Bonnaroo 2024
What is Bonnaroo?
Bonnaroo is a one-of-a-kind experience. Up to 100,000 people are able to come to this special music festival in Manchester, Tennessee. The festival itself is 4 days, but my friend, Madison, and I like to get there two days before the festival starts. I promise you will never experience anything else like this.
Experience
I have never felt such a sense of community somewhere, which is funny considering I’m surrounded by thousands of strangers I will never see again. We are all there to have a good time and want everyone to enjoy themselves as well. I met over 50 people in almost a week. We made two friends, Bryce and Chad, our first night ‘in the woods’. We hung out the whole festival and built meaningful relationships. While this is nice, there are also the people that are there to take care of others. Whether it’s cooling down a giant crowd with a big fan, starting conversations and friendships in an instant, or complimenting someone’s outfit, it feels like everyone goes out of their way to make each other happy, and that makes the connections really special.
Music
Something I appreciate about Bonnaroo is the fact that there is music for everyone there! There is every genre from rap to folk to pop to hard EDM. There is a diverse group of people who are brought together by their love of music. Music festivals have gotten bigger in recent years, but Bonnaroo came to life in 2002. It’s well known but also not as big as Coachella or Lollapalooza, which is nice.
Post Festival
It's hard to face reality when you finally leave the farm and are greeted by a Chick-Fil-A after being in a perfect bubble for the last week. The drive home was rough, and not to sound dramatic, but that was mainly due to post festival depression. It’s so hard reminiscing on how the last few days have changed your life for the better knowing you’re about to be back at work sitting at a desk. I want to show everyone my videos, but I also know no one really care, so that’s what this is for :) (I couldn’t upload everything, I’m figuring it out)
Day by Day
Tuesday
We were on the road by 5:30 AM after a snack stop at Wawa and a very early night. The drive there flew by and we were there before 1 PM. I remember the excitement we radiated as we got closer to the entrance, and then the security lines put somewhat of a damper on that. We got stuck behind a van that only had one guy, who was causing a bit of a ruckus. Turns out, this man is a legend. Arms covered in festival bands, known by everyone, constantly wandering around the crowds.
Finally, we arrived at our campsite after anticipation had almost killed me. We quickly got out of my car and set up. We had a way better setup this time around compared to the one we had in 2022. After we finished setting up our camp, we vegged out. After relaxing, we explored the area around us for a bit. We were lucky enough to be set up in probably the most ideal location. We were two cars in from the end of our row, where we could see the entrance, and were six rows away from the main base camp. There were plenty of food options, live music, fun stores, water and ice stations, a generous general store, showers, and flushable toilets. After exploring a bit, we got dinner and hung out at our camp a little longer. By 6:30-7, we were itching to go into the woods. Something fun, but confusing, about Bonnaroo is the names of the stages, tents, etc.
The main stage is ‘What Stage’ and the tents are ‘This Tent’ and ‘That Tent’, the EDM night shows are held at ‘Where In The Woods’. We found our place on the rail at the middle walkway far enough so we could see the DJ in the spaceship. This is when we met Bryce and Chad. We all hit it off and just started hanging out from there. We saw Ranger Trucco, AlleyCVT, and Flying Mojito Bros. Not to be dramatic, but this night changed my life. I hate to admit I was an EDM hater forever. I liked remixes to songs, but I wasn’t even super into house music. But AlleyCVT … Damn. Now I like drum and bass EDM because of her. We were in the same spot for about 6-7 hours and called it a night.
Wednesday
The next day, we just chilled out at our camp for the whole day. Chad and Bryce came to ours to play pong and cards. A friend from work, Will, came to the festival with a big group of friends but still stopped by to hang out for a bit. It was a good day to settle in and get comfortable with everything and everyone. We went back into the woods around the same time as the night before. I believe we saw the end of Pocket and then stayed for the full sets of Sicaria, MachineDrum, AEON:MODE, and Chase & Status. To be honest, the night was a haze. I remember dancing and meeting a lot of new people on top of hanging out with some we already knew. Overall, great night.
