Bonnaroo was an adventure this year! It was fascinating to see the differences between Bonnaroo and other music festivals. There really is this feeling of positivity and community coming from the crowd here. I got told “Happy Roo” to me specifically hundreds of times over the course of the weekend. The positivity coming from the crowd is infectious! It’s hard to have a bad time when everyone else seems like they’re having the time of their life! There were some negatives though, the main one being the heat. It was at least 90 degrees and blazing sun every day, and even though you do get used to it eventually, it still sucks having to put on sunscreen every two hours for four days. Still though, there is nothing that could kill the positive vibes of Bonnaroo! So I decided to rank every set I saw at least 15 minutes of during the weekend! As usual, don’t get too hung up on the specific places. If something is 28th and you think it should be 27th, there’s rarely anything of substance separating those two. It’s just a coincidence. Also, every artist name has a URL that’ll take you to the videos I took of said artist during the weekend. So if a description sounds interesting and you want to know what they sound like, hopefully that’ll help give a guess at what the artist sounds like. Enjoy!
48. Róisin Murphy: I don’t get it. I apologize to everyone that does, but I don’t. It felt like she was being weird for weird’s sake. The production of the songs sounded pretty good, even if they were just normal takes on dance pop. The people that were there seemed to like it, but this wasn’t for me.
47. Red Hot Chili Peppers: I tried to care about this show, but I just can’t. I sat in the back for about 30 minutes before leaving. They sounded fine, exactly what one would expect a band 30-35 years in their career to sound like. I guess I’m now going to the bad place though.
46. Yves Tumor: Well this was an interesting set. Yves has always played up the rockstar stereotype, but they took it to a new level for this performance. They were constantly harassing the camera crew and putting weird liquid on the lenses. Apparently after I left halfway through, it only got even weirder with them humping the cameras and poking fun at the crowd. Musically, the band was awesome, but Yves felt like they went too far with their persona this time. I just have to put it down further because of the blatant disrespect to not only their fans, but more importantly, the staff.
45. Josiah and the Bonnevilles: A former American Idol contestant is back after a failed record deal and although the first song didn’t impress me, he grew on me by the end of his set. There was a good amount of emotional storytelling, and I like how earnest he seemed while talking about his life. I wouldn’t consider myself a fan, but it was enjoyable.
44. Michigander: Michigander is the perfect band to kick off a festival! It’s fairly agreeable indie-rock that is mainly upbeat and will get the crowd into the festival, unless you’re battling one of the worst eye allergy responses you’ve ever had, then it’s a little less fun. So yeah, it’s not their fault I didn’t love it.
43. Chapel Hart: This family trio of sisters originally got their acclaim from America’s Got Talent and an updated version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”. Personally, I just checked them out because I got bored in the morning waiting for music to start. They sounded pretty good though and got the country fans up and moving.
42. BADBADNOTGOOD: The jazz-fusion group provided a pleasant background for a half hour of music. I won’t pretend like they were putting on the most enthralling live show, but it was pretty good for what I needed at the moment.
41. Whyte Fang: I only got there to see the last 20 minutes or so, and she sounded super interesting. Nothing special in my opinion, but nowhere near bad either.
40. Machinedrum: It wasn’t anything special, but for being the first drum and bass act I saw for a weekend that was full of that type of sound, he set the tone well.
39. T-Pain: I only saw around 20-30 minutes of this one, and none of my problems with it are really T-Pain’s fault. The crowd migration from Post Malone’s set to this one was huge, and T-Pain’s field was just not big enough to handle everyone. It just felt so packed and I didn’t want to battle that this late at night. Also, it was the exact same set he did at Wiscansin Fest last year when I saw him, so I just left. I still recommend seeing him at some point, he puts on a fantastic show!
38. Irreversible Entanglements: This set was musically fascinating, but it did cause me to feel a bit anxious. Irreversible Entanglements is a free jazz group headed by spoken word artist Moor Mother. Their instrumentals are amazing, but Moor Mother’s spoken word is so politically charged that it didn’t fit the vibe of a festival for me. I do consider myself a fan though and am excited for whatever music they drop next.
37. Pretty Lights: I saw about an hour of the six-ish hours that Pretty Lights performed this weekend, so don’t come at me if this is too low. It was a much more relaxed and psychedelic electronic experience than the other electronic artists on the lineup, but they were still able to throw down some nasty mashups. I completely understand how a festival like Bonnaroo is the perfect place for them to play as an electronic, psychedelic jam experience.
36. The Beaches: After seeing The Beaches at Summerfest last year, I knew exactly what to expect from their set, and they delivered. It was full of upbeat alt-rock anthems, but the big takeaway from their set was how personable they are. They mentioned how excited they were for Chappell Roan multiple times and even recognized the people they married yesterday at their show. So whether or not their set was musically special, they seem like good people.
35. Reneé Rapp: My main gripe with this one is that she left with more than 10 minutes left on her schedule. Everything else about it was super solid, especially for a new pop star. I may not love her music, but she’s clearly a talented performer!
