More Than Just Music: Bonnaroo Closes the Gap Between Artists and Fans With An Overwhelming Sense of Community (Pt. 1)

PHOTOS BY ETHAN ANDREWS

For so many, Bonnaroo is much more than just a concert. The experience extends beyond the nonstop music, the unpredictable weather, or the 90-degree heat. It’s a community of people who gather from all walks of life, connected by their pure and undeniable love of music. For one weekend, sweaty bodies covered head to toe in dirt and glitter come together to lean on one another, shout the lyrics to their favorite songs, dance like nobody’s watching, and live in the moment — tied together by this overwhelming feeling of human connection. 

The festival, which took place in Manchester, Tennessee, was nothing short of spectacular. Kicking off on Thursday, June 13, many festival-goers were up bright and early, packing into the festival grounds and getting ready to set up their campsites. Each camper is provided with a roughly  20’x20’ space, and “Bonnaroovians” are known to use every inch of that space to get as creative as possible with their campsites. From full-sized hot pink blow-up couches to tapestries with pictures of Gibby from iCarly on them to camping chairs on the rooftops of buses, each individual campsite was bursting with personality. Walking through campsites is like going through a goofy, wildly innovative museum of weirdness. 

Preparing for a festival as large as Bonnaroo can be an overwhelming task. And we’re all human, so it’s likely to forget something necessary for a campsite in the process of packing. But because of the type of environment that Bonnaroo provides, camping neighbors often come to the rescue. Setting up camp can be a challenge, but so many people are willing to help out, which is a true testimony to Bonnaroo’s motto, “Radiate Positivity.” 

Medium Build at Bonaroo.
PHOTO BY ETHAN ANDREWS

THURSDAY:  First time Indie and EDM Legends

With over 150+ acts at Bonnaroo, taking place across six stages and running through the early hours of Monday morning, it’s pretty impossible to catch every single act. Thursday’s lineup alone was stacked; we spent a lot of the day running from stage to stage trying to catch bits and pieces of the amazing performers who were set to play that day. Michigander, Matt Maltese, Ocie Elliott, Happy Landing and Medium Build were just a few of the artists that performed Thursday afternoon, and each one delivered an absolutely mind-blowing performance. 

American Folk band Happy Landing, whose upbeat and lively sound could be compared to that of The Lumineers or The Head and the Heart, played at Who stage, providing a safe space for audience members to dance freely. As first-timers at Bonnaroo, the band was ecstatic to play such a large and energetic festival. 

“This is our first major festival, and we’re just doing a few of them, so it’s just cool to be here. We’re trying to keep our expectations to just whatever, and we are so grateful to be here,” lead vocalist Matt Hendley told Pleaser in an on-site interview. 

Happy Landing’s energy is nothing short of spirited, intertwining sounds of roots music, Americana, indie-rock, and punk to create a truly exciting, pumped-up concert experience. Although many of the instruments they perform with are acoustic, Happy Landing makes it a point to turn up the amp to 11, creating energy through positive lyricism and innovative harmonies to project a well-rounded musical sound to eager audience members. 

Contributing to Thursday’s theme of an indie-folk lineup, Canadian band Ocie Elliott performed a gorgeous set that felt warm like a lived-in home. Performing intimate and powerful renditions of songs such as “Down by the Water” and “Take Me Home,” the couple-duo explored themes of love and connection as they performed on That Stage, all the while creating a beautiful space for ethereal harmonies coexisting with simple, gorgeous acoustics. 

The hushed-folk duo writes songs that are detailed and delicate, mostly starting with some sort of riff or chord progression, and from there, they go to work to write lyrics and harmonics that work well with the progression they created originally. When performing for audiences, Ocie Elliott tries to cultivate an experience that each individual audience member can relate to on a deeper, more sincere level. 

ABOVE: Folk duo Ocie Elliott performing at Bonaroo.
PHOTO BY ETHAN ANDREWS

“I say this a lot, and I know it sounds really cheesy, but a song can be a friend, “ Lundy said. “If I can create friends for people, I think that’s what this is about.” 

This is Ocie Elliott’s first Bonnaroo, and the duo was blown away by the amount of people who showed up to their set. Although the band had played many folk festivals before, this was their first experience playing at a venue that was as community-oriented as Bonnaroo. 

Playing at That Tent on Thursday, Nick Carpenter of Medium Build brought audience members a powerful performance packed with emotional anecdotes, vivid visual imagery, and heavy lyricism. The entire performance cultivated a sense of intimacy as if there were no stage between Carpenter and the sea of concert-goers, and he was just performing for a few good friends. 

Every Medium Build song feels personal. Every lyric has a meaning, and each word is so obviously important. Carpenter has the raw, real, and rare ability to take moments from ordinary, everyday experiences and twist those moments into descriptions that turn the mundane into something truly special. Like lyrics from his song “In My Room,” where he describes scenes from his 12-year-old room that anyone who’s been 12 can relate to. The imagery of melting cheese on chips to the ridiculousness that comes from doing things like quoting the matrix to impress friends at school proves just how wildly inventive Carpenter can be when writing songs that capture specific feelings. 

