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Bonnaroo Concert Review: TV on the Radio |
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Written by Branden Hart
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Sunday, 21 June 2009 |
 TV on the Radio onstage. Photo by Flickr's wrestlingentropy.
From the moment the band took the stage, it was clear there were problems with the sound. The band began with “Love Dog” from its latest studio release, Dear Science, and the percussion nearly drowned out lead singer Tunde Adebimpe’s vocals and all other instrumentation. The problems continued through its next few songs, most disappointingly in one of my favorites, “Halfway Home,” where the percussion was still so loud it masked the harmonic accompaniment as well as the falsetto vocals in the chorus – two of the song’s most endearing and defining characteristics.
None of this, however, seemed to bother a crowd that soaked up the sounds like a sponge. Fortunately, by the time the band launched into “Golden Age,” the problem had been fixed and the percussion was at the right level. With the proper sound levels restored, Adebimpe seemed more animated, as did the festival goers. Before the set was half over, people were not simply dancing, they were imitating Adimbempe’s wild onstage antics, clapping their hands and stomping around as he did in rhythm to the music.
While TVotR put on quite a show at Bonnaroo, the main problem was the consistency.As the concert continued through the songs “Red Dress” and “Dancing Choose,” the crowd’s energy became tangible. But then, almost inexplicably, the band slowed down to a screeching halt with the slow (and somewhat morbid) “Family Tree,” a song that mentions gallows and a garden grave for the narrator’s lover. While a good song, it seemed to destroy any energy built up previously. I started feeling like a nap was in order, and others apparently agreed, because they started leaving the show. This was a shame, because in its big finish TVotR put on its most incredible performance of the evening with a long, three-act song that rose to a stunning crescendo. With the band in synch, Adebimpe strutting to and fro across the stage, and the sound finally in excellent condition, the remaining viewers all began cheering and jumping to the rhythm of the music more fervently than they had up to that point.
While TVotR put on quite a show at Bonnaroo, the main problem was the consistency. Frenetic and hyperactive at one moment, slow and thoughtful at the next, the sound quality in the beginning wasn’t the only problem with this show.
[Front page image by Flickr's "wrestlingentropy"]
Branden Hart, TheSequitur.com's managing editor, works as an editor in San Antonio.
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