Friday, June 27, 2008
Kanye responds
"I understand if people don't like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay..."
(Yes, Kanye. The tight clothes... that is EXACTLY why people don't like you. So perceptive you are.)
"We were obviously dealing with fucking idiots who didn't really have the capacity to really put on this show properly."
(Really? It seems to me that anyone who can sell 80,000 tickets to a festival, have multiple bands play simultaneously throughout the site without a glitch, and have the biggest bands headline each year (even bigger than YOU!), kinda knows what they're doing. And your pyro show? You could have just lit a few candles on stage and it probably would have had the same effect. Go watch a KISS concert and take some notes.)
"Remember when you were a shorty and water would hit the tv???"
(Huh?)
"Having an expensive stage cuts my payday in half..."
(But I'll bet you still made more on that one show than most people in this country make in one year. Shhhh--hear that? I'm playing the world's saddest song on the world's tiniest violin.)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Big Blue Ball

Today, Gabriel will release a side project of his that he has named Big Blue Ball. The album features musicians from all over the world; musicians that were flown in during the early 90’s to record at Gabriel’s “Real World Studios” in Wiltshire, England. Helping him out with the project is World Party musician Karl Wallinger (also in the band The Waterboys). Some of the more recognizable names on the album include Tim Finn, Sinead O’Connor, Joseph Arthur and The Holmes Brothers.
Describing the experience of recording with talent from all over the world, Peter Gabriel discusses the experience in the liner notes of the new album: “There’d be a studio set up on the lawn, in the garage, in someone’s bedroom as well as the seven rooms we had available. …We had poets and songwriters there, people would come in and scribble things down, they’d hook up in the cafĂ©…. Then they’d disappear into the darkness and make noises- and we’d be there to record it.”
The years were 1991,1992 and 1995. So why has it taken so long to release the recordings? Apparently, disorganization is the price you pay for doing things in such a free and untraditional way. It has taken nearly eighteen years to sort the whole mess out, says Gabriel. The result however, would have been worth the wait, even if it had taken thirty years.
The album opens with “Whole Thing,” a song Gabriel describes as being hypnotizing. This is also one of the strongest tracks on the album and features Karl Wallinger, Tim Finn and Francis Bebey (an artist, musician and writer who passed away in 2001, but released more than twenty albums in his time).
Other highlights on the album include “Shadow,” a song featuring Papa Wemba on vocals, one of Africa’s most popular musicians, and “Burn You Up, Burn You Down,” which includes Gabriel, The Holmes Brothers, Wallinger and Jules Shear (whose biggest claim to fame might be the creation of MTV’s Unplugged series).
The album ends with what is the most straightforward, acoustic pop song on the album, “Big Blue Ball.”
This could be a contender for “Best World Album” in next year’s Grammy awards. If he wins it will be Gabriel’s first Grammy win in this category… surprising for an artist that has sold millions of records and has had a prominent interest in world music for years.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The biggest upset in Bonnaroo history
Kanye was supposed to hit the "Which" stage at 8:15pm. Being the ego-maniac that he is, he decided that this stage wasn't big enough for him... he wanted to play the "What" stage (the biggest stage at the festival). So Kanye's set time got pushed back to 2:45am, after Pearl Jam's set, which ended a little after 1am. Ok, not too bad, right? We can all surely hold out until then, to see what has been named one of the greatest tours to exist in years-- Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark Tour." Everything I've read about this tour has been amazing and as a bunch of us sat around after Pearl Jam waiting, we were all getting excited about what was about to occur on the main stage.
Then we all got word that Kanye's set got pushed back again until 4am. So a lot of people decided to hit the hay (it was, after all, the third night of Bonnaroo and being awake until 2:45am was an accomplishment in itself.) I decided to wait it out... how could I miss a once in a lifetime opporutnity to see one of the greatest live shows I might ever see? So a bunch of us hung out and waited.
At 4am we headed over to the main stage, claiming a spot close to the front. The crowd was estimated to be around 30,000... about half the size he could have had if he had gone on at his original set time. At 4:15 he had still not gone on yet. Then 4:30 came around and Kanye finally hit the stage. Let me make a list now of all the things that completely sucked about this show, just to emphasize how disappointing the whole experience was:
-Kanye hit the stage at 4:30am... having the sun rise in the middle of something called the "Glow in the Dark Tour," doesn't really enhance or contribute to the experience.
-After all these people were waiting, Kanye didn't even acknowledge the fact he was at Bonnaroo or that we had been waiting up all night to see him. I'm not even sure he knew where he was.