34. LYNY: LYNY’s music is pretty bass-oriended, and the live show didn’t differ from that expectation. You could feel his passion and genuine excitement from whenever he spoke, which is always a plus!
33. Mon Rovia: He’s a folk-oriented artist that was a pretty good way to start the day. Can’t say there was much special about it, but it was a pleasant morning vibe for sure!
32. Gwar: I mean, it’s Gwar. If you don’t know, they have an elaborate set of costumes and extra characters throughout their set. It feels more like a play at some points than a performance. Just scroll through the video below and you'll see why. It's not the same characters, but you get the idea. But I did get to see the lead singer rip off the Israeli President’s face and have it spew blood into the crowd, so that’s something.
31. Teezo Touchdown: Teezo did probably talk too much in between songs, but his actual performance was still pretty cool. He was taking us on a journey throughout his career, and since I had to leave early to watch someone else, I wasn’t able to get the full experience. Hopefully next time!
30. Angel White: A pretty awesome surprise for a Wednesday! His recorded music is fairly slow and pretty, but the show was full of upbeat blues/country jams! Fantastic way to start the festival!
29. Sid Sriram: He had some technical difficulties that plagued the beginning of his set, but after they were able to figure that out for him, he put on a quality show! Sid has lots of charisma and a fantastic voice, especially when it came to the slower tracks.
28. Post Malone: I liked Post Malone as a person a lot during this set. Even when what he was saying felt corny at times, there was always this air of genuine care that really came across. As for the music, it was fairly hit or miss. His ballad “Stay” with a Billy Strings special guest was fantastic, as was the classic “Congratulations”, but there were also songs where I was bored and zoned completely out.
27. Brittany Howard: I only got to see like 15-20 minutes of her performance, but she sounded great! She’s only this far down because I only saw a little bit of it. Considering how great her new album is, I’m extra excited to watch the full performance at Summerfest this week. [Editor’s Note: Yup, the full performance was great!]
26. Gregory Alan Isakov: It was a bit more ominous than I expected, especially with the string interludes. I liked the big band feeling that this show had though, it helped attempt to translate this folksy sound to a festival setting. I just didn’t know the songs themselves well enough to fully love the show.
25. Sean Paul: This is up there for the most insane crowd of the weekend! I knew it was going to be the biggest tent show of the weekend, but it was so hard to even see the stage, let alone actually get close. Still though, I went to the side for most of it and had a fun time vibing and dancing alone to his collection of hits.
24. BigXThaPlug: My main problem with this performance has nothing to do with BigXThaPlug himself. It has to do with his DJ taking the most cliche hip-hop live performance aspects and dialing them up to a million. As for BigX himself, he was a really good performer! He actually performed the songs and kept the energy high.
23. Æon:Mode: Only saw the first 30-40 minutes of his performance, but he killed what I saw! I didn’t know much of his music, but he was awesome and had a super cool light show to match the music!
22. Say She She: Another all female trio, this time making danceable funk music instead of the aforementioned country trio. It definitely sounded more up my alley than the previous one. They were far from the best dance act of the weekend, but still good for a Thursday.
21. Shy FX: He was one of the first mainstream jungle artists, and that time has definitely helped him become a great DJ! It always looked like he was doing something, and he was able to pace the set beautifully! Clearly a seasoned professional.
20. Mike: He definitely had a bigger crowd that I was expecting! It was still a super fun time and his positive energy was infectious. I do wish he played more songs that I personally knew, but that’s a selfish request and not his fault.
19. Dominic Fike: As a performer, I thought Dominic did a really good job! He seemed to have a lot of energy and played to the crowd really well. As a person, he definitely looked like he was on coke or some type of crazy stimulant, and considering he has talked about addiction before, I just hope he’s doing ok.
18. Chappell Roan: I get it now! Well, not fully because I didn’t exactly love every song she did, but I understand why she’s become the phenom that she is! There were plenty of upbeat pop anthems and some pretty solid ballads. Even despite the early show and it being in the 90+ degree heat, her crowd was massive! Even though she’s huge now, I could easily see Chappell becoming significantly more popular and even one of the biggest artists of this generation!
17. Armand Hammer: I forgot how good Armand Hammer is. They’re both fantastic rappers, but especially when it comes to woods’s solo tracks, they’re some of the best underground hip-hop has to offer. It also felt weird being able to see woods’s face after he always blurs it online.
16. Khruangbin: I’m not the biggest fan of Khruangbin, but their set was pure vibes. It did feel a bit samey at some points, but it was perfect for just turning off your brain for an hour and listening to their psychedelic guitar jams. Also, their sped up version of “People Everywhere (Still Alive)” they did to end the set was insane!
