Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by pondo ROCKS on Jun 16, 2017 10:06:36 GMT -5
There always seems to be one set that you are interested in or hype for each year, only to be either bored to tears or just it just plain sucks on the farm.
For me this year, it was The Strumbellas. I don't know if it was time of day or being on The Which, I literally was bored after 2 songs. Managed to sit thru 5 and finally my Croo left. Just seemed average at best to me.
Providing an outlet and a voice for music lovers to unite under the common theme of music for all. Join The Pondo Army to show your allegiance to musical freedom! Fighting for no censorship of the arts & music education in schools, The Pondo Army will triumph! The Pondo Army Movement
Follow me on twitter@Pondoknowsbest
Chance The Rapper and nothing was even close. I love the guy and his other performances I've seen were amazing, but rapping half of your lyrics, playing partial songs, and awful setlist flow completely killed my vibe. Having to be far back didn't help either, he def had the biggest crowd of the weekend.
Post by piggy pablo on Jun 16, 2017 10:27:58 GMT -5
The only thing I saw that I didn't really care for was the first twenty minutes or so of D.R.A.M. I bet the latter part of the show was more fun when he played the hits, but what I saw was mostly crowd hype and just general whatever. We were planning to check out Jay Som anyway, so we didn't stick around long.
Although, this hype technique was definitely interesting:
"Ladies, if you got some good pussy let me hear you say 'yeah!'"
"Ladies, if you're cute, let me hear you say 'yeah!'"
Maybe ramp up from cute to good pussy next time? Idk.
Post by gryphonkin on Jun 16, 2017 11:13:22 GMT -5
Francis and the Lights. I didn't have any expectations aside from wjat I'd heard researching him but he just seemed really disinterested. The field was half-full too. They should have swapped him and The Strumbellas, whose set was overflowing.
I wasn't disappointed with The Strumbellas, aside from it being too crowded. I went in knowing they were a poor man's Lumineers (the Lumineers being a poor man's Avett Brothers), and they did nothing to change that opinion up or down.
Chance had the biggest combination of hype vs letdown for me. I really couldn't get into his call and response style. I love him in theory - and he was really fun at the Superjam - but that set didn't work for me. (Side note: I initially thought that the crowd was huge - I even tweeted about it - but then, as I was leaving a few songs in to checkout the very poorly attended Warpaint set, came across a very sparse back middle section of the field and deleted my tweet.)
Overall, though, The Lemon Twigs were the act that worked the least for me. There was a lot of interesting things going on but they seemed to be competing with each other instead of complimenting each other. I did not last long.
Also, I'll step up to say that I actually really enjoyed the Strumbellas. Maybe it's because I am Canada-adjacent but I thought that they were a lot of fun. (Being in the pit usually helps me to enjoy shows, too.)
That's the first knock I've heard on the BGS. What didn't you like?
I had assumed that the vocals were too low but someone else I was with said that they were fine outside of the tent so I thought that it may have just been my location. Also, Proud To Be An American and, to a lesser extent, ROCK In The USA were a bit cringy song choices but the performances themselves were decent (and the inclusion of Gabbi Moreno's Spanish verse was a nice touch).
Chance had the biggest combination of hype vs letdown for me. I really couldn't get into his call and response style. I love him in theory - and he was really fun at the Superjam - but that set didn't work for me. (Side note: I initially thought that the crowd was huge - I even tweeted about it - but then, as I was leaving a few songs in to checkout the very poorly attended Warpaint set, came across a very sparse back middle section of the field and deleted my tweet.)
Overall, though, The Lemon Twigs were the act that worked the least for me. There was a lot of interesting things going on but they seemed to be competing with each other instead of complimenting each other. I did not last long.
Also, I'll step up to say that I actually really enjoyed the Strumbellas. Maybe it's because I am Canada-adjacent but I thought that they were a lot of fun. (Being in the pit usually helps me to enjoy shows, too.)
Our group also didn't last long at The Lemon Twigs for some of the same reasons. ...
Also, if Chance is the Mayor of Bonnaroo, what does that make the dude from Cherub? The guy on the school board that is at all of the town events because nobody can think of a polite way to tell him he's not needed?
Also, if Chance is the Mayor of Bonnaroo, what does that make the dude from Cherub? The guy on the school board that is at all of the town events because nobody can think of a polite way to tell him he's not needed?
D.R.A.M. i guess, didn't really stay long enough to form a real opinion on the set.
Kind of/not really, The xx, but mostly disappointed in myself for getting hungover right before.
