Sun-Soaked Guests at Bonnaroo 2015
Friday afternoon at Bonnaroo 2015
Live at the Bonnaroo Music Festival 06/12/15
Live at the Bonnaroo Music Festival 06/12/15
The Other Tent at sunset on 06/12/15.
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Friday evening at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Late night in This Tent at Bonnaroo on 06/12/15.
Late night in This Tent at Bonnaroo on 06/12/15.
Photos & Words by: Matthew McGuire
The 14th Annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival was held in Manchester, Tennessee at the Great Stage Park. Guests were able to arrive on Wednesday, June 10 to setup camp early, and get settled in for the extended weekend of entertainment.
Friday featured live performances with a wide range of musical, comedic, educative and cinematic genres of art to experience in a live setting.
In pervious years, I have found that the best part of Bonnaroo is the music on stage, and the people in the crowd. This year, I found a deeper appreciation for the various forms of expression at the festival.
The Academy is one of the more intriguing sections to the festival that I could see continuing to develop. It hosted interactive workshops during the four days. Guests had the ability to learn how to meditate, garden, and build various crafts.
Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath is based out of Austin, and brought their mix of metal, latin and classic rock to the Which Stage to start off the day. For more, scan our Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath interview and artist feature.
The Cinema Tent hosted an advanced screening with Being Evil on Friday. In addition to the air-conditioned tent, there was a comedy tent, VIP tents, The Academy, mist tents and plenty of more places to keep cool with temperatures in the 90s.
Bonnaroo is located essentially on farmland in Tennessee. It evokes the history of bluegrass and folk music. The festival grounds is unique in comparison to festivals located near or within city limits. Bonnaroo creates and provides a naturalistic sense of being.
Billy Joel commented on Sunday night that performing at Bonnaroo would have been similar to playing Woodstock. The energy of the artists and crowd at times does reflect that era, and at times the festival showcases a new generation of style and art.
One of latest forms of technology to hit the festival was the DUBS acoustic filters. I had my brother and sister-in-law try them out, and they noted that it cut down on the high and low frequency, and still provided a normal listening experience. I saw several younger people using them at the festival.
Watch Moon Taxi’s ‘All Day All Night’ with Red Bull at: http://www.redbull.tv/episodes/AP-1HX2PJ3HW1W11/moon-taxi
Watch Sylvan Esso’s ‘Could I Be’ at: http://www.redbull.tv/bonnaroo
Watch the trailer for Being Evil by: Futuristic Films
Being Evel “Official Trailer” from Futuristic Films on Vimeo.
My Friday afternoon started late, but I was able to catch the disco ball jam session with Moon Taxi on the Which Stage. Their refreshing sound reflected well with the sunny skies in Manchester. The band is based out of Nashville, and performed a progressive rock set at Bonnaroo. It was my first time catching them live, and had a blast with the Nashville cats.
Moon Taxi Setlist
Running Wild
Change
River Water
The New Black
All Day All Night
All the Rage
Morocco
Year Zero
Beaches
Mercury
Wake Up
Setlist source at: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/moon-taxi/2015/great-stage-park-manchester-tn-73c93ed5.html
Sylvan Esso at Sunset
Sylvan Esso, features Amelia Meath & Nick Sanborn from Durham, North Carolina. Their electropop sound filled the area at The Other Tent around sunset on Friday evening. It was my first time catching one of their live sets. The crowd was made up with a vast amount of beautiful people in Tennessee.
During the weekend, I was able to meet and connect with people from all over the country. People from all over the world now travel to Bonnaroo. A few of the crowds had international flags representing their country, and section of the world.
Kacey Musgraves, a rising country star from Golden, Texas kicked out a huge set during the dusk hours of Friday. She is promoting a new beverage with Zodiac Vodka. It is a non-GMO, gluten free style of vodka, and the country music superstar has been selected to host a launch event at Acme Feed & Seed Bar in Nashville on Tuesday, June 16. She is currently on a roll, and I found the end of set to be very entertaining.
Sylvan Esso Setlist
Could I Be, Dreamy Bruises, Dress, Coffee , Wolf, Uncatena, (Unknown) (Unreleased), (Unknown) (Unreleased), Hey Mami, H.S.K.T., Play It Right
Setlist source at: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sylvan-esso/2015/great-stage-park-manchester-tn-73c93ec1.html
VIP Guests at Moon Taxi
Alabama Shakes – 06/12/15
Bonnaroo 2015 at Sunset
Odesza Late Night at Bonnaroo
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Odesza Late Night
Odesza Setlist:
Koto
How Did I Get Here
Sia – Big Girls Cry (ODESZA Remix)
I Want You
All We Need
Beat Connection – Saola (ODESZA Remix)
Sun Models
Above the Middle
RAC – We Belong (ODESZA Remix)
Pretty Lights – One Day They’ll Know (ODESZA Remix)
Ki Theory – Open Wound (ODESZA Remix)
Keep Her Close
Bloom
Slow Magic – Waited 4 U (ODESZA Remix)
My Friends Never Die
Memories That You Call
ZHU – Faded (ODESZA Remix)
Hayden James – Something About You (ODESZA Remix)
Say My Name
Alex Adair – Make Me Feel Better (ODESZA Remix)
Odesza, Seattle-based hip-hop/experimental-electronic duo has captivated audiences worldwide in a rush. Their Bonnaroo set was packed with a robust horn section, and a mix of live percussion in combination with heavy electronic beats. Their set featured remixes and original tracks. This Tent was packed post to post with a festive crowd.
For more read a live interview with Odesza taken at Bonnaroo on Friday evening.
The group is touring hardcore this summer. Which spots are you excited about performing at live?
“We go back overseas, which should be fun. Down to LA, festivals in Europe, Hard Summer in Los Angeles, Lollapalooza, a lot of shows this summer.”
Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood
Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood, torched the stage with their New York jazz in That Tent before STS9 closed it down for the evening. Both acts have built a solid history with the festival. MSMW created a more relaxed atmosphere from 11-12 p.m. with a distinguishable blend of rock and jazz.
STS9 performs a more intense, progressive dance music that has layers of jazz and rock within their sound. This show marked my eighth time seeing STS9 live, and they continued to push the creative edge. Their late night shows at Bonnaroo, as well as MMW, create a traditional vibe to late night scene in Tennessee.
STS9 Setlist
Modular (Improv), World Go Round, Totem, Tap In, New Forms (Roni Size) / Music, Us (with Maureen Murphy), Awesome (Cool Kids STS9 Remix), Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature, Inspire Strikes Back, Luma Daylight, Shock Doctrine, I Feel Love (with Maureen Murphy), Rent, When The Dust Settles, Click Lang Echo (with Maureen Murphy), Baraka, Modular (Outro)
Raury, Rubblebucket, Tove Lo, Houndmouth, Gramatik & Jungle host hot sets on Thursday.
Kendrick Lamar, Ben Harper, Odesza, Earth Wind & Fire raise the bar on Friday.
Mumford & Sons, Slayer, Bassnectar, My Morning Jacket + the Superjam! on Saturday.
Billy Joel, Robert Plant, Ed Helms with the Bluegrass Superjam + Pokey LaFarge on Sunday.