On Friday, after a long afternoon of waiting in ridiculous lines (for water, a charge for my phone, and Jack White‰’s Third Man Rolling Record store), I was ready to finally hear some music. Friday was the first day that Bonnaroo‰’s main stage, known as the What Stage, was in use, and the organizers had quite the line up ready for this particular evening.

First up was the Decemberists, whose light, catchy folk sound was perfect as the sun began to set over the farm. With a setlist heavy on The King Is Dead material, singer Colin Meloy‰’s banter was almost as entertaining as the music itself, particularly his invitation to banjo extraordinaire Bela Fleck to engage in a “pick-off.‰” What followed, however, was my favorite set of the festival. My Morning Jacket delivered a performance that silenced anyone who doubted they could be a main attraction at Bonnaroo‰’s biggest stage. Newer cuts from Circuital, particularly “Victory Dance,‰” sounded tremendous, and older classics such as “Mahgeeta,‰” “Off the Record,‰” and “One Big Holiday‰” were crowd favorites. To top it off, the crowd broke out into a giant glow-stick war during “Steam Engine,‰” which was an unforgettable sight.

MMJ were a tough act to top, but give credit to Arcade Fire for trying. While their unforgettable Coachella performance featured glowing balloons, their Bonnaroo set was prefaced by parachuters dropping blinking LED lights onto the audience. As for the music, this is a band whose songs were meant to be sung by 80,000 people, and “Wake Up,‰” “No Cars Go,‰” and “Sprawl II‰” were truly epic experiences.

Saturday couldn‰’t match Friday in terms of personal favorites, but there was still plenty to like. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears delivered a funky set perfect for kicking off the day, while Deer Tick performed a rocking performance that never took itself too seriously, culminating in a cover of “La Bamba.‰” While seemingly the whole festival flocked to Mumford & Sons, I was able to get in the pit for The Black Keys‰’ set at the What Stage. Their set has been greatly rejuvenated by the Brothers material, and some different older tunes were thrown in to diversify the set. While the Keys delivered a great performance, they ended thirty minutes before their allotted time slot ‰ÛÒ surely, they could have thrown in classics such as “10 A.M. Automatic‰” or “Set You Free‰” to appease the disappointed crowd.

Getting so close to the stage for the Black Keys meant I was in the waaay back for Buffalo Springfield on the nearby Which Stage. Sadly, the sound on this stage was terrible, forcing my friends and I to check out the classic rock stylings of J. Roddy Walston and The Business. Despite passing up the opportunity to see Neil Young live, I have absolutely no regrets ‰ÛÒ J. Roddy‰’s set was electric and incredibly intimate. This is a band who plays pure rock and roll music, which is a rarity these days. (Check out “Brave Man‰’s Death‰” for an idea of what these guys bring to the table.)

The next set I caught was a total 180 ‰ÛÒ Bonnaroo headliner Eminem. Performing to the biggest crowd of the festival, Em tore through his seemingly endless list of smash hits, many of which were stringed together in medley form. While classics such as “Stan‰” are still awesome, the newer material from his latest Recovery sounds like the pop dribble Em used to ridicule. My friends left this set early to get a good spot for Dr. John and The Meters‰’ late night set, in which they performed their album Desitively Bonnaroo in its entirety. As can be imagined, the set was chockfull of New Orleans funk, and the band‰’s playing was impeccable. This was the only late night set I caught over the weekend, and it did not disappoint.