It’s been a summer of festivals and not enough reviews. It began with Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN. Although the drive was long, the festival was completely worth it. With the help of our VIP passes, the process was easy and smooth. We never had to sit in traffic, despite the final night when many of the exits began to close off. The shows were great from 2PM until 4AM (the lineup was incredible). There was never a bored moment. I have absolutely no complaints about Bonnaroo and may even be able to say that it was the favorite of the summer.
Cornerstone was to follow. In Bushnell Illinois, this Christian music festival was quite a different feel. It was my fifth year going and nothing had changed. JMA had a booth set up where we spoke to potential clients and sent staff out to scout the bands. The weather was dreary, but comfortable. Everyone was friendly and just there to have a good time with an optimistic view. The only disappointment was a lack of some of Cornerstone’s best bands. There were quite a few missing and although names like Relient K, Red and Haste the Day still stand out even to non-Christians, the draw appeared significantly lower.
We went straight from Cornerstone to Rothbury and had to rapidly switch mindsets. Going from a healthy-happy atmosphere to being surrounded by hippies on drugs isn’t always easy, but we managed. Rothbury’s strength this year (obviously other than THE DEADs only summer performance and possibly even their last performance EVER) were the DJ sets. Yes, the shows were enjoyable throughout the day, however come midnight, the real fun began. Arriving a day late, STS9 started it out with a mind-blowing set filled with blow up toys being thrown around and numerous glowsticks. The DJ stage itself was just a plethora of spinning colorful effects and hanging lights. Even if you aren’t on drugs, the layout of the festival grounds makes you feel that way… walking through the Sherwood Forest is nothing short of trippy as you are surrounded by enormously tall trees, hammocks, and mushrooms. Yet again, Rothbury’s lineup appeared much better during it’s first year in 2008, however it ended up succeeding above and beyond in 2009!
This past weekend was Pitchfork, located at Union Park in Chicago. A commuter festival located around 4 baseball fields, it was definitely the smallest that I’ve been to. The opening night was a little bit lacking as Yo La Tengo’s set was difficult to get into and Jesus Lizard brought a much older crowd. Things definitely shaped up by Sunday when the festival was up and running as well as packed. The music was some of the best coming out of the indie world. Pitchfork was definitely the place to be in Chicago last weekend.
SEEN AT BONNAROO:
(Day 1)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Santigold
Grizzly Bear
TV On the Radio
Beastie Boys (featuring Nas!)
(Day 2)
Fiction Family
Brett Dennen
Bon Iver
Gov't Mule
Of Montreal
Wilco
The Decemberists
Mars Volta
Bruce Springsteen
Nine Inch Nails
Yeasayer
Ben Harper & Relentless7
MGMT
(Day 3)
Cage The Elephant
Erin McCarley
Citizen Cope
Andrew Bird (stage view!)
Merle Haggard? hahaaa
Band of Horses
Snoop Dogg
Phish
SEEN AT CORNERSTONE:
The Homecoming
Josh Garrels
Deas Vail
Ocean Is Theory
Luminate
Owl City
Photoside Cafe
Dignan
Shaeffer?
House of Heroes
KJ-52
Red
Family Force 5
Relient K
Copeland
DJs at the Barn!!!
Deas Vail
The Wedding
Shirock
All The Day Holiday
Project 86
Haste The Day
Emery
SEEN AT ROTHBURY:
(Day 1)
Damian Marley & Nas
Flogging Molly
String Cheese Incident
Chromeo
STS9
Girl Talk
(Day 2)
Giant Panda Geurilla Dub Squad
Ralph Stanley!
Black Crowes
John Butler
Les Claypool
THE DEAD
Pretty Lights
MSTRKRFT
Umphreys McGee
EOTO
STS9 again
(Day 3)
Toots & The Maytals
Guster
Yonder Mountain String Band
Matisyahu
SEEN AT PITCHFORK:
(Day 1)
Yo La Tengo
Jesus Lizard
Built to Spill
(Day 3)
DJ/Rupture
The Walkmen
Japandroids
M83
Grizzly Bear
The Flaming Lips
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