Bonnaroo started in 2002, the annual four day music and arts event brings toward together 80,000 people to camp over the long weekend and listen to music from all types of genres, from hip hop to techno to pop to country. With over 150 performances, this year Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megan Thee Stallion, Fred Again, Pretty Lights, Thundercat, Renee Rapp, Jason Isbell, Diplo, Jon Batiste were a few we saw.
The festival is held on private grounds so there is no curfew and shows started as late as 3am going into sunrise. Particularly the techno area.If you camp no matter where in the area, you will be bound to be woken up by 8am every day.
Indie band TV Girl played Friday night and caught the crowd in a gaze even though Brad spoke of how nervous he was to play that day. He spoke of how he kept counting the days on the calendar getting queazier as the days got closer. He provided himself on Friday though, that this, isn’t his first rodeo.
With their debut in 2012 this San Diego band released their self titled EP Too Rundgren’s they released a couple songs through 2014 but gained a major following on TikTok in 2022, leading to most popular song “Lover’s Rock” & entered the charts in 2023.
TV Girl frequently samples songs and media from the 1960’s in the music; as in “Lovers’s Rock”. They carry an indie pop, sweet moody lo-fi, electronic, sound. Everyone in the tent squeezed in further and danced the entire hour. They were sustainably entertained as Brad serenaded the crowd.
Thundercat, a multi GRAMMY award winner, known for his six-string bass guitarist and for being Kendrick Lamar & Flying Lotus’ bass player. Raised in Compton, Bruner was born into a family of musicians. His dad played for the Temptations, The Supremes and Gladys Knight. At 16 he joined the band Suicidal Tendencies, and Erika Badu has been credited with helping Bruner find his stage presence. In 2020 Rolling Stone, ranked him as one of the greatest bass players of all time. He collaborated with Gorillaz in 2022.
Thundercat raised the roof tent Friday night, playing an hour of funk and jazz finishing the set in a true Thundercat funkadelic form.
The Mars Volta, known for their progressive rock sound formed in 2001 out of El Paso. The band announced their reunion in 2022 after 10 years being out of the public eye only to return with an even grittier, rounded sound. The name, a nod to Federico Fellini, The Volta, meaning the ever-changing turnaround. And much like their numerous band mates and changeover in music what a turnaround it has been. The Mars Volta played Bonnaroo Friday night starting off with a banger and a kick ass performance. They have been under the radar too long.
Cigarrettes After Sex, the dream pop band for El Paso, started in 2008 with Greg Gonzalez. The band is known for a real dreamy sound, ethereal and calming. Greg’s androgynous voice leads the ear a soft sounded melody perfect for an evening to chill. Cigarrettes After Sex became popular on YouTube leading to live performances in Europe, Asia & the US. They released their self titled debut album in 2017. Gonzalez serenaded the crowd on Saturday with a completely packed audience.
Red Hot Chili Peppers are a rock band from LA and unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard of them. Their rap, rock, funky, metal sound, with over 120 million records, 3 Grammy wins, Rock n Roll Hall of Famers & received their Hollywood Walk of Fame. RHCP shook the fields Saturday night with over 80,000 people in attendance in the Tennessee. Started the night with a Jam as John Frusciante breaks a string, followed by Can’t Stop, The Zephyr Song, Aquatic Mouth Dance, Snow, Eddie, I Like Dirt Sou to Squeeze….Californication, followed by an encore of Under the Bridge and Give it Away. Anthony Keidis invited everyone to the Waffle House in Coffee County after the show,
Co creator of the electronic techno project Major Lazer Diplo has worked with M.I.A. he produced her breakout single “Paper Planes”, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg, Bad Bunny, Busta Rhymes and more. His single Sleepy Tom has over 100 million streams on Spotify. Diplo played for 2 hours starting at 130am and closing out right past 330.
Renee Rapp, a musical theatre prodigy to releasing her debut of everything to Everyone in 2022. Her incredible runs in theatre including Broadway stages catapulted her into stardom, Rapp’s initial 4 state tour sold out and had to add extra shows right off the bat. She started Bonnaroo off with Talk too Much & Poison Poison and closed with sharing those pipes in Snow Angel.
Despite the heat, which somehow crazily enough was not as bad in the evening, Bonnaroo proved to be a festival like no other. Brining in a multitude of musical genres, musicians & artists from near and far, calling Bonnaroo, Tennessee’s Coachella when it comes to music, camping in muddy areas and hitting an all night neon lit rager starting at 3am. But to be able to immerse yourself for four days in a magnitude of over 150 different bands is an experience that any musician or music lover should find endearing.
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