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More on that please. Was it essentially the same as the Bluegrass Situation just without Ed Helms?
I never went to the Bluegrass superjam but the production value on this was pretty high actually. They had a lectern to the side for the host, some nice decor on the mics, etc. There wasn’t a consistent band or performers. Old Crow started it out and then the guests would bring their own band out and do a couple of songs. The interludes between songs were either videos or facts about the Opry. I only stayed until Thundercat but I enjoyed it and thought it was very creative.
Interesting little tidbit: Sturgill Simpson turned 40 the day of his set, and Matt Bellamy, who played directly after, turned 40 ten minutes after Muse's set ended.
I was wondering why all these people that don't like Future went to his set, now I realize there was like nothing else going on. The little bit of his set I saw at Coachella was good.
On paper, that time slot was my biggest conflict of the weekend.
Opry vs. Future vs. Texas Gentlemen Opry vs. Thundercat
Stream didn't show any tent shows. Future was disappointing, so I turned on the Opry set on WSM's website.
Post by trantsgiving on Jun 11, 2018 19:00:09 GMT -5
I also forgot to mention that I found Tash Sultana extremely boring and annoying. I loved her upon discovery but all her performances are the exact same, some of it is pre-recorded, she is very uninteresting and the entire crowd looked like they wanted to align my chakras. She also did a lot of weird virtue signaling. She’s a cool street performer or someone to watch online but she should not be drawing the crowds she does.
Post by piggy pablo on Jun 11, 2018 19:27:39 GMT -5
I listened to the GOO set almost entirely. If I had been at Roo, I might have missed it for Future and Thundercat, which would have kinda sucked (Future for sure would have been a waste). Country isn't my thing, but this definitely made me miss Roo.
According to the Tennessean the dates for 2019 were picked so that CMA fest would be after Bonnaroo and not the same weekend anymore. They plan to do this from now on.
According to the Tennessean the dates for 2019 were picked so that CMA fest would be after Bonnaroo and not the same weekend anymore. They plan to do this from now on.
Be quiet, let me believe it’s because Roger Waters wasn’t available the week before
More on that please. Was it essentially the same as the Bluegrass Situation just without Ed Helms?
I never went to the Bluegrass superjam but the production value on this was pretty high actually. They had a lectern to the side for the host, some nice decor on the mics, etc. There wasn’t a consistent band or performers. Old Crow started it out and then the guests would bring their own band out and do a couple of songs. The interludes between songs were either videos or facts about the Opry. I only stayed until Thundercat but I enjoyed it and thought it was very creative.
I only caught the first half before heading to alt-j, so my judgement may be off, but Opry was my big dissapointment. Bluegrass superjam is always a highlight for me, and usually spend most of my sunday in that tent. But with this there were a bunch of 5 minute breaks to talk about the history of the Opry, and the musicians apart of it. Even as a nashville native, i could care less, i just wanna hear good music (especially with multiple conflicts). Crowd was thinner and felt like more were watching on screen than near the stage. Really hoping they bring back the old format, and dont get rid of bluegrass all together. Its one aspect unique to bonnaroo, and can thrive when done properly (ala 2015)
Overall i can confirm bonnaroo is not dead. For those who were on the fence, i felt the same way regarding shorter sets, less genre diversity,etc. But almost every other show exceded expectations, and vibe and energy around centeroo was fantastic! Skipped last year and was amazed at the improvements. My 14th year, and if They made thursday decent and had a headliner i cared to see, it would easily have been in my top 5. Shout out to trombone shorty, paak, chic, moon taxi, jungle, and everyone involved in the superjam. Will remember those shows forever
I also forgot to mention that I found Tash Sultana extremely boring and annoying. I loved her upon discovery but all her performances are the exact same, some of it is pre-recorded, she is very uninteresting and the entire crowd looked like they wanted to align my chakras. She also did a lot of weird virtue signaling. She’s a cool street performer or someone to watch online but she should not be drawing the crowds she does.
I thought she was great at Coachella. What parts were pre-recorded?
I also forgot to mention that I found Tash Sultana extremely boring and annoying. I loved her upon discovery but all her performances are the exact same, some of it is pre-recorded, she is very uninteresting and the entire crowd looked like they wanted to align my chakras. She also did a lot of weird virtue signaling. She’s a cool street performer or someone to watch online but she should not be drawing the crowds she does.
Gonna respectfully disagree here. I thought she sounded great and her talent and passion were definitely well on display. The whole vibe was great too. I was just chillin in the back but got completely sucked in.
Some stuff was definitely saved on her loop pedal, but I don’t think that that’s criminal by any means. The purpose of using pre-recorded loops was pretty much just for the sake of layering and making the sound fuller. But the most important (and most impressive) bits were played live.
Again, if it wasn’t for you, it’s all good. That shit happens. But I thought it was a great set with a great atmosphere to it, and I’m sure many others did too.
