One of the biggest festivals of the year took place this past week on acres of Tennessee farmland filled with music stages, hundreds of campsites and thousands of “Bonnaroovians.”
When the lineup was released, I knew I had to make my first trip to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival this year. To skirt the cost of a ticket, I applied to volunteer once I discovered the option after chatting with a friend.
Volunteering and arriving early:
I arrived in Manchester, Tennessee the Tuesday before the fest began, and was setting up my campsite immediately upon entering the gates. There was a volunteer BBQ later that night, and everyone wasted no time in making the place their own. Between rows of cars, people hung out in their tents while others started their own parties all over the huge field where we would be living for the next few days. The Croo runs deep, and is one of the many aspects that make Bonnaroo and its attendees so wholesome. I definitely suggest taking the volunteer route to Roo.
All of the campsites are on different fields and only a quick walk away from Centeroo, where all the real magic happens.
Thursday:
The fest officially started Thursday, ushering in the “soft opening” of the 16th annual Bonnaroo. There were only a handful of acts on the first day — the few shows I watched were all different, which goes to show how musically diverse Bonnaroo is. In ‘That Tent,’ Welles, a lesser-known band with a guitar-heavy sound, was one of the first acts to rock the day. Later in the night, Kevin Abstract brought his unique rap style and lots of hype to ‘This Tent.’ These shows definitely made me excited for the rest of the weekend’s heavyweight lineup.
In between sets, the Bonnaroo grounds have a lot to offer. To put it simply, it seems like a sprawled-out adult Disney World, but in the middle of a Tennessee farm. Everywhere you turn sits cool vendors, good eats, intriguing art and cool structures like the iconic Bonnaroo fountain and the Arch.
Along with my interactions with my fellow volunteers, it becomes evident once you find yourself out on the fest grounds that Bonnaroo isn’t like every other festival. Everyone you come across is smiling and friendly, and the crowds at stages aren’t pushy or suffocating. The weather this year was also not as hot as years past, which was another added plus on an already ever-growing list.
Friday:
Friday was a night that couldn’t be missed, and the day by itself made the trip and all of its planning completely worthwhile.
I started off the back-to-back schedule I made for myself with Anjelique Kidjo’s African rhythm-infused rendition of the Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light.” The crowd was infatuated with the performance, and it was a truly memorable show that ‘burned the house down.’
Other highlights of the day were Car Seat Headrest letting the crowd sing the chorus on their popular hit “Drunk Drivers/ Killer Whales,” and the xx also graced the main stage later in the evening with their moody and serene performance.
However, nothing prepared me for Friday night’s headliner, U2. This classic group completely took my breath away not only because of their amazing set, a performance of the Joshua Tree album and other hits, but also because U2 is still just as good as they were in their prime. The large-scale, vibrant stage effects were also something I will never forget.
I then enjoyed an electrifying set from Portugal. The Man, whose stage lights perfectly synced up with the band’s popular songs. The night ended at ‘The Other’ stage, which hosted various EDM artists throughout the weekend. Claude VonStroke got the whole crowd moving with his catchy loops of house music mixes, and Big Gigantic closed the night with a sensory-overloaded performance of their funk/jazz/electronic songs that the crowd went wild for.
Saturday:
Saturday’s music kicked off for me later in the night, with Chance the Rapper on the main stage. The Chicago rapper completely owned the show with his confident vocals and spiritual overtones, making the crowd feel heavenly. Right after Chance took his final bow, I pushed farther to the front of the “What” stage to get a closer spot for one of my favorite parts of this year’s lineup: The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They were on fire and completely rocked their set with some of their greatest hits and a few new songs.
I finished off the night with a stimulating, vibrant and colorful Umphrey’s McGee jam that lasted until 3 a.m. Walking back to my tent, I stumbled across a secret performance by the reigning Queen of New Orleans bounce music, Big Freedia, at the Christmas Bar. I finally crashed once the sun came up.
Sunday:
The final day of the festival was sad, yet also the best ending to a great week of fun and music that I will never forget. The first show I saw was Umphrey’s McGee’s day-time set, which was equally as good as their late night jam. Next was Flatbush Zombie’s exciting set that had the crowd going nuts. I stopped by and saw BADBADNOTGOOD’s mystifying music being played over trippy old-school videos on their background projector- it was definitely one of the most interesting shows of the weekend.
Bonnaroo 2017 ended with back-to-back Travis Scott and The Weeknd performances, in which the two men gave it their all. Travis’ crazy stage set-up and wild lyrics had the audience moshing and jumping unlike anything I had seen all week. The Weeknd shut down the main stage with his harmonious voice, Top 40 hits and a beautiful display of fireworks. My first Bonnaroo was definitely one for the books, and was by far one of the best festivals I have ever attended, and expanded my appreciation for music so much more than I thought possible.
