Bonnaroo 2009: Girl Talk is instructed to slow down as Karen O and Crystal Castles move full speed ahead

Days 1 & 2, June 11–12, 2009, in Manchester, Tennessee

By Lauren Trzaska
Published: June 18th, 2009 | 11:40am

Poring over the acts on the way to Bonnaroo, it was clear that this year’s lineup would not disappoint and making decisions about who to see was going to be difficult. Headlining was legendary rocknroller Bruce Springsteen, hip-hop mainstays the Beastie Boys, and the hippie favorite Phish. However, this wasn’t a boy’s show by any means. The side stages were packed with powerful female vocalists, instrumentalists, and performers of all sorts.

Thursday loomed dark and dreary over the setting Tennessee skyline. The weather called for thunderstorms throughout the weekend. While the rains proved to be a cooling boon, the sandal-swallowing mud was not such a welcome feature. After setting camp, I grabbed my rain gear and headed to my first show.

Relatively new on the Atlanta music scene, Janelle Monae set the bar high. Decked in futuristic, yet retro doo-wop attire (yes, it does exist) with a pompadour that nearly doubled the size of her diminutive stature, Monae’s voice blasted through the audience in delightfully sunny and energetic songs. Highlights of her set were “Many Moons,” “Happy Hunting,” and “Violet Stars.”

The next show was the Brooklyn-based White Rabbits. Having two full records under their belt, the band had an eager and knowledgeable audience. They played hits from both Fort Nightly (Say Hey)and It’s Frightening (TBD), much to everyone’s delight.

Next was another Brooklyn band — the electro indie pop outfit Chairlift who is most recognized for their hit, “Bruises,” which was featured in an iPod Nano commercial. Their performance alone, led by singer Caroline Polachek’s Feist-ish, crystal clear voice was more than plenty to get the crowd going. The band took it to another level when they introduced Solange Knowles on the stage for a collaborative performance of the song, “Make Up Your Mind”.

At the end of a great first day at Bonnaroo, the weather turned sullen as relentless rains quickly soaked through tent covers and dared Roo’ers to try to get a good night of sleep for another full day of music that lie ahead.

Day Two of Bonnaroo began at noon with a performance by Katzenjammer — four Nordic beauties playing bluegrass. These four women were musical virtuosos as they traded instruments — bass, mandolin, banjo, piano, and accordion — as easily as some might change shoes.

The press tent featured Janeane Garofalo who, for the second year, was featured in the Comedy Sweet. After checking her out briefly, it was time for more music.

Kaki King performed in the unofficial uniform of Bonnaroo — a bikini top, cutoff shorts, and flip flops. The audience went wild when she played her tunes from the movie, August Rush. King is known for playing the not-so-common lap guitar, but it was her unique approach of handling the acoustic guitar that was particularly notable that involved both hands playing and striking the neck. While one might think this would make her music sound harsh or discordant, it created unexpected melodies and harmonies that gave her a truly different sound. Fans will be pleased to know she ventured beyond purely instrumental tracks to those with lyrics, for example the song, “Life Being What It Is.”

Up next was Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, who have been around the rock scene since their first independent record, Nothing But The Water, was released in 2005. Since then, they have steadily gained prominence, earning soundtrack spots, opening for Dave Matthews, and landing an iPod commercial with their song, “Ain’t No Time.” For many fans, it was the first chance to see Grace Potter with new bass player, Catherine Popper. The set was a success. The band literally shook the stage with off the charts decibels as they debuted tracks from their upcoming album.

Female-led rock continued to have its day in the sun with an epic performance by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Karen O is the kind of performer that is at her absolute best when unleashed in front of an audience, her voice ripping through the mic and rattling bones. Hyper-rocked and hyper-sexualized in her Bonnaroo appearance, Karen O slowly peeled off layers of her outfit until she was left in a printed romper and yellow zebra tights. She delivered signature moves like a water bottle spray and a deep throat of the mic while she gave a very death metal–like roar. Karen O showed her dexterity, as she switched from spastic “Y Control” to the mellower “Gold Lion,” and delivered true emotion in “Maps”. In a “rock star” moment, Karen chose to end the show as she repeatedly swung the mic above her head and brought it smashing to the ground. “We usually don’t break stuff, but what the hell,” she quipped.

Friday continued to present amazing females in music, as it came to a crescendo with Ani DiFranco. DiFranco brought a fresh view to Bonnaroo as an artist who uses her music and fame to deliver poignant political and social messages. Her performance of “Which Side Are You On?” highlighted the struggles of the working class. Originally written in 1931 by the wife of a union organizer, Florence Reece, the song gained prominence when covered by famed folk singer Pete Seeger in 1987. DiFranco also sang “Napoleon,” but it was a struggle to make out her voice over the enthusiastic audience sing-along. She also performed the classic “Plastic Castles” and “32 Flavors.”

The last acts on Friday night were both electro heavy and pro-crowd surfing. Crystal Castles, fronted by Alice Glass, performed an intense set. The band’s simplistic but layered 8-bit synth music was perfectly accompanied by frantic neon strobe lights sending concertgoers into musical epilepsy. Clad in her usual pleather jacket, combat boots, and long skirt, Glass amazed with her ability to simultaneously stage-dive and sing.

With the sweat still glistening from Crystal Castles, Girl Talk was the perfect way to end the night. Girl Talk is simply just a guy, Gregg Gillis, on stage with two computers, but what he does is out of control. Gillis mashed up and spit out dozens of song snippets — weaving new, old, hip-hop, pop, electronic, rock, rap, and more in a machinegun delivery of music. Known for inviting people on stage, Bonnaroo’ers swarmed when the opportunity arose and inundated the safety crew. Midway through, Girl Talk was asked to slow down the music so the crew could clear the stage; no one wanted to see a collapse. Sixteen hours after the day started, people were finally able to get a few Z’s, lulled to sleep by Paul Oakenfold’s ongoing trance set.

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For more photos from Bonnaroo, Days 1 & 2, visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page

Bonnaroo 2009, Days 3 & 4, June 13–14, 2009: Nine Inch Nails say their final goodbye, our reporter gets a concussion, and Jenny Lewis introduces the crowd to her friend “Fernando”