Bonnaroo '15/'16/'17/'18/'19 - ACL '13/'14/'15/'17/'18 - Fun Fun Fun '14 - SXSW '13/'14/'15 - FPSF '16
2019 Shows: 4/30 - Vampire Weekend 6/28 - Father John Misty & Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 9/6 - Cardi B w/ Teyana Taylor 9/28 - Vulfpeck w/ The Fearless Flyers
I also forgot to mention that I found Tash Sultana extremely boring and annoying. I loved her upon discovery but all her performances are the exact same, some of it is pre-recorded, she is very uninteresting and the entire crowd looked like they wanted to align my chakras. She also did a lot of weird virtue signaling. She’s a cool street performer or someone to watch online but she should not be drawing the crowds she does.
I thought she was great at Coachella. What parts were pre-recorded?
Some drum parts and rhythm guitar parts seemed to come out of nowhere. I can’t think of specific moments but I’m very familiar with looping and I could tell she did not play certain loops on stage.
I thought she was great at Coachella. What parts were pre-recorded?
Some drum parts and rhythm guitar parts seemed to come out of nowhere. I can’t think of specific moments but I’m very familiar with looping and I could tell she did not play certain loops on stage.
Some drum parts and rhythm guitar parts seemed to come out of nowhere. I can’t think of specific moments but I’m very familiar with looping and I could tell she did not play certain loops on stage.
Post by The Golden Eel on Jun 12, 2018 13:02:28 GMT -5
Overall this was a great year. Felt much better presented and most of the changes were great
my only real problem was the lack of comedy tent. That was sorely missed. The sets out in the campgrounds were way too inconvenient to get to and the Snake & Jake barn only had a capacity of like 100 people, which is not nearly enough for known names like Sasheer Zamata. We tried to get into the first show at 3:00 on Thursday when there weren't even that many people in Centeroo yet, and after waiting in a not-that-long line for a while we were told we wouldn't get in. What's the point of putting on these shows for such a small number of people?
But I saw a lot of great music--Bon Iver, Sturgill, and Anderson Paak were my favorites--and it felt like it had the magic that was missing last year
Westside Gunn & Conway: Pretty solid stuff. They had a good flow but man was their set underattended. They gave away an Artist bracelet to one lucky fan.
Lucky fan, reporting in here. I was on the rail in the middle and their manager came down and gave me the pass. Apparently between them announcing they were going to give out a pass and that happening, security essentially said "no the fuck you are not giving out artist passes to random people," but they cut a deal and I got to go back and hang for about 15 minutes. Shot the shit with Conway and Benny and drank some cognac before getting escorted out and the artist band got snipped. It was an extremely cool experience especially since I've been listening to the Griselda guys a ton since I discovered them last year and as far as individual moments go, the highlight of the weekend for me.
Otherwise, here's my breakdown of the weekend with a few other highlights of each day:
After having missed last year, I thought the Centeroo setup was definitely improved over when I was last there in 2016. The back corner is the perfect spot for Kalliope and (almost completely) eliminated the sound bleed issues from the past. It was definitely more crowded than 2015 or 2016 but I found that showing up even just 10 minutes before a set started meant you could get a decent spot.
Thursday's lineup didn't blow me away, but there were still some quality sets. CloZee & Opiuo were my two favorites this day - knew almost nothing about CloZee going in but I was impressed, especially with how she brought up the energy in the last 15 minutes or her set. Opiuo is/was a known entity but his sets are always a fun time and a good way to close out the first night.
Friday may have been my favorite day at Bonnaroo in my 4 years. I rode the high of the aforementioned Westside Gunn & Conway backstage experience and had a great time at Japanese Breakfast, Tyler Childers, and Trombone Shorty (the energy in that tent was through the roof - loved the Give It Away cover and bummed to hear that I missed Bulls on Parade, but what are you gonna do). Denzel Curry was pure chaos in the best way possible - Ultimate into Sumo to end his set was one of my favorite parts of the weekend - but it took a lot out of me and I was pretty tired until the sun went down during Shiba San and only sat and listened to Tash Sultana from the very back. I came pretty close to skipping Shiba San but ended up staying and was happy with the decision, he never puts on a bad set and the juxtaposition of that to Sturgill next was entertaining.
Caught Rufus Du Sol, Muse, and Bassnectar after Sturgill, all of which were quality. I used to listen to Muse all the time when I was a kid and haven't much recently but that set reminded me why I loved them. I had never heard Take A Bow live before and was glad they kept that in the set. After Bassnectar (which I'd put as Good Not Great, but that's my personal taste more than anything and he did drop Danny Brown's Really Doe which was a nice surprise). Went to the Tom Petty superjam after that and was thinking I might stay for a little and go to Virtual Self, but I stayed for every last second and loved it. Sheryl Crow singing American Girl was an awesome combination. Considered staying in Centeroo for longer after but decided against it and was bummed that I missed Dirtybird on Kalliope, but what are you gonna do. Non-stop quality sets from Griselda at 1:15PM to the end of the Superjam makes it impossible for me to be anything but thrilled with Friday.
