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Do concert DVDs accurately reflect the music and atmosphere of the actual event? In the case of Live From Bonnaroo 2009, I really don’t know. I haven’t attended the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, which has been held annually on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, since 2002. Over one hundred bands appear on multiple stages at this four- to five-day concert. A tiny part of the latest festival—which was held June 11-14, 2009—has been captured on DVD.
The DVD features only sixteen songs from sixteen artists from various genres: rock, hip-hop, folk, R&B, country, and bluegrass. These include single songs from popular artists and bands such as Beastie Boys, Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Ben Harper, and Snoop Dog. Elvis Costello also appears with lesser-known Jenny Lewis and Her Sound. But many of the songs by the better-known artists are not their strongest, such as Springsteen’s “Outlaw Pete.”
My favorites are the songs by musicians that I was unfamiliar with: female singer Santigold‘s “L.E.S. Artistes,” bluegrass “Moneyland” performed by the Del McCoury Band (featuring the 70-year-old Del and his two sons) rock band Cage the Elephant‘s “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” and the country-rock song “Who Knows” by Zac Brown Band.
I can’t say if Live From Bonnaroo 2009 gives you a feeling for the actual concert, since I wasn’t there. What I can say is that, while watching it, I felt that I was in a time warp. Many of the fans look like they came right out of the hippie generation. In between the songs, I saw girls adorned in headbands blowing bubbles, with very few tattoos and body piercings to be found. Much of the music could have come right out of the mid-1960s, such as R&B singer Raphael Saadiq’s “Keep Marchin’,” which I did enjoy. Also, when I first heard The Decemberists, I thought I was listening to Jefferson Airplane.
Though the music is varied, the festival reminded me of a G-rated Woodstock (minus a very brief performance by Snoop Dog). What does set this DVD apart from other live concert footage, though, is the superb sound quality. That alone may be enough for some.
If you did experience the Bonnaroo Music Festival last June and this review brings back fond memories, maybe this is the DVD for you. If you did attend, and you witnessed something totally different, you may want to watch it just for kicks. If this simply piques your interest, I suggest that you first look at the set list to determine whether it’s worthwhile. Otherwise, Live From Bonnaroo 2009 is really just hit-or-miss.
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