High expectations were a big part of the baggage I toted to my first Bonnaroo. My plans were that the four-day festival would change the way I experience music. Of course, I didn’t fully express that before the festival, simply because I wanted to cushion the fall if Bonnaroo failed to live up the hype. Now, a week or so after Dave Matthews Band closed it out, I look back and can say Bonnaroo not only lived up to the hype, it was one of the best experiences of my life.
From the moment I first walked beneath the Bonnaroo arch and into Centeroo (where all of the stages are located) until DMB’s final notes, I was enchanted.
The What Stage was larger than life, providing the best concert experience I’ve ever had. The three tents (This, That and The Other) housed so many great acts in a single day that I found myself having so many choices, I quickly realized I was going to have to miss several must-see shows just so I could be at another must-see. What a great problem to have.
The weekend started off Thursday evening with Miike Snow at This Tent. Snow is an incredible up-and-coming artist and was the first act I knew I had to see. As I stood there listening to Snow kill his song, “Animal,” I looked around and tried to soak up the epic size of the festival around me.
There were things going on everywhere. That was the moment when I knew four days wouldn’t be enough to absorb everything.
From Miike Snow, my friends and I went over to That Tent where we spent the rest of the night with Neon Indian, The Temper Trap and finally The XX. The XX provided the first emotional connection of the weekend.
Their music is haunting enough to listen to in the car, but seeing them live was an intensely moving experience. By the time they wrapped things up, I was left feeling like I had gone through every human emotion in a single hour.
We ended the night with LA Riots and Afrojack at the Lunar Stage, making it back to our campsite with only a few hours to sleep before we were up cooking breakfast.
Friday began with the hugely entertaining Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes at The Other Tent. After that we caught quick glimpses of The Gossip and Dr. Dog until it was time for She & Him at This Tent. We then ended the afternoon at the Which Stage for The National.
Headlining on the What Stage that night was Kings of Leon, who I could care less about. But for this first headlining show of the weekend, it wasn’t as much about the band for me as it was the entire event.
The field where the What Stage is located is big enough to hold 100,000 people. The vast area and the number of people around me having a great time was all I needed to have a blast.
However, the single greatest show I witnessed throughout the whole weekend occurred right after Kings of Leon at The Other Tent: Daryl Hall and Chromeo. Daryl Hall is, of course, half of the great duo Hall & Oates, and Chromeo is an electronic duo from Montreal.
Going into the show, it seemed possible that the blatant contrasts between these two acts would be fatal, but as soon as they hit that first note it was clear that these artists were born to play with each other.
The chemistry they had together was almost palpable. I felt as though I was witnessing history play out in front of me. Bonnaroo could have ended there, and I would have been happy.
From there we spent a little time at The Silent Disco where there was a DJ spinning tracks to a massive group of people wearing wireless headphones. From outside, it looks ridiculous to see people dancing in silence, but once you don a pair of those headphones and join in on the fun, you don’t really mind the finger-pointing.
We went on to Kid Cudi and finally The Crystal Method DJ set to end out the night.
By Saturday morning I was beginning to feel a little gross without showering. But I was determined to prove my Bonnaroo resilience by not showering the whole four days. It was a pride thing.
But, I did get an opportunity to cheat a little bit. A friend has a friend who lives in Manchester, and he told us he wanted to take us all to a spring where there was a waterfall. The waterfall was enormous and the water was cold, and after two days in the sun, it was a perfect refresher.
Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z were back-to-back headliners on Saturday night. I felt extremely lucky having the opportunity to see Stevie Wonder.
Later, Jay-Z put on one of the biggest shows I’ve ever seen. Everything from the set to the sound to the lights blew me away. We closed out the night at This Tent with Deadmau5 who had one of the most impressive sets I saw at any tent throughout the whole festival.
Waking up Sunday was bittersweet. On one hand, I felt dirtier than ever and really wanted clean sheets and a shower, but I wasn’t ready for the weekend to end.
My friend Julie and I trekked the nearly two miles from camp to Centeroo to catch as many bands as we could. We first caught Lucero (who was only OK in my book) and then we met up with the rest of our crew at the Which Stage for Regina Spektor who was angelic.
Then we walked over to see John Fogerty at the What Stage. After Fogerty we were able to run over to the Troo Music Lounge to catch the great Nashville band Space Capone. Haven’t heard of them? Do yourself a favor and give them a listen.
Then it was time for the second-to-last performance: Phoenix at the Which Stage. The sun was beginning to set as Phoenix took the stage. The sky was pink when “Lisztomania” broke the silence. The sight was almost overwhelming. There was a feeling of awe and regret. Thousands of people were gathered to hear one of the last bands that would play before everything was over.
Once Phoenix ended, it was time for the last show. As everyone made his or her way to see Dave Matthews Band close out the festival on the What Stage something extraordinary was taking place.
Thousands and thousands of people were walking calmly to the stage. There wasn’t much pushing or shoving coming from anywhere. The only thing that could be heard was the frequent chant of “1, 2, 3, Bonnarooooooooooo!” There was a strong feeling of community, that we had all experienced one great weekend of music together and it was all about to end.
At some of the shows throughout the weekend there would be people who would light candles hanging from what appeared to be miniature hot air balloons. But only minutes before Dave Matthews Band took the stage, what looked like a hundred of the candles were lighted and balloons let go. They floated over the crowd for what seemed like hours before disappearing into the sky.
All weekend long I wondered how I would be able to put Bonnaroo into words. I am at a loss to describe to you what Bonnaroo felt like, because it was unlike anything I have ever felt before. It was a time when I made strong bonds with great friends, when I made memories that will last forever. But I can’t put any of those things in words. They have to be lived.
Next year’s Bonnaroo is the 10th anniversary, and after the whirlwind experience that was this year’s, my expectations are even greater. But in the end, I have no doubt that Bonnaroo will deliver everything I want and more.