SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

...okay so one 18 hour drive, a totaled car and a few calls to the Amherst Comcast Internet guy and finally it is time to reveal the exciting Sunday Bonnaroo recap. Cue the enthusiasm.

Okay so Sunday was a slower day, the schedule was toned down an octave or too and the set list featured mostly bands with the required relaxing melodies to soothe the hordes of guests all sore from three days of camping on the hard ground. The day's sets were varied featuring such elder statesmans of rock as Robert Plan, there his new muse Allison Krauss as well as a host of younger favorites like O.A.R. and Death Cab for Cutie.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE

Hanging out in the SPIN tent, I was fortunate to come across the Canadian indie act BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE who were there to play exclusive acoustic tracks for the SPIN website. The two members of the band were decked out in vintage guitar troubadour style with scruffy beards and even one in a perfectly tacky fisherman's cap. The band then booked it over to the SONIC STAGE, on of the more intimate stages at Bonnaroo for a shorty half hour set. The SONIC STAGE gives festival goers the opportunity to catch thirty minutes of a band that they migt not have time to go see later. It also gives die-hards a chance to see the band twice within the same day, and once at a smaller stage. There they went for their first set of the day, and following about ten minutes of unscripted guitar noodlings they got help from fellow songstress AIMEE MANN. The duo had trouble filling the extra half hour of set time as the band's full hour and a half set was still half a day away. Despite his however, the two tried to get the crowd going with a somewhat misguided chant of "put down the bong/ and vote for Obama." The message seemed a little taboo and even still was not entirely stadium caliber singalong material. Needless to say it probably won't be adopted as the official campaign theme song.

ROBERT RANDOLPH'S REVIVAL

Not sure what exactly Mr. Randolph is trying to revive but from his high energy set I'd be guessing its the gospel tinged blues rock of his youth. The elder Randolph armed with an array of musicians on stage had fun in the summer heat rocking out to rollicking tunes often devoid of even the most simple lyrics. However the light sound was perfect for the summer afternoon drawing more people than the shady tent could hold.

ORCHESTRA BAOBAB

With world influenced rockers VAMPIRE WEEKEND and MIA having already performed it was time for Bonnaroo to add a dose of cred in the form of one band that hail's directly from Africa's own Senegal. The group began touring in their homeland twenty years ago before going the way of many of today's bands like The Police and Van Halen with a bitter breakup followed by a revival years later. In the band's traditional African styling one could hear the influences on these new artists, from the bongo drums to the high pitched guitar rhythms which worked themselves into feverish patterns perfectly befitting the day's themes of rest and relaxation.

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING

Yonder Mountain String can be best described as an experimental bluegrass jamband whose style seems to call upon but remain unrestricted by these definitions. The band hardly broke from their playing to banter with the audience only stopping to thank the faithful for arriving. The band's bluegrass style featuring a chorus of mandolins and banjos set the stage perfectly for the following act whose music attempts to find inspiration in similar genres.

ROBERT PLANT W/ ALLISON KRAUSS

The act may carry the moniker Robert Plant with Allison Krauss however the best description of the band's sound would have been to reverse those two around. Many came out to see the much talked about collaboration between the 70's rock God Plant and bluegrass songstress Krauss. However the songs live seemed to have a limited collaborative feel. Plant often was relegated to a backup role while Krauss took the reins on a host of songs which were hard to differentiate. Even a slowed down version of "Black Dog" seemed unable to jolt the way that classic song should.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

Passing by the late afternoon O.A.R set I could hear the last bars of their reggae acoustic rock mish mash floating over the crowd on my way to await the set from Indie mainstays DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE. Though the band seems like an unlikely choice for a festival concert their late almost sundown set time seemed like the right fit for their delicate songs. The rockers were surprisingly mobile on stage as they worked their way through cuts like "The New Year" with enthusiasm recreating the soundscape of the song in all its studio glory. Elsewhere the band played a hit heavy set leaving hardly a hit unplayed as they went through "Title and Registration," "Soul Meets Body," "The Sound of Settling" and atmospheric new single "I Will Possess Your Heart" in all of its nine minute glory.

