![\"Lolawolf\"](\"http:\/\/agitreader.com\/wp2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Lolawolf.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAlthough Bonnaroo\u2019s long ago outlived its reputation as a hippie retreat, when you make it to the Farm\u2014as it\u2019s affectionately called by attendees and organizers alike\u2014you soon realize you\u2019re attending something more than a music festival. One example of such is the Bonnaroovian Code, the festival\u2019s utopian set of commandments which asks patrons to \u201cradiate positivity\u201d above all else. (It lends some legitimacy to that Summer of Love stereotype, I suppose.) Manchester, Tennessee\u2019s premier event makes it a point to maintain its free-spirit, diverse culture beyond the music, which fundamentally sets it apart from festivals of a similar stature.<\/p>\n
That philosophy translates into their music lineup. There\u2019s something to be said for a festival that books three utterly different acts to headline: LCD Soundsystem, Pearl Jam, and Dead & Company. With countless other festivals co-existing nowadays, Bonnaroo\u2019s lineup can never be wholly unique, but exclusivity and a dire need for the \u201cnext big thing\u201d have never taken centerstage. At the risk of sounding too Bonnaroovian, it\u2019s always been about the vibe. (Full disclosure: I\u2019m a three-time attendee.) Anyway, here\u2019s what the 15th Bonnaroo offered.<\/p>\n
![\"Bully\"](\"http:\/\/agitreader.com\/wp2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Bully.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h4>\nDay One: Thursday, June 9<\/h4>\n
As is tradition, Thursday schedules are covered with up-and-coming buzz bands to serve as an appetizer for early arrivers, and that trend continued this year. Lolawolf<\/b> (pictured top), an electronic R&B trio fronted by Zoe Kravitz (daughter of Lenny Kravtiz), slayed early in the evening with a set of bangers featuring an aesthetic comparable to a PG-rated Death Grips. The next highlight came from Madrid\u2019s Hinds<\/b>, who performed a well-oiled hour of quirky lo-fi that was a breath of fresh air to the sometimes stagnate garage rock style. I filled in the night with a set from soon-to-be folk mainstays Waxahatchee<\/b>, some of the grunge nostalgia of Bully<\/strong> (pictured above), and a late-night show of uplifting, love-yourself anthems from rapper Lizzo<\/b>.<\/p>\nDay Two: Friday, June 10<\/h4>\n
Friday\u2019s early moments were defined by Shamir<\/b> (pictured below), a young Las Vegas native who provided some of the most distinctive hip-hop\/dance music to roll through Bonnaroo in some time. It\u2019s become an unfortunate pattern for Bonnaroo crowds to disperse after hearing a given artist\u2019s \u201chit,\u201d and clearly no one told them that Shamir had more beyond \u201cOn the Regular.\u201d \u201cMake a Scene\u201d and \u201cCall It Off\u201d followed later in his set, and were arguably just as strong. When Shamir finished things up by hanging out in the crowd, the 21-year-old\u2019s swift trajectory into the spotlight seemed justified.<\/p>\n
![\"Shamir\"](\"http:\/\/agitreader.com\/wp2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Shamir.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nElectronic-tinged music became the theme of the first few hours. I caught Chvrches<\/b> on the main stage (also known as the What Stage), where they\u2019ll no doubt perform at future Bonnaroos until they somehow can\u2019t make a catchy song anymore. Singer Lauren Mayberry even reckoned middle school days for attendees by bringing out Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams for \u201cBury It.\u201d Anthony Gonzalez and his shoegaze titan M83<\/b> were the next stop, who smartly focused on 2011 breakthrough Hurry Up, We\u2019re Dreaming<\/i> for most of the set instead of the recent Junk<\/i> LP. New material largely missed the mark, but \u201cGo!\u201d stood out even without Steve Vai.<\/p>\n