I feel like Chance did fine, didn't feel much different from other rap shows I've seen. I did not have very high expectations going into it, so I definitely was not let down at all. Could've had less heaven talk, but I can't get mad at that and then get pissy at people saying Bono got "too political". I knew what I signed up for.
That's the first knock I've heard on the BGS. What didn't you like?
I had assumed that the vocals were too low but someone else I was with said that they were fine outside of the tent so I thought that it may have just been my location. Also, Proud To Be An American and, to a lesser extent, ROCK In The USA were a bit cringy song choices but the performances themselves were decent (and the inclusion of Gabbi Moreno's Spanish verse was a nice touch).
When they played Strawberry Wine I started planning my exit. I found it to be just incredibly boring unlike in years past. I left just before Rocky Top, which featured an Osborne brother, so I hate that, but I couldn't take it. Then I went to Weeknd who was even more boring. I loved Bonnaroo this year though and learned that it doesn't take a great or even good lineup for me to have a wonderful time.
Also, if Chance is the Mayor of Bonnaroo, what does that make the dude from Cherub? The guy on the school board that is at all of the town events because nobody can think of a polite way to tell him he's not needed?
And what is Les? He's been to 73 Bonnaroos.
I also didn't really get into the Twigs set for whatever reason. It was sandwiched between two really fun shows with the Orwells and Turkuaz, which probably didn't help.
Bono's politics were essentially just him saying the USA is the greatest country in the world and that the government needs to act on the will of the people. I think he was trying to appeal to Trump voters who distrust the government and voted for Trump because of that. The old Twilight Zone or whatever with the Trump character was hilarious, and was definitely anti-Trump, but anyone who complained about that show needs to stay away from any Roger Waters shows. Their heads will explode.
I agree that Chance is insufferably Christian and we all should know that going in, but that also underscores to me how over the top it must have been. But I can't really say. I wasn't there. I was watching four enchantresses conjure the Devil's music.
Also, if Chance is the Mayor of Bonnaroo, what does that make the dude from Cherub? The guy on the school board that is at all of the town events because nobody can think of a polite way to tell him he's not needed?
And what is Les? He's been to 73 Bonnaroos.
Les has really stepped away from Bonnaroo. He was there for most of the first 10 years but post-2011 has only played once. I guess he moved on.
Unpopular opinion on this board but U2 was the only real disappointment for me. But I know if I were closer it would've had a completely different experience. After getting pit for The xx I had to go towards the back because my friend was having a small panic attack and needed to be away from the crowd. I didn't think it was a big deal because I saw those giant screens U2 had set up and I'm not a hardcore fan anyways. For the first four songs, none of the screens were turned on. Sunday Bloody Sunday was a great opener but after that, the show immediately started to fall off for me. I was actually starting to question if they just couldn't get the screens to work at all. For about 20 minutes it was like just listening to a U2 recording because I couldn't see anything happening on stage. Finally when they got into Joshua Tree they started to use the screens. But they used the screens as a backdrop. So I still couldn't actually see them performing. The backdrops weren't that interesting either. I was just looking at the same loop for an entire song. They also had these really annoying lights towards the back of the field that kept coming on. I don't know if they were there for every headliner but they were really annoying at U2. It definitely distracted from the stage setup they had going. The entire set wasn't a bad experience, it just had a lot of ups and downs for me. It didn't live up to the very high expectations I had. I expected to come away with a much bigger appreciation for U2 and it just didn't happen.
The only other disappointment would be how Bonnaroo screwed over Skepta with his set time. It was clear most people chose to see Flatbush Zombies over Skepta. I only stayed for two Skepta songs but after seeing nobody react when "That's Not Me" came on I knew the crowd wasn't going to be what I wanted it to be. So I ran over to Flatbush Zombies which was almost as intense as Danny Brown 2014. I just really wish they scheduled Skepta and Flatbush back to back on the same stage instead of at the same time.
I love how tolerant everyone is about other people's beliefs. It's not like Chance is homophobic (his brother is gay) or hateful in any way. Yeah, he expressed his love for Jesus a few times throughout the show. But there are religious people that go to Bonnaroo too and that could have meant a lot to them. Some of the people around me seemed to be into it. That set wasn't perfect but attacking him for expressing his beliefs that are obviously very important to him is just dumb.
I think the lesson here is that Chance as a top 5 billed act was silly to begin with
Even though he had one of the biggest crowds??
Yeah, I may not consider his performance "elite" but it was definitely a booking that was endorsed by the crowd. (Hell, I had him in the top five of my fantasy draft!)
I think the lesson here is that Chance as a top 5 billed act was silly to begin with
Even though he had one of the biggest crowds??
