Bonnaroo ‘07: Sting And Co. Don’t Steal The Show
June 17, 2007 - Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN
The Police, in two perspectives: 1) Being escorted to the photo pit 10 feet in front of the stage, 80,000 screaming fans completely losing their collective minds as Sting and Co. launch into “Message in a Bottle” = Awesome. 2) Watching Sting and Co. sorta go through the motions throughout the rest of their set (albeit in a super-tight, really sharp way) from about a mile away = Not so awesome.
Yeah, that’s sorta how the much-hyped headlining set from the Police went down on Saturday night. Sure, they were pretty great (seriously, Sting’s voice is beyond crystal), but the whole thing sort of, well, happened. There were some really enlightening moments, like Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland finding their way through a rabbit hole in an ultra-extended “Roxanne,” but there was also a whole lot of audience-losing sorta-atmospheric sections, and an overall “just here for the check” feeling to the set, something out-of-step with the whole Bonnaroo vibe.
Not to mention the fact that they rather inexplicably cut the performance FIFTY MINUTES early (something fest organizers pointedly pointed out by flashing “The Police, 9:00 - 11:30″ on the screens on either side of the stage), something akin to a cardinal sin ’round these parts.
Still, the Police’s early exit paved the way for one of those truly excellent moments that only seem to happen at Bonnaroo. As 80,000 somewhat bummed concertgoers filed away from the main stage, they turned a corner to witness the Flaming Lips squeal through Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” a truly psyched-out moment made even more mind-melting thanks to a ton of dry ice, strobe lights and a screen flashing images of eyeballs and G.W. Bush.
And the best thing about it? It was only a soundcheck, something the Lips did just for the kids in the audience, a point frontman Wayne Coyne made apparent by apologizing to the audience because “they weren’t allowed to start playing right now, because other bands have time set aside.”
The thing was, the only band supposed to be playing was the Police … and their silence was deafening.
Of course, it also spoke volumes about the Flaming Lips too.
June 18th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Couldn’t agree more. This was my second Bonnarroo and thanks to last years top headliners I expected nothing less than an amazing show… well you said it pretty well, Sting is great, but its saturday night and i am tired… after an hour the lack of energy on stage wasn’t worth it. I went back and took a nap.
June 19th, 2007 at 1:36 am
I disagree with James M. the Police rocked. I was not happy that they cut their show short, but tool did as well. I feel “supposive headliners” should do their fans justice, and play their full scheduled sets or even more. As far as the other comment he makes about the only groups having star quality were the Stripes and police; Bonnaroo is all about discovering new bands and seeing old one more time, not how many big names are on the ticket. Oh yeah, James you also messed up by not even mentioning the Rodrigo y Gabriela show that was on Thursday; or Rocco DeLuca who poured his heart out Sunday afternoon. If MTV has to cover Bonnaroo ever again, please do me a favor and send someone who knows music and appreciates music.
June 19th, 2007 at 10:17 am
And allow me to append to Sam’s comment, please don’t use the word awesome so much.
June 20th, 2007 at 10:48 am
How could any of the bands even compete after Tools set on Friday night? In my opinion, the Police should have played on Sunday night, when everyone is so tired, no one gives a sh*t.
June 20th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Tool ruined us as well…wow, what an amazing production that was, I’m a Tool Fan Now!
The Police were the most underwhelming moment of the weekend, only to be outdone by the completely putrid sounds coming from the Stage when Clutch two days earlier….and that’s saying something.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS for those who weren’t there include: Sam Roberts, Uncle Earl, The Black Angels, The Hold Steady, Mute Math, and of course The White Stripes.
June 20th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Although the Police set lacked energy at points, it was monumental for those of certain generations for it was the only time (and place) possible for 20’somethings to see the band.
Having to choose between STS9, Superjam, and String Cheese Incident, & Aesop Rock on Friday Night? Almost impossible!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:02 am
I second what Sam said. Rodrigo y Gabriela rocked the sh*t out of the festival. Definitely a surprising second from the weekend. The only ones to outdo them was The Flaming Lips who blew us away. They were amazing. They put on a show like no other… and Wayne still has a beautiful voice (the cracking and sometimes off-key just adds character).