Then it was time for Friday\u2019s big name. While scouting out a spot for LCD Soundsystem<\/b> (pictured below), the excitement\u2014and the monstrous crowds\u2014truly began to take hold. That anticipation dissipated, though, as soon as James Murphy and company took the stage for \u201cUs v Them\u201d and subsequently pounded through 14 epics like a new-wave, post-punk jam band. Their guitars were much brighter in the live setting, and the band\u2019s chops were unreal to witness, especially in the transition to \u201cDance Yrself Clean\u201d from \u201cNew York, I Love You.\u201d All-in-all, it was actually a pretty low-energy set, covering more of their ballads (\u201cLosing My Edge,\u201d \u201cAll My Friends\u201d) than dance tracks (\u201cDaft Punk\u201d was about it). However, the fireworks set off when \u201cDance Yrself Clean\u201d dropped made up for the lack of \u201cDrunk Girls\u201d and \u201cNorth American Scum.\u201d Though excellent through and through, the two-hour set felt all too brief.<\/p>\n
Speaking of sets feeling too short, that seemed to be the only negative of Tame Impala\u2019s<\/b> 1am set. Nonetheless, it was easily the second best performance of Friday, with the band serendipitously playing the same stage and time slot as Flaming Lips did two years ago. I would\u2019ve liked to have heard more of Tame Impala\u2019s psychedelic roots, but it\u2019s hard to fault a band for focusing on an album like Currents<\/i>. No worries: confetti and memories of when Tame Impala first struck a chord rained down with \u201cFeels Like We Only Go Backwards.\u201d This band literally sounds like the record; Parker sang without a single gaffe, and the band didn\u2019t falter in any spot.<\/p>\n![\"LCD\"](\"http:\/\/agitreader.com\/wp2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/LCD.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h4>\nDay Three: Saturday, June 11<\/h4>\n
If Friday leaned toward electronically textured music, Saturday was dedicated to rock. The day began with running from a surprise Jason Mraz<\/b> set to catch Beach Fossils<\/b>. Beach Fossils\u2019 subdued brand of indie rock was appreciated at the onset, however, the style felt worn out a few songs in and antithetical to this day\u2019s rock zeitgeist. Clash the Truth<\/i> cuts were still welcomed by the audience, yet no song was compelling enough to keep passing fans from straying from the tent. Band of Horses<\/b>, similarly, left something to be desired by putting on an afternoon set of bland country-rock on the What Stage. Knowing that fans were wanting of their Everything All the Time\/Cease to Begin<\/i> days, the group eventually succumbed to being good entertainers by playing \u201cThe Funeral\u201d and \u201cGeneral Specific\u201d to wrap things up.<\/p>\n
Haim<\/b>, another band that seems to have made a name for itself at lightning speed (a la Shamir), proved to be the first Saturday highlight. Their set of Fleetwood Mac\u2013inspired harmonies dappled with \u201990s R&B was noteworthy if for no other reason than the guitar chops of Danielle Haim. Songs like \u201cHoney & I\u201d and \u201cForever\u201d showcased a propensity to shred in a way that rock hasn\u2019t heard since before bands like the aforementioned Beach Fossils were en vogue. The popularity of Haim\u2014and the increasing recognition of bands like Diarrhea Planet elsewhere\u2014make one wonder if the key to being a successful rock band nowadays is embracing everything that makes rock, um, rock, noodley solos and all. It helps that Haim had the banter and savvy of a hard rock band; after one particular song, a member exclaimed, \u201cThat was fucking lit, Bonnaroo.\u201d<\/p>\n
