The day started off with a Nashville band called Cheer Up Charlie Daniels that won some kind of online vote to play at Bonnaroo. They may in fact be the most cheerful band I've ever seen.
They passed out fans with celebrity faces on them, had funny outfits, and there was some kind of robot in the background with Sarah Palin's face. The music was good too. Their polygamy song is hilarious. I only had a cell phone with me so the pics aren't so hot.
Next, I went to The Other Tent for a Mongolian folk/punk band I had never heard called Hanggai. They were without a doubt my favorite show of the festival. The throat singer and traditional instruments were unique and wild like nothing I've heard before (except for one traditional Mongolian hill song that sounded just like an Irish folk tune).
They had two singers. A throat singer seated on the right, plus a lead singer who fired up the crowd without speaking English. In between songs he would say something no one understood but with enough enthusiasm that everyone still shouted back.
Last year, the South Saharan band Tinarawin was one of the best shows of Bonnaroo. Expanding their world music bookings would be a better direction than some of the choices they made this year.
Allison Krauss and Union Station returned to Roo with another great show. A huge crowd went nuts for Mumford & Sons.
I was excited to see Loretta Lynn and she put on one of the best performances of the week. It felt good to see how enthusiastic and appreciative the crowd was for the Queen of Country. She said something about Jack White leaving her high and dry but she did fine without him. I never realized how many of her songs are about the struggles of working class women. You don't hear that much on the radio anymore.
The Black Keys were hard to enjoy while I fought my way back and forth between stages, but I got to hear them perform my favorite song of theirs, Ten Cent Pistol.
The Buffalo Springfield reunion was one of those "only chance in your life" shows and Neil Young even said that it was the largest crowd the band had ever played for. You couldn't tell that they don't play together all the time. Kind Woman was the highlight for me and they had a huge finish with Keep on Rockin in The Free World. How could I not love a band named after my hometown and my favorite mammal?
On the way back to camp I heard Eminem sing the chorus line of "Slim Shady will fucking kill you" while a giant, rotating machine gun graphic on screen shot bullets at the audience. I guess you could say it didn't fit in with the rest of the festival's positive vibe. Late in the set he did a medley with short clips of hits from older albums. I rested up to get ready for the late night shows.
Dr. John's hat topped the Bonnaroo gate this year, and he reunited with the original Meters to play the album Destively Bonnaroo. It was a fun, funky set.
I'm a little embarrassed that I wimped out and went back to camp after Dr. John without seeing Gogol Bordello. The day was exhausting in the best way possible.