photos by Dana (Distortion) Yavin & Graeme Flegenheimer

The Strokes

"The 10th anniversary [of Bonnaroo] was a celebration of how far the festival has come but also reminded us how it got there. There was something for everyone. The String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic, who played at the first Bonnaroo, were there to remind people of the festival's jam-band roots. Lil Wayne and Big Boi were there along with Eminem to represent what the festival has become. In between, there were legendary acts like Robert Plant and The Band of Joy, Buffalo Springfield, Gregg Allman, Loretta Lynn, Dr. John, and Bruce Hornsby, which attracted an older crowd that resembled festival crowds of years past.

There were also more recently successful bands that attracted a younger crowd, such as Arcade Fire, The Strokes, The Black Keys, Neon Trees, Mumford & Sons, and The Decemberists.

One of the greatest features of Bonnaroo is that there are plenty of non-music entertainment options for those who need a break from music, the heat, or just need a diversion.

There was a cinema tent where rockumentaries and movies were screened, if you wanted to get out of the heat and cool down. There was a comedy tent that has been graced by comedians like Conan O'Brien and Margaret Cho. Dave Attelland hosted one of my favorite Bonnaroo performances when Flight of the Conchords performed in 2007. This year saw funny-men Lewis Black, Cheech Marin, and Tim Minchin among others in a strong rotation.

Sports fans concerned about the NHL and NBA Finals were happy to find the Bonnaroo Sports Bar where they could play pop-a-shot and watch the games on flat-screen monitors.

Artists were encouraged to show their stuff on the graffiti walls that lined much of the 700-acre farm. By the end of the weekend, you could spend all day walking up and down along the wall, finding some beautiful (and some not so beautiful) creations. " [The Epoch Times]

Bonnaroo 2012 is on sale at noon. The 10th Bonnaroo happened last weekend. Pictures of Karen Elson from Day One are HERE, with the rest of Day One HERE. Pictures of Decemberists from Day Two HERE, with the rest of Day Two HERE. Pictures of Gogol Bordello from Day Three are HERE, and the rest of Day Three are HERE. Robyn from Day Four HERE. The rest of Day 4, and the end of our 2011 Bonnaroo pictures, below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2011 - Day 4 in pics (The Strokes, Mavis Staples, Beirut, EITS. John Waters, Greg Allman & more)"

photos by Greg Cristman

"I'm feelin' pretty good. I'm still healin'. It takes a lo-o-ong time to heal up from somethin' like that. I still have these residual pains and aches and what-have-you, and I think I developed one hernia, which is very common. I got one right under my sternum, and I got one over on the side. That's just from layin' up so long, not usin' your chest muscles. 'Coz it's hard, you know. There for a while, I had to have oxygen, because I couldn't draw a deep breath, you know? A big, deep satisfyin' breath. Because that's where the surgery was -- right in front of your lungs." - [Gregg Allman to NJ.com]

Gregg Allman, who received a liver transplant this past summer, celebrated the new year on stage at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Long Island on 12/31. Pictures and the written setlist from that show (though we think he strayed slightly from it) are in this post.

Allman spent Saturday night (1/2) in Stamford, CT (rescheduled from 12/29 due to weather) and will be on tour through the bulk of January, hitting Englewood, NJ on 1/12 and a sold-out Bowery Ballroom on 1/18. The shows are in celebration of Gregg's new solo LP, Low Country Blues, due via Rounder Records on January 18th. Full tour dates are below.

Allman will also be in NYC in March to play a string of dates with The Allman Brothers Band at Beacon Theater. Tickets are still available for the March 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th shows, but March 11th, 12th, 18th, and 19th (the Friday/Saturday shows) are sold out.

All tour dates and more pictures below...

Continue reading "Gregg Allman (complete with new liver) played Westhampton Beach on New Years Eve, touring (pics & dates) "

Speaking from the stage of the Beacon, James L. Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden, said: "I told Gregg before, our apologies for last year. That won't happen again."

Over a 20-year span that ended in 2009, the Allman Brothers Band played some 190 shows at the Beacon, more than any other act, returning annually in March for monthlong residencies that made the band synonymous with the theater.

But earlier this year the band lost its traditional booking to a Cirque du Soleil show, "Banana Shpeel," and had to hold its 2010 residency at the United Palace Theater. Meanwhile, "Banana Shpeel" delayed its official opening until May, and then closed quickly after receiving poor reviews.
[NY Times] (via heartonastick)

The Allman Brothers will play Beacon Theater on March 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18 & 19, 2011

In related news, Gregg Allman "will release his first solo record in 14 years on January 18, 2011 [via Rounder Records]. Called Low Country Blues for the coastal Georgia region Allman calls home, the record was produced by T Bone Burnett, recorded at his Village Recorder studio in Los Angeles and features Dr. John on piano, guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, and Burnett's brilliant go-to rhythm section: bassist Dennis Crouch and drummer Jay Bellerose."

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Police are investigating reports a 15-year-old was sexually assaulted Tuesday at Saratoga Performing Arts Center during a Dave Matthews Band concert, marking the second time in two years that security during the popular band's visit has been questioned.

The concert promoter, Live Nation, and SPAC, which is inside Saratoga Spa State Park, are working with authorities to figure out what happened at the concert att by more than 25,000. [timesunion]

And speaking of Dave Matthews, here's the latest news on Farm Aid:

On Sunday, September 9 at Randall’s Island in New York City, Gregg Allman will perform a special acoustic set with Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews, Farm Aid announced today. The unique musical collaboration will add to the stellar lineup at Farm Aid 2007: A HOMEGROWN Festival, the organization’s first New York concert event.

Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Gregg Allman, The Allman Brothers Band, Counting Crows, Matisyahu, Guster, The Derek Trucks Band, Warren Haynes, Supersuckers, The Ditty Bops and Montgomery Gentry are scheduled to perform at Farm Aid 2007: A HOMEGROWN Festival. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds and The Allman Brothers Band are scheduled to play full festival sets.

Tickets are on sale. And speaking of beards, Shooter Jennings is playing Bowery Ballroom, and ZZ Top just added a 2nd show at NYC's Beacon Theatre in September. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "Man assaults girl @ Dave Matthews concert, Farm Aid updates, Shooter Jennings & ZZ Top Tour Dates"