Thursday
Now the party begins … kinda
The festival, Centeroo, opened at noon, but we decided to hang out at the camp during the day. A friend of mine met us at our camp and we caught up for a bit before heading to the entrance. At 2 PM, there was a group shotgun at the entrance. There were hundreds of people there, and we made it onto Bonnaroo’s Instagram, and I was caught shotgunning a Red Bull… embarrassing. We headed inside and my body automatically filled with serotonin as we entered. We walked around the grounds for a bit just to wander around but then started the festival with Michigander which was fantastic. After wandering a bit more, we got back to our camp and chilled out with our friends before we went back in for The Heavy Heavy. Madison and I saw them at Iron Blossom here in RVA last August, but it was raining during their set, so I can confidently say this was a way better time. From there we headed straight to ‘The Other Stage’ which is just EDM all the time. We started strong with It’s Murph who killed his set. We made some friends from Chicago/ Indiana University and got all the way up to the front. Disco Lines came on and boy was I excited. He lived up to my expectations and it was just wonderful. He closed with ‘Baby Girl’ which hit so hard. Oliver Heldens was next, and I hate to say it but I wasn’t vibing as much as I wanted myself to. But Chris Lake came out and I was revived. Originally, it was supposed to be Fisher, but there was a last-minute change. He played some of Fisher’s classics to make up for the switch.
A fantastic, chill first day.
Friday
Huge shocker, I didn’t leave our camp until we were going into the festival. But we had a chill start to a busy day. We set up some blankets under the shade near the Which Stage to watch The Japanese House. It was more hype than I was expecting, but I think I was also kind of out of it at the time. One of our friends wanted to peep Mike., who was interesting. We learned his catchphrase quickly: ‘Hey, how are ya?’ Got tired of that real quick and wandered around. As we got closer to the main stage, Madison and I noticed a familiar face on the big screen. We were delightfully surprised by Ross Lynch’s band, The Driver Era. They jammed hard and killed it. Threw a bit of Santana in there which was fun. Followed them up with Gary Clark Jr., and I will admit I don’t remember him at all. I’m sure it was great though. Madison and I headed back to the main stage to see Dominic Fike who was interesting. He was kind of all over the place, to be honest. He was definitely on something … oop! Left him after a while and arrived at Key Glock. We didn’t even try to push our way into the crown because when we arrived he was playing ‘Mo Bamba’ … It wasn’t what we were expecting, so by the time we got a drink at the bar, we headed over to the next tent where TV Girl was playing next. We were quite disappointed with their show. Wasn’t very fun at all and it felt more chill than their recorded music which just wasn’t the vibe, so we left quickly and headed back to the main stage. Khruangbin came on and it was such a vibe. Their stage setup was so beautiful with the multi-color lights that faded into each other. Our group made our way up to a side rail that surrounded the VIP walkway and pit. For the first part of the show, I was fully invested in the music … until I realized we were standing next to Ross Lynch. I pushed my way past our friends so I could stand on the rail next to him, but didn’t want to interrupt his good time. I did creepily take a couple of pictures of him but it was so cool to see one of my childhood crushes standing right in front of me. Eventually, he left and we enjoyed the rest of the show. Khruangbin’s music is so unique and special that you can’t help but have a good time. Then, the finale. I didn’t get myself very excited for Post Malone but he put on quite a show. The fireworks were incredible, his voice was killer, Billy Strings came out, and the setlist was awesome. Since we were on the rail near VIP, Billy walked past us after he performed and Madison was the only one who recognized him so he said nice to us, TWICE. After Post, we headed to T-Pain which was so hype. I was really excited for T-Pain, but at that point in the night, I was deteriorating, so I was sitting down for a lot of his set. Afterward, we finished the night with a silent disco. So fun.
Fantastic day. Gets better every day.
