Jenny Lewis / Photo by Michael Didyoung

THE BEST

Best Audience Love: Jenny Lewis
Jenny Lewis didn't need to tell her audience that they were "rad" to win them over in That Tent on Saturday. With most of the young women in the crowd singing along to every song, and most of the men otherwise smitten with the charismatic redhead, this wasn't your typical half-curious, half-committed crowd -- just about everyone was there to see Lewis. And why not? She's as acerbic and self-possessed as any singer-songwriter who inhabits her arty pop-rock orbit. Not only that, she brought a surefire setlist with her, including deep-catalog Rilo Kiley, "Rise Up With Fists," and much of her recent Acid Tongue LP. She even introduced the audience to the protagonist of that album's "See Fernando" -- a plastic blow-up duck. -- Bill Friskics-Warren

Best Music for a Bad Mood: Nine Inch Nails
People at Bonnaroo are friendly, the bands tend toward the positive, there are lots of lightly humorous signs telling festival attendees to be nice to each other -- even the security staff is polite. With few exceptions (e.g. Robyn Hitchcock) this is generally a shiny, happy festival. That fact helped make Nine Inch Nails' throbbing, malevolent late night Saturday show a supremely entertaining dose of counter-programming, as Trent Reznor provided the dark ying to the rest of Bonnaroo's cheery yang. Dressed, naturally, all in black, his biceps bulging under a t-shirt, his hair cropped close, and his voice dripping with venom, the Byronic brooder led his taut four-piece band through vicious readings of electro-rock stunners like the menacingly funky "March of the Pigs" (kudos to the lighting crew on that one -- I'm still seeing in strobe) and "I'm Afraid of Americans," the latter of which was given an especially savage guitar-heavy reading that probably made a few hippies' head's explode. -- David Marchese

Best Friendly Public Service Announcement for Stoned Concertgoers: Wilco
Lost, confused, and chemically enhanced Bonnaroovians have a friend in Wilco. The Chicago band understands that the Which, What, When, Where, Who, How, and What Have You stage names and the large, eclectic lineup are getting people a little turned around -- so they started their set by introducing themselves in song: "We're Wilco / Wilco / Wilco," frontman Jeff Tweedy (lookin' awful grizzled with long salt and pepper hair) sang on "Wilco the Song," a rollicking guitar rocker off the band's similarly-titled new album, Wilco (The Album). "And we'll really love ya baby!" What's more reassuring amidst a drug psychosis than a kind introduction and a little love? -- William Goodman

Best Danceable History Lesson: Raphael Saadiq
Oakland's Raphael Saadiq has been a history-conscious performer since his early days with the neo-soul trio Tony! Toni! Toné! Lately, though, he's emerged as a conduit for the vast storehouse of classic soul and funk. In That Tent, he and his troupe of musicians, singers, and dancers kicked things off with a mini-set done in the style of early Motown, complete with choreographed spins, handclaps, and period dress. Later they proved their mettle with everything from updated Philly soul to funkadelic rock. A scorched-earth take of the Stooges' "Search and Destroy," meanwhile, served notice that there's more to the Motor City than Martha Reeves and the Temptations. Class dismissed. -- BFW

Best Rock'n'Roll Animal (with strings!): Alejandro Escovedo
A rock'n'roll survivor with a serious thing for the Velvet Underground, Alejandro Escovedo and a violin- and cello-augmented edition of his band played what easily had to be the festival's most John Cale-inspired set in That Tent. Drawing heavily on last year's Real Animal, Escovedo revisited his days with the San Francisco punk band the Nuns, whose only distinction, he laughed, was to open for the Sex Pistols at their final show. Another number looked back on Escovedo's stint with the True Believers, a short-lived Austin band that toured with the Replacements, Soul Asylum, and Husker Du. Still another served as an elegy for some of Alejandro's fallen fellow-rockers, including New York Dolls Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan. Through it all, he bared his heart and scars with equal aplomb, and with a feedback-drenched, dual-guitar attack that evoked the noisy glories of Lou Reed's classic Rock 'n' Roll Animal. -- BFW