As for the performances themselves? The standouts would include My Morning Jacket's Jim James going into his trademark trance-like state during "I'm Amazed;" Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder leading the crowd in a "fucking beautiful" (his words, not mine) sing-along during "Better Man;" and the Raconteurs' Jack White making an acoustic guitar sound as wicked as an electric during "Old Enough."
But, as it should be with any great festival, there are also plenty of new discoveries — and surprises! — here.
Like when the Lee Boys channel the spirit of Sly Stone doing "I Want To Take You Higher" at Woodstock during their own "Come On, Help Me, Lift Him Up" in one of the most frenetic and energized takes on gospel music I think I've ever heard. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings are equally electrifying, doing a high energy hybrid of funk, jazz and R&B on "Let Them Knock." Other standout performances on the DVD include those of Against Me!, Les Claypool, and Broken Social Scene. There is no shortage of great music on this DVD.
Strangely, Metallica's appearance here represents a low point. Although they appear to have the crowd eating out of their hand, I was a little surprised at how much energy they actually seemed to lack during "Fade To Black." Maybe it's just me, but they sounded kind of tired, and James Hetfield in particular also looked it. I'd definitely have to give Mastodon the decision in the Bonnaroo metal-matchup here.
For those of you with HD and surround-sound, though, I cannot urge you strongly enough to crank this sucker up when you sit down to watch it — especially during the sets by Sharon Jones and the Lee Boys. Thanks to this DVD, those are two artists I will definitely be investigating further.
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