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June 29, 2007
June 25, 2007
Do You Bonnaroo?
Here's a picture from Jack White's P.O.V. It's his mic after all.
It's been a while since my last update. "All God's Children" is still waiting for that festival to come down, swoop it up and champion it to the world. Unitl then, I'll have to just keep chatting about the rest of my life.
Most recently, I was hired as a camera guy to shoot artist interviews with Alan Light @ this years Bonaroo festival. I was told that Bonaroo was a jam fest and was really dreading it until I looked at the roster of bands playing. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to see everyone I wanted, I made a short list consisting of Day 1: Clutch, Day 2: Lily Allen and Tool, Day 3: Ween and Flaming Lips and Day 4: The Decemberists and White Stripes. The best thing about all these shows was my access. I could go right down to the press pit and look up the artists' noses. Or, even more fortunately, could be backstage like I was for the Flaming Lips and Decemberists. As I walked backstage for The Flaming Lips, I found myself amid an assembly line of people passing huge orange balloons to each other to get them on stage and eventually out to the audience. "Race for the Prize" played as I nudged the balloons along. Surreal to say the least.
I could go on forever about the Lips show. If you are even remotely a fan, try to see them on this tour. You will not be disappointed. I have never seen a band put their audience through such emotional highs AND lows. Can you say, "funeral song?" That's right. Wayne Coyne plays taps in remembrance of all who have died in Iraq and manages to pull everyone back to elation immediately after by dropping into Superman. Amazing. I won't be able to listen to any of their songs the same way again. Okay, I'll stop.
Blue Note Records hosted the Somethin' Else tent with continuous jazz inside the Village Vanguard mock-up. Total darkness was an oasis amongst the blazing 90 degree sun and the cloud of dust kicked up by the 100,000+ festival goers. Thanks, Zack!
The best metaphor I was able to find for the long weekend's events was that of an old fashioned tent revival. They literally have all (most) the stages under tents and a majority of festival goers camp throughout, so the tent is definitely a motif. Many of the headlining bands seem to have this spirituality to them as well as an uber loyal following. So when you're witnessing the show, it's as if you're seeing this sermon of sorts in front of an electrified and captive congregation. If you weren't a convert before you came, you will be by the time Tool or Flaming Lips finish playing.
I think I'm allergic to flying: Luci and I took a quick trip to Germany for a wedding and KLM managed to lose my luggage on the way back. 7 days later after dealing with Swissport (the lost luggage knuckleheads) I was returned my back around 3am. Thanks a lot. This was just in time for me to fly to Nashville for Bonnaroo. The promoters (Superfly) booked my flight on American Airlines. We arrived at the Nashville airport to return on the 3:45 to LaGuardia. Storms delayed the flight a couple of hours, but we took off. While in the air, the New York corridor was closed and we began to circle. That is until we ran out of fuel and the captain landed in D.C. at Dullis airport. We were told that we'd refuel and be on our way. Oops. The crew is about to go over their 15 hours on duty and since it was 1:30 am by this time, there isn't a replacement crew so we're canceling the flight. We were given blankets and canned soda (corn syrup) and told the plane will leave @ 8 am. They wouldn't offload the luggage and I wasn't about to leave it behind. Fortunately for me, there were several really cool people on the flight and we hung out all night keeping each other's spirits up. If we were a band, our named would be "Canceled Flight".