Bonnaroo 2006 Wrapup

Man, I have been lazy. My apologies, as I've got much to cover. I'll break it up in-between with tasty tunes, I promise.

First, let's dive into Bonnaroo... Shitty weather and a illing assistant (I told you a Carribean Jerk Pork Chop wasn't the best idea, my man!) made for an interesting time. Incredible music (should you expect any less from Superfly Presents?), and first class production make this THE US festival to attend. Especially when you see pictures of the muddy carnage of the Glastonbury Festival this year, you know I got nothing to bitch about.

Timberland had a booth in the VIP area almost all weekend, handing out really nice boots for free. So of course, big up Timberland - you kept me dry and comfy; and from the quality of those kickers, I will be for years. Bring on the Glastonbury Mud (can you believe someone Ebayed the Glastonbury mud from this year?)

Music was key for me this year. Quickly, the highlights.

Galactic late night - A strong show from them with kool sit-in's including Bo Bice from American Idol. I heard a cool story - I heard he was praying not to win AI. To be saddled with that when trying to do Rock N Roll is not something I'd want, either. He needs to loosen up a bit, but he was also in front of a BIG crowd when doing "Whole Lotta Love" with Galactic, y'know?

The Word - Sunday afternoon found John Medeski (click here for a lovely, fairly rare MMW remix from Sa-Ra), Robert Randolph, and the North Mississippi All-Stars reuniting for an amazing set of Gospel-inspired funk, rock and blues. I highly encourage seeking out a copy of this set. I got to stand on mainstage for it, and it was a mother!

The Black Crowes - I saw them at this past Jazzfest first weekend with a fresh-looking Marc Ford (the lead guitarist for the "Amorica" and "Southern Harmony" records - their strongest, IMHO) back in the band. Tough, tight band. I only wish (as I do with EVERY band I see) that they'd keep the slower stuff to a minimum, and ROCK more. This reunion might not last forever. See them while you can...

More importantly, you wanna know what I missed?

Kings of Leon (Another band that I want to rock, and cut the slow crap)
My Morning Jacket (saw footage from their Bonnaroo '04 set, and it was a mindblower)
Madeleine Peyroux (SHE'S AMAZING! She most likey hates this comparison, but she's Billie Holliday, for the 21st Century. Thank God, btw! Billie needs the kids to hear her style, and know her story...)
Brazilian Girls ("Pussy" has turned into one of my favorite Summer songs ever)
The Mars Volta (I'm not sure if I didn't care, or just didn't have the chemicals for it...)

All in all, I worked too much, but had a wonderful time. Big ups to Paul and Rick and the entire Superfly crew for the support. I got some tremendous response, albeit quietly, from people blown away from the music and the idea of a "Silent" Disco.

MSN had a "roving reporter" working some of Bonnaroo, and although he spelled my f'ing DJ name wrong, he had some lovely words for me (sadly, the link has since died. sigh). And we got some cool mentions from some of the Bonnaroo musicians about the Silent Disco idea on Jambase.com which at the end of the day, is all you can ask for. Enough about this one. I'm back, and posting. Grab that MMW remix (above), before it's gone...