SOUL STEW REVIVAL ft/ DEREK TRUCKS

With the ALLMAN BROS set canceled due to illness, the only chance at the festival to see the young guitar hero TRUCKS was this intimate tent performance. The second generation rock and roller, though only 27, already has a band with his new bride SUSAN TEDESCHI and the two make quite a pair onstage. TRUCKS showed a guitar prowess befitting of someone twice his age, never up showing any of the other musicians on stage. Like an expert ball handler the guitarist knew when to pass for the assist which he did often letting the percussionist and pianist have their fun before finally resting his slide against his red guitar. TRUCKS' solos mixed slide guitar rhythms that blended the intensity of post-punk guitar playing with all the wailing of his father's pioneering American blues sound.

WIDESPREAD PANIC

With the sounds of this southern blues rock band spiraling out from the main stage, I walked through the days wreckage of water bottles and other debris out to my car and tent which were unfortunately still blocked by the car's of others still out enjoying the festival. However given the chance for a much needed rest and an early exit for the nearest shower I was happy to skip the band as they were clearly audible from the campgrounds which unlike the main stage, are equipped with chairs and food.

SATURDAY: THE MAIN EVENT

If the rest of the festival felt long, Saturday was truly a musical marathon. The day began with a number of smaller acts taking the stages followed by a cluster or stars so tight one would have had to do laps around the site just to keep up with the volume of shows. The biggest conundrum for the Bonnaroo crowd came during the hours of 4-8 p.m. During these four hours, a total of seven hours of music was being played at various tents featuring the likes of CAT POWER, BB KING, ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, IRON AND WINE and BEN FOLDS mostly playing simultaneously.

The big story however was the nights line-up featuring PEARL JAM, JACK JOHNSON and of course KANYE WEST. The rapper whose announcement to the lineup was seen as controversial, wasn't content to let the other actual headliners take the spotlight, even in absence KANYE WEST stole the show.

SATURDAY BANDS

KANYE WEST

WEST's late night set which had been previously been backed up to 2:45 a.m. and put on the main stage. By 2:45 a host of tired and weary campers began pouring into the area to catch a glimpse of the spotlight stealing star and his "Glow in the Dark Tour" which promised a once in a life time laser show.

By 3:30 KANYE WEST had not appeared on stage leaving the crowd embittered to the star, whom many had bought tickets explicitly to see. Many, falling asleep on the ground waiting began to leave before any official announcements were made on behalf of the festival. The wait, was due to mostly technical difficulties however this didn't stop the tired crowd from losing faith in the star famous for his temper tantrums. The problem seemed to be with the main TV screen for WEST's light show, which dangled in the air for forty minutes while road crews threw up their hands in disbelief below. Being in that crowd, it was not hard to picture an angry KANYE WEST all but having a nervous breakdown onstage.

However it was a testament to WEST that despite the difficulties much of the crowd stayed at the site until 4:30 when the lights went down and the rapper took the stage to a particularly energetic version of "Good Morning." Tearing through most of his new album, the rapper barely mentioned the difficulties to the crowd and reportedly his set lasted until sunrise, most likely putting a damper on the "Glow in the Dark" aspect of the event.

TWO GALLANTS

Having heard a healthy buzz about this garage rock duo, I chose to take a leap of faith and check out the show. The two musicians, whose name refers to a James Joyce short story about robbers, took the stage and gave the early afternoon a much needed boost of energy. Sounding like the punky little brother of Rob Thomas, the lead singer spat lyrics about partying and everyday teenage life into a blues-like delivery. The style despite at times sounding inspired by nineties alt-rock, was more reminiscent of an old blues style of story telling which was also captured in their tight playing. The band made enough noise for two and them some, mixing styles and generating cheers for their energetic set.

ABIGAIL WASHBURN + BELA FLECK

Famed banjo player Bela Fleck agreed to play his second show of the weekend Saturday afternoon this time with singer songwriter ABIGAIL WASHBURN. The female singer, who switches from English to Chinese during her songs, was also backed a by the SPARROW QUARTET who mostly played string instruments behind her. The group was dressed more appropriately for a formal ball than a concert, however this did not stop many from checking out the unique collaboration out of curiosity. Bela Fleck did his job well, living up to his much touted technical prowess while being respectful enough to not overshadow Abigail Washburn and her personal songs.

