I'm not in attendance this year, but I will be watching the webcast. Keep reloading this post for my musings as they happen. Watch the webcast here.
7:25PM: So they just air silent footage of a stage between sets? No interviews, then?
7:33: Yukimi Nagano has great stage presence. And energy. And style. And that voice. Sorry, totally fanboying out here <3. They opened with "Looking Glass" at Sasquatch, too.
7:35: "BONNAROO, MAKE SOME FUCKING NOISE!" How can anyone not get the fuck down to Little Dragon?
7:36: "It's good to finally be here." It seems Little Dragon is playing everywhere this year except Coachella and the fests they played last year. Even that Symbiosis Gathering. They are the perfect festival band, so it's good to see them get the exposure they deserve.
7:40: "Test", perhaps? Oldie, goodie, etc. Yep. They played it at Sasquatch as well, and I wonder if the rest of the setlist will be identical. So far 3 for 3. I really want to see them do "Twice"...maybe if they ever do a proper headlining tour again and I can actually be in the same city on the same night, I'll get lucky.
7:43: The extended jams with dance-offs are one of the best things about Little Dragon. Perfect for a jam-rooted festival, no?
7:47: Crowd seems to be digging it. They better.
7:48: Check out the glitterfied drum pad. That has to be a custom job.
7:51: Erik Bodin is a rather underrated drummer.
7:57: Setlist order has mixed up a bit in relation to Sasquatch. Two people on my facebook have commented on the demonic parrot in the crowd. I must say that I was too mesmerized to notice.
7:59: Yes, I want to dance to the next song. If only I was there. I still can at home, I figure.
8:01: Lively crowd, but the Sasquatch crowd was bumping way harder than this. We also had a glowruption. Wish I had organized one. Of course, the Sasquatch crew was a little too rowdy, or at least the dangerously intoxicated, aggressive teenagers behind me were. Elbows flying all around, grabbing onto my back to not fall over, and one kissed me against my will at one point.
8:03: "My Step" is one of Little Dragon's best live, and that's saying a lot. Not just a dancer, but a hand-clapper, too.
8:04: Yukimi Nagano is impossible to photograph because she never stands still. Like that Magnetic Fields song goes, it is her wings that make her beautiful, after all. Okay, I'll stop.
8:05: JORTS ALERT!
8:06: "We're going to jam out to this next song." At their headlining gigs, songs can go on for 15 minutes. I am dying to witness that, and I never thought I would find myself saying such a thing.
8:08: I wanted to crowd surf to Little Dragon, too. Kudos to the guy up front for pulling it off.
8:11: Another crowd surfer? Wow. I take it back. Well played, Bonnabrewers.
8:12: Despite crowd surfers, crowd is being fairly still for "Summertearz." The whole hour was a dance party at Sasquatch. *sticks nose in the air*
8:13: Really digging these added flourishes. And it seems the parrot has flown to the other side. Splashy finish.
8:15: Wait, is that "Feather?" We didn't get "Feather" at Sasquatch. Kiss my ass, Bonnaroo. This is easily my favorite Little Dragon tune, which is, once again, saying a lot.
8:19: At Coachella, she really let loose for "Feather", caressing the music (and the crowd) until it was tamed and under her command. The dancing plus that blacklight Snow White dress really hypnotized those in the crowd that were tripping on shrooms, apparently. And apparently people do magic mushrooms at Coachella. Who knew? I wonder how many people at this set are tripping balls right now? Little Dragon's brand of grooves is quite psychedelic.
8:20: Wow, my timing is impeccable. The girl in the bikini definitely looks like she's on a psychedelic journey.
8:22: The "something missing in your soul" for me is a regular dose of live Little Dragon.
8:23: WHAT THE HELL AM I HEARING RIGHT NOW? Another reason why Little Dragon is one of the best live acts around today: totally unpredictable.
8:24: Carnival funhouse from hell? Another surprise in "Little Man."
8:29: Spookified intro to "Precious", and it seems they will be playing past their set time. Jealous.
8:31: Given the choice, I'd rather see Little Dragon again than Radiohead. That's how good this set is.
8:37: Oh wow, still "Precious", eh? I feel like I'm high even though I'm not.
8:38: And "Blinking Pigs" to close. Not that hot where you're from? Pretty sure Little Dragon brings the heat wherever they go.
8:43: St. Vincent was the only set at Sasquatch that could topple the mighty Little Dragon in sheer fantasticness. Will the same be true tonight?
8:44: ONE MORE? OH FUCK YOU, Bonnaroo.
8:47: And Little Dragon's "Twice" gets cut off in the webcast to go to Kendrick Lamar. Not cool. Not cool at all. Oh wait, St. Vincent is starting on the next channel. That's okay, then.
8:51: "Marrow" sounded as sinister as always. And here comes "Cheerleader." Did I mention that St. Vincent's Sasquatch set is just under Pulp at Primavera and right next to/slightly above Fever Ray at Coachella on my "best festival sets ever" list? I probably should.
8:54: I was singing along to the chorus at Sasquatch, and I wasn't the only one. Annie Clark told me at Coachella years ago that she doesn't do drugs despite appearing at "drug festivals". Why do I keep talking about drugs? Because I am whoring for web traffic. Anyways, plenty of people at Sasquatch were tripping or frying for her set, which must be simultaneously the best and worst idea one can have for a St. Vincent performance. But Clark's music has always been about dichotomy, so it fits.
9:00: "Save Me From What I Want" is an unusual setlist choice. Has she done this at any other fests on the tour?
9:02: When someone wears the same outfit every night on tour, do they hit the dry cleaner every morning or do they bring multiples? If it's the former, how do they find the time while on the road?
9:04: "YOU KNOW I'M FUCKING MAD!" Y so mad?
