Detroit At Bonnaroo 2010 Videos for MetroTimes.com

Frontier Ruckus takes their backcountry show to the camp grounds of Bonnaroo and Mayer Hawthorne introduces the rowdy crowd to "Maybe So, Maybe No."





As I return from yet another exhausting Bonnaroo and attempt to recharge my batteries, it's half heartedly that I say next year will be a tough one to attend. Each year the common complaint among those in the live music scene is that it is by far the "most corporate" festival on the circuit, however, I've always asserted if you're standing around wondering what Garnier Fructis is doing there, instead of going to see music, you've officially fucked up. What keeps Bonnaroo alive every year is that it is a challenge to self proclaimed music fans. It is an open invitation to come discover new music, and every year they put out a lineup with so much diversity that it's impossible not to find artists you'll like as well as to discover some new ones.

It was great to see so many Detroit and Michigan area artists make their mark down in Tennessee, as the festival has grown to mythic proportions, and is a great notch on any band's resume. Frontier Ruckus, Mayer Hawthorne & The County, Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, and Mike Posner all seemed to grab some new fans who happily stumbled across their shows.

Coming back to Michigan, I can't help but be reminiscent of Rothbury — which unfortunately was put on hold this year, but plans to return in 2011— the 4th of July weekend festival on the west side of Michigan which set out with extremely ambitious sustainability goals and truly catered to the concert patron in one of the best festivals I've ever been to. Bonnaroo now in it's 9th year, could easily have invested more into their site as Rothbury did, but at the same time they are still going strong while Rothbury is reeling. Also with this year being the first Bonnaroo finally plugged into the local electrical grid (i.e. not running on generators) they are still moving in the right direction as far as greening. A final look at my pictures.

Detroit At Bonnaroo 2010 Days 3-4 for MetroTimes.com

The two biggest acts from Detroit took the main What Stage yesterday back to back as Jack White's The Dead Weather's set was fueled by lead singer Alison Mosshart's animalistic antics, but Stevie Wonder would easily prove to be the show of the entire weekend.

Stevie started things off with some funky keytar as he sauntered on stage grinning ear to ear. Then he dove into classics such as "Uptight Alright," and "Higher Ground" before delivering a bouncy interlude via "Heard It Through The Grapevine," and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." For the most part, Wonder would mostly stick with his "classics," as he ran a singing clinic (literally at points) with a line by line instructional sing-a-long of "Living For The City." For the final two songs of his roughly two-hour set, Wonder's 13-piece band ballooned to over 40, as a 16 person choir and nine tribal percussionists joined he and his band on stage to the delight of the crowd (tribal percussion is some sort of Bonnaroo aphrodisiac, you know?).

Awful heat and humidity made for early mornings, but daytime sets with reggae legend Jimmy Cliff made the heat a bit easier to bear.

Other acts delivering top notch sets were Americana torch bearer John Prine, comedian Conan O'Brien (responsible for a 12-hour wait at the Comedy Tent), Weezer, and Jeff Beck. Raucous late night shows from Jay-Z, Gwar, Deadmau5 and Thievery Corporation brought night into day, and an early sunrise performance with The Disco Biscuits, who took the stage at 6 a.m. recycled the insanity.

With the closing of another Bonnaroo, we say goodbye to another weekend of drug addled psychedelia and impromptu nakedness. We were all treated to more bare Gwar butt than anyone ever should see, and we can't unsee it.

Comedian Jeff Ross said Friday, "There's some amazing choices at Bonnaroo, for instance, I don't know if I'm going to see Dave Matthews Band…or take an Ambien."

On tap for Detroit bands on the final day of the festival are Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, who takes to the Ford Fiesta Tent once more, and Southfield native Mike Posner, who finds himself at Café Where.

Look for pictures from The Dead Weather from fellow photographer Ben Slayter, along with Hernandez and Posner's sets and some post festival ruminations sometime tomorrow, after the acid wears of...

Detroit At Bonnaroo 2010 Days 1-2 for MetroTimes.com

With spotty wi-fi, hot mud, stinky hippies and a flow of overwhelming mediocrity from The Kings of Leon on the main stage, here are day 1 and 2 updates on Detroit's brightest at Bonnaroo.

As one of the trio of acts to start the festivities Thursday afternoon, rollicking folk act Frontier Ruckus pulled a surprisingly big crowd at small tent in Centeroo, bucking some of the trend that opening crowds are fairly inattentive (and sometimes in single-digits) as roughly 200 people found their way to Metro Detroit quintet's 45-minute set.

Despite not being a Detroiter, we'll give Diane Birch a little love as she was born in Michigan before moving to South Africa. Birch led the crowd in a bouncy version of Hall (who is playing the festival tomorrow) & Oates' "Rich Girl," closing out her set at That Tent.

However, it was Mayer Hawthorne & The County who took the reins into the evening, as the real party starts as the sun goes down. Hawthorne, dressed to the nines, worked the jumpy late night crowd of This Tent with his "Maybe So, Maybe No," a take on Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky," and an interlude hip-hop test with the incomparable Biz Markie, and some trace J-Dilla beats scattered throughout the set with a shout out to the late-great producer from Hawthorne himself. In my Jim Leyland jersey, a new found fan ofHawthorne slapped me on the back saying, "Alls you gotta do is put a little L.A. spit shine on you Detroit boys, and you clean right up don'tcha?"

No comment.

Early on Friday, Detroit's new jangle 'n' swoon sensation, Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, played their first of two sets of the weekend at The Ford Fiesta Tent, and Frontier Ruckus treated campers to an impromptu performance at a crowded street corner in the massive campground.

Detroit At Bonnaroo 2010 Preview for MetroTimes.com

New this week here at The Metro Times Music Blog, we'll be bringing you the latest on all of the Detroit area's finest who are making the trek down to Manchester, Tennessee's annual Bonnaroo Music Festival. We'll wade through the sea of the two hips--the patcholi stinking hippies and PBR schwilling hipsters--to bring updates on Detroit heavy hitters like Stevie Wonder and The Dead Weather, as well as smaller bands like Frontier Ruckus, Mayer Hawthorne & The County (both named in Rolling Stone's essential sets) Mike Posner,Diane Burch and Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas. I'll do my best to keep everyone updated with daily pictures and videos...hopefully. Stay tuned!

While this year we'll be focusing on all things Detroit at the Bonnaroo, this will be my fifth straight year heading to one of the largest music festivals in the US, and each year proves to be as chock full of surprises as the last. So check out a few of my photos from previous Bonnaroo's with Pearl Jam, Phish with guest Bruce Springsteen, David Byrne, My Morning Jacket and whatever the hell else people seem to get their hands on, in the slideshow below. If you're heading down, or have been to the festival before share your experiences below...