My 2009 Bonnaroo adventure began over 5 years ago. My cousin, 22 at the time, was diagnosed with a rare lung condition called Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histioctosis. Connie would struggle with both the disease and obtaining insurance in the ensuing 4 years. In June of last year, she received a double lung transplant. The transplant was her only chance at extending her life, but the road to recovery was fraught with many difficulties. Among the most troubling of these was kidney failure, which resulted in the need for dialysis and recurring pneumonia. A year to the day after her transplant, she went back into the hospital for the last time. She had developed an infection that would never go away. She said goodbye to her loving family, fiancée, and the world on Saturday June 7th, and passed away late that night.
In an odd twist of fate, it was Connie who was originally supposed to be my first chaperone to Bonnaroo back in 2004. I was only 17 at the time and my parents were pushing for somebody a little bit older to accompany my brother and me to Manchester, TN. When we asked Connie about Bonnaroo, she laughed and described a land of hedonism where scores of naked woman passed around trays of drugs for all to try (this turned out to be not quite accurate). She was all for going to the festival with us. After hearing her description of what would await, my parents were considerably less thrilled with the idea. A short time later she was diagnosed. I never made it to Bonnaroo in 2004, but would attend the festival in 2005, 2006, and 2008. The 2009 festival was to be my first festival visit as an emissary from twangville, but fate intervened. Connie’s memorial service was on Thursday, which in an oddly symbolic coincidence was the opening day of the festival. I spent the week in the suburbs of Chicago, mourning with family and friends. On way to South Carolina from Chicago, I was dropped off at the gates of the festival on Saturday afternoon for my long trek to the campsite. As I wandered that field outside of Manchester last weekend, I knew Connie would be glad I made it. And somehow I felt that she had at last made it to Bonnaroo with me for the first time.
I couldn’t have started off the day any better than with the 2 hour set by Wilco. Perhaps my favorite band since high school, Wilco is the reason I write on Twangville and more or less the catalyst for my obsession about music in general and alt. country in specific. I’ve seen them in concert a half dozen times or so and their Bonnaroo performance was tight, yet easy going. The band seemed relaxed and effusive as they meandered through their catalog, highlighted by 3 songs from their new record due later in June. “Wilco (the song),†“Bull Black Nova†and “Sonny Feeling†all from the new Wilco (that album) were welcome additions to classics such as “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,†“Misunderstood,†and “Shot In the Arm.†The band reworked their catalog a little bit with the addition of bright keyboard on the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot single “Pot Kettle Black.†Jeff Tweedy seemed to enjoy the band’s return to the Bonnaroo stage and even played with the cameramen, allowing one to furiously strum his guitar on one song. Epic jams on “Spiders†and “Impossible Germany†allowed the three guitarists in the band Tweedy, Nels Cline, and an increasingly assertive Pat Sansone to shine in their own respective styles.
Next up was The Boss. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are no strangers to crowds this size (75,000), but their audience wasn’t quite as adoring as a stadium full of baby boomers. The festival goers were excited to see Springsteen, but not necessarily veterans of the E Street Experience. Through sheer force of will, Springsteen and his 12 piece band bulldozed the crowd, breaking out classics like “Born to Run†and “Thunder Road†during their powerhouse 3 hour, 28 song set. During his traditional collection of homemade signs (for requests), he even whipped into a sing-along rendition of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.†“Working On A Dream†and a 9 minute version of “Outlaw Pete,†both from his most recent album, were also delivered with gusto, the latter in particular burned throughout. Not a soul in attendance could mention their favorite performer of the weekend with at least a casual “and Springsteen was awesome too.†Playing only their second festival appearance ever, the E Street Band proved to be every bit the rock n roll gods that you heard about.
While I have never been a huge Springsteen (with the exception of Nebraska, which I love), the show was impossible to deny. He truly does leave a pint of blood on the stage each night and there are not a lot of performers you can say that about, especially at his age.
Look for more on Sunday’s events in Part 2.
For more information on Bonnaroo visit BONNAROO
For more information on Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis visit HISTIO.ORG
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd