Nashville Music Blog

Arriving just earlier today, my Bonnaroo experience is only in its sixth hour. Most things I have to report are those you already know: it's hot, there's mud, and a shitload of people here. I'm only just now snapping out of that initial period of sensory overload involved when making the transition from the outside world in here. With my face generously kissed by the sun already, my ankles crying out in pain, Bonnaroo so far has only served to remind me just how old I've gotten -- or maybe I should

I wandered into Centeroo in time to catch the latter half of The Dirty Projectors. Admittedly, the bulk of my exposure to the band is from their 2003 album, The Glad Fact and none of those naked, eerie, fractured and minimal songs were played, leaving me to assume all those whimsical, psychedelic dirges featuring layers of squirrelly guitars and harmonies. Scanning around the press pit, I was at first taken aback to notice the legendary David Byrne rocking out up front. Moments later he was joining the band on stage for a cover of Byrne's "Knotty Pine".

The rest of the day has been all over the place. I caught Animal Collective who made me realize their entire sound is hinged on that moment when you simultaneously realize 1) Your Pet Sounds record is scratched, and 2) You've taken way too much of what you're on. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs played a sampling of hits to a crowd that was way too big for me to handle, so I sought refuge in the press pit next to Santigold -- probably one of the best decisions I've made today. Though the "full band" I heard was backing her up was little more than a couple guys chiming now in then along to the backing tracks, but I'm certainly not complaining.

Tonight is a total onslaught of talent dusk till dawn: Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Protomen, Public Enemy, Crystal Castles and Girl Talk. Let's hope I'm still functioning well enough in the morning to write about it.