Three songs into Kenny Rogers' set at Bonnaroo on Sunday, he expressed his gratitude to the organizers and the crowd for welcoming him to the festival. He made some quip about young fans remembering his music (blissfully unaware to the apparent hipster irony), closing with a proclamation of his intent to play every one of his hits. The tent erupted.

With Rogers, a greatest hits set is expected. He does not need to prove himself at Bonnaroo, as acts have done over the past eleven years. All attendees are expecting to hear are recognizable songs, as he has been performing for years in Branson. While Phish certainly no longer needs to prove themselves, their fans, by contrast, do expect more than a run through of the hits. Especially during a four-hour slot on what could arguably be the largest stage in live music. But other than one or two moments of surprise and adventure, Phish's show was filled with songs that simply muscled through the bigness of the event.

Read more...

For those attending the upcoming Burgettstown and and/or Cuyahoga Falls shows, the Pick-Up Sticks program is back on. Place an order with glowstickwars.com on or before June 21, 2012, with promo code BURGPUS or CUYAPUS, and not only will you get 25% off (thanks to the site's ongoing Back to Tour Sale), but you will receive an extra 25% discount on your order. Plus, 10% still goes to the phan-run Mockingbird Foundation.

Read more...