snuffbox

A review - Certain moments in time live forever, burnt into the atmosphere by the incandescence of events and those that felt what it was like to Be There. Last weekend was one long string of those certain moments. Bonnaroo 2006 was a cavalcade of madness, a brilliant ode to being Alive, the Great American Carnivale that lived up to its gigantic hype. We arrived at the show just in time to see Bright Eyes with one of the best sets of the entire weekend. Conor Oberst was on top of his game...emptying a bottle of tequila, playing a well-chosen list of songs, and bringing out several special guests. Gillian Welch strolled out for a duet on 'Lua', the frontman for Super Furry Animals showed up, and Jim James himself practiced up on his Rock before MMJ's late-night show several hours later. Good times. On the walk back to camp we heard a little music from the legendary Ricky Skaggs. Unfortunately it would only be a few short hours later when Ricky Skaggs, drunk out of his mind on pure Tennessee mash liqour, ran down some guy with his Tour Bus of Doom. Up next was some good old fashioned pop-rock with the brilliant Death Cab for Cutie. Despite the temperature hovering somewhere around 250 degrees Ben Gibbard still danced with his guitar for the entire hour and a half set of new tracks and classics. Over at the mainstage Oysterhead was playing a rare show that we had to miss for the Death Cab. Im sure it was good though. Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers headlined Friday night with an absolute epic. Song after song, familiar to most anyone with a radio and at least one functioning ear, were joined by a chorus of at least 50,000 people. Everybody's favorite was played. Petty asked (though he clearly didnt need to with this particular audience) for permission to jam...then did, reprising Van Morrison's old role with Them ('Mystic Eyes' and 'Gloria') and finishing up with 'American Girl'. Finally, if this stuff wasnt enough, Petty added one more name to the end of his band introductions...and out sauntered the legendary gypsy, Stevie Nicks. Late-night Friday was an unforgettable marathon. This Tent had three great hiphop acts in succession...Lyrics Born started shit with his full band, Common (after a painfully long setup) trumped him, and finally Blackalicious proved themselves as one of the most underrated acts in modern music with one of the best shows of the entire weekend (I ended up saying this of alot of bands last weekend). Also that night, My Morning Jacket channeled the spirit of Black Sabbath and, though we missed it, Im sure the Umphreys McGee/Disco Biscuits stuff was very good too. Saturday afternoon was insanely hot as we managed to catch some of Dungen and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. While laying in the shade of a big tree we heard blind husband/wife Amadou & Miriam's mesmerizing sound. Jr. Gong Damien Marley brought the roots/rock/reggae to Which Stage. We were disspointed by Beck, wandered away, and got pretty close for Cypress Hill's entire performance. Cypress had their mad dizzank beats, the giant golden Buddah, and the crowd in the palm of their glock-shaped hands. One brief trip to camp later and it was finally time for the true headliner of the entire weekend...Radiohead. It would be the defining American concert for the defining artist of our generation. A once in a lifetime (though hopefully 'twice' might exist in the future) event that we were simply blessed to be a part of. The headbanging groove of 'The National Anthem', hypnotic vibe of 'Paranoid Android', and the soaring 'Fake Plastic Trees'...'Idioteque', 'Karma Police', 'The Gloaming'...new songs from next years cd...sweet lights and monitor images (though they did falter for a few songs) and thousands of glowsticks dotting the night sky. Also, Thom Yorke has never looked happier on stage. Saturday still wasn't quite over. At the Other Tent, Balkan Beat Box got the crowd warmed up and the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus kept us hot for the insane live act that is the Dresden Dolls. I was personally a bit disturbed by some of the lyrics (particularly during an ad-libbed portion of 'Coin Operated Boy'..."I can even fuck him in the ass") but the energy they bring to the stage conquers crowds like old Atilla. They played a couple memorable covers as well...a version of 'War Pigs' that I prefered to both Sabbath and Faith No More and a fitting rendition of Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit'. It made me wish I was in a bathtub with an electric radio in arms reach. Back at the tent for the night, we found that our tent had been invaded by a horrific obese hairy Tennessee Killer Spiders. We slept in the car. We were able to catch Matisyahu's solo/acoustic set at the little Sonic Stage and a couple songs from Shooter Jennings before leaving Bonnaroo for the next year. Here now, in my own opinion, are the top ten bands from Bonnaroo 2006: 1.Radiohead 2.Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers w/ Stevie Nicks 3.Blackalicious 4.Bright Eyes 5.Dresden Dolls 6.Death Cab for Cutie 7.Cyrpess Hill 8.Common 9.Matisyahu (solo/acoustic) 10.My Morning Jacket