9:06: Annie Clark is talking about how horrifying the move to New York was, and how the next song is a love/hate letter to it. At what point will the internet make moving to Brooklyn unnecessary?
9:08: The wickedest guitar chops of the entire festival, guaranteed.
9:15: Now she's calling out Bonnaroo for being a dusty dust ball.
9:23: Another bonkers finish, this time for "Surgeon."
9:26: Is anyone actually reading? Is anyone there?
9:27: I predict Bonnaroo is getting another lengthy set. It's inevitable with this setlist. "Champagne Year?" Damnit.
9:36: Seems almost subdued compared to Sasquatch, but I know that a lot gets lost via webcast. Still fantastic, of course.
9:37: If I could do the Deadhead/Radioheadallo thing for anyone this year, it would be St. Vincent.
9:38: VH1 Storyteller time? So "Northern Lights" is about someone that saw the song's namesake and thought it was the apocalypse. St. Vincent's live show is apocalyptic, speaking of which.
9:43: And here comes punk rock Annie.
9:45: The Pop Group is best served via St. Vincent.
9:50: St. Vincent redeemed the song title "The Party" after Justice and Uffie conspired to destroy it back in 2007. Remember Uffie? Me neither.
9:55: "Your Lips Are Red?" Bonnaroo is getting a full St. Vincent show. Yeah, I definitely should have done Bonnaroo instead of Sasquatch.
10:02: What time is it? CROWD SURF O'CLOCK.
10:05: Lots of obvious attempts at ass grabbing. One creeper just went for second base. I wonder if she will kick him.
10:08: Want to see Rodrigo y Gabriela, but it's time for a bathroom break.
10:49: Little Dragon's setlist: Looking Glass / Ritual Union / Test / Brush the Heat / Shuffle a Dream / Please Turn / My Step / Summertearz / Feather / Little Man / Nightlight / Precious / Blinking Pigs / Twice
10:50: St. Vincent's setlist: Marrow / Cheerleader / Chloe / Save Me from What I Want / Actor Out of Work / Dilettante / Black Rainbow / Cruel / Surgeon / Champagne Year / Neutered Fruit / Year of the Tiger / Northern Lights / She Is Beyond Good and Evil / The Party / Your Lips Are Red / Krokodil
11:03: Radiohead o'clock. Sorry for the joke repeat.
11:04: Reason #1 why the 2008 tour was better: they didn't open every night with the same song. Variety. Spice. Life. Etc.
11:06: All the Radioheadallos that only care about one band have tuned in, so not much bandwidth to go around. As pixelated as a JAV on VHS.
11:11: Back in 2008, if Thom Yorke wore red pants, then he was in an extra good mood. If the set opened with "Reckoner" during a red pants sighting, then the setlist would be an incredible one. What do rat tails, top hats, and leather signify in 2012? Anyone?
11:14: The latest "very distorted when played live" song of the day? "Kid A." The Berlin 2000 version is the best version. Wasn't there, sadly.
11:16: Has anyone noticed how the colors of the lights are the same for every song on every tour? The productions change, but not the colors.
11:20: I fell in love with "Arpeggi" back when a bootleg of the very first performance at something called the Ether Festival surfaced. Still sounds stunning live.
11:24: Time to brag. I saw the debut of "Staircase" at the Atoms for Peace show at Roseland in 2010.
11:34: Reason #1 why the 2012 tour is better: More "I Might Be Wrong" and its funkified glory.
11:39: Why does the band hate closeups?
11:40: Reason #2 why the 2008 tour was better: having "Myxomatosis" and "The Gloaming" as the only Hail to the Thief songs at a show is redundant, which has happened quite often. Will that be the case tonight? Both are stellar live but for identical reasons and skippable on record. And have green lights. How about throwing in some "Wolf at the Door" or "2+2=5?" Just sayin'.
11:47: Just got lagged out of the stream.
11:50: "Separator" is a keeper.
11:55: I have been lagged into a 5 minute delay, according to reports from others. Ugh.
11:57: Was at the start of "Nude". Hit reload. And now it's the end of "Magpie"...quite a delay, eh?
12:00: I don't remember "Identikit" sounding this lush.
12:03: "HELP ME OUT OF THIS BOX!" Way to set the new standard for weird, random moments.
12:09: "There There" is still one of their best.
12:16: Nice effort, Bonnarooers, but your singalong efforts aren't even a warm-up compared to how we roll at Glastonbury. And that secret set had less than half as many people.
12:18: No reprise? I wouldn't either, with that half-assed effort from the crowd. Looks like they were waiting for a post-song singalong and it didn't catch on until too late.
12:32: Camera fun with "You and Whose Army" never gets old.
12:34: Sorry, but there's too much In Rainbows material in these sets. That was an incredible tour, but we heard all these songs every night in 2008, and also 2006. During the Hail to the Thief tour, Amnesiac got shafted, while on the In Rainbows tour, the same happened with HTTT. And of all the songs to play, why the plodding "House of Cards" instead of "Jigsaw Falling into Place" or something special like "Last Flowers" or "Down Is the New Up"? Or something old like "Blow Out", "Let Down", or "(Nice Dream)."
12:40: So Radiohead has done something with Jack White? I wonder what it could be. Weren't there rumors of this a while ago?
12:44: My prediction? A single. Some recording at Third Man Records would fit the schedule. Better than Insane Clown Posse, right?
12:52: "Everything in its Right Place" needs a good intro every time, and there's none better than "True Love Waits", although I miss full, proper performances of that number.
1:22: So all three sets I watched tonight exceeded their allotted set time by 20 minutes. At Sasquatch, everyone played for 5-10 minutes under. Must say that, and other issues, are making me wish I had done Bonnaroo.
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