Crib Notes

Seems like there was more action behind-the-scenes than onstage, despite the 20-plus performances at this year’s Grammy Awards.

Chris Brown reportedly got gangsta with his girlfriend Rihanna, causing them both to cancel their performances. The alleged reason behind the smackdown should bring a whole new meaning to their upcoming collabo, “Bad Girl,” produced by Atlantan Polow da Don for the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack. Meanwhile the real “gangstas,” Lil Wayne and T.I., delivered upstanding, redemptive performances — neither of which required NARAS President Neil Portnow to excuse their inclusion in the program, the way he had to when Eminem performed to the chagrin of gay rights activists in 2001.

Of course, the Recording Academy continued this year with the ultra-lame generational mashup theme that made for some of the oddest pairings ever.

Surely, Stevie Wonder would’ve been insulted if only he could’ve seen how silly he looked on stage with the Jonas Brothers. The Al Green/Justin Timberlake pairing was quite a yawner, but perhaps we should be thankful that Timberlake didn’t attempt to rip Green’s shirt off for a grand finale. And did we really need to see B.B. King and John Mayer trade ugly guitar faces for the second year in a row?

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Overheard at Bonnaroo: “Next time I see Ben, I’m going to punch him in the face.” — A disgruntled camper whose tent mate had apparently committed a punch-worthy offense.

Friday at Bonnaroo was glorious! I saw the best set I’ve seen so far! But then it started raining and poop mud emerged from every portable toilet. I saw several bands yesterday — and there were so many I wanted to see that I didn’t catch many full sets — so here are some wee tiny reviews:

Drive-By Truckers: Patterson Hood and Co. started Friday off right — their sound was strong, the crowd was really into it, and the band’s fierceness totally filled the enormous stage they played on.

Jose Gonzalez: His set was super-chill — he sat in a chair onstage, and many in the audience took a similar laid-back, lay-back-on-a-blanket mentality. And luckily for me, he closed with his cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop.”

Tegan and Sara: Although their set was plagued by technical issues — like several bands on Friday, actually — the banter between twins Tegan and Sara Quin won the audience over.

The Fiery Furnaces: Part of the beauty of Bonnaroo is that there is a diversity of venues. Huge acts like Pearl Jam and Willie Nelson obviously play huge stages, but several smaller stages offer a more intimate experience. The Fiery Furnaces played one of these smaller stages (after playing a much larger tent earlier in the day), and I thought their sound made an interesting transition in live performance. Live songs sounded rawer than the album versions, but still had a distinct proggy, experimental sound. Here’s the music video for their song “Tropical Iceland.”
Eleaor of the Fiery Furnaces

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ALIVE ON ARRIVAL: M.I.A. at her Criminal Records CD signing.

(photo by Scott Householder)

Even though it was Halloween, there seemed to be only one costume on display at the M.I.A./Cool Kids show a week and a half ago. Neon clothing, spandex and gold chains reigned supreme.

Chicago-bred openers the Cool Kids were charming on stage in flat brims, calling themselves “the new black Beastie Boys” — which was pretty much a spot-on description, though they bring a more laid-back delivery than the Beasties. It was exciting for me, a Beastie fan. The Beastie Boys are the patron saints of Jewish boys everywhere, so my education started early on at Jewish summer camp. There was even one year when my 8-year-old self was brought in as the only girl in a performance of “Paul Revere” at the end of the summer talent show. Naturally, I killed it.

A few songs in from the Cool Kids, including the hit “88/ I Rock,” and the crowd was happy, but chill.

It all changed when M.I.A. burst forth with spastic flashing colors in the background and eletro hip-hop beats. The British artist of Sri Lankan descent has lived in both places. Her father is Tamil activist-turned-militant Arul Pragasm. M.I.A.’s extensive visual art is influenced by his leanings, with political images/figures and pictures of Sri Lanka sprinkled throughout the blazing colors and patterns.

Bouncing energetically across the stage in an oversized T-shirt and a military hat adorned with a red feather, M.I.A. belted out songs from her new album, Kala, with a few older songs as well. Even drinks repeatedly spilled on me by a guy dressed in a spandex unitard couldn’t dampen my spirits. Other than a few energetic interludes by her sidekicks, M.I.A. dominated the stage and her fans loooved it. The girl’s got spunk. And she’s so damn cute. Sigh.

At the end, amid chants of “M.I.A.” and “encore,” I snuck out before the crowd to avoid death by neon sneakers.

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