Bonnaroo 2009: Santi's Golden Performance

Festivus

It sucks to be short at Bonnaroo. It sucks to be short at any concert, really. And at my meager stature of 5'3'', my typical view is all dreadlocks, all the time. With a year's practice, though, I've nearly mastered the art of squeezing through the throngs of unshowered neo-hippies.The key is to start from the sides and angle in toward the front, shamelessly taking every pathway that presents itself when the folks suffering from bad trips decide to exit the tents for much-needed timeouts. In the past, it's gotten me inches away from Lupe Fiasco and Iron and Wine, to name a few.

This tactic has served me well at the 'Roo so far this year, helping me catch everything from the melting reverb of Chairlift to the synthed-out euphoria of Animal Collective. Just an hour or so ago, I squirmed to a decent vantage point to watch Brooklyn's own Santigold perform a sparkling set in the That Tent. The rain had subsided (though my personal tent is still submerged in a bit of a swamp) and the heat was sweltering, but Miss Santi White took it all in stride.

Flanked by two gold-lamé-clad back-up dancers/musicians, she ripped through her debut album with ease to a crowd eager to dance along. Donning huge dangly gold hoops and glittery eye shadow to match, she showcased her unique set of pipes and infectious energy. She also had a really friendly vibe going with the crowd, riffing back and forth with them and inviting some to dance on stage through her killer closer,"Creator." She even brought out one song from her mixtape with Diplo. The highlight of the show, by far, was her combination of "Brooklyn Go Hard" and its originator, "Shove It" (sans Jay-Z and Spank Rock, unfortch). But who's idea was it to overlap her set with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Grizzly Bear? Tough choices, people.