15. Thundercat: Now, compared to the overwhelming crowd at T-Pain, Thundercat was exactly what the doctor ordered that night! Watching Thundercat solo and tell jokes was definitely the right move for me. Musically, it was just as fantastic as he always is; incredible bass playing with a much looser song structure and more solos. He also confirmed that he has a new album on the way and even played a new song, so that was extra cool!
14. Megan Thee Stallion: Megan has definitely improved as a performer over the past three years! She’s clearly gotten some advice from Beyonce when it comes to performing, but it won’t make sense to anyone that hasn’t seen her live. She still could’ve rapped more lyrics and did a little less ass shaking, but there’s no denying that Megan can put on an entertaining performance!
13. Chase & Status: I mean, of course they were great! There was only one of them there, but whichever it was did a great job balancing their hits with deep cuts. It did get a little samey towards the end, but that could also have been me being awake for almost 24 hours at that point.
12. Neal Francis’ Francis Comes Alive: Neal Francis was exactly what I wanted; soulful, weird, and the right amount of improvisation. The songs themselves are timeless, and the way Neal performs them makes them feel like they’ve been around for decades instead of a couple years. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out in case he ever comes back to Madison!
11. Durand Bernarr: Talk about charisma, Durand is overflowing with it! He’s so confident and clearly a seasoned performer. It’s clear that the 13 years of being Erykah Badu’s backup singer has taught him well when it comes to performing! He did pretty much all of his newest EP, which is exactly what I was hoping for! Even though I knew it would be good after seeing his Tiny Desk performance go viral, this was still one of the most pleasant surprises of the weekend!
10. The Dashboard Confessional Emo Superjam: This was actually way more awesome than I was expecting! Easily one of the biggest surprises of the festivals for me! Yes, it was just Dashboard Confessional playing emo songs with a bunch of different guests, but the sing-along atmosphere and constantly rotating guest lineup kept everything intriguing! I hope they have a superjam that is up my alley, because I could easily see that becoming a must-see experience!
9. Ethel Cain: The crowd was massive and tense for this stage, and especially for someone that makes the type of music she does. She killed it though, especially vocally! Such a thoughtful and elegant set for early on in the day.
8. Carly Rae Jepsen: This was the most positive, serotonin-heavy set possible! I’m not the biggest fan of any Carly album, but there are enough tracks from each album that I like to make this set full of amazingly upbeat pop anthems that I love! The set did get stopped halfway through due to lightning in the area, so the 45 minute break did kill the momentum that she had built up. But still, this performance was good enough to convince me that if she comes to Madison, I’ll be at her performance!
7. ISOxo: ISO was one of my most anticipated acts of the festival, and even though he didn’t completely live up to my expectations, it was still a lot of fun! It felt more like a festival set than his own concert, which makes sense, but isn’t exactly what I want. Reflecting on the show now a few days later, I really think my expectations were just too high, and that he still did an awesome job creating an hour set full of bangers!
6. Knock2: I actually liked Knock2 slightly better than ISOxo this weekend! Even though it didn’t look like he mixed anything live, he had better pacing and unreleased tracks than it felt like ISOxo had. Still though, both of them were so much fun and definitely people to keep an eye on for the future.
5. Gary Clark Jr.: I got into the pit for Gary and ended up being second row! He’s still just as confident and cocky as ever, and can still play some mad guitar solos! He didn’t play that many songs because most of what he did play were extended, but if the main problem with a set is that it felt too short, that means it must’ve been pretty awesome!
4. Parcels: The dance party to end all dance parties! If you’re not hip to Parcels, there are disco/funk/dance band from Australia who jam amazingly! Just skim through this performance they did at Red Rocks two days after their Bonnaroo show and imagine the feeling of being at this dance party!
3. Mdou Moctar: They absolutely killed it! Mdou himself seemed so confident and played to the crowd constantly, and the psychedelic guitar builds and climaxes were phenomenal! These guys are some of the best players of their respective instruments I’ve ever seen, and they will always be worth the ticket for a live show!
2. Ryan Beatty: This one destroyed me. First off, I was able to get front and center in the crowd, which was a big help for someone like Ryan. Being around a bunch of people who cared and knew to be quiet was important for a set like Ryan’s. His songwriting and vocals are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and even on a massive festival stage in 90 degree heat, that emotion was felt. Ending a set with the run of “Ribbons”, “White Teeth”, and “Little Faith” should be illegal. I have no idea how you could hear those songs in a row and not become emotional. I feel really lucky to see this set, and I’m glad that he lived up to the hype I had! The sunburn was worth it!
1. Fred Again..: This was the set I needed from this festival! It was missing the amazing performance from a high profile artist that feels like it can only be at a festival. It may have taken until the final performance of the festival, but Fred Again delivered everything that I wanted! There were plenty of emotional moments from his Actual Life album series that had me near tears, and then amazing rave moments like when he did a jungle remix of “Rumble”! Then there were special moments where he managed to have me doing both, like how “Delilah” had me dancing and crying at the same time. I understand that Fred’s music isn’t for everyone, but this was a special set for me that I feel privileged to see!
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