I'm not going to lie, I almost left prior to Neon Indian's set in That Tent at Bonnaroo. I had seen the band four times before at SXSW and in New York, and their already homogeneous repertoire didn't seem like it could stand up to another listen.
Man, am I glad I stuck around. The fifth set from the now foursome was the best I've seen yet - a bass heavy run of catchy summertime tunes. Maybe it was the heat, but the tunes from Psychic Chasms seemed to fit perfectly. Alan Palomo was likable, Leanne Macomber was at her sexiest, and the group was joined on stage at one point by four topless fans wearing headdresses. It was an idiosyncratic mix, but one that points to a necessary evolution for Neon Indian - this is a band that can't take itself too seriously if they're going to survive. An encore track from Palomo and guitarist Ronald Gierhart's side project VEGA was a great end to the set, and I was left with a smile on my face.
