Bonnaroo: Bikes, Bands, and Brews: Part 2

I know, I know. What you really want to hear about it the amazing shows I watched, right? Brace yourself, as the vin diagrams of my life meet up in stellar fashion.

When the line-up came out in the early spring (or late winter. whatever. we won't mince words here...), I was ecstatic to see two names in particular on that list: Catfish and the Bottlemen and Gregory Alan Isakov.

Both came to me via my omnipresent love for all things bikes. Yes, everything, all of it... it all leads back to the glorious bike.

Unfortunately, when I glanced at the schedule a week out, I realized the Bonnaroo gods were frowning upon me: Catfish and Gregory were scheduled to play in almost the same time slot. What's a girl to do? More research the Monday before Bonnaroo elicited some fruit. Gregory Alan Isakov was slated to have a small crowd performance at the Solar Stage. The planets realigned. All was well with the world.

Catfish and the Bottlemen, of Road Bike Party 2 Fame.

So we sauntered up to Catfish and the Bottlemen in time to get a good spot near the back of the tent, to the right of the sound stage. I wanted to stay until after I heard Cocoon, my favorite Catfish song. So we stayed through a large portion of their set, which was superb. They're really young kids, and referenced a Kings of Leon show from 2004, saying they watched it as kids (10 year olds?) and dreamed of playing at Bonnaroo someday. Kind of cool, watching them move up from the tiny, now defunct, Sonic Stage, to the world of the tents. They're doing something cool, energetic, and interesting with their sound, and I really hope they see even more success.

Gregory Alan Isakov, at the Solar Stage the following day

As soon as my favorite tune was over, we hightailed over to That Tent to catch the last of the Gregory Alan Isakov show. His songs are featured in Ride the Divide, a stunning documentary about the Continental Divide Race. I've been hooked ever since, by his jangly, echo-y, folksy acoustic sound. We walked up to his song, "This Empty Northern Hemisphere," one of his songs I was excited to hear live. After listening to a couple more songs, we walked back to our tent to eat a snack and drink some beer.

On Sunday morning, we enjoyed a second helping of Gregory Alan Isakov, this time up close and personal, while lounging in our hammock. In between his songs, he and his band answered various interview questions. He's a cool, personable, intriguing fellow, a farmer, and undoubtedly one of the best song writers around. We had the chance to greet him afterwards, as the instruments were put away. His small set, in such a perfect setting, made Bonnaroo perfect for me. Year made, with a good show, hammock, and good company.