Our Critics' Picks

BONNAROO 2007

THURSDAY, 14TH-SUNDAY, 17TH

It’s the best organized festival this side of Jazzfest, and has matured from its jam band focus to embrace an eclectic range of styles without losing its uncommonly friendly, hippy atmosphere. Getting your bearings can be tricky, though, with stage names out of an Abbott & Costello skit (Which, What, This, That, Other), but with this much great music, wandering is encouraged. The sprawling campgrounds are a catalyst for a lively, rave-like attitude, abetted by all-night food trailers and the idea that at any hour somebody is up, and everyone’s pretty hospitable. With more than 75 performers a day (going until 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday) and a dozen stages or tents, come energized. There’s a preshow kickoff Thursday night highlighted by grooving hard rockers Clutch and wide-screen pop sophisticates The National, but things really get going Friday around noon.

Tool, a reunited Police and Widespread Panic each headline a night, with sets running at least two-and-a-half hours. Only the headliners play unopposed, so there are many difficult decisions, complicated by travel time through the throngs. Friday’s best bets early include Americana artist Gillian Welch, quirky Brooklyn indie dance-pop act Brazilian Girls and British folk guitarist Richard Thompson’s band. The evening’s audience is split between rappers The Roots, chunky blues-driven duo The Black Keys, and saucy British pop sensation Lily Allen. The late-night shows include hot-blooded indie rappers Aesop Rock and EL-P, sound-strumentalist DJ Shadow, and a jam between the Roots’ ?uestlove, Ben Harper and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones.

Saturday afternoon’s can’t-miss performances feature the nutty, gypsy-punk spectacle of Gogol Bordello, Old Crow Medicine Show’s high-throttle mountain music and power poppers Fountains of Wayne playing against the alcoholic, Springsteen-loving hipsters The Hold Steady. That evening it’s a battle between indie rockers Franz Ferdinand and Spoon. The weekend’s highlight could be the midnight performance by inspired psych-pop magicians The Flaming Lips, who excel outdoors. Nearby Galactic lay down thick grooves for a roster of rappers—Mr. Lif, The Coup’s Boots Riley, Lyrics Born, among others—to freestyle over.

Traditionally, Sundays are (necessarily) more low-key, but not this year. Legendary gospel singer Mavis Staples kicks things off, followed by hard-rocking Deep Purple-aficionados Wolfmother, bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, and the lavish chamber pop of The Decemberists. There’s no getting away early either, with evening shows by Wilco and The White Stripes, as well as free jazz sax player Ornette Coleman and stirring Canadian songstress Feist. It’s arguably the finest music festival in Americ—add comics such as Lewis Black and David Cross, movies and the fun-loving environment, and it’s well worth a couple Ben Franklins. Manchester, Tenn. —CHRIS PARKER

MUSIC

THURSDAY, 14TH

NANCI GRIFFITHEmbarking on a cabaret tour earlier this year, this singer-songwriter laid down her guitar and transformed into a jazz-pop diva, performing lushly orchestrated tunes from last year’s Ruby Torch album. Now Griffith returns to her familiar Texas roots style amid a series of warm-up shows before heading off for a two-month tour of Canada, the U.K. and Europe. A Lone Star firebrand whose cultured style and twangy voice don’t disguise a fiercely independent and humane worldview, Griffith will celebrate her 30th anniversary as a recording artist next year. In concert, she’ll show that time hasn’t dimmed her passion or compassion. CityHall—MICHAEL McCALL

CLAIRE SMALL’S LEAVING TOWN EXTRAVAGANZA Next month, Nashville’s Claire Small moves to Houston, where she says she’ll continue to write and play her subtly Latin-tinged songs. A charming singer with a knack for simple, effective hooks, Small was part of the mid-’90s Lower Broadway scene that produced Greg Garing and BR549. Her winsome alto embellishes tough lyrics that address big themes without sounding pretentious, while her full-length debut, Ledger, avoided folkie clichés by keeping everything light and swinging. Tonight’s show will feature Small along with Kevin Gordon, another East Nashville sport, and members of Last Train Home, a fine roots-rocking band with whom Small has often worked. Nashville’s loss is Houston’s gain, but Small says she’ll be coming back home to play and record. Family Wash —EDD HURT

ALEXA RAY JOELOne of the most fun things about listening to Alexa Ray Joel’s slick pop is imagining her old man threatening to kick your ass if you start to snicker at it. Yes, the once faceless child immortalized in Billy Joel’s “The Downeaster Alexa” has now emerged in the flesh for her rightful shot at creative expression. Of course, listeners will hold Alexa accountable by measuring her integrity against dad’s staggering body of work, but while her music initially seems limited by her adolescent vocal tone, it starts to take on a precocious charm after repeated listens, particularly when she conveys an adult wisdom. It simulates the experience of receiving a humbling lecture from a child, and feels surprisingly fun, which suggests that Alexa’s assurance might be harboring a true artistic voice. More edge would certainly help it along, though. Still, for all her polish, Joel’s at least showing more spirit out of the gate than most young pop singers who are manufactured for stardom by record execs. 3rd &Lindsley —SABY REYES-KULKARNI