This is the end! Despite our zombie-like trances after four days of intense ‘Rooing, we finished the trip solidly with a stellar Sunday lineup. We split up early in the morning to maximize coverage, with Jaime seeing Grouplove and Young the Giant and Marina heading to The Antlers and fun. We also both caught snippets of Ben Folds Five and Bon Iver as we crossed the field to various stages to fill up our Sunday.
The Antlers: Within an hour of arriving at the festival grounds, the Antlers’ frontman Peter Silberman had already been part of an eclectic press conference (with Ben Folds and Kenny Rogers, among others) and sound-checked for their set. I inadvertently watched this entire process happen and laughed along when Peter joked at the conference “it’s been the best hour of a festival yet.” He introduced the band as The Beach Boys, which genuinely confused the girl standing next to me, and with that the band launched into a smoldering afternoon set. It was my first live experience with the band, and their gentle melodic intensity managed to be both relaxing and mesmerizing. Seamless transitions between songs made the whole set seem like a cohesive story, and the end of the show snuck up on the crowd, who seemed reluctant to leave after such an enrapturing set.
fun.: My heart took a beating (ha!) when I had to choose between fun. and Young the Giant as our last concert of Bonnaroo, but in the end I chose fun. because their set was reportedly going to be over the top and I’ve been in love with their fanfare sound for years and years. Backed by a talented brass band, fun. exuded pure energy and awe at the sheer size and adoration of the crowd (you were quite lucky if you got anywhere near the tent for this show). Several times, singer Nate Ruess had to stop singing or talking because of the huge grin on his face from the love the audience was sending toward the stage. It’s obvious that fun. has recently been blowing up the charts with their more popular songs from sophomore Some Nights, but the most energy came from the songs off Aim and Ignite, and it was refreshing to see fans who didn’t just know “the song about being young” from hearing it in bars or on the radio. Overall, the vibes of the fun. show were immensely positive, and their encore performance of The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” put an unexpected twist on the whole set.
Grouplove: After their Sunday afternoon set I think Grouplove might have been one of the happiest bands at Bonnaroo. A large crowd had already amassed and buzzed with anticipation for the eclectic group even before they made a hilarious stage entrance to Kanye’s “Monster” blaring over the stereo system (not even close to their style of music). From that moment on, everyone in This Tent found their faces plastered with beaming smiles as most of the crowd sang along and ALL of the crowd found themselves jumping with an enthusiasm to match that of the five piece ensemble. One of the things I find the coolest about Grouplove is that there’s really no “face” of the group. Four out of five of the members take the lead part on songs and even the vocally silent drummer found himself in the spotlight at times as he moved to different percussive setups around the stage. The sheer joy of Grouplove is unparalleled in any other band I’ve ever seen live and it shows in their music. I could not have asked for more appropriate tunes for my blissed-out self on a sunny afternoon in Manchester, Tenn. and songs like “Tongue Tied” and “Colours” provide the perfect accompaniment to any happy disposition.
Young the Giant: Let me first wipe the drool that occurs when I think about Sameer Gadhia’s voice from my mouth before I continue. Okay. Sunday’s schedule of final acts (before the FINAL final headliners, Phish) made for difficult decisions, considering The Shins, fun. and Young the Giant all played in the same time slot as Marina mentioned. However, I opted for the raspy serenading behind door number three and boy, did I leave the show satisfied. Despite having released only one full-length album, Young the Giant filled their set with a mixture of crowd favorites (during which the crowd shouted their lungs out in almost perfect harmony), extended jams and drum breakdowns, and a few new songs—previewing what is sure to be a fantastic next album. They even covered R. Kelly’s “Ignition” while spraying the crowd with erupting bottles of champagne. Equipped with a vintage microphone and spot-on lighting, YTG fans in the Madison area would be well advised to catch this budding band’s set at Summerfest in Milwaukee on Thursday, July 5. The Bonnaroo crowd certainly enjoyed themselves, as they stayed chanting for more until crewmembers had almost completely torn down the stage, forcing everyone to leave.
Thanks for sticking with us on this dusty endeavor, and keep checking back in with The Daily Cardinal Arts crew throughout the summer for more festival coverage and highlights, band interviews and all things artsy in this beautiful Mad Town.
