Festivals 101: Who played the worst Bonnaroo set ever?

Reposted from the Examiner, for those who don't know why it's contreversal that Kanye is playing this year's Bonnaroo. I was in the pit for this show back in 2008 and it did suck. Especially after a full day of Roo'ing. Seeing a 'glow in the dark' in the morning makes for maybe the weakest show ever.

My article a few days ago about the best Bonnaroo set ever has certainly sparked its share of controversy. Radiohead detractors and defenders of other Bonnaroo acts have weighed in with opinions of their own about what is the best set in the history of Bonnaroo.

While the best show at Bonnaroo might still be up for debate, the worst show in the history of Bonnaroo is, if not universally accepted, at least supported by a strong majority of members of the Bonnaroo fan community. The very mention of this artist is enough to elicit boos, anger, and vitriol from Bonnaroo fans everywhere. This artist is a textbook example of everything you shouldn’t do if you want to impress a Bonnaroo crowd. The artist? Kanye West.

Bonnaroo has long been friendly to rap and hip hop artists so many were anticipating that Kanye West’s 2008 performance might be one of the best of the weekend. West had drawn good reviews for his “Glow in the Dark” tour and Bonnaroo often brings out the best in larger than life performers.

The trouble started before the festival even began. Originally slotted for a Saturday night pre-headliner slot on the Which Stage, Bonnaroo’s second largest, West insisted that he couldn’t play at 8 PM and couldn’t fit his giant “glow in the dark” set onto the Which Stage. Bonnaroo accommodated his requests by moving him to an unprecedented What Stage late night performance at 2:30 AM. For most bands, the problem would have been solved. For Kanye West, it was just the beginning.

After an epic Pearl Jam set ran 45 minutes long, crews came out to begin the turnaround, breaking down Pearl Jam’s show and setting up for Kanye West’s anticipated 2:30 AM slot. Many of the 70,000 people who were watching Pearl Jam wandered off to see other artists, particularly Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, who was playing a midnight to 4 AM set on the Which Stage, but a respectable crowd had gathered by the 2:30 AM start time for West’s performance.

Around that time, a sign flashed up that West’s show would begin at 3. Later there was a sign that said 3:15, then 3:30, then “Coming Up Next.” By 3:45, many in the crowd were wandering away, disappointed and choosing to check out other shows or get some sleep for Sunday’s shows. As the crowd thinned at the What Stage, another group coming from the Which Stage began to join them and word began to surface that Phil Lesh, who usually runs long, had ended his set early with some cryptic comments about Kanye’s set.

West finally appeared on stage around 4:30 to a chorus of boos and thrown water bottles. His “Glow in the Dark” show, which had become an impromptu “Glow in the Dawn” set, was shortened by the rising sun, and West’s performance was less than stellar. Worse yet, rumors began to float through the festival grounds that West’s lateness and Phil Lesh’s shortened set were both a result of a Kanye West diva fit where he refused to go on stage if anyone else was playing.

The results were immediate. Graffiti appeared on the walls saying “Kanye Sucks.” Several Sunday artists, including Robert Randolph and Yonder Mountain String band made commentary on the incident during their sets, to the delight of the crowd. The incident even warranted a caps-locked and virtually unintelligible blog post from West himself.

While the incident has died down, the hatred has not. The 2009 Bonnaroo Festival saw plenty of “Kanye Sucks” signs, graffiti, and calls. West has become such a negative figure in the Bonnaroo fan community that one fan message board uses an automated profanity filter to insert “Kanye” in place of a particular naughty word.

Were you at the Kanye West show at Bonnaroo 2008? Have you seen a Bonnaroo show that you think is even worse than Kanye? Let me know in the comments section.

Read Kanye's entire response here.