-Kanye was the only one up on stage, performing to what appeared to be a recorded track... then we found out he actually had a live band, but they were backstage playing because Kanye is an arrogant a-hole and wanted the stage all to himself.
-He cut the length in half of many of his songs
-He played from 4:30 to 5:30am. A sixty minute set? Please. You are pathetic Kanye.
Walking around the festival today, all you hear is people bashing Kanye West and the show last night. I was watching the band Rogue Wave today and the singer said to the audience, "So we heard Kanye West didn't go on until 4:30 in the morning today." The crowd responded with a lot of boo-ing and cursing. Walking around the grounds you can see spray painted walls that read, "F--- Kanye West."
So I guess it's unanimous... the biggest upset in Bonnaroo history? Kanye West.
Go home Kanye... you are no longer welcome at our Bonnaroo!
With that said, I will be writing an article soon featuring some of the highlights of this year's festival. There are so many and I plan to include lots of pictures. Keep checking back!
Saturday, June 14, 2008

As I walked over to the stage, I was hoping the rain would hold off just a little longer. There had been rumors of thunderstorms throughout the day and we had seen a little bit of rain about an hour earlier. When My Morning Jakcket came out on stage, they were greeted by an uproar from the crowd... this is what many had come to the festival to see. My Morning Jacket is famous for their extraordinary live show and with this being one of the biggest summer music festivals, everyone knew they were going to go all out. The band went on at midnight and I can confidently say that what followed in the next four hours, will never occur again in the history of rock shows--ever. It did start to rain during their set, but with so many die-hard fans in the audience, it didn't matter. The crowd dwindled away a bit with the rain, but even when the rain started coming down harder, thousands of fans remained, dancing, singing and enjoying another legendary performance by My Morning Jacket at Bonnaroo.
The concert was supposed to end at 3am, but after coming back on-stage for their encore, they didn't stop playing until 4am. Just before the last song, Jim James walked up to the microphone and thanked everyone, then said, "Has anyone seen little orphan Annie?" The crowd was a little confused, as he kept repeating this over and over again. All of a sudden, Zach Galifianakis walked out on stage, dressed in a red and white dress and the band starts playing Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home."
I'm sitting here this morning and everyone is talking about the show last night... some are regretting that they didn't hold out until the last song, but those who stuck it out through the rain know that it was well worth it, and most would gladly trade in a warm bed and dry clothes again to see a repeat performance.
Today: Cat Power, Iron & Wine, BB King, Levon Helm, Kanye West, Pearl Jam, Phil Lesh and Dead Confederate.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Each year, bands will record a few acoustic songs backstage. I was just hanging out with some friends from Warner Bros. records and guess who they invited me in to see?? Go ahead guess...
Rilo Kiley!!! I was watching them with about 5 other people. The connection is not letting me upload photos right now. I will try again later.
BEST DAY EVER.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
When I got to the media compound (the place where I'm staying), I met up with a couple friends and was off to go see my first show. Vampire Weekend was playing just before midnight. If you don't know who Vampire Weekend are, they've received a massive amount of hype this past year. In fact Spin magazine named them "the best band of 2008," when we were just a couple months into the year. I've always thought they were a little over rated, but I gotta say, their live show does not disapoint.
Also, on my way out of the tent I saw Janeane Garofalo... I'm not kidding. She was performing at the comedy tent earlier this evening. She was very short and was walking very fast. See the blur with the backpack on, on the left side of this photo? That is her.
One of my favorite things about Bonnaroo is all the grafitti on the walls here. I will leave you tonight with one of the best pieces of art I've seen in my last 3 years here at Bonnaroo:
I promise to write a lot more tomorrow and post a lot more pictures. Bonnaroo has only just begun!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Monday, June 2, 2008
Monday Music Mix- Volume 1!
Hey, so I'm thinking of starting a new thing here... my Monday Morning Mix. I'll do a new mix each week. Sometimes it will follow a theme, other times it will just be based on whatever mood I'm in or stuff I've been listening to recently. Sound cool? Alright then... for my first mix, I've just taken my most recently played songs/albums in my iTunes, so some of it might seem kind of random. I want to mention that the version of Ella Fitzgerald singing "Mack the Knife" (track #4 on the mix below) was the first time she ever performed that song live. You can find it on the album, Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin, one of my favorite albums of all time. The album was recorded in 1960. I used to play it on my first radio show in college (a jazz show). Notice how she forgets the words in the middle and just starts making up lyrics... then she starts scatting and continues her amazingness through the end of the song, throwing in her best impersonation of good ol' Satchmo along the way. Enjoy!
**Click on the Elvis Costello song inside the iPod screen to start player from beginning, then navigate like any other iPod. (Some tracks will take a few seconds to start)