Medium Build
PHOTO BY ETHAN ANDREWS

“I normally don’t write words unless I feel overwhelmed. And I’m a big overthinker. So normally, lyrics come to me when I’m like, going on a walk, and I’m chewing on a problem. Like, ‘Oh, I didn’t like how that conversation went,’” Carpenter told Pleaser. “Any human interaction where I leave with a feeling or anything that leaves me with discomfort, I try to make sense of it. I’m just very interested in human interactions. We’re not real. We’re literally just brains sitting behind eyeballs. You’re not your body or your name or how you dress. You’re just a sense of feeling and belonging and you’re looking for constant validation. I think people are endlessly fascinating, and I try to put all of the encounters I feel into the tunes.” 

Medium Build carries these feelings and emotions he puts into his songs onto the stage, where he delivered his powerful, heavy, and authentic performances at Bonnaroo. This fest, for Carpenter, is extremely special. His first one, in 2012, was an experience he shared with his dad and brother. 

The year he went with his family, The Avett Brothers played, and Carpenter remembers vividly standing in the crowd with his dad and his brother, arms wrapped around one another’s shoulders, singing the lyrics to “Murder in the City.” The song aptly paints a picture of love and bond between a father and his sons with lyrics like, “A tear fell from my father’s eyes / I wondered what my dad would say / he said I love you and I’m proud of you both in so many different ways.” 

Since this year Medium Build is making his debut at Bonnaroo, Carpenter brought his brother, his bandmates and a few of his friends to recreate their 2012 Bonnaroo group. 

Thursday afternoon, there was a complete vibe change. What started out as an indie / alternative lineup turned into EDM acts such as It’s Murph, Discolines, and Chris Lake. The vibes were unmatched as concert-goers showed up in an assortment of fishnets, bikini tops, and huge platform Demonia shoes. BigXthaPlug played Thursday night, hyping up audience members with hits like “Texas” and “Mmhmm.”

BigXthaPlug
PHOTO BY ETHAN ANDREWS

Many showed up to these sets holding light-up meme totems, one even showing “The Four Seasons Baby.” One couple simply had a potato and a piece of corn on a stick, and that totem was a hit amongst the crowds. The night sets were filled with seas of lights and colors as Bonnaroovians danced until the sun rose. 

Esteemed DJ Pretty Lights, who some consider the father of electronic music, headlined the night with beats sounding like the inside of an inter-dimensional spaceship. He blends homemade electronic beats with poetry, live musicians, and samples, and tops it off with an extraordinary light show that electrifies audience members. Pretty Lights made Bonnaroo history this year as the first artist to ever play a headlining set on a Thursday at the festival. 

FRIDAY: Indie Pop Faves and Post Malone

Grouplove performing at Bonaroo.
PHOTO BY ETHAN ANDREWS

Thursday was a perfect start to the four-day-long festival, but the vibes really began to kick in on Friday, the first full day. The lineup was packed with names from chart toppers to independent artists and everyone in between. 

Early in the day, artists like Abby Holiday and The Japanese House played sets that were both energizing and mellow, a perfect prelude to what the rest of Friday would hold. Since the lineup was so packed, there were several set clashes that were almost impossible to maneuver. Grouplove, Faye Webster, Dominic Fike, Lizzie McAlpine, and Key Glock were all scheduled for almost the exact same time, which meant that many of these highly overlapping indie fans were running between stages in an attempt to catch bits and pieces of their favorite acts. 

Dominic Fike
GIF BY ETHAN ANDREWS

Maryland-reared and multi-platinum pop artist Maggie Rogers brought an ethereal energy to the stage Friday night, greeting audience members with a big-screen montage of flowers, nature scenes and home videos, which alone was enough to bring tears to several eyes in the crowds. Rogers knows how to connect with her audience just by being a genuine presence, and she started the show by greeting the audience by stating “My name is Maggie Rogers, and this is my beautiful band!” She began her set with the leading track from her newest album Don’t Forget Me, which was truly unforgettable. 

“This is the very first time I’ve ever played or been to this festival, and I’ve been dreaming about it since I was 16,” Rogers said on stage. 

Rogers filled audience members’ eyes with tears and hearts full of hope as she spilled detailed anecdotes between each song. The set was truly beautiful, and a perfect precursor to the headlining act of the night, Post Malone. 

Post Malone
PHOTO BY ETHAN ANDREWS

Post Malone brought an unmatchable performance to the What Stage Friday night. He’s been teasing a country album for quite some time, but took a pause from pushing his newfound country persona to play a hit-filled set at Bonnaroo. However, he still invited bluegrass guitar picker Billy Strings out on stage to perform a couple of songs from his album Beerbongs and Bentleys. Intertwining the rap favorites with the gorgeous sounds Billy Strings’ guitar picking made for a genuinely magical experience.

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Stay tuned for our recap of Saturday & Sunday and head over to our Instagram for more fun! Pt. 2 coming tomorrow <3