Bonnaroo 2012: Feist Talks Playing Festivals, And This Year's Diverse Bill

Canadian singer-songwriter Leslie Feist will be making her way to Tennessee to perform at this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

Feist, Leslie's solo project, who released fourth album "Metals," almost a year ago, will be taking the Which Stage on Friday from 6:15 to 7:45 P.M.

Leslie took some time to talk to reporters about her past festival experiences and her Bonnaroo performance before making her way down to the 700-acre farm in Manchester.

Joining Leslie on the Which Stage will be Feist's "true core band," which includes Brian Lebarton, Charles Spearin, Lucky Paul Taylor and Mountain Man, the three female backup singers.

The band has a lot of experience playing festivals, recently playing Coachella, and is excited to bring their "list of ammo" to Bonnaroo.

This isn't the first year they will be stepping onto the farm though.

"I saw the Police Reunion," she said of Bonnaroo 2007. "I remember it as being really, fun, sweaty, chaotic show."

As an artist playing a lot of festivals, Feist explains that they can all "bleed" into one another, but 2007's Bonnaroo was definitely a memorable one for her. (This was in part due to meeting Sting and the craziness surrounding her guitarist's broken knee.)

Feist plans on making Bonnaroo 2012 a festival one to never forget, but that doesn't stop her from worrying about festival-esque mayhem.

"When you're on a festival stage there are certain things that will just completely get swallowed by the wind and get carried off into the breeze and not be audible if you're playing a really sensitive, you know, dynamically quiet ballad song," Leslie explained about some of the challenges playing at larger festival venues.

One challenge she doesn't see though is playing for such a diverse audience.  This year's lineup is pretty unique in that Feist shares a bill with Alice Cooper, Phish, Radiohead  and Kenny Rogers, among many others.

"I think that the people who are going to see the Alice Cooper show maybe are the same people who will make their way across the field to the Kenny Rogers show. I mean, who knows?" she said playfully.

For Leslie it doesn't matter how bizarre the lineup is as long as there is an audience. "You're just grateful there are some people who chose to stand in front of that stage at that time because they could be over there watching The Shins or they could be getting a good spot for Radiohead or something like that."

Leslie realizes that Feist has a fan base though, and that more than likely the mob surrounding her set will know the records. "In that case there's a little bit of an advantage because you're not just going raw, you know?"

Going raw is something Leslie is pretty familiar with, stating that she played for years where "no one's heard a single note."

"You're playing to the completely new, open consciousness," she explained of Feist's years playing since forming in 1999. "And you wonder what you could maybe plant in there."

Feist has definitely planted a seed in many music lovers' minds though, and is bound to be performing to a packed stage.

While at Bonnaroo Leslie plans on slipping into the crowds to see some other fellow musicians perform.

"I kind of know that there will be another chance to see Bon Iver. We cross paths a lot. And then Radiohead - we've already been on the same bill as them a couple times this year."

As Leslie explains that she would love to watch Radiohead and Bon Iver perform "limitless times," Bonnaroo has two performers she definitely wants to get a chance to check out. Talking about the limited time she has over the weekend, Leslie explained that "if there's a chance to go and see, you know, Kenny Rogers, when's the next time I'm going to see Kenny Rogers or Alice Cooper, you know?"

Leslie Feist brings up a valid point. A bill featuring Alice Cooper and Kenny Rogers is pretty hard to come by.

Overall, the Canadian singer is ready for the hike down to Tennessee for her performance.

For those looking for tips on what to pack, Leslie gives a few suggestions.

"I guess what I've never been sorry to have in my bag is sunscreen," she said thinking of basic survival needs.

You can catch Feist's set at Which Stage Friday evening from 6:15 to 7:45 P.M.