Bonnaroo is always considered one of the best festivals in the country. This year was no exception. TapSongz had the opportunity to visit the farm this year and check out some amazing artists. We narrowed all of the sets down to the seven best. Check out our list below.
7. Dopapod
I made my first trip to Bonnaroo in 2011. I just missed witnessing Bonnaroo as a jam-band festival by a few years. However, each year Bonnaroo attempts to book artists who stick to the jam-band roots. Dopapod fit the role perfectly. Rolling Stone named the band as Bonnaroo’s best-kept secret in their pre-festival guide. Fans must have received the memo. The band improvised for a sea of fans that spilled into the center of the festival. The sea rippled as fans swayed back and forth to the pulsing synth that helped drive the set. Dopapod reminisced about past Bonnaroos where they played sets in the campgrounds as festival attendees. Needless to say, their evening tent-set was a huge step forward. Most likely the band will make a leap to the main stages in years to come.
6. Kendrick Lamar
When Kendrick Lamar came out to “Money Trees,” my heart began to sink. Prior to the festival, Lamar had only played two songs off of his 2015 release. This worried me. However, looking back, “Money Trees” was the perfect choice. Lamar breezed through a mix of songs from GKMC, a West-coast version of “Fuckin’ Problems” and a snippet of 2Pac’s “Hail Mary.” All of these songs were performed in front of astonishing Compton visuals. Lamar played 11 songs before delivering new material. Fans witnessed the live debut of “i” followed by “These Walls,” “King Kunta” and “Alright.” The first half of the setlist was very similar to his 2013 appearance on the farm. But these new tracks, combined with Lamar’s live band, made his set one of the best performances of the weekend.
5. Alabama Shakes
Alabama Shakes last played Bonnaroo in 2012. At the time, they had one album under their belt and a decent following. Three years later, the band is playing a sunset slot on the main stage prior to Kendrick Lamar. So, what happened? With the release of their follow-up album Sound & Color, the band soared to the top and reached number one on the US charts. The soul-queen Brittany Howard walked across the stage with her arms raised and was clearly emotional. “I never thought we’d be here, on this stage,” Howard said. “”It’s really hard to come up with something to say.” But what she could not say was made up with her singing voice. She belted through each song with a full tank of energy, and fans sang along into the night (although they had trouble competing with arguably the best vocalist today). The only thing that kept this performance from being one rank higher was their choice not to play their most famous song “Hold On.” Regardless, the band’s style, combined with the perfect time of day, made for one of the most memorable sets at Bonnaroo 2015.
4. Flying Lotus
I’ll admit that I do not listen to that much Flying Lotus. However, I am aware of his talent as a producer. With that being said, I did not know what to expect at a Flying Lotus show. Would he play a hype DJ set? Would he play mostly his album? Would he rap under his persona Captain Murphy? The correct answer: all of the above. Flying Lotus delivered a balanced combination of hype and ambience, making sure never to lean too far in one direction. His entire show was performed between two screens that created a three-dimensional effect. His intricate, and sometimes haunting, visuals accompanied the music perfectly and helped outshine the other electronic performances from the weekend. Honestly, most DJ sets consist of the performer hitting the stage and pushing a few buttons. But when you have a stage-setup like Flying Lotus, you can steal the show. The set also featured a cameo appearance from Chance the Rapper who was making rounds to a variety of sets over the weekend.
3. Mac DeMarco
I knew Mac DeMarco was going to be a treat. He had a “bistro table” set up for other musicians on stage that were there to watch him. He started his set by saying “Last time was pretty crazy. Hopefully this time will be even crazier.” Indeed it was. The goofballs slacked beautifully through their songs with comedic antics in between. The band chanted “Coachella,” tossed a dildo around on stage and even attempted to break a world record for most people on other people’s shoulders. The set was also filled with covers including Steely Dan’s “Reeling in the Years.” Lead guitarist Andy White also performed an impromptu cover of The Proclaimer’s “Over and Done With” while Mac fixed a broken string. But the highlight of the set was DeMarco’s crowd surf at the end. He jumped into the crowd during one of the slowest songs of the night and made it halfway to the back of the tent. Dozens of fans attempted to join him in this quest including a naked girl. After he was finished, an encore chant erupted. Although the band was not sure if they were allowed to continue, they did so anyway. They tore through an epic cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” which led to more crowd surfing and a riotous mosh pit at the front of the stage. This was the perfect way to end the first night.
2. My Morning Jacket
If I had to pick one band that defines Bonnaroo the most, it would be My Morning Jacket. Prior to 2015, the band had played the festival six times (with the most recent being 2011). The band had been quiet since their release of Circuital in 2011., but they were busy. With the release of The Waterfall in 2015, the critically acclaimed My Morning Jacket was back in action. I had the opportunity to see My Morning Jacket at Bonnaroo in 2011. At the time, I did not listen to their music, but it was still one of the most amazing sets of my life. Now that I have had the chance to dig into their catalogue, I decided to see them again. I was well aware of Jim James’ physical and psychic health issues and was worried they would hinder his live performance These issues helped create a beautiful album, but I was concerned his stage presence might be lost. But when the band hit the stage, my worries were gone. The band clearly loves to play the festival. They continued songs far past the album runtime, jamming on them with the crowd on edge. James made his way around the stage during solos and showcased his incredible vocal range. His screams echoed into the night as glowstick wars took place in the crowd. The band managed to showcase The Waterfall while still giving fans a taste of their other works. And of course, they ended with the signature “One Big Holiday.”
1. Superjam !
While My Morning Jacket is the band that defines Bonnaroo, the Superjam is the set. And this year’s Superjam was star-studded. It began with Zach Galifianakis and John Hamm introducing the Superjam by singing “We Are The World.” Pretty Lights then took the stage along with the rest of the band before introducing Chance the Rapper. Chance energized the crowd with one of the most well-known rap songs of all time: “Juicy” by Notorious B.I.G. The party was non-stop as Pretty Lights provided interludes between songs while the other musicians prepared. These interludes included a mass sing-along of Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend” (“Just A Friend” sing-alongs are popular around Bonnaroo throughout the weekend). Other highlights of the Superjam include Rhiannon Giddens’ cover of “Roxanne” and Jamie Lidell’s version of “Sexual Healing.” However, when DMC took the stage, things got out of hand. DMC (along with Chali 2NA) performed “It’s Tricky” and went back and forth on “Peter Piper.” But the highlight of the night was when Cherub joined DMC for the classic remix of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” This performance induced an encore chant, even though the set had already lasted an extra hour. Jamie Lidell returned to the stage followed by Chance the Rapper who closed out the night.