Feature Photo by Roger Ho, Bonnaroo 2024 Press Selects
Story by Matthew Olson
Grammy Award winner Gary Clark Jr. played the Which Stage last weekend at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and spoke at a press conference following his memorable performance.
Clark Jr. returned to Bonnaroo after playing in June 2011 at one of the festival’s then-smallest stages – the Miller Lite On Tap Lounge. This year, the singer and guitarist, known for a mixture of blues, rock and soul, played the second biggest stage at Bonnaroo.
“First, I’ll tell you this. We showed up here over a decade ago, driving what I call the daycare van with a bunch of misfits from Austin, Texas,” said Clark Jr. “It was like herding cats.”
Before his first Bonnaroo, 26-year-old Clark Jr. often played in bar rooms and restaurants. He was scared to take on a larger crowd.
“I didn’t know anything. I’d get up on stage. I’d close my eyes,” Clark Jr. said in the press room.
At one point, he played blues covers from artists like Muddy Waters and BB King. He only performed a handful of original songs.
“…if you have ideas, and they’re strong you, should just pursue those, and anything creative that you have, you can just try it and, if it fails, do it again,” he said.
Once, Clark Jr. began posting some of his songs on MySpace, such as “Bright Lights” and “Please Come Home,” people started contacting him to say they didn’t know he possessed such talent.
“Cut to seven to ten years later or something, I’m walking across the Grammy stage receiving my first Grammy for a song I threw up on MySpace,” Clark Jr. said.
He was hesitant to embrace himself as a performer. It was hard for him to lean into the groove.
“It took me a long time to realize that today is the most confident I’ve ever [been], out here in Tennessee. It’s alright. Felt amazing,” Clark Jr. said.
Over the years, Clark Jr. said he needed to shake bad habits and prioritize what matters in his career.
“I spent a lot of time doing stupid things,” Clark Jr. said. “I was talking a lot a big game. …I spent way too much time and fun on things that really didn’t matter.”
Eventually, he began to treat his music as a business. While he always wanted to be a rebel without a cause, he still needed to make a living. Clark Jr. urged the younger generation to keep others who share the same focus in their circle.
“Focus on people [who] are like-minded,” Clark Jr. said, adding: “Smart, creative people.”
Matthew Olson is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact the Lifestyles Editor, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
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