Jim James and John Oates jam with R. Kelly and Billy Idol

My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James and rock guitarist John Oates gave revellers at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo music festival a concert to remember on Saturday (15Jun13) after inviting R. Kelly and Billy Idol to join them for an all-star jam session. The collaborations, part of the festival’s Rock N’ Soul Dance Party Superjam, kept fans dancing the night away as James and Oates led a house band which included My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel and soul singer Bilal.
The group was first joined by R. Kelly, fresh from his set on the Bonnaroo main stage, as he belted out a cover of Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come and Prince’s 1999, while he also teamed up with Alabama Shakes star Brittany Howard to perform a handful of Sly & the Family Stone tracks.
Rocker Idol also joined in the fun, taking the microphone for a rendition of T. Rex’s Bang a Gong (Get It On), as well as Bill Withers’ Use Me and The Meters’ Hey Pocky Way.
The event was one of three special Superjams scheduled for the Manchester, Tennessee festival – RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan hit the stage with DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Neptunes superproducer Chad Hugo and R&B singer Solange to perform on Friday night (14Jun13), and The Hangover star Ed Helms put together a bluegrass set on Sunday (16Jun13) with Crooked Still bandleader Aoife O’Donovan, John Fullbright and Black Prarie, which featured members of The Decemberists.