After an hour-long thunderstorm delay (fortunately, the serious weather mostly slid right past Manchester) and some inoffensive pop from English songstress Ellie Goulding<\/b>, I made it to Pearl Jam\u2019s<\/b> set just in time to hear \u201cEven Flow.\u201d Every subsequent classic\u2014\u201cJeremy,\u201d \u201cDaughter,\u201d \u201cPorch,\u201d \u201cWhy Go\u201d and countless others\u2014expanded upon a majestic atmosphere. They followed up the seemingly historical set with an eight-song encore that saw \u201cComfortably Numb\u201d turn into a grunge classic before a fitting set closeout of Neil Young\u2019s \u201cRockin\u2019 in the Free World.\u201d Vedder played the frontman role well throughout the set by applauding Bonnaroo for its positive spirit and bringing his daughter Olivia onstage so the whole crowd could sing her \u201cHappy Birthday.\u201d The only issue, if any, was the conspicuous omission of \u201cYellow Ledbetter,\u201d but that hardly deterred from the strength of what Pearl Jam delivered.<\/p>\n
Any energy left in the Bonnaroovians was focused on Big Grams<\/b>, the new collaboration between Big Boi, one half of hip-hop heavyweights OutKast, and electro-rock duo Phantogram. Their set was old-fashioned millennial fun, and undeniably meant to live in the post-1am slot it was in. The highpoint was an impeccable mashup of Phantogram\u2019s \u201cMouthful of Diamonds\u201d with OutKast\u2019s \u201cMs. Jackson.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s all about having a good time, baby,\u201d Big Boi said mid-show. That\u2019s about right.<\/p>\nDay Four: Sunday, June 12<\/h4>\n
I began Bonnaroo\u2019s last day by catching the tail end of a set from Cymande<\/b>, an English funk group who had its heyday in the 1970s. It takes a little extra effort to come out for the early afternoon sets\u2014when the sun\u2019s most brutal\u2014but that\u2019s also the timeframe when you realize Bonnaroo isn\u2019t the now-typical, homogenized festival experience. It\u2019s worth noting that Charles Bradley<\/b> also scored a Sunday afternoon set, alongside the slew of bluegrass and folk acts that went all day in one of the tents.<\/p>\n
Eventually, I sought out the Kurt Vile\/Father John Misty<\/b> double-feature on the second main stage known as Which Stage. For being a distinguished frontman and guitar player, Vile\u2019s live disposition is particularly laidback. Songs like \u201cJesus Fever,\u201d \u201cGoldtone,\u201d and \u201cWild Imagination\u201d played out like Real Estate as a country-rock band, with the only energy upswings being derived from \u201cWakin\u2019 on a Pretty Day\u201d and radio favorite \u201cPretty Pimpin\u2019.\u201d On the other hand, Josh Tillman of Father John Misty was as animated as ever. Wearing a half-buttoned black shirt, Tillman strolled through a set largely dedicated to I Love You, Honeybear<\/i>. The biggest surprise wasn\u2019t so much FJM\u2019s performance as it was the quantity of diehard attendees that knew all the lyrics by heart. Tillman\u2019s stage presence was otherwise standard procedure, including drug banter, finger pointing, and bowing down among many absurd movements.<\/p>\n
Third Eye Blind<\/b>, not unlike Pearl Jam, was another nostalgia act that has somehow seen a recent resurgence. \u201cJumper\u201d and \u201cSemi-Charmed Life\u201d proved to be the biggest reasons the crowd was delaying its exit to Dead & Company\u2019s headlining set, but the sound guy wasn\u2019t doing frontman Stephan Jenkins any favors in getting the whole area to hear and sing along. That said, plenty went berserk for this band, with even older members of the audience crowd-surfing.<\/p>\n
Day Two: Friday, June 10<\/h4>\n
Friday\u2019s early moments were defined by Shamir<\/b> (pictured below), a young Las Vegas native who provided some of the most distinctive hip-hop\/dance music to roll through Bonnaroo in some time. It\u2019s become an unfortunate pattern for Bonnaroo crowds to disperse after hearing a given artist\u2019s \u201chit,\u201d and clearly no one told them that Shamir had more beyond \u201cOn the Regular.\u201d \u201cMake a Scene\u201d and \u201cCall It Off\u201d followed later in his set, and were arguably just as strong. When Shamir finished things up by hanging out in the crowd, the 21-year-old\u2019s swift trajectory into the spotlight seemed justified.<\/p>\n