The local Manchester paper posted the initial lineup on their website. http://www.manchestertimes.com/news/entert...sp?idcategory=1 June 16-18, same place. Radiohead; Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers; Elvis Costello & the Imposters; Bonnie Raitt; Death Cab for Cutie; moe; Bright Eyes; The Neville Brothers; Bela Fleck & the Flecktones; Buddy Guy; Damian Marley; Ben Folds; Robert Randolph & the Family Band; Dr. John; Matisyahu; G. Love & Special Sauce; My Morning Jacket; Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder; Steel Pulse; Mike Gordon and Ramble; Dove; Cat Power; Medeski Martin & Wood; Nickel Creek; Gomez; Steve Earle; Blues Traveler; Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks; Dresden Dolls; Son Volt ; Clap Your Hands Say Yeah; Jerry Douglas; Soulive; Rusted Root; Devendra Banhart Band; Donavon Frankenreiter; Mike Doughty; Sasha; Grace Potter & the Nocturnals; The Magic Numbers; Bill Frisell; Seu Jorge; Bettye LaVette; Dungen; Shooter Jennings; Rebirth Brass Band; Robinella; Andrew Bird; Steel Train; Jackie Greene; Devotchka; Wood Brothers; dios (malos); Toubab Krewe; Marah; I-Nine; Balkan Beat Box; and Cat Empire. That beats Coachella.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9TlsVXnBn0 Highly entertaining bluegrass cover of 'Jump' from last nights Tonight Show. A very happy Roth on vocals. Good stuff.

Warren Beatty/Gary Hart in '08.

Radiohead good.

New EcW sucks! Viva Raw! Scot Kieth is rite they are all Mutants, there fans!

Dont do it! Itll be the end of teh world...mutants! hippies!

Anvil and Saxon didnt count?....pass.

Yeah, food poisoning blows. I was diseased by McDonalds slop at least three times...but still havent learned my lessen. At least theie breakfast has always been non-vomitinducing.

Regular old HBO. One of the sweetest matchups theyve offered in many years.

Who's fatter...Raven now, or Jack Kerouac in his last days?

Anvil

Saxon

It seems kinda hokey to me...like Godsmack or something. The blonde retard in front of the camera seemed to really dig it though, which is nice to see.

Well said. I also like that Bush has sounded like a reponsible, thoughtful man in the aftermath of Zarqawi's death...no 'bring em on!' kind of rhetoric. He made a few intelligent, low-keyed statements, thanked the troops, and left it at that. Possibly his most statesman-like moment of this war.

I guess that campaign worked, huh Id hate for you to actually, maybe, refute the actual comparison I made with FACTS and THOUGHT. But no, your conpiracy theories will again have to suffice. -ThesnuffboxWI

Your assumption is right. Taylor-Wright should be something special...but Ill be at Bonnaroo, so Im going to miss it despite only being a couple hours from Memphis.

I was one of the doubters he shut up. Congatulations to B-hop

I can do without the tornados.

Yep, 'capitalism is evil'....thats almost what I said.

He was banned to make the liberals/terrorists/heathens/hippies safe.

Basically a Wealthy Upper Class, and a Working Class. No Middle Class. That is how democracy ends. It is also how pure Capitalism ends. A fraction of the population being allowed to prosper while the rest work to move the cogs of America does not allow any but those at the top to move very far forward.

Helluva conspiracy theory there, Czecher Bored.

A couple of you are trying a little too hard to be politically correct. I explained the Stalin comparison already...it has nothing to do with 'GWB is a murderer!!!' or whatever conculsion you jumped too. The cuurent admin favors a system where the majority of Americans (workers & their families) work to pay for a huge govt and for privileges for a small select class of people in exchange for a small slice of the American pie. That has a bit of the fundmental element of Communism to it. With the spying deal, election scandals, war problems, and the vitriol against all opposing viewpoints - the comparison to Stalin's philosophy continues. Again, this doesnt include Stalins mass murders...it is merely a comparision between a current leader/admin and a historical one.

Dory was involved in the 'fans throw a fucking lot of chairs in the ring' episode way back in the day.