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Thursday Night at Bonnaroo
In Thursday Night at Bonnaroo, the 6th installment of Nate and the Bonnaroompah Band, they get their polka on, then go out into the wild Bonnaroo yonder to see what fun their lanyards can get them into. If you haven't seen it already, be sure to take a moment to check out the video at left of the Bonnaroompah band heading out of their camp site to the Brooer's tent! Nate's the guy with the big base drum!
Now on with Thursday Night at Bonnaroo: Where was I? Oh yeah! Did I mention the popularity of parades? The true power of parading occurred to us after the second show that first day. Marching off towards the artist compound to catch some refreshments after our 6:00 show, we got three quarters of the way there when the band made a shocking discovery. Taking some time to turn around, the Bonnaroompas noticed that there were twenty-some-odd people just following and dancing and (possibly) wondering where we were going. People had just abandoned their festival-priced microbrews - and in some cases, their friends - to follow a bunch of crazy folks playing a polka parade. When we stopped for a sec, the crowd cheered and asked if maybe we could march them back to the beer garden. We all knew the vicious cycle that could create. We may never have gotten the show to end if we didn't get away from those party-loving, parading revelers, and we all wanted to get our own Bonnaroo on. So, we cranked out our version of the Free Bird Polka, the crowd seemed pleased, and we quietly skulked off - trying not to gather to any more attention. Skulking is no small feat when you are carrying a large bass drum and are dressed in a somewhat silly fashion! With the first day's shows finally behind us, the buckets of sweat finally starting to evaporate off us, and after a quick evaluation of the performances (“Dang, that was fun!”) our evening was open to whatever trouble we could get into. It is an interesting thing being a performer anywhere, let alone the most humongous broo-ha-ha in the world. As silly of a thing that playing in a polka band sounds, all the members of the Bonnaroompah ensemble were seasoned performers. That means we were constantly trying to make our show as well-played as we could. Our job was essentially to show up twice a day and have a good time. That’s how we earn the right to wear our holy laminates. What that means is that the good time you have “off the clock”, so to speak, can’t be so good that you can’t function during the good time you are getting paid to have. Which means in turn, that some (well a little anyhow) restraint had to be applied amongst a jungle of self indulgence. This was especially true for me, as I had a gig on Friday in Chattanooga, which would mean I would have to un-screw the Bonnaroo out of my brain for a day. So Thursday night at Bonnaroo was fun for me, but not as over the top as one might think. The highlight of the evening was the first real rock show of the festival. With no main stage acts performing until the next day, the Troo Music Café stage was the place to be. And who should be rocking out but Knoxville’s own legends, Smokin’ Dave and The Primo Dopes. Like all the local acts performing later at the ‘Roo, the band brought their A game. It was an assault of all things great about rock, and a journey through all my favorite Dopes tunes, like You Must Be From Nashville and Ain’t Gonna Make Love to My Right Hand Anymore. It also included a tripped out section featuring a solo on modified toys (Barbie Computer, Mr. T. in a Box, and more). The finale was a raucous version of Helter Skelter with front man Todd Steed grinding his axe on the bike rack looking security gate in front of the stage. It was then that I realized that the whole big show had finally begun. ...and so Nate and his Bonnaroompah buds called it the end of thier Thursday night at Bonnaroo...or did they?? Find out in the next installment! Return to Knoxville Music Scene from Thursday Night at Bonnaroo Return to Knoxville Business from Thursday Night at Bonnaroo
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