June 2008 - Posts
Well, this 'might' be our last post concerning the general absurdity that is Bonnaroo. Above is the audio from our set at the Sonic Stage. While usually I like to disseminate higher quality recordings, I thought maybe this time I'd share a pretty average sounding one. I recorded this via a pocket size handheld recorder sitting on top of a table back at the soundboard (very technical I know). No matrix, no soundboard blend, no mastering, just a good old fashioned audience recording on a budget device. Listen closely at the beginning and you'll hear the sound of the Raconteurs in distance and you'll hear me trying to figure out how to work the soundboard. No joke. This stage had (what I deem) a pretty lousy sounding digital mixing console better suited for a high school talent show than a world renowned rock festival but that is a moot point. Regardless, I figured there would be at least a handful of you out there who may want to give the track a listen so here it is. It is yours to download if you are so inclined. (Note: Click here, or on the title "Sonic Stage" to access the audio attachment)
KTB
I love getting mail. It is so fun to get mail that you’re excited about. Yesterday, amidst the bills, advertisements, multiple catalogs that are just a waste of paper, and more bills, I received a package from our friends at Iclips with the footage of our set at the Green Apple Festival in Washington, DC. I watched this set on Iclips when it was streamed, and was so excited to get to watch it again – with the backdrop of our nation’s capitol building the background. It looks so amazing that it looks fake. Watching the footage got me to thinking about Green Apple and what was accomplished this year by the festival, as it expanded into five more cities, making that eight cities total, the largest Earth Day celebration in the country indeed.
Many folks ask me why I don’t manage other bands other than Umphrey’s. My answer is that I can’t imagine managing another band – Umphrey’s is my family, my brothers. I would feel like I was cheating on them with another band! However, when Pete Shapiro came to me in 2006, after the inaugural Green Apple festival in New York (which Umphrey’s McGee played) and asked me if I were interested in producing the event in Chicago for 2007 – I finally felt like I had an opportunity to step outside the box for a minute (or a few months) and try my hand at a new challenge. During my senior year at Notre Dame, I took a wonderful class called Ethics and the Environment – I learned quite a bit and it really made an impression on me and how I live my life. In fact, I signed a contract at the end of the class to make every attempt in my life after college to be environmentally responsible. So this was an honor and a blessing to be asked to do an event of this nature. In April of 2007, at the Lincoln Park Zoo, with a line up of Ella Jenkins, The Blisters (Jeff Tweedy’s eight-year old son’s band), Paul Green’s School of Rock, Todd Park Mohr of Big Head Todd, Mad Professor, The Disco Biscuits, and Umphrey’s McGee, we broke an all time zoo record for attendance – 40,000 plus. This year’s festival included Lori Holton Nash, The Gwalla Gwallas, Chicago Afrobeat Project, Meshell Ndegeocello, Bassnectar, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Three (Bill Kreutzman, Oteil Burbridge, and Scott Murawski). As some of you know Derek Trucks Band was supposed to be our headliner this year. Derek was on tour with Santana, playing Chicago on the 19th at All State Arena, and had the 20th off before heading to Minneapolis. However, the Minnesota Wild hockey team made it to the playoffs – and they have dibs on the stadium over anyone – so the Santana/Derek show got bumped from April 21st to April 20th – the same day as our Green Apple show. This forced Derek to have to cancel eight days before the event. I scrambled and called/emailed everyone I knew. The response was tremendous, and when I found out Bill Kreutzman wanted to come in from Hawaii to do this event – an event that every band plays FOR FREE, I was blown away. (Thanks for bailing me out Bill!) This year matched last year’s attendance, about 40,000 folks joined us in Chicago. We had a wide array of displays and tables all throughout the zoo, and a line up of great speakers including our emcees Kyle Orton of the Chicago Bears (who is a huge environmentalist and even drives a Prius!) and Jodi Murphy, and speakers that included Senator Durbin, Bill Daley of JPMorgan Chase, Suzanne Malec-McKenna of the Department of the Environment, and Commissioner Mike Quigley. Not to mention we actually had spring-like weather in spring, what a novelty! And all the while, Umphrey’s McGee was in Washington, DC playing right before a full on thunderstorm would soon descend. We were lucky enough to be one band that could play with no tarp on the back of the stage blocking the view of the Capitol.
Below are a few photos from Green Apple. We’ll be posting some video from both Green Apple and Bonnaroo very soon, so stay tuned. Make sure to check out Green Apple next year (www.greenapplefestival.com) as we’ll be expanding to some new markets and growing even more. In the meantime, green your life in some way – your grandkids will thank you.
- Vince
Green Apple Chicago, 2008: Kyle Orton, Senator Durbin, Jodi Murphy,
Suzanne Malec McKenna,
and Bill Daley (left to right)
Green Apple Chicago Stage
Me with Three: Scott Murawski, Billy Kreutzmann, and Oteil Burbridge
Umphrey's in front of the US Capital
Brendan, Chevy Chase, and Jake
Just when I thought my weekend couldn't get any better, I found Chromeo playing a one hour electrofunk set in one of the tents late saturday night! Pearl Jam had just blown my mind and I was dangerously dressed in all white head to toe to get down to the only successful Arab/Jewish collaboration since the beginning of time. Yes ladies and gents, Chromeo, the electrofunk duo from Montreal/NYC hit the stage and got my booty shaking from beginning to end raging hits from their two releases "Fancy Footwork" (highly reccomended from the p-dogg here) and "She's In Control"! Leaving me sweaty and ready for some Bonafied Lovin', their set finished and I was literally blinded by another amazing set of music from Austin's laser friendly duo Ghostland Observatory. This two and a half hour experience of Chromeo/G.O coupled with great friends and cold Budweiser made my Bonnaroo weekend the best ever. If you have the chance and like to dance, don't pass up the opportunity to go see either of these bands throw down. Chromeo, oh oh!!
