Began the day with Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s movie “On The Shoulders Of Giants”. It was cool to see the NBA all time leading scorer and his documentary, but most people just used the dark, air conditioned theater as a spot to grab a nap.
I caught a little peek into Cheer Up Charley Daniels on the way into the movie, and I’m looking forward to finding that Nashville band around town soon.
The next stop was The Low Anthem which was a beautiful hymnal of sound. Standing next to me in the crowd was Ben Sollee. I was just about to comment that they should tour together because it would be awesome to see them collaborate, but the next thing I know he joined them on stage to finish up the set. I can’t really think of a better guest artist.
It’s time to raise the collective BPM with a stop at Chiddy Bang. I thought I knew a bit about these guys, but I didn’t know anything until I saw Chiddy go. He holds the Guiness world record for freestyle rapping at just under 10 hours!!!! Freestyle topics (including Bonnaroo, Pokemon, Boobs, Kentucky Derby, Fuck Lebron, and White Girls with Booty) were collected from the crowd, and Chiddy pulled it off. I have a pretty cool video clip of part of that, and I’ll put it up later.
Next stop, Gary Clark Jr…. That dude rips the guitar as he fiddles with blues, rock, and R&B. Totally awesome.
Portugal. The Man had the people dancing at That Tent later in the afternoon. They were a highlight of the day for sure. If this band comes through town, you have to check them out.
On the way over to Mumford & Sons (which I chose to enjoy from the campsite away from the crowds), I got the chance to check out a short Amos Lee set on the little Sonic Stage. Amos is a headliner on Sunday afternoon, but there really is something very intimate about the little stages at Bonnaroo.
The night was The Black Keys who , of course, were awesome. I didn’t expect much out of Eminem. Hip Hop doesn’t always translate for me live. It’s a lot of “put your hands up!” and “make some noise!”, but I guess you shouldn’t question a guy with as much talent and accolades as Eminem. That dude went off like he had something to prove, and he proved it. He is great live.
The highlight of the entire day was J. Roddy Walston & The Business at tiny little Cafe Where between The Black Keys and Eminem. Rocking, rolling, and ridiculous energy, this raucous style of roadhouse music made you feel like we were in some dirty, fun as hell bar and not a little white tent on the outskirts of Centeroo. If you get the chance, go see these guys. It was absolutely awesome.
I would have loved to see Girl Talk from 2:30am to 4am, but this old guy needed some sleep to be ready to enjoy Sunday. Zzzzzzzzzz!