Electronic-tinged music became the theme of the first few hours. I caught Chvrches<\/b> on the main stage (also known as the What Stage), where they\u2019ll no doubt perform at future Bonnaroos until they somehow can\u2019t make a catchy song anymore. Singer Lauren Mayberry even reckoned middle school days for attendees by bringing out Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams for \u201cBury It.\u201d Anthony Gonzalez and his shoegaze titan M83<\/b> were the next stop, who smartly focused on 2011 breakthrough Hurry Up, We\u2019re Dreaming<\/i> for most of the set instead of the recent Junk<\/i> LP. New material largely missed the mark, but \u201cGo!\u201d stood out even without Steve Vai.<\/p>\n Then it was time for Friday\u2019s big name. While scouting out a spot for LCD Soundsystem<\/b> (pictured below), the excitement\u2014and the monstrous crowds\u2014truly began to take hold. That anticipation dissipated, though, as soon as James Murphy and company took the stage for \u201cUs v Them\u201d and subsequently pounded through 14 epics like a new-wave, post-punk jam band. Their guitars were much brighter in the live setting, and the band\u2019s chops were unreal to witness, especially in the transition to \u201cDance Yrself Clean\u201d from \u201cNew York, I Love You.\u201d All-in-all, it was actually a pretty low-energy set, covering more of their ballads (\u201cLosing My Edge,\u201d \u201cAll My Friends\u201d) than dance tracks (\u201cDaft Punk\u201d was about it). However, the fireworks set off when \u201cDance Yrself Clean\u201d dropped made up for the lack of \u201cDrunk Girls\u201d and \u201cNorth American Scum.\u201d Though excellent through and through, the two-hour set felt all too brief.<\/p>\n Speaking of sets feeling too short, that seemed to be the only negative of Tame Impala\u2019s<\/b> 1am set. Nonetheless, it was easily the second best performance of Friday, with the band serendipitously playing the same stage and time slot as Flaming Lips did two years ago. I would\u2019ve liked to have heard more of Tame Impala\u2019s psychedelic roots, but it\u2019s hard to fault a band for focusing on an album like Currents<\/i>. No worries: confetti and memories of when Tame Impala first struck a chord rained down with \u201cFeels Like We Only Go Backwards.\u201d This band literally sounds like the record; Parker sang without a single gaffe, and the band didn\u2019t falter in any spot.<\/p>\n If Friday leaned toward electronically textured music, Saturday was dedicated to rock. The day began with running from a surprise Jason Mraz<\/b> set to catch Beach Fossils<\/b>. Beach Fossils\u2019 subdued brand of indie rock was appreciated at the onset, however, the style felt worn out a few songs in and antithetical to this day\u2019s rock zeitgeist. Clash the Truth<\/i> cuts were still welcomed by the audience, yet no song was compelling enough to keep passing fans from straying from the tent. Band of Horses<\/b>, similarly, left something to be desired by putting on an afternoon set of bland country-rock on the What Stage. Knowing that fans were wanting of their Everything All the Time\/Cease to Begin<\/i> days, the group eventually succumbed to being good entertainers by playing \u201cThe Funeral\u201d and \u201cGeneral Specific\u201d to wrap things up.<\/p>\n Haim<\/b>, another band that seems to have made a name for itself at lightning speed (a la Shamir), proved to be the first Saturday highlight. Their set of Fleetwood Mac\u2013inspired harmonies dappled with \u201990s R&B was noteworthy if for no other reason than the guitar chops of Danielle Haim. Songs like \u201cHoney & I\u201d and \u201cForever\u201d showcased a propensity to shred in a way that rock hasn\u2019t heard since before bands like the aforementioned Beach Fossils were en vogue. The popularity of Haim\u2014and the increasing recognition of bands like Diarrhea Planet elsewhere\u2014make one wonder if the key to being a successful rock band nowadays is embracing everything that makes rock, um, rock, noodley solos and all. It helps that Haim had the banter and savvy of a hard rock band; after one particular song, a member exclaimed, \u201cThat was fucking lit, Bonnaroo.