Bonnaroo Press Conference 5/26/10

Nathan Followill, the Tennesee native, Bonnaroo veteran and King of Leon had a bad cell phone connection for about half an hour. He talked the way you would expect a rock star to talk: BILLBOARD asked what the new album would be like, and he answered (in the style of Steely Dan, circa 1972), 'uh, y'know, it was our first time recording in New York, which was a big experience... I mean, it's not LA...' Followill, between dropped calls, described their new album as fresh, neat, appealing, hip. He coined the term "hippiesters," in discussing how Bonnaroo has changed: later in the call, with pop god Dave Matthews on the line, Followill also used a phrase I had yet to hear: "ex-in' his balls off," referring to someone he saw at Bonnaroo, who's been stumbling around on esctacy for days. The guy was merrily getting arrested by a cop, a rare occurance, Followill was eager to note.

Dave Matthews wrote some of the first music I spent money on; about five years after that, I stopped paying attention to Dave. In college, I spun his Live At Red Rocks album incessantly; from the song "Everyday" onwards, I stopped paying close attention to Dave. I have never seen him live. I was lucky to be a pimpled, awkward kid in high school when "Crash (Into Me)" came out. I used to be fascinated by his sense of beat and vocal phrasing and instrumentation... but, as it became more familiar, it became less unique.

So, Dave Matthews Band is taking next year off, and I'm absolutely thrilled. In this press conference, Dave was quick to point out that next year's hiatus is exactly that; after a few probing questions, he admitted a hiatus three years prior would have meant something different for the band. He described his confidence in taking a year, "to get the creative juices flowing." Later, he trailed off, in a sentence that sounded like Michael Scott from The Office: 'I'll do any... thing in the world that... gets a... new creative idea... into my head!' Dave Matthews also admitted to putting on a hat and sunglasses, and walking around at Bonnaroo in the past, though his tour schedule doesn't allow for that now. In spewing verbage over prior infighting among band members, Dave admitted that the DMB has always had the crutch of "being that band on tour," that band I spun back in high school. Without the famed "pressure of the road," I'm very excited for Dave. Perhaps he'll write a quaint rock opera, or bluegrass, or something.

Dave's best Bonnaroo moment is also now my favorite Bonnaroo story, thus far: Dave crossed paths with Bob Dylan backstage, Bob told Dave, "I didn't play Watchtower because I figured you would."