Saturday
This day was a bit more chill because I didn’t go to as many people, but the heat was getting worse by the hour. We started the day with d4vd under the trees and he did so well. His voice is so smooth and calming, it was a great way to kick off the day. After hanging out there for a while, we headed to Bakar and I went back to d4vd for ‘Romantic Homicide’, obviously… I don’t know much of Bakar’s music, but he did great, and ‘Hell N Back’ was awesome live. From Bakar, I went back to the Which Stage and got into the pit for Brittany Howard. I’ll admit, I didn’t know anything about her besides the fact that she is the lead singer for Alabama Shakes. She has an incredibly powerful voice that is distinct and so impressive. I’m glad I was front row for her because I think it helped me appreciate her music more since I hadn’t listened beforehand. I did go into the pit to camp out before the next performance, but I didn’t know the pit gets kicked out after every show. The line was too long at that point so I made my way up to the front to see Reneé Rapp sing, almost 5 years later to the day. I was lucky enough to see her act as Regina George in ‘Mean Girls’ on Broadway. She has stayed on my radar since then, and I am so proud and lucky to have seen her first time at Bonnaroo. I was blessed by her presence but was more underwhelmed by her stage presence than I expected myself to be. I dumbly started to head out after she finished ‘In The Kitchen’, and then ‘Tummy Hurts’ began. I was a bit farther back, but damn was she good. She has such a special talent that makes her stand out from everyone else. The power and control her voice has is insane. I made my way over to What Stage to see Cage the Elephant. If you know me, Cage is my favorite band but I’ll admit I was not in it to win it at this show at all. I got lost when I arrived and was overwhelmed which put me in a weird mood. Our friends brought in their blow-up couch to relax for the show and my body sank so far into the couch, there was no point of return … until ‘Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked’ of course. They had a great show, but I’ll admit I wasn’t as pressed to be up close for them because I had already bought tickets to one of their shows, not long after Bonnaroo. After Cage, we hung around the stage and got a bit closer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Ya know, I acknowledge their talent, but for personal reasons, I am not their biggest fan. I still had a good time, but I was also in the couch or sitting almost the whole time.
A little more relaxed today, but still couldn’t help but get better by the minute.
Sunday
I had my mind set on one thing and one thing only this day … Chappell Roan. The ‘Femininomenon’ of the year. Chappell has taken the world by storm, and I am obsessed with her.
I headed into the festival, got another shirt I wanted, and sat in place on the rail at the Which Stage. The heat was the worst it had been all week. The high for the day was 95 degrees and standing in the same place for 4 hours wasn’t great on the body. Security was passing out water and my backpack was filled to the brim. Everyone was there for Chappell, but Libianca performed before her set. We were all supportive and she was really talented, but I had to sit under my pashmina for most of the set because of the bombarding heat. The women around me were great and we became like a small little community. We were there to entertain, support, and take care of everyone around us. We radiated excitement like no other group in the crowd. Also, a fun little thing was that Kacey Musgraves walked past me and we could see her clearly in the pit throughout the show. Turns out she camped out the whole week! When Chappell came out, I didn’t even know I was crying until the tears started streaming down my face. She has the most amazing stage presence and is so sweet to her fans. The way she has blown up this year is historic. I don’t know anyone who has gained popularity overnight the way she has, and for good reason too. She is a (gay) pop icon because of her distinct voice and unique music style. I’ll get more into my appreciation for her in a different post. But overall, she was incredible. Next, we headed to the Other Stage to hang out at TSHA and Four Tet. Honestly, I just sat the whole time until it started raining and we had to evacuate the festival. It only lasted maybe 30 minutes, but as we were walking back in, we could see/hear Carly Rae Jepsen singing ‘Call Me Maybe’. We made it to Galantis for a bit, but I was quite underwhelmed. I was expecting more I think because they were so hyped up when I was in middle school/high school. After that, we headed to see the Megan Thee Stallion. She slayed. Killed it. She’s so hot. I’m leaving my boyfriend for her … oops! It’s impressive how active she is on stage while performing. Plus, she did ‘What’s New’ which is my favorite song of hers after ‘Cash Shit’ which I will never recover from missing in person. After Megan, we found our spot in preparation for the closer. I was lowkey at my breaking point, but only needed to make it one more set. Fred again.. exceeded my expectations completely. Madison and a co-worker of mine are obsessed with him but I didn’t listen to him before. The most impressive part of his style is the fact that he does all the beats in person on his soundboard. We chose a good spot which put us so close to him when he came out to the stage in the crowd. Being there was just perfect.
The best day to close the festival.