Bonnaroo 4 :: You're gonna make me spill my beer if you don't learn how to steer

And then there was Sunday... And man, what a Sunday it was. I started off Sunday with some fresh cut french fries in a waffle cone with homemade honey to dip them in. I highly recommend this to any and everyone. Then I went and saw Elvis Perkins who I thought did an admirable job even though I'm not the biggest fan. The only thing I could come up with to describe him was that he reminds me of Donovan. Which is probably completely wrong.

Next I saw a few songs from The Decemberists. They opened with 'The Mariner's Revenge Song' and then the 18-minute-long 'Tain,' both of which fit the festival vibe quite nicely. I've seen the Decemberists before, though, and I must admit that I prefer seeing them indoors. They all just looked so hot in their three-piece suits in the blazing sun. And I'm pretty sure there was something bad going on with their sound.

Then I made my way over to catch some of Wilco's set. I had been wanting to hear them live because I really don't care for Sky Blue Sky that much, but that's the same way I felt about A Ghost Is Born until I saw them perform the songs live. I managed to catch 'Impossible Germany' and, I think, 'Side With The Seeds,' and I have to admit that I liked them much better live than on the record. And their much-touted new lineup is pretty damn incredible. Nothing but amazing musicians who completely gel with each other.

At this point in the day, I should mention that I was getting quite drunk on warm vodka from a water bottle and even warmer Red Bull. I know, I know, not very professional of me as a blogger, but hey, it's my vacation. So a slightly drunk Tug went off to see Feist, and immediately fell in love with her. Put it this way, if her and Regina Spektor had gotten on stage together, it would have been too much adorable for me to handle.

Finally, I made my way to see The White Stripes, and while I must admit that that whole show was a bit fuzzy for me, I do remember hearing the opening riff for 'Icky Thump' and thinking that Jack White must be some kind of genius. It cut through my drunken daze and rocked my ass off. Hats off to Mr. White.

And that's pretty much it for the Bonnaroo coverage. I know that I promised a review of The National show, but honestly, I've tried to write it a couple times, and anything I type sounds like the hype of an over-excited fanboy. I just can't write about that show without gushing like a maniac. And that wouldn't fit my cool blogger persona, would it? So I will just say this - run, don't walk, to the National show nearest you. It is must-see stuff.

Bonnaroo 3 :: Careless in our summer clothes...

Sorry that it's been so long since I finished my Bonnaroo updates. All the dust I inhaled from spending five days in drought-plagued Manchester, TN, led to me getting a little under the weather. Before I get to Sunday's festivities, I'll catch you up on Friday's shows that I didn't have time to write about.

I started the day off with Cold War Kids, who I've always enjoyed but never really freaked out about. Their show was pretty darn energetic, though, and I vowed to give their CD another spin. Which I did, and I like it a lot more now.

Then I got right up close for the first 'big stage' show of the festival Kings of Leon. I loved their first CD, didn't care for the second one, and admittedly wasn't too excited about seeing them. However, they actually played quite well, even continuing to rock when the sound cut out on them. Only the first few rows (where I was) could hear them, but everyone just clapped and sang along in support. It was a nice moment. And how has no one picked up on the fact that their new stuff is really dance-able? They've even reworked their old songs some so that they sound like perfect fodder for some blog house mashups or something. Also, Elisa Cuthbert was watching from backstage. That's her in the picture up there. She waved at me and my friends. Rowr.

I caught a couple of Hot Chip songs before Lily Allen came on, but I don't think I was close enough to really get into it because it doesn't stick in my mind very well. Lily Allen certainly does, though. She was completely tanked (even though she told the press that she wouldn't drink before the show), finishing off a bottle of Jager towards the end of the show. Sure, this means she forgot a few words, but who cares? It also meant she was much more vocal and fun between songs and said many funny things about 'men with small penises' apparently named Lester. She also did an amazing cover of The Specials' 'Gangsters' and one of Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' that was good, but maybe a bit too obvious.