GOGOL BORDELLO

When you enter onto a stage backed by a three story blue and yellow high banner of your band's name featuring the emboldened words "Gypsy Punk Revolution" you better be ready to make some noise. Gogol Bordello however did not disappoint the afternoon crowd, stirring those close to the stage into a fist pumping riot. Despite the punk declaration, the band featured a wide array of instruments including strings and one accordion player. The bands peculiar sonic attack drew from roots as diverse as Eastern European wedding music and traditional American punk music blending them into a unique sound that is highly listenable despite its diverse roots.

CAT POWER

By 4:30 the floor of the stage dubbed "That Tent" had turned from a nice grassy nook into a muddy mess. Despite this however, many came early for CAT POWER who took the stage on time while sporting her trademark army navy long sleeve shirt. Power opened the set with a heavy dose of cuts from her latest "Jukebox," however the set of cover tunes provided the perfect sound for the atmosphere which would have been ill suited to the depressing manner of her earlier material. After a warm up version of "Ramblin' (Wo)Man" from her new album, Power looked disappointed a smiled timidly at the crowd. Despite the singer's good looks and amazing smoky voice it was interesting to see that contrast with her charmingly awkward demeanor onstage where she often looked like she was doing the "Elaine dance" from Seinfeld and with equal seriousness. After an interesting take on Creedence Clearwater's "Fortunate Son" many kept moving as there was much to see.

BB KING

"I'd like you to remember that I'm now eighty-two years old. When I was young I thought I was handsome like you guys, girls used to come to me and say 'Hi BB,' then I'd get ready to tell them my story and they'd say 'Bye B.'"

Such was the language of BB KING Saturday afternoon as he succeeded in turning the wide expanse of the festival's main stage into the equivalent of a front porch jam. King who never left his seat sweet talked the crowd and played many old favorites backed by an all star blues band, dubbed by BB himself "the best blues band on the road." Many of the King's jokes were self deprecating and were able to get the crowd laughing. At one point during the set a helicopter flew over prompting the elder statesman of the blues to say "We're not in Vietnam now are we?" BB went wild on the guitar, wearing an equally wild blue and gold checkered shirt. BB was always the gentlemen providing just the right thunder for a show that attracted all ages prompting even some of the younger festival goers to spout lines like "how cool would it be if he was my Grandpa."

PEARL JAM

Alone on the main stage at 10 p.m. Pearl Jam drew the largest crowd the event had seen by far. The stage, which was set up with a backdrop with a wave like design sat quietly and awaited to see what the festival headliners would have in store. Soon the band came out blasting into classic riff rock staples like "Animal" and fan favorites "Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town" aside some of their bigger hits like "Daughter" and "Better Man" which found a new life live. Pearl Jam continued to prove why they are one of America's premier bands after all these years. Eddie Vedder stumbled about howling like a wild man during songs while Mike McCreedy proved why his guitar playing is so drastically underrated with speedy solos buoyed by the tight bass and drum backing. The band only stopped the music a few times, pausing to remind people to try and change the world. Vedder's speech however jumbled, seemed honest and from the heart especially when he led a sing-a-long version of his new charity single "No War."

Elsewhere in the set the rocker's blasted through extended jams on "Even Flow" and "Rearviewmirror" and chose to close the set with the tag team of their first album closer, "Release" and crowd favorite "Alive." The band played well over their scheduled time taking two encores and whipping the crowd into sing-a-longs, none more well suited to the event than the echoes of a thousands of people yelling "I'm still alive" in Eddie's classic indistinguishable howl.

SIGUR ROS

The Icelandic indie band's ethereal music drew a sizable crowd to their late night show, which gave those fans in America a unique chance to see the band, which does not tour stateside often. Pronounced (See-gar Ross) the band's music can only be described as an epic soundtrack to an unmade movie which you are then free to visualize in your head. The band, which featured upwards of eight people onstage at anytime played a host of prime cuts for the crowd which featured a surprising number of devout followers. The crowd clapped along to "Hippopola" as the lead singer, looking like a younger blonder version of Thom Yorke sang in a crisp falsetto that hovered over the music perfectly showing that the band is quite capable of recreating the entirety of its epic studio sound live.

BONNAROO BLOG DAY 2

As much fun as Day 1 was, Friday brought the promise of a full lineup with the main stage at Bonnaroo finally opening to the fans. The Main Stage is set off in a field by itself, empty except for the massive stage at the end with Bonnaroo in florescent green letters. The stage was set to be graced by Jack White and his Raconteurs as well as comedy man Chris Rock and heavy metal gods Metallica.

