Music cranks up as fans pack site

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

The music brought them to a small town in Tennessee, but the real story was the people. Above and far left, the landscape and the faces of Bonnaroo. Near left, Widespread Panic performs at the main stage.

It was another three days of “peace, love and rock and roll” last weekend, but this time it was on a 500-acre farm in neighboring Manchester instead of Woodstock, N.Y. In the unlikely event that someone in Middle Tennessee doesn’t know by now, the first Bonnaroo Festival pulled in 70,000 fans, clogging interstates and filling local hotels around the mid-state area.

Comparisons to Woodstock cropped up in a lot of the stories and media coverage of the event, and there was that sort of mood, music lovers getting together to enjoy the music and the atmosphere. But while there were many similarities, there were aspects where the two events diverged.

For instance, even though there were several up and coming bands on hand, it’s fair to say that none had the superstar clout of, say, The Who or Janis Joplin. Which is not to say the music wasn’t great. It certainly was. The sound was clean and well mixed for most part, and the musicians shone in the light of adoring fans, picking up that enthusiastic vibe and energy from the audience that only live performances provides.

And, much like Woodstock, there was something for everybody with an eclectic mix of genres including straight-on bluegrass with the Del McCoury Band, alternative sounds from former Phish lead singer Trey Anastasio, jazz influenced rock personified by Soulive, pure blues from groups like The North Mississippi Allstars, folk inspired rock from Widespread Panic, and historic, in more ways than one, jam rock from former Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir.

But unlike Woodstock, which deteriorated into a mud-pit at one point due to torrential rains, the weather at Bonnaroo was, with the exception of a short shower on Sunday, uniformly clear and sunny, though oppressively hot at times.

And finally, like Woodstock, what really made the festival special was the people. The crowd was obviously there to enjoy the music, the fellowship, and the ambiance. From all reports, there was very little trouble which says a lot for a group of 70,000 people.

One thing is for sure, if it was meant to be another three days of peace, love and rock and roll, it succeeded at that admirably.