaroo, people that do that missed out on shows like this – that people are talking about years later. When De La came on, I somehow squeezed my way to the front of the stage, and they came out screaming at the top of their lungs – giving my sorry ass a second wind. By the end of their hour and a half performance, I looked back to a sea of 30,000 hands bumpin’ up and down – these are moments Bonnaroo go’ers never, ever forget

For those of you that stick around at this blog, you will learn that I am a giant MMJ fan, and am from Louisville – so it makes sense. This was one of those landmark performances at Bonnaroo that put a band on another level. For those that were at 04′s festival, you remember it was a slop of knee-high mud, unbearable heat, and insane down-pours (something the festival had not learned to cope with yet, this was the first year it came down hard). But it can’t be described what it was like during My Morning Jacket’s set. A thunderstorm began to blow in and everyone knew it was just a matter of seconds before it came down as hard as one could imagine. So finally, the thunder came roaring down and Jim James took that as a note to play harder and faster. Here we are in piles of mud in perhaps a dangerous situation, gettin’ down to one of the best live shows ever put on. This is what made me, and several thousand others – true My Morning Jacket fans.

Yes, Radiohead makes the list. Although I did have qualms with this performance, it was one of the better I’ve seen on the big stage over the years. Now, was it me, or did the entire band looked bored out of their minds for the two hours they were up on stage? If the music coming out of those speakers wasn’t downright some of the best quality live music I’ve ever heard, then I would’ve been raising hell at their charisma. Call me crazy, but I would much rather see Radiohead in a theatre like the tour they did following Bonnaroo in 2006. Nevertheless, those guys are so talented it hurts – so I guess they can look bored and it really just doesn’t matter all too much.

Ok, Ok – so I’ve been slacking even more, but I’m going to churn out my top 5 bonnaroo moments in the next hour. Coming in at number 5, I give it up to Sonic Youth for ripping through this set, playing tracks off their extensive backlog. It didn’t feel anything like last years largely dissapointing performance of Rather Ripped (except for when Stephen Malkmus came out to join for a few tracks), yet it screamed energy and felt like a younger Sonic Youth. Not to mention, Kim looked gorgeous as always.

Nico Muhly

Bedroom Community @ Idno Airwaves 2006

Normally, this set probably wouldn’t have been in my top 10, had the atmosphere not been perfect. But seeing live music is all about its circumstances – and on this night, it was raining outside of the tent, everyone seemed to be relatively respectful and quiet during Sam’s set – a rare thing at Bonnaroo to say the least. He played through a perfect set, and I was a bit worried how he would fare at such a large festival. Listening to “The Trapeze Swinger” for 9 minutes while it was pouring rain and thundering was to say the least, one of the better musical experiences I’ve ever encountered.

Peso Dos Anos
Flor Misteriosa