The night also brought a fresh batch of rumors including the supposed identities of the fabled Superjam. The Superjam is an annual event which features an all-star lineup of musicians in a once in lifetime only event. Speculation ranged from whether Robert Plant and Jack White might take the stage together while guitar connoisseurs salivated at the possibility of guitar legend BB King and Metallica's main shredder Kirk Hammet.

DAY 2 THE BANDS

DRIVE BY TRUCKERS

The southern rockers out of Athens, Georgia had little trouble drawing fans to their set. The first to go on that day, the band found themselves playing to a surprising number of fans, lying in the grass on the sunny day. Sounding like a vintage version of the Stone's infused with a down home love for country. Many of their songs seemed influenced by that band's guitar twang and rollicking licks reminiscent of such classics as "Factory Girl" and "Dead Flowers."

JOSE GONZALEZ

After seven albums, it finally seems like Jose Gonzalez is making some headway. The classically trained guitar player, perfectly compliments his subtle tunes with a crisp voice that seems to compliment the music just right. The set featured at one of the festivals smaller tents, drew crowd members anxious to get out of the hot sun and relax. Gonzalez provided a soft soundtrack to the weather sprinkling his set with fan favorites like "Crosses."

MINUS THE BEAR

Armed with their intriguing name and the fresh cover of clouds, Seattle's Minus the Bear's set started around 2:30 prompting many younger fans to head over to the concert which seemed to grow by word of mouth. The young rock band showcased their musicianship playing their songs which combined the weird time signatures of Mars Volta with the outright pop sensibilities of the Strokes. The sound which was diverse in influence went over well on stage as the drummer pounded the band's delicately clean guitar licks into pummeling riffs. While the group played their songs with maximum enthusiasm the band seemed unwilling to take the songs to the next level busting out into a surprisingly small amount of jams as the band chose to coast on its songwriting ability rather than its musical expertise.

LES CLAYPOOL

Well known for being quite the strange guy, Les Claypool is also a master of stage presence. Entering decked out in a dapper black Victorian suit with an equally bizarre long-nosed mask, the former bassist of Primus proved why he is one of the most talked about bassists of all time. Claypool showed that not only is he capable of playing bass but practically coaxing any sound he wants out of the instrument. The band which backed Claypool provided the right backdrop for the musician's odd sound providing the right support for the musician while simultaneously letting him take over the stage. The music bounced over the crowd seemingly equally inspired both the structure of classical music and cartoon theme songs, but nonetheless effective in getting the crowd moving.

THE RACONTEURS

Leading off with the first cut on their new album "Consoler of the Lonely" Jack White and his band of rockers took the stage as if they were grabbing it by force. The new songs proved quite capable of getting the crowd going as Jack White bounced around like the manic commander of his army of amazing musicians. True to form, the other Raconteurs never left their posts, seldom breaking from their three corner triangle stance around White who whipped around with wild abandon. White proved to anyone that doubted his guitar prowess wrong with blistering solos, even one that sent him crashing headfirst into a speaking and getting up with his chord wrapped around his guitar. The band graced the main stage which also featured a live video feed on two huge monitors. The live footage directed like a movie provided the perfect counter for the rocker's mix of storytelling and music. The intensity of the performance was sometimes staggering with the band ripping through new songs "You Don't Understand Me," "California Drama" as well as old classics like "Level" and "Store Bought Bones." Before leaving for their first encore, White seemed bent on the band's musical perfection. Sometimes even a palpable anger seemed to pass between White and Benson, the bands other guitarist and singer, as the two harmonized solos and shot each other hard glances. The music was unceasing as not one second of dead air was allowed to pass out of the band's speaker system. Finally after an hour and a half of this epic assault the band left the stage, trotted out front and center for a bow and promptly left only with smiles and shrugs.