\u201d<\/p>\n After an hour-long thunderstorm delay (fortunately, the serious weather mostly slid right past Manchester) and some inoffensive pop from English songstress Ellie Goulding<\/b>, I made it to Pearl Jam\u2019s<\/b> set just in time to hear \u201cEven Flow.\u201d Every subsequent classic\u2014\u201cJeremy,\u201d \u201cDaughter,\u201d \u201cPorch,\u201d \u201cWhy Go\u201d and countless others\u2014expanded upon a majestic atmosphere. They followed up the seemingly historical set with an eight-song encore that saw \u201cComfortably Numb\u201d turn into a grunge classic before a fitting set closeout of Neil Young\u2019s \u201cRockin\u2019 in the Free World.\u201d Vedder played the frontman role well throughout the set by applauding Bonnaroo for its positive spirit and bringing his daughter Olivia onstage so the whole crowd could sing her \u201cHappy Birthday.\u201d The only issue, if any, was the conspicuous omission of \u201cYellow Ledbetter,\u201d but that hardly deterred from the strength of what Pearl Jam delivered.<\/p>\n Any energy left in the Bonnaroovians was focused on Big Grams<\/b>, the new collaboration between Big Boi, one half of hip-hop heavyweights OutKast, and electro-rock duo Phantogram. Their set was old-fashioned millennial fun, and undeniably meant to live in the post-1am slot it was in. The highpoint was an impeccable mashup of Phantogram\u2019s \u201cMouthful of Diamonds\u201d with OutKast\u2019s \u201cMs. Jackson.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s all about having a good time, baby,\u201d Big Boi said mid-show. That\u2019s about right.<\/p>\n I began Bonnaroo\u2019s last day by catching the tail end of a set from Cymande<\/b>, an English funk group who had its heyday in the 1970s. It takes a little extra effort to come out for the early afternoon sets\u2014when the sun\u2019s most brutal\u2014but that\u2019s also the timeframe when you realize Bonnaroo isn\u2019t the now-typical, homogenized festival experience. It\u2019s worth noting that Charles Bradley<\/b> also scored a Sunday afternoon set, alongside the slew of bluegrass and folk acts that went all day in one of the tents.<\/p>\n Eventually, I sought out the Kurt Vile\/Father John Misty<\/b> double-feature on the second main stage known as Which Stage. For being a distinguished frontman and guitar player, Vile\u2019s live disposition is particularly laidback. Songs like \u201cJesus Fever,\u201d \u201cGoldtone,\u201d and \u201cWild Imagination\u201d played out like Real Estate as a country-rock band, with the only energy upswings being derived from \u201cWakin\u2019 on a Pretty Day\u201d and radio favorite \u201cPretty Pimpin\u2019.\u201d On the other hand, Josh Tillman of Father John Misty was as animated as ever. Wearing a half-buttoned black shirt, Tillman strolled through a set largely dedicated to I Love You, Honeybear<\/i>. The biggest surprise wasn\u2019t so much FJM\u2019s performance as it was the quantity of diehard attendees that knew all the lyrics by heart. Tillman\u2019s stage presence was otherwise standard procedure, including drug banter, finger pointing, and bowing down among many absurd movements.<\/p>\n Third Eye Blind<\/b>, not unlike Pearl Jam, was another nostalgia act that has somehow seen a recent resurgence. \u201cJumper\u201d and \u201cSemi-Charmed Life\u201d proved to be the biggest reasons the crowd was delaying its exit to Dead & Company\u2019s headlining set, but the sound guy wasn\u2019t doing frontman Stephan Jenkins any favors in getting the whole area to hear and sing along. That said, plenty went berserk for this band, with even older members of the audience crowd-surfing.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/h4>\nDay Three: Saturday, June 11<\/h4>\n
Day Four: Sunday, June 12<\/h4>\n