Buffalo Springfield just one of two tantalizing reunions slated for Bonnaroo 2011
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Along with the coup of what figures to be one of a small handful of Eminem live appearances in 2011, this year’s Bonnaroo Festival in Tennesee also has in store a reunion performance in June by surviving original members of Buffalo Springfield, festival organizers announced today.
Neil Young, Richie Furay and Stephen Stills played together for the first time since 1968 last fall at Young’s annual Bridge School benefit concerts in Mountain View in Northern California. For those two shows, Springfield charter members were backed by longtime Young bassist Rick Rosas (filling in for Bruce Palmer, who died in 2004) and Crosby, Stills & Nash drummer Joe Vitale (taking over for Dewey Martin, who died in 2009).
They ran through a generous sampling of Springfield’s influential rock-folk-country songbook, including “For What it’s Worth (Stop, Hey, What’s That Sound),” “Rock & Roll Woman,” “Mr. Soul,” “Bluebird,” “Kind Woman,” “I Am A Child” and “On the Way Home.”
After those performances, the three reportedly were so satisfied by the outcome that they started talking about doing more shows in 2011. Nothing is official yet, but the announcement of the Bonnaroo appearance raises the possibility of Springfield dates in Southern California, where the group formed in 1966.
In addition to the Springfield reunion, the Bonnaroo lineup also has a tantalizing reunion of two of the key forces in New Orleans R&B and funk: Dr. John and the Meters. They plan to play their 1974 collaborative album “Desitively Bonnaroo,” from which the festival takes its name, in its entirety for the first time in public.
Bonnaroo will run June 9 through 12 in Manchester, Tenn.
— Randy Lewis
