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From The Sunday Bonnaroo Beacon: Lose Yourself

Eminem – photo by Dean Budnick

There’s a particular spirit that surrounds the grounds of Bonnaroo. It’s what makes a community out of this temporary city in Tennessee. And it’s what causes artists to understand that performing in front of these crowds is a much different experience than just any other scheduled date on a tour itinerary.

Some artists don’t get it—Sting during the Police’s headlining set in 2007 comes to mind. And then there are many, many more who do. This edition of Bonnaroo has found everyone balancing appreciation, fascination and determination to leave lasting memories. There were plenty of those throughout Saturday.

Altogether, the mixing and matching of styles came to represent the attitude of Bonnaroo in the best way possible. A
walk around Centeroo in the late afternoon brought about sonic pleasures in the reggae from Black Uhuru to the finely-crafted
bluegrass of Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, a rare performance by Bruce Hornsby on dulcimer and on to rapper Chiddy Bang, the hard electric blues rock of Gary Cole Jr., the raw art rock of Deer Tick, the pop, rap and DJ work of Jovanotti.

The start of the day even represented the diverse and universal nature of Bonnaroo as Alberta Cross played its mix of roots and electric blues, Hanggai introduced listeners to Mongolian tradition crossed with rock, pop and bluegrass, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens eased everyone into the day
while Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears’s funk and soul gave others a needed jolt.

Besides playing a late night set, Gogol Bordello treated fans to a threesong opening spot before Devotchka took the stage.
Band members also joined Devotchka onstage.

Funk sounds were heard in the shamefully underattended set by Motown master guitarist Dennis Coffey as well as from !!!’s
high energy set and the legendary Bootsy Collins taking the crowd to school with his brand.

It could even be heard in the hard hip-hop style of Eminem who prowled the What Stage as if he owned it. A year after Jay-Z
headlined in the same spot, the Detroit rapper acted as if he had something to prove, like a prizefighter whose knockout punch has been questioned. From the moment he entered the
stage Eminem was in attack mode. He immediately pinned the audience against the ropes and wouldn’t cut them any slack. It was a powerful performance and in the end he showed his appreciation for the crowd’s response.