Sincerely,
Stasik (i'm going to go take a shower now)
Dave 1, Pamela Tannerson, P-Thugg, Chuck Tanner backstage at Bonnaroo
post Chromeo set
Poodogg and Dave 1
I have been lucky enough to attend five Bonnaroos, and each one has a special memory for me. This time around, however, might be the most important for me for one reason - BB King. Not only did i finally get to see him live, which was phenomenal, but i got to meet him and get a photo. Thanks to the fearless Pete Shapiro, I have a fantastic new desktop image at home. I thought BB's set was great on many levels: the crowd response, his vocals and guitar, getting a key to Manchester (very classy I might add), and his comedy ("the girls all think i'm cute and talk to me now, but where were they fifty years ago?").
I hope everyone took full advantage of the opportunity to see this legend while he's still around . . .
- Brendan
Pete, B.B. King, Annie, and me
The last time I saw Ben Folds perform live, I was a student at Notre Dame writing music reviews for the Observer in 1997. When I interviewed Ben, he was funny, dry and very down to earth. Eleven years later, on a Saturday afternoon at Bonnaroo, Folds seems to be pretty close to that same guy as he, at one point, stood high atop the piano to take pictures of the crowd with his vintage camera. He performed with his new three piece band, playing a set of some outstanding original music punctuated with a hilariously melodramatic tongue-in-cheek version of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't to Me." While Folds is certainly most renowned for his versatile chops on the acoustic piano, he also threw in some electronic sounds to mix it up during this set, using a wah-infused electronic clavinet tone to create a funky, syncopated riff that felt like more of a dance party than what you might usually expect at a Ben Folds show. One technique that I particularly enjoyed was something called the prepared piano. To "prepare" a piano, you can basically use any sort of found object and place it atop, between or below the strings to add percussion, dampening or whatever sort of weird effect that can be generated from placing strange things on piano strings. Folds did this for one piece with sonically impressive, if not entertaining results. Other highlights of the set included "Landed," "," "Army," and a new tune called "Free Coffee." It was also very interesting to hear some songs I have taught my private keyboard students played with a full band for the first time. Very funny when you see something live and its new, yet you know all of the words!
Joel
Rawking out to Ben
Ben standing on his piano to take a picture of the crowd
Growing
up in the mid-west music was sometimes hard to come by, or at least no
underground variety. When I was turned on to Metallica around 1986, the message
was quite clear, and some new direction had occurred in the dark rock world.
This affected a huge part of my playing and concepts of piecing together
musical ideas. A gallop to a trudging into inferno, Metallica was just what I
was looking for from age 11-17. It seemed crazy they had soon gotten commercial
in 1991. My personal musical path with heavy metal music rather suffocated
after high school. Jazz, Country, and Zappa seemed to take over. So, there was
no time Metallica and I collided in a live experience, until Bonnaroo 2008. A
couple years back I started getting a feeling for metal music again and
realizing it is the real underground power in this music field. Finding some
root love for metal always and forever now. You cannot deny those deep musical
tendencies. That is why songs like Wizard Burial Ground exist in our little
corner of the world. It just feels good to play assault riffage sometimes . .
. It seems strange I never got to see
Metallica till B’roo, but my god, it really made me feel like a kid again, like
I was transported back to 1987. Raging like true metalloids with Vince and the
rest of my crew. Who cares if it was a bit sloppy, the energy was unparalleled.
It was just what B’roo needed
Raging metalloids: Wade, me, Kathy, and Heidi
Jake
First time seeing Metallica. Wow! Never have been a big fan but they put on an awesome performance. The thing I noticed most was how they connected with the crowd with James saying something between almost every song. He told the crowd how much they support live music and how glad they were to be there. Being the huge arena rockers they are they easily could have taken the attitude that Bonnaroo was lucky to have them. There attitude was completely opposite.
I was impressed with just the overall diversity of this years fest. Not that it hasn't been in the past. It's really amazing how so many fans of so many styles of music can coexist.
AF
Here are a variety of shots from Friday at Bonnaroo...Good times abound.
Front of house during our set at the "Which" stage
View from the stage
There are always a ton of great shows sprinkled throughout the weekend. Joel, my wife Shea, & I had a blast watching !!!
Bring it!
They brought it!
Hanging out with my pal Micah Gordon from nugs.net at Metallica. He is a tremendous help to us as he facilitates getting our downloads up in a timely manner.
My Morning Jacket was outstanding with a spectacular light show & great sound to boot.
Bob and Robbie restringing Ryan's bass behind the Sonic Stage. He broke a string . . . tuning.
Kev doing what he does best.
Robby sets up Andy's Perc rig on the air conditioned stage
Setting up the soundboard
Jaco shreds in the backstage trailer
A sneak peak of what's to come.... Stay tuned
T minus 37 minutes till rock show
Jake stopped by the Radio Bonnaroo studio and explained the genesis of the song "Search 4."
(If you don't see the video here, try viewing it here.
Kris delivers to a packed house of screaming full band karaoke fans
Washers: A time honored tradition in the UM family. Nice form Andy.
While we patiently waited for release forms, Pony could not resist mounting the bull.
Just when you thought you'd seen it all at Bonnaroo, Ryan & Adam enjoy a banana cream pie eating contest. (For all those scoring at home, they finished dead last)
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