METALLICA

Many have been speculating for weeks as to what Metallica's reception at the festival would be given that the rocker's "Kill 'em All" style doesn't seem to meld with the festival's relaxing hippie vibes. However by the time Metallica was about to take the stage a light drizzle was falling from the sky as a perfect prelude to the rocker's set. The main stage was packed as far as the eye could see as anywhere upwards of 60,000 people were trying to get closer to the stage. Right on cue the rocker's burst onto the stage, looking older but no less inspired by the same angry muses of their youth. Opening with "Master of Puppets" the band offered up a greatest hits set featuring cuts like "Unforgiven," "Nothing Else Matters" and a host of flying riffs from the early "Kill 'em All" and "Master of Puppets" albums. Surprisingly however the band seemed too timid to dip into any new material only debuting four new songs. The crowd however, many whom were seeing Metallica for the first time seemed receptive if not totally engrossed. Despite the rocker's playing their best, the crowd was unable to sing along with some of Jame's Hetfeild's song requests. However if nothing else the band proved that they are still a solid live act, if somewhere a decade behind their creative prime. Their set ended on high notes as they shot fire works into the sky and played a few cuts including a sharp version of the recently guitar hero certified "One."

MY MORNING JACKET

Fresh off the debut of their new album "Evil Urges," the band which recently has graced the cover of SPIN and was named Rolling Stone's "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" took the stage around midnight reportedly playing until 5 a.m. well past their 3 a.m. deadline. The band came out of the gate with the title cut from their new album which was a five minute funk jam. The band weaved in and out through material from all their albums. The particular highlights were an epic version of Z's "Lay Low" and the band's new price inspired jam "Highly Suspicious." The latter which sounds like the best funk song about the dangers of a 1984-like society you've ever heard. The big story however was the last song before the band's first break. About halfway into the set, in began to rain hard on the crowd which seemed to only be more enthused by it. In contrast the band had a few technical difficulties. However when Kirk Hammett came out with his flame embossed black guitar emanating the riff from "One Big Holiday" it was more than enough to make the rain soaked concert well worth it.

SUPERJAM

Sometime after 2 a.m. after walking by DJ TIESTO's thumping techno blasts, I made my way over to the "Other Tent" to see the much hyped "Superjam." For all the hubbub and speculation their were few big names for the act. Much of Gogol Bordello was onstage with Les Claypool and surprisingly given the talent at Bonnaroo, not much else. Reportedly the set featured all Tom Waits covers and Kirk Hammet on the last four songs.

HOT RUMOR

MIA's set that was reportedly canceled, was in fact played. Rumor has it around the media tent that the show went on only because the Olsen Twins decided to come to Bonnaroo for the show.

DAY 1: The Shows

The first day at the festival offered up an array of newer bands vying for exposure. The night's set included the much hyped sets from MGMT hot off their stellar debut Oracular spectacular and from indie faves VAMPIRE WEEKEND.

However it wasn't just a night for big names as many of the smaller relatively unknown bands generated respectable audiences at the their respective stages. The other bands that were playing that night included two cover bands. One DARK STAR ORCHESTRA, a Grateful Dead cover band formed in 1997 out of Chicago, the other LEZ ZEPPELIN a gospel tinged Led Zeppelin cover band which drew many out of pure curiosity.

WHAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS

The first band to take any stage at the festival this year, the band came out to the crowd which was eager to start seeing live music and announced that they were "What Made Milwaukee Famous, from Austin, Texas." This odd juxtaposition of locations served to define the groups sound which while tight and well produced seemed unimaginative. The singer tried admirably to stir the crowd into some cheers however his statements such as "I didn't know it was this hot in Tennessee" like the bands sound were enjoyable if a little too familiar. The power pop group, whose pop sheen was reminiscent of the Killers with a Britpop influenced singer received mixed reactions from the Bonnaroo crowd.

MGMT

Formerly known as Management, the Brooklyn, New York electropop duo were the first band to draw any pre-set anticipation drawing applause for their road crew several times when they simply came out to test a connection. The sporadic pre-set clapping gave way to screams however when MGMT took the stage this time as a five piece band. Though there were some questions as to whether the band could recreate their sound live, the band answered the question, if not decisively.

Kicking off with "Weekend Wars" the band, like their pre-set applause was off and on hitting high highs and shaky spots where the group seemed a little shaken by the large enthusiastic crowd. Despite the shaky start the group began to settle down into tight jams with psychedelic guitar spasms before launching into the crowd favorites "Electric Feel" and "Time to Pretend," the latter which had a more natural feel live and prompted a sing a long from the crowd.

