"Welcome to the Bonnaroo Main Stage!" shouted Dawes lead singer Taylor Goldsmith as he ran onto the stage of Bonnaroo's smallest tent, the Troo Music Lounge. It was a tongue-in-cheek comment that struck far closer to home than you would ever imagine; judging by the rabid fans and raucous choruses, the stage might have indeed been the main stage. Dawes, a band that I find a bit boring on record, is riveting in concert. The foursome absolutely destroyed this hour long set, up-tempo and exuberant from the get go. Dawes shapeshifted through their catalog - sweet on "Love Is All I Am," reverently rockish on "God Rest My Soul" - and didn't for a second treat this show as anything but the biggest set of their lives. The cute singer of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Jade Castrinos, joined Goldsmith for a single song; the crowd joined him in singing for the rest of them.
Prior to the last song of the set, "When My Time Comes," Goldsmith encountered guitar amp troubles. "I'm gonna need your help here," he said to the crowd. "We're gonna have to sing this one together without guitar." We did. And it was awesome.
