Top 10 Live Acts Ft. Radiohead, St. Vincent, Feist + More

Bonnaroo 2012

"Little Dragon - Little Man"

High school friends from Sweden, Yukimi Nagano, Erik Bodin, Fredrik Källgren Wallin, Arild Werling, and Håkan Wirenstrand, have been making music as Little Dragon since 1996. In the last couple years they've been along for the ride as guests on Gorillaz Plastic Beach tour, and most recently as an opener for Red Hot Chili Peppers arena tour. Playing alongside these behemoth acts has caused their sound to blossom, as their downtempo dance party has had to adapt to accomodate always growing audiences.

"Feist - A Commotion"

When Leslie Feist floated across the stage, clad in scarlet, my first thought was Florence Welch had somehow materialized on stage. That was until she picked up her guitar and broke into a sweltering take of "When I Was A Young Girl." Though perhaps dressed more elegantly than ever, Feist's sound was fierce as she shredded, stomped and shouted her way through a set tightly packed with tunes from her most recent, Metals and 2007's The Reminder.

"St. Vincent - Who (With David Byrne)"

I never know how to refer to St. Vincent. It seems a disservice to not name Annie Erin Clark, as she may be the most singularly impressive indie artist emerging today. While Annie may be a sweet storyteller, her alter ego St. Vincent is a hardcore punk rocker that mesmerizes the audience from start to finish. Though her setlist stayed true to other recent festivals and shows, relying heavily on last year's masterpiece Strange Mercy, she also included a particularly superb take of The Pop Group's "She Is Beyond Good & Evil" before a stripped down version of "The Party," leading into a cataclysmic guitar solo on "Your Lips Are Red," before hopping into the crowd to end the set with her newest "Krokodil." Preview a track from her upcoming collaboration with former Talking Head's frontman David Byrne, Love This Giant, out September 11: "Who."

"Radiohead - Paranoid Android"

From the onset of Radiohead's Friday night, set it was clear the swelling crowd was in for something brilliantly unique. Thom Yorke, Jonny and Colin Greenwood, Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien delivered a show that seemed like it was from 30 years in the future. Rotating panels floated magically above the stage, swirled into place, setting the mood for each song. At one point they faced down, directly above the band, making it seem as though they were playing in a deserted warehouse basement. Though the crowd was virtually immeasurable, and with no competing acts, it was largely silent as we appreciated every precisely sharp note, as it buzzed, cracked and whirred across the giant What Stage field. Dedicating "Supercollider" to Jack White, the band stopped by Third Man Records while in Tennessee, likely recording a collaboration with him. They closed the set with "Paranoid Android," culminating with the video screen across the festival breaking down into a rainbow error message. Between the elaborate stage set up and masterful musicianship, the show was one of the most technically impressive live sets I've ever witnessed.

"Santigold - Disparate Youth"

Though Santigold has become somewhat of a festival staple, that doesn't mean there wasn't anything at stake during her late Saturday afternoon main stage set. Bonnaroo has a history of rewarding artists who win over their faithful, which is exactly what she did in the tents back in 2009. Rewarded with the opportunity to play the What Stage's sprawling field, Santigold delivered a full energy set complete with several costume changes, one that included a dancing horse, and she even invited a horde of fans on stage to dance.

"The Roots - Paul Revere (The Beastie Boys Cover) "

Opening their set with an outstanding cover of The Beastie Boy's "Paul Revere," in tribute to MCA, The Roots, ?uestlove, Black Thought, F. Knuckles, Captain Kirk Douglas, Damon "Tuba Gooding, Jr." Bryson, James Poyser and Mike Kelley owned their sunset slot on the What Stage, marking the hip-hop highlight of the fest. Following the set, the surprise guest for the ?uestlove-curated Superjam proved to be D'Angelo, making his first live appearance in over a decade, covering both Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles.

"Alice Cooper - Born This Way (Lady Gaga Cover)"

It wasn't enough that Alice Cooper packed his full blown nightmare act into a late night tent, complete with a giant Frankenstein, or that he threw in Pink Floyd "Brick in the Wall" into "School's Out For Summer," it wasn't until the hard rocker killed himself with a gigantic guillotine and rose from the dead for his encore to cover Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" did his set feel complete. With the giant Frankenstein returning to the stage with a long blonde wig, it was one of those seemingly required WTF moments at Bonnaroo, and it just worked. So well in fact, that Gaga herself gave the cover a stamp of approval.

"The Beach Boys - Heroes And Villains (Alternate Version)"

With potentially wet weather threatening the farm, the original Beach Boys lineup, including Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks, and Bruce Johnston, took to the stage as the clouds parted and the sun shined, and the classic rockers delivered a set that spanned their 50 years. Interestingly, their new album Thats Why God Made The Radio debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart this week, the highest ever notched by the band. Though, it should be noted God did not, in fact, make the radio. Marconi made the radio.

"Ben Folds Five - Battle of Who Could Care Less"

Ben Folds had himself a nice little Roo, hanging out backstage with The Gambler, Kenny Rogers, and returning to headline the Which Stage alongside bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee as Ben Folds Five, the group he first rose to prominence with in the 1990s. Aside from a week prior and a one-off show in 2008, they hadn't played together in over a decade, and although Ben had some lyrical difficulties, he quickly overcame those stumbles, and more importantly, the trio sounded as tight as ever.

"The Shins - Bait And Switch (Studio Session)"

The Shins have been on a touring blitz of late behind mastermind James Mercer's collective's fourth studio album, the excellent Port of Morrow. While the several SXSW shows I caught were enjoyable, this set was engaging. The new lineup, featuring Jessica Dobson on guitar, Yuuki Matthews on bass, Richard Swift on keyboards and Joe Plummer on drums is only in its second year, but is tightening quickly to the point where they sound better than the previous lineup ever could. An aesthetic change indeed, Mr. Mercer.