by Corey J. Feldman, Jared Bronz & Craig Cook Twenty-seven straight hours in a car. Five-Thousand CDs crammed to the very top of the windows. Four-Hundred pounds of camping gear. Three coolers filled with various types of liquid refreshment. Bonnaroo 2005. We intrepid three took the trip of a lifetime to enjoy the festivities with 90,000 others, and it was an experience to remember... Our late night at Bonnaroo coverage begins with a Trey Anastasio adventure. The Phish front man had brought neither a horn section nor a working guitar amp. Anastasio’s guitar was tinny through the first few numbers, blared at optimum volume for about ten seconds, then crackled and cut out again. Upset, disgruntled, and desperate for a late-night dance groove, throngs of people began leaving the venue, disappointed by the over-hyped musicians of the late-night stage. We left Trey and his “new band” only to end up in front of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, a mud-ridden party in one of the smaller tents. It lasted late into the night, and the soulful funk instrumentals and improvisation climaxed repeatedly. Karl garnished his eclectic array of jammy soul tunes with superb sax playing and a high-energy five-piece band.

Karl spent time playing sax with Lenny Kravitz over a decade ago, but his talent must be in his genes. As a horn player, he glues his band together more firmly than most rock band front men. Tiny Universe superbly blends jazzy improvisation with funk-rock and soul. The show’s one possible flaw was the boring, stagnant lighting. Every late night Bonnaroo artist should have their tent completely painted in colorful shapes and iridescent strobes of light, though Karl didn’t need it by any means. The intensity of his performance made up for any other shortcomings. Many of Trey’s die-hard followers may have found a passion for the saxophone by ending up in Karl Denson’s tent that night.

Bonnaroo is a prime venue for many of the world’s most versatile musicians to perform with one another. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe brought in a relatively unknown songwriter, Jon Nicholson, for the set break. He gave the audience 15 minutes of his best songs only to be joined by Karl for a rocking great jam. These two artists balanced each other out nicely.

Here’s an equation: Robert Randolph on the pedal steel guitar, plus John Medeski on the keyboards, plus The North Mississippi Allstars' Luther Dickenson, Cody Dickenson & Chris Chew on guitar, bass and rhythm equals: The Word, a soulful concoction of music styles and ideas. The foundation of Mississippi southern rock formed a solid base, upon which the jazzy, funky John Medeski and funk-soul ripping Robert Randolph built their jams.

While Medeski, Martin, and Wood often found themselves in trippy, outer-space jams, this particular meld of Medeski’s skills and the Word’s upbeat style of southern rock came together perfectly. Robert Randolph was often the center of attention for this performance, and rightfully so. The gospel oriented pedal steel virtuoso has found a comfortable niche in the North Mississippi style of songwriting. The overall sound was an adrenaline rush of amazing musician collaboration. That’s what Bonnaroo is all about.

The big Bonnaroo names did not disappoint either. The Allman Brothers continue to put on one of the tightest and most entertaining shows in the country. The number of musicians on stage always seems a bit extraneous, but it really does add to the fun. Warren Haynes, Oteil Burbridge, and Derek Trucks are a great combination. They closed with a memorable rendition of “Jessica” and encored with “Whipping Post.” Allman never disappoints.

Dave Matthews was another big name who came through with an impossible-to-top show. His lighting rig was huge beyond imagination, with giant chasing colors running up the arched legs of what we called the “lighting spider.” He created a luminescent band shell to accentuate his already shining set list, which began with “One Sweet World.” Warren Haynes and Robert Randolph joined Matthews at different moments during his four-hour main stage performance. Guest appearances add a unique element to Bonnaroo live shows, and Dave Matthews Band feeds off of extra musicians.

Although Dave had brought his enormous following, Widespread Panic was the real headliner. They had the main stage for the 8pm set on both Friday and Saturday nights. Their guests included Bob Weir, Herbie Hancock, Cody Dickenson, Col. Bruce Hampton, Luther Dickenson and the omnipresent Robert Randolph. Their southern rock jams were certainly at home in Tennessee, and the screaming guitar solos appealed to everyone. A few other performances worthy of recognition: Keller Williams, Blue Merle, and the John Butler Trio.

Keller, the solo acoustic magician, was a favorite, especially with a loop jam evolving into Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” His eclectic solo performances always catch a few unknowing ears. Blue Merle combined the acoustic power of fiddle and mandolin with the power of a rock band. They meshed orchestrated string jams with complicated harmonies to yield an interesting and fresh live performance. The John Butler Trio, a Dave Matthews opener, gathered a sizable crowd at one of the smaller tents. Butler’s music blends blues, rock, and hip-hop songwriting with intense, dance-trance jams. His songs have a southern twang with some bluesy slide guitar, and his vocals mix a unique style of rap and quick lyrical rhymes with the soulful, heartfelt rock. John Butler’s singing and songwriting resembled Eddie Vedder’s or Scott Weiland’s. It was as if Jazz Mandolin Project met Stone Temple Pilots.

Bonnaroo is about fresh music. That means new artists and old artists being on stage together. The recent rock star American Idol finalist, Bo Bice, even found his way to a few of the main stages for collaboration. Now four years old, Bonnaroo might be getting a nice dose of pop-culture with Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, and Bo Bice. But that will never stop the vendors on Shakedown Street, nor will it deter the nitrous freaks breathing balloons late at night. Bonnaroo is a growing phenomenon, and it is up to the fans to guide it in the right direction.