THE SWORD

Another Austin, Texas band, The Sword were much different then their other local counterparts WMMF. The metal band whose song "Freya" was featured on the hugely successful "Guitar Hero II" drew a decent sized crowd mostly of the metal faithful variety. The bands double guitar attack hit the audience like a buzzsaw, while the drummer pounded away sparking mosh pits in front of the stage as well as crowd surfing. The metal band was not just content to blast out super fast riffs, on slower tracks the band showed a melodic sensibility that showed they have the chops to take their metal attack down a few notches and still draw cheers.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

The main event of the night, Vampire Weekend drew one of the bigger crowds of the night. A mix of devout fans, mostly young kids, and others there to check out the hype were left waiting for about five minutes as the band meandered their way to the stage. However, once the group arrived they quickly took off playing their entire self-titled album including cuts like "Blake's Got a New Face," "Campus," and their MTV single "A-Punk."

The band showed that they have the chops to play their unique blend of indie rock and African tribal music into a seamless live set. The crowd quickly got into the band's island grooves if not their cheeky ivy-league sensibilities. Lead singer Ezra Koenig dedicated a handful of songs to "Boston" and also one peculiarly to "those tropical Irish girls." The band had the daunting challenge to stretch their 30 minute album into a 90 minute set however the band did respond by showcasing some new material.

One standout track may be one of the best the band's produced to date, a raucous chorus of "heys" cascades over the upbeat track, elsewhere in the song the band's singer finds a way to incorporate making monkey noises not only into an interesting song but also a kind of vocal riff that changes throughout the song. Finally ending with "Walcott" the band left the stage to a chorus of cheers as they had won the crowd over, even with most of the older folks in the audience bopping along to its irresistible beat.

BONNAROO BLOG DAY 1

From the streets in the city of Manchester, Tennessee, one could see cars backed all the way out to the highways as the throngs of music fanatics descended on the city's seventh annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

Despite the heavy traffic flow with some waiting more than four hours to get in, the process was orderly conducted with a staff of mostly local volunteers steering traffic and conducting the necessary searches of the camper's overstuffed automobiles.

The townspeople were also out in full force to take advantage of the stranded and hot travelers. Vendors were selling everything from fresh fruit to ice, with prices all marked up well above the average convenience store price. Some even charging four to five dollars for ice. However most were just out to make some spare change or to campaign for a good cause, with many local activist groups and girls softball teams going from car to car for donations.

FIRST DAY SHAKE-UPS & SET CHANGES

According to the blog the Nashville scene, MIA has canceled her entire European tour citing exhaustion something that apparently also includes her much hyped Friday night performance at the festival. There hasn't been an official announcement yet, and speculation continues. Perhaps the festival could fill the spot with the KINGS of LEON who are reportedly here camping at the festival and are currently not booked for any stage time (just a suggestion or a bout of wishful thinking)

http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/nashvillecream/2008/06/mia_cancels_bonnaroo_performan.php

To the delight or ire of the fans, the much maligned aligning of KANYE WEST and JACK JOHNSON for similar stage times on Saturday night has been readjusted more favorably. Instead of going head to head, West's show will be starting at 2:45 in the morning on Saturday, following shows by rappers TALIB KWALI and LUPE FIASCO. This puts KANYE and his Glow in the Dark tour at time slot more favorable to the stage setups supposed grandeur. On the downside however, the realignment also puts the beginning of WEST's into the time of SIGUR RUS's set which runs from 1-3.

The Breeders Rock Through a Set and Two Encores at Pearl Street

The heavily celebrated Pixies got their start in the Pioneer Valley at UMass Amherst decades ago. Bassist Kim Deal eventually broke off into a project of her own, The Breeders, with Throwing Muses' Tanya Donelly, eventually employing her twin sister guitarist Kelley, who has remained through many lineup changes.

Deal and the Breeders have been touring in support of their fourth studio album, "Mountain Battles," and made a stop at Pearl Street's ballroom on Wednesday. This show marked the first of a few Iron Horse Entertainment Group summer shows featuring respected 1990s alternative rock acts, also including grunge champs Mudhoney (6/5) and the metal sludge of the Melvins (8/10).

The Breeders rolled through a large body of songs, from highlights from their new record to old favorites like their most recognizable track "Cannonball" from 1993's "Last Splash," pausing in between numbers to laugh and swig beer.

Their set also included a surprising and pleasing rendition of the Beatles' "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," with the audience chiming in for the "bang bang shoot shoot" backing harmonies."

Deal returned to the stage for not one encore, but two, ensuring that the audience got their $23 worth.

Ian Nelson, Collegian Staff