The Bonnaroo Chronicles, THE MUSIC, Part Two - Saturday
...sorry it took so long.....
On SATURDAY - short lived for me actually, I take in...........
Jack Johnson at 6:15. Jack is PlanB --- if things don't work out with Dave. [Yes, Marsha, I know they are both married, and as I have mentioned before, those are MINOR details. I am NOT above homewrecking when it comes to these two men]. At any rate, I was so miserable and exhausted from Friday, I did not drag my sorry self to Centeroo until after 5:00. I missed Gov't Mule (sorry Yale) and Yonder Mountain String Band (sorry Reba). My only complaint about this show was that, unfortunately, Jack draws an incredibly young crowd. Some guy started climbing a tree and the crowd was sidetracked by it. I was baffled -- JACK JOHNSON WAS ON STAGE!!!! Who cares about some moron climbing a tree? In about 10 years, I guess (and hope) they'll realize how phenomenal it was that they had the chance to hear him perform. Though they enjoyed his music, I doubt the powerful and meaningful lyrics in his songs even registered with this crowd.
But onto Jack. Jack's voice is just as mellow and sexy live as it is on his CDs. I got lucky and had a perfect view of my Plan B future husband through the heads in the crowd. Matt and I both caught this show, but not together. We were in agreement -- it was a very good. Zach Gill and Xavier Rudd played with Jack as his backing band. Later in the show, Jack was joined by John Cruz. With the exception of 'Sexy Plexi,' they played all my favs -- 'Breakdown,' 'Good People,' 'Do You Remember,' and of course, 'Banana Pancakes.' Ironically, the rain was pounding down on us when he performed 'Banana Pancakes.' I found it quite amusing when Jack sang "can't you see that it's just raining, ain't no need to go outside?"
Keller Williams overlapped Jack Johnson by 45 minutes. I'm certain that Bonnaroo changed the schedule!! My initial research showed that Jack and Keller overlapped by only 15 minutes. What was a girl to do?! Factor in the 'get to This Tent' time, Keller only played for an hour, so I only saw about 15 minutes, so disappointing. He was accompanied by the Keels. He performed 'Freaker,' which I was glad about, but Matt said it was a weird version of the song -- I never nailed down the reason why he thought that. I was pretty far from the stage, so I wasn't able to see. It didn't matter, I had plenty of entertainment in the crowd. One guy was dancing on top of the garbage cans. He was very good actually, moving in complete rhythm to Keller's music. Another guy caught and held my attention for most of my time there. He was a complete hippie -- from his baggy clothing, shoeless feet, bearded face, and tangled up dreds. I spotted him in an area that, for some reason, wasn't as crowded as others, and of course, made my way over. When I arrived at my destination, I realized why the area was void of people. There was at least 8 inches of water -- MUDDY water I might add. But there was my hippie, completely barefoot, dancing around in the mud, having a wonderful time. I could not stop staring. I was transfixed. Not because I thought it was so strange, but because I was mesmerized by his dancing (I swear I did not 'do' anything 'illegal'). He was so completely into the music, his entire body was involved in the movement. I wondered how he did not get tired. It was amazing to watch.
Widespread Panic played from 8:30 - 12:30. I listened from the Brooers Tent. Because they were the only band playing during that time slot, I could hear them from there. I hung out there for about an hour, then went back to camp. I think I'm getting old. Since they were performing two shows, I knew I could catch them on Sunday . Matt caught both shows, sort of.
Trey Anastasio came on at 12:30 -- Since one of Matt's all-time-favorite bands is Phish -- I knew he would attend this one. I was surprised to hear on Sunday that he walked away after about 15 minutes or so. His words to me --- 'I was underwhelmed.' I believe he left to go take in The Perceptionists.
Bullet #1 - you must pace yourself - was a lesson well learned on Saturday. So many artists I wish I had been able to see. Tea Leaf Green, Gov't Mule, Yonder Mountain String Band, Rilo Kiley, and most especially, Xavier Rudd.
Reba
Aberash has been driven from the world by the tormenting of the dragons she released and now they threaten the balance of power. The Crimean War has broken out. Zabella is sent to Rehema, the exiled queen, to learn the secrets of the dragons. But can