Friday night ended with a comedy show featuring David Cross, Aziz Ansari, and Nick Kroll. Nick Kroll is on that caveman tv show that I see no point in and did some kind of loud, gay character the whole time that I also saw no point in. Aziz Ansari was on fire, though. He seriously killed. He had this one whole bit that started with him talking about how shitty MTV is now and ended with explaining how he's the gentlest rapist ever. Pure gold. David Cross was pretty good, but a little disappointing. I think that that shorter show meant that he really didn't get to get rolling. And he was a bit thrown (as we all were) by the fact that the band in the next tent over was really, really loud.

Crap. I'm running out of time again. And this post is long enough. I'll finish with Sundays shows sometime this weekend. Oh, but before I go, I forgot to mention before that on Saturday, I managed to catch the last couple songs by Annuals. They were terrific. I've always wanted to see them do their 'hit' song 'Brother' live and boy, it didn't disappoint. I'm definitely making plans to see them again ASAP.

Bonnaroo 2 :: It started recreational, ended kinda medical

So yesterday (Saturday I think it was?) was full of amazing shows. The ever-adorable Regina Spektor came out to a huge audience and had the tenacity to start off with an a capella number, then play four or five songs with just her and the piano. And she had everyone eating out of the palm of her hand. She seemed sincerely delighted to be there and after every song would laugh out loud as we applauded, apparently as amused with us as we were with her.

Then there was The Hold Steady. I'm not the biggest HS fan, but after seeing this show, I'm going to have to go back and revisit their records. The energy was ridiculous, and fists pumped vigorously. Craig Finn even said something like, 'I'll take fist pumping over that hippie dance any day.' It's called noodling, Craig, and yes, fist pumping is way better.

While they may have not been as out-and-out fun as The Hold Steady, Spoon rocked just as hard, and let's face it, they're something of a more cerebral, less fist pumping experience anyway. Britt Daniel cemented his place in my mind as one of the best frontmen around today. With his unique voice and terrific stage presence, you just can't take your eyes off him. Oh, and he plays a mean guitar too.

Later on last night, I was treated to the absolute most fun available on the planet. Girl Talk. (Pictured above.) I couldn't believe the amount of kids who came to the Girl Talk tent, but boy, they came to dance. Greg Gillis had a whole slew of kids that he brought on stage with him, complete with confetti, streamers, and such. I still can't get over how much fun it was.

Oh yeah, and I saw The Police. Meh.

Bonnaroo 1 :: The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Hey there, Rocketeers! I'm coming to you live from some kinda shady hotel outside of Manchester, TN. Population - Bonnaroo. Seriously, there's nothing around here except for Bonnaroo. Although there's a hot dog stand called The Dog House across the street that is calling my name. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get back to the hotel to blog Thursday night after seeing the mind-blowing, change-your-life, other-praise-I-can-hyphenate National show.

I'll probably write more about the show later on, but for now I'll just say that as soon as the show ended, two girls in front of me started making out, and I thought to myself, 'Wow, one of the best shows I've seen in years followed by two girls making out right in front of me. Perhaps I can die happy now?' This elated feeling managed to stick with me for the next three and a half hours wherein my cell phone died, I was separated from my ride to the hotel, wandered around looking for some friends who were staying on grounds, and then finally had to borrow a few different strangers' cell phones before getting in touch with them and sleeping in their RV. And all my friends thought I was dead. But seriously, the show was so damn good that I didn't care one bit.

I have to get back to the festival soon, so I'll just tell you what I've seen so far, and you can email me or comment about who you want to hear about. The list thusfar: The National, Cold War Kids, Kings of Leon, two or three songs of Hot Chip, Lily Allen (wasted!), and David Cross with Aziz Ansari and Nick Kroll.

Oh, and I also had fried alligator, which tasted like chicken but with the consistency of fried clam. Which is exactly what I would have expected if you had asked me beforehand what alligator might taste like. Anyway, before I head back out into the dust bowl, I leave you with some words from The National that I think sum up my experience so far.

Falling out of touch with all my / Friends are somewhere getting wasted / Hope they're staying glued together / I have arms for them.

Post written at 11:30 AM Saturday, but the wi-fi signal I picked up for a minute died.