Day 4 Bonnaroo 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The last day of Bonnaroo would truly be one of my favorites. Dave Matthews Band, the band that made me want to start my own group, was scheduled to end the festival with a bang and that’s exactly what they did. First though, we walked into the grounds with high expectations to see John Fogerty, the former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
To my amazement, John Fogerty was exceptional. His band was full of intensity and high energy, but the thing that amazed me most was how great he was singing. He has always been a legendary songwriter, but to hear him still hitting those same notes in the same way as he did on classic songs that have been around for decades, was phenomenal. He played all of his hits and it brought a smile to my face to hear this legend perform as solid as ever.
Next would be the Zac Brown Band, but to my surprise, right before their set, I received a text message from Jeff Coffin, the sax player from Dave Matthews Band, to meet up for a quick hello. I first met Jeff backstage in 2008 when we first played at Bonnaroo and since then, we have become good friends. He is by far one of the classiest people and musicians I’ve ever crossed paths with. We said our hellos and caught up for about 30 minutes and talked about the DMB tour, among other things. As an added bonus, I ran into Tim Reynolds shortly before my encounter with Jeff and talked to him about all the things he has been doing since we opened for him in 2007. I gave them both copies of my band latest release, LIVE VIBES, and asked Jeff if he would be willing to give Dave Matthews a copy for me. He happily obliged which made my entire trip worth it. We quickly said our goodbyes and I wished them both well for their set later that night.
We made it back in time to hear the Zac Brown Band play the remainder of their set. I’ve seen the Zac Brown Band a few times since we played a college conference with them a few years back as well as Bonnaroo 2009 so I was excited to see how they progressed. They played their hits as well as some new songs off their upcoming album that sounded great. Overall, I think some diversity in influences will help this band become legendary, but for now, I thought they sounded polished and tight.
The anticipation was building as the Dave Matthews Band made their way to the stage. The crowd went nuts as did I to hear this magical band play through their catalog. From beginning to end, DMB blazed through epic renditions of some of my favorite songs from their older albums all the way through their latest release. Honestly, I have seen this band close to 80 times, but somehow I never get sick of their performances because each show always has something new in it. Tonight would be no different, especially since the horn section from Jay Z’s band would be joining DMB for a few songs like “Shake Me Like A Monkey” which sounded fantastic. All in all, DMB’s set was by far one of the biggest highlights of the festival weekend and I look forward to not only hearing them play another 100+ shows, but if given the opportunity as we were given in 2007, I look forward to opening for this legendary band again.
In closing, I would like to just say that if every person in the world was able to experience the Bonnaroo festival, even just once, I truly believe the world would be a better place. The sense of unity, peace, love and most of all, a positively universal musical experience is one of the most incredible opportunities to bring people together on the planet. Hopefully, the NK Band will be on the bill next year for the 3rd time in 4 years. Live, love and laugh everyone! Enjoy live music now and forever and make the most of your lives. See you next year at the ‘Roo!!