Saturday was less intense, but still another great day. Started with Pond, who I had already seen last Monday here in ATL but I'll never complain about hearing those songs live. Giant Tortoise into The Weather to close things out was great. I split Mavis Staples (from the pit) and Kali Uchis afterwards, both of which I was bummed about not being able to see full sets of. Mavis's cover of Slippery People was my favorite moment of the 50-50 hour - had no idea that she played that one. Not much to say about Chic and Anderson .Paak that hasn't already been said. Loved them both and don't think I grooved harder all weekend than I did to Chic. Skipped the first Bon Iver set for Post Animal and don't regret it for a minute. The whole crowd at the Who Stage was super into the set and the band was clearly appreciative. The pit during the second half of Gelatin Mode was so fun. Watched Eminem from the back of What field and I guess it was good? It certainly wasn't terrible but I'm just not that big of a fan.
Managed to bounce from Eminem quickly enough to get a great spot on the left side for Bon Iver's second set. This was the best set of the weekend for me - I don't know his discography super well so I didn't really care that there weren't a ton of true BI songs played and the concept of 90 minutes of Justin Vernon getting to do whatever he wanted was absolutely great. Couldn't believe how thin the crowd was by the end, but hey. Woods was the high point of the set and I need to figure out where to find that last hip-hop song he did with the rapper he brought out. Caught STS9 after which was a great way to close it out - was bummed that there was no Brockhampton replacement, but STS9 is never a bad option to have.
Started Sunday with Mija. I thought she had a tough timeslot between the heat/humidity after the storm and being the first EDM artist on the day where everyone is pretty much dead from the weekend, but she impressed me. Split Jungle & BSS afterwards - definitely preferred Jungle between the two. I'm not familiar with BSS's music and plan on spending some time with it though (anyone got an album recommendation to start with?). Went with the rest of the crew to Big Wild and Future afterwards and while neither were the most technically impressive shows, they were both fun. I had been trying to catch Thundercat for a while and finally had a chance to after Future - he was the highlight of the day. Couldn't believe some of the roads they went down and dominated while jamming. Closed out with The Killers, which was a good band to check off my bucket list but not much more.
Overall, phenomenal weekend and if Bonnaroo continues the upward lineup trend they started this year, I'll be back next year.
Westside Gunn & Conway: Pretty solid stuff. They had a good flow but man was their set underattended. They gave away an Artist bracelet to one lucky fan.
Lucky fan, reporting in here. I was on the rail in the middle and their manager came down and gave me the pass. Apparently between them announcing they were going to give out a pass and that happening, security essentially said "no the fuck you are not giving out artist passes to random people," but they cut a deal and I got to go back and hang for about 15 minutes. Shot the shit with Conway and Benny and drank some cognac before getting escorted out and the artist band got snipped. It was an extremely cool experience especially since I've been listening to the Griselda guys a ton since I discovered them last year and as far as individual moments go, the highlight of the weekend for me.
Oh shit I was literally standing right behind you hahaha
Hector Salamanca nice write up. For BSS start with forgot it in people. Their newest one was one of my favorites last year, but forgot it in people is a classic.
Hector Salamanca nice write up. For BSS start with forgot it in people. Their newest one was one of my favorites last year, but forgot it in people is a classic.
I love that they play so much of it live, still. Those songs are just amazing.
Remember walking up to see them at Coachella in...2004? without knowing anything about them and just being completely drawn in.
Post by pondo ROCKS on Jun 12, 2018 17:49:06 GMT -5
I've seen no love for Spencer Ludwig on Thursday Night. His set was one part Prince, one part Bruno Mars, and one part trumpet. So much fun and I was surprised how many people were there. When he crowdsurfed while playing trumpet and then proceeded to the top of each set of speakers, the crowd was totally his.
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
I was not expecting such a powerful performance by spencer ludwig! My favoritw thursday act in four years! Flor and spencer b2b for my first time at the miller light stage waa something ro remeber!
Hector Salamanca nice write up. For BSS start with forgot it in people. Their newest one was one of my favorites last year, but forgot it in people is a classic.
Post by justinmn9319 on Jun 13, 2018 7:52:01 GMT -5
6th year and want to echo the things everybody else are saying. the presentation was really stepped up, the two full size screens on the side of the mainstage were probably the best upgrade i noticed. kalliope back in the corner was great. the lights on the trees around centeroo added a nice touch.
did pit for the first time in my now 6 years for bassnectar and eminem. both were awesome shows. em sounded great, nectar was fucking awesome
most likely back next year depending what my group wants to do
I was not expecting such a powerful performance by spencer ludwig! My favoritw thursday act in four years! Flor and spencer b2b for my first time at the miller light stage waa something ro remeber!
For the record, the last three years Miller lite stage has produced some of the best sets at Bonnaroo IMO.
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
