As you may know, I am a big fan of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee. I have been for the past three years, and seen some incredible shows there. One show that wasn't so incredible was Kanye West back in 2008. After hearing tons of buzz and watching social networks explode last night over Kanye's show at Coachella, I've decided to share my own story and videos.
It was my first year at Bonnaroo, and the main attraction for me was Pearl Jam. Sure there was a lineup of great artists from here to the moon, but a big outdoor PJ show just doesn't come around anymore, so I was pretty stoked. Kanye was originally scheduled to play on the second main stage (Which Stage) right before PJ closed out the evening on the main stage (What Stage). Of course music goes all night at Bonnaroo, and that night had some great hip-hop (Chali 2na, The Coup, Talib Kweli to name a few) on the side stages and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead anybody?) on the Which Stage. Kanye freaks when he hears this. Insists he needs to play main stage late night. Schedule gets totally fudged last minute to accommodate Kanye's ego, which results in me missing all of the GOOD hip-hop that night. Now Kanye is scheduled to play at 2 on the What Stage, hours after PJ is to finish.
There had been a lot of buzz about this show, and I, like many others, planned to check it out, entering with a clean slate.
For those of you who are out of the loop, Pearl Jam is a legendary festival band, and have been since the early 90s. They ended up playing an epic (and I don't normally use that word, but it's the only way to describe it) three hour show which kept the audience transfixed right through their third encore, a cover of Bob Dylan's All Along The Watchtower.
Now the details of what happened next are fuzzy, depending on who you ask. I heard, and like to believe, that Kanye wasn't even in Tennessee yet, but was partying in LA or something. Others claim that there were technical difficulties with his gear. Another rumour states that Kanye refused to take the stage while others were performing, causing the festival to cut down Phil Lesh's set (which did happen, so this situation is plausible). All I can confirm is that the screens by the What Stage initially said "Kanye West, 2 am". Then "Kanye West, 2 30 am". Then "Kanye West, 3 am". Then "Kanye West, up next".
He came out a little after 4 to a chorus of boos and a barrage of water bottles. I had left by then, deciding it wasn't worth my time. From what I could hear from my tent and online after the festival, it was a brutal show, with Kanye appearing tired and uncoordinated.
Most artists would shit themselves at the mere thought of playing at a festival the size of Bonnaroo, but instead, Kanye decided he was above the festival, its organizers, and the 65 000 people in attendance that year. He wasted everyone's time by delaying his show, showed absolutely no respect for the fans or festival, and did nothing but complain about the show in the aftermath. For the rest of the weekend, everywhere you went, fans and artists alike were bashing Kanye West. And rightfully so.
I would like to leave you with some videos and a nice hearty "Fuck Kanye!".
This first one won't let me embed, you'll have to click the link and watch it on YouTube. It pretty much just tells you what I did, but with some visuals and a soothing female voice.
Audio is a little quiet, but you can get the point. Side note, Robert Randolph is the man, you should check him out.
These people can't ALL be wrong.
The crowd anxiously awaits, most of them now just waiting to boo the man himself.
This much auto-tuner has NO PLACE in live music. Also, notice that the sun has started coming up.
Funny or Die saves the day!
