Bonnaroo Day Two: Foster the People, St. Vincent Lead an Eclectic Friday

Posted on Jun 9th 2012 1:00PM by Michael Mehalick

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

After a Thursday evening packed with some of the best rising acts in music, the Bonnaroo fest-goers woke up to a nearly cloudless blue sky and a full Friday of world-class acts. Preempting the excitement were huge, new photo murals of Bruce Springsteen, the Black Keys, and other Bonnaroo legends past in the que to enter through the freshly opened main stages.

Heading east towards the This Tent multi-instrumentalist Merrill Garbus and her Tune-Yards project captivated a curious audience with the first big set of the day. On a victory lap supporting her breakout LP Whokill, Garbus led a young backing band through a complex series of arrangements with a deftness worthy of decades-old groups.

"Holy shit. What they say about Bonnaroo is true," said Garbus right before setting the loops to "Party Can".

Later in the afternoon, as Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings filled the What Stage with a classic brass-funk swagger, the group's namesake singer shuffled around in a blue sequin dress. Simultaneously, Two Door Cinema Club played their brand of indie rock underneath a southern sun uncommon in their native Ireland. Building upon the success of Tourist History, singer/guitarist Alex Trimble introduced material from a forthcoming new album that saw the band pushing forward with a fuller, back of the room filling sound.

It wouldn't be a music festival without some heartbreaking conflicts, and Bonnaroo's lineup stacking found the early Friday evening difficult for concert completists. On the folk-rock side, you had the Avett Brothers playing to a nearly full main-stage field.

"Why is it every time we come to this part of the country, we get so much more," asked Michael Fitzpatrick, co-lead singer of the neo-soul outfit Fitz and the Tantrums, who led the old-school boogie over at the That Tent. With an October release date looming for their hotly anticipated second album, the band offered up new titles like the powerful ballad "The End" and even a cover of "Steady As She Goes."

All this without making mention of the fantastic coinciding shows turned in by Little Dragon and Trampled By Turtles. A bittersweet feeling as this won't hold as the last major conflict jam of the weekend.

Leading up to Radiohead's headlining slot, acts like Feist, St. Vincent and Foster the People served as a worthy trio of opening acts for the living legends. Feist took the sundown Which Stage slot with a lush, airy atmosphere serving as the yang to St. Vincent's frenzied feedback yin over at the That Tent. Right in the middle of that rocking-solo-lady duo was a mammoth tent performance by southern native Ludacris with the crowd extending past the famous mushroom fountain.

Foster the People closed out the Which Stage for Friday with a high energy set of their electro-rock style with a headliner worthy light show. Singer Mark Foster danced around like an R&B soul star decked out in a full white suit. With the pangs of their biggest hit "Pumped Up Kicks" resonating throughout the grounds, the Friday day portion of music was in the books with a Radiohead set still looming and a late-night selection that ran well over into Saturday."

Bonnaroo 2012 Photos

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