The biggest upset in Bonnaroo history

There were a couple of surprises in this year's Bonnaroo lineup. Metallica and comedian Chris Rock, were among a handful of unexpected acts to play the mainstage. Last night Kanye West played, and what was predicted to be one of the highlights of this years festival, ended up being one of the biggest disappointments 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!

When My Morning Jacket signed onto the lineup for this year's Bonnaroo festival, they had a lot to live up to. Last night the band took the stage, with thousands of fans in the audience, anxious to see how they could possibly top the performance they gave back in 2006 at the festival.

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.

Dangit! My internet connection keeps going out here....

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.

I'm heading out to see my first show of the day pretty soon... Jose Gonzalez. He is this amazing musician who I've been wanting to see for a really long time, but have never had the chance to do so. He plays one of my favorite songs that's come out in the last 5 years called "Lovestain." It's so simple, but oh so good. Go youtube it!

What's on the docket for today? Jose Gonzalez, the Swell Season, Raconteurs, Tegan & Sara, RILO KILEY!! and Willie Nelson. However, Willie Nelson is at the same time as Rilo Kiley... I'm going to have to figure that out. Oh, and tonight My Morning Jacket plays at midnight. There Bonnaroo show two years ago was legendary. I've heard people say it was one of the best concert experiences to ever exist in the last 25 years. I remember watching that show, thinking that it would be hard for any concert to ever top that experience for me. They came out for an encore that lasted well over an hour. The crowd was going nuts... glow sticks were flying everywhere in the crowd, the band had so much energy on stage... we were all going crazy. I think show ended around 4am.

It is hot, but no one's complaining. I found a hotel room to take a shower in the morning (showers are hard to come by here at Bonnaroo). Went to bed late last night, woke up early this morning... how early is too early to crack open the Red Bull?

There are a lot of other shows to see today too. More updates to come!

Hello from Bonnaroooooo!!! Got here safe and sound tonight, with a couple bumps along the way. The drive was nice... got pulled over somewhere in Tennessee and got a speeding ticket (oops... sorry Mom!) Also, someone gave me super secret backroad directions into the festival and I ended up getting a little lost (don't worry, this happens to me every year). Luckily, in the middle of nowhere I came across a small convenience store and met to young hippie kids who also had super secret backroad directions in. They knew where they were going and I followed them.

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.

Here is the first of many crappy pictures I am sure to take over the weekend. This is Vampire Weekend taken from a nice little spot I found on the side of the stage:

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!

Ben Folds was in Newport News last week, performing at the Bonefish Grill. Click here to read all about it!

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)