Teskey Brothers
Which Stage 1:30pm
10/10... the nap I took during them, that is. Old school soul revival, there's basically nothing more to it than that. Fine if you're a big fan of that stuff, but I'd rather listen to the old stuff.
Cherry Glazerr
This Tent 2:45pm
Off kilter alt rock. Nirvana is the obvious influence with those dingy power chords reminiscent of early 90s subpop Seattle scene (also see their Territorial Pissings cover). But rather than being jagged and abrasive like Nirvana, Cherry Glazerr's sound gently lilts it way through the speakers, as though emanating from a dream. The set was frontloaded with two of their catchiest songs, highlighted by the melodic power pop leads of Ohio and the shimmering Had Ten Dollaz. Later in the set, I can't help but think Cobain would approve of the slightly bent, sexual lyricism of Daddi, leading up to a delightfully unhinged set ending with Told You I'd Be With the Guys.
Parquet Courts
This Tent 4:30pm
I was pleasantly surprised by how hard hitting this set was. You can hear ecohes of New York post punk scene in the steely guitar jangle found on some of their albums, especially on their breakthrough effort Light Up Gold. They came out blazing with two songs from that record, Master of My Craft and Borrowed Time, as though trying to press a point that this is was going to be an ass kicking set. It was honestly cathartic, doubly so given this was one of the few guns blazing rock shows of the whole weekend. Of course, they were too smart not to mix things up. Tenderness is catchy enough to be a radio hit, complete with a bobbing piano melody perfect for swaying in the summer breeze, while Wide Awake deliciously melds a sashaying rhythm groove between bass and drums to craft a perfect dance freakout.
Avett Brothers
What Stage 6:30pm
The Avetts can throw down a variety of different sets based on what style they want to focus on from their massive back catalog. They've played here so many times they've become a Bonnaroo specialty. Accordingly, they came ready to throw down. They set the tone early with Satan Pulls the Strings. The experimented with a pulsating electronic beat on the album version, but here it was a fully acoustic, full band effort with Scott Avett going wild on the banjo and looking like he was ready to howl at the moon. You can tell they were trying so hard to write the Born to Run of alt-country with the emotional bombast of some of these songs, particularly anything from I and Love and You (the title track of which was curiously left out). However when they unleashed the swelling slow burn of Head Full of Promise/Room Full of Lies, just watching the way it slowly rose and built until the crowd reached a frenzy, you'd be damned if they didn't succeed, or at least close enough.
Childish Gambino
What Stage 8:45pm
He is possibly the most talented person I have ever seen play the main stage, definitely the most charismatic. He came out to the pulsating rhythms of Algorithm and wasted little time descending into the crowd pit. He strutted about like a victorious Roman gladiator returning from war, and was definitely received like one. He had that crowd in the palm of his hand. I grievously regret not snagging a close up spot when I had the chance; I opted to try the VIP mound for the first time and while my feet definitely needed the rest, I feel like I lost a little something from the best set of the weekend. The glittering beat of Worldstart impresses, not to mention the uninimitable swagger that tune exudes. Some of my other favorite memories is Gambino urging everyone who was fucked to get wild for Sober and the gentle summertime vibe of 3005. The combination of set closer Redbone along with the fireworks was a massive gut punch, in the best possible way.
Solange
Which Stage 10pm
Solange was a sizzling slow burn of a set. I surprisingly walked straight into the pit after staying at Gambino to the very end, a veritable late night rarity. Her stage setup was a visual treat; she had a second floor set up, and her dancers would walk up a step, pause for a moment, then go back up or down. Sometimes one of them would go to the top and shake their ass, which the crowd ate up. She had an impressive full band. You might think it would be a mellow set, but it got pretty up especially with her cranking out the bangers (for her standards, anyway) Down with the Clique and Way to the Show early in the set. She talked about how she used to reject spirituality when she was a kid at summer camps, but her new album reflected her coming around and embracing it.
Deafheaven
That Tent 12am
Metalroo! Deafheaven can kick out black(ish?) metal, post rock, and... that's pretty much it, but it's surely something to behold. They were intent on kicking our ass out of the gate, opening with the barraging riffs of Black Brick, released as a B-Side this past spring from Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. That album focuses on the softer side of the band's sound, which I was very interested in checking out. It's tough to decide which I like more, their heavy or mellow side. I think I actually appreciated their clean playing more; its mercurial beauty opened up pockets of bliss in between the heavier parts of their songs. It resonated with me in part because the lights were fucking with me during that set and my general fatigue at that point. George Clarke (who, with long hair, actually looks like a metal frontman now. The first time I saw them, he had short spiky hair and wore black gloves) announced it was time to let us freaks move on before blasting into Dreamhouse, typically regarded as the purest distillation of their light/heavy motif.
Brockhampton
Which Stage 1am
My burgeoning interest in Brockhampton began around the time of Saturation II, an album frontloaded with obviously west cost inspired stompers like Gummy, delivered by a meaty collective that recalled the days of Dre and the California hip hop hey day. The investment didn't necessarily pay off with this set, sadly. It seems they lost a lot with Ameer's departure. To borrow a basketball term, they now lack that big inside presence. That, coupled with the fact that their discography has always been inconsistent, kept this show from being what it could have been. Yet, to see the energy with them bouncing around up there was still a treat. They always go all in with their stage setups, which this time consisted of a big spaceship on stage with the guys all clad in silver spacesuits. One of the guys would walk out onto the wing of the ship regularly, but it was hard to see from my angle. I was splitting some of the set between here and waiting for the superjam to start, so I missed Gold and most of Gummy, but Boogie was a bomb ass way to close.