If he's under performing as much as the "fans" on this board are saying, the next move is him being a disappointing #1 or dropping. A lot of people had big expectations due to him being so high. I didn't notice his crowd being any harder/easier to navigate compared to the other headliners/sub-headliners. As someone said earlier, it looked packed, but there were definitely gaps. It'll be interesting to see how it compares at ACL/Lolla, I'd expect him to be a huge draw at Lolla for obvious reasons, but I feel like RHCP are going to crush him at ACL as far as quality of show/size of crowd.
Post by Jake Jortles on Jun 16, 2017 13:15:19 GMT -5
Hype plus letdown combo was Mike K for me. He was my number 2 or 3 act and I left after Cold Little Heart. I just thought to myself, "That is his best song by far. If that was the best this set will get, I'm gonna go to Future Islands." So I left.
I can't really explain what my problem was with it. I just had memories of the way Charles Bradley made me feel last year, and Mike K just didn't seem like he was pouring everything into the performance. This tent sound is also doo doo.
Thought Chance was pretty great at Gov Ball. Sucks to hear he didn't do so well at Bonnaroo.
It was probably the same set. I think people just expected his Bonnaroo show to be more "special". If he'd brought out a big special guest (other than Francis) I think some people's feelings about the show would be slightly different. I think the summary of criticisms was he didn't finish a lot of his lines, it wasn't loud enough, he loves Jesus too much, the setlist was all over the place which I agree with...opening with Mixtape and going from "bad little bitch wanna know how the lips taste" immediately to "I'm gon praise him, praise him till I'm gone" was really weird.
Yeah my issues had zero to do with the Jesus talk. That's Chance. That's Coloring Book. I expected that. I just thought he'd actually rap/sing full verses and perform full songs. The whole thing was just choppy. Part of this obviously stems from the hype going in too. Again, I've seen the dude murder performances live so I just had my hopes too high I guess.
Post by Radius Claus on Jun 16, 2017 13:24:31 GMT -5
Chance was great at Bonnaroo. I wish he would have finished a few more sentences, yes, but he is absolutely the king of hip hop in my eyes after seeing him command the main stage. He came out riding a motorcycle and jumped off and let it crash for Heaven's sake. Best stage presence I've seen from a hip hop act. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to catch a matinee of this tupac flick. Fingers crossed.
For sets that I had a high bar for, Chance the Rapper for sure.
In general the worst set of Bonnaroo 2017 was absolutely, hands down, Innanet James. End thread lol.
James's DJ killed it after he departed the stage 5ish songs under his belt I would go see his DJ any day but not waste my time with Innanet James again LOL
I love how tolerant everyone is about other people's beliefs. It's not like Chance is homophobic (his brother is gay) or hateful in any way. Yeah, he expressed his love for Jesus a few times throughout the show. But there are religious people that go to Bonnaroo too and that could have meant a lot to them. Some of the people around me seemed to be into it. That set wasn't perfect but attacking him for expressing his beliefs that are obviously very important to him is just dumb.
The beauty of live music is unity. That's where that energy comes from, when you are in a huge crowd of people all there to see the artist on stage, and that song starts and the crowd roars and you suddenly get tears in your eyes and you aren't totally sure why. You hug a stranger and high five his friend, then you all sing along together and you can't stop smiling. Live music offers an easy and near-effortless opportunity to feel connected with the humanity around you. This makes live music sacred.
Religion and politics are inherently divisive. By their very nature they separate groups of humans into us and them. Introducing religion or politics into a live music setting can potentially destroy, or at the very least upset, the unity described above. I can appreciate an artist feeling strongly about something and wanting to use their stage to communicate it, but in my opinion that is the wrong move. In that moment, it should purely be about the art and how it connects us.
My intention is not to pick on you or Chance, I like you both, but I think its valid to criticize Chance's religious opining from the stage if it made you feel separate from the artist and the crowd.
Post by piggy pablo on Jun 16, 2017 13:39:38 GMT -5
I do think people thought Chance would have more going on as far as guests and everything. There weren't all that many guest appearances that I saw all weekend. I thought for sure Travis Scott would have come out for something with Weeknd.
Michael Kiwanuka's set was super frontloaded; I agree. He played Cold Little Heart, One More Night, and Black Man in a White World all at the top. Leaving to check out Future Islands might've been a good move, but it was kinda a hike and I knew I was seeing Warpaint. Ended up catching some of TH&TH, which was better than I expected.
I would go see his DJ any day but not waste my time with Innanet James again LOL
