“I just want to love everyone and be friends with everyone,” a Bonnaroo attendee smilingly exclaimed during a particularly inspiring Death Cab for Cutie set at the 2016 ’Roo. “My eyes are open! This is amazing.”
Death Cab for Cutie
This jubilant public expression served as a suitable reminder to those surrounding this music-loving young man that in the midst of all of Bonnaroo’s social media check-ins, bag searches, sunburns, recreational drugs, funny socks and freak flags, that the music and community experience can be so mind-blowingly awesome that an overwhelming feeling of pure love and musical glee can come over an individual. No doubt, he is not the first to experience a mid-concert philosophical revelation in this Tennessee field in the hot, hot summertime (try telling the Bonnaroovians that the festival is technically held in spring . . . ), injecting some joy, love and creativity into a perhaps stale worldview.
John Mayer and Bob Weir, Dead & Co. photo by John Connor Coulston
Later that evening, The Dead and Company closed the festival out in true jam-band fashion as the legendary group welcomed former member Ms. Donna Jean Godchaux onto the massive Which Stage for a little throwback to the hippie festivals of yesterdecade.
The Dead and Company, which features original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, did not repeat a single song within the first four concerts of the band’s 2016 summer tour. Some of the Deadheads witnessing the Bonnaroo set couldn’t have been happier with the selected mix of Dead classics they got to hear, including “Bertha,” “Terrapin Station,” “Shakedown Street,” “The Other One,” “Tennessee Jed,” “Help on the Way/Slipknot/Franklin’s Tower,” “Scarlet Begonias,” “Truckin’,” “Casey Jones,” “Fire on the Mountain,” “Touch of Grey” and more.
Way back in 1995, the Grateful Dead lost a large piece of its soul when Jerry Garcia died following a packed early-year touring schedule; that same summer Pearl Jam was touring across the world in support of its Vitalogy release (while boycotting Ticketmaster, of course). But here we are, 21 years later, and the two groups topped the bill at Bonnaroo, to the delight of both children of the jam-rock and grunge-rock eras.
LCD Soundsystem, the Friday night headliner at Great Stage Park (as the What Stage is sometimes known) celebrated a reunion itself. After a busy decade of music, the synth/dance rock group broke up in 2011, but announced a reunion in late 2015 before embarking on a tour of some of the largest festivals in the U.S. and Europe.
Steep Canyon Rangers
Ween, Steep Canyon Rangers, J. Cole, Death Cab for Cutie, Clutch, Macklemore, Lamb of God and many other fine artists also graced the Bonnaroo stages during its 15th anniversary.
After all these years, even veteran ’Rooers can still struggle to navigate the stages and tents of Centeroo, thanks to their always confusing Which Stage, What Stage, This Tent, That Tent and The Other Tent names; it’s still necessary for many to refer to the map before heading to every set, just to confirm they didn’t walk all the way to This Tent when they intended to head to That Tent.
Ellie Goulding
Ellie Goulding and her band brought a nice blend of electronic and traditional rock. Sometimes, that blend can sound contrived and does not work too well—an electronic act may throw a drummer out there, or a rock band may add some weird sounds on top. But Goulding and crew seemed to strike a fine, danceable balance, as she sported a Pearl Jam shirt.
Bonnaroo organizers did acknowledge that the crowd was “slightly down” in 2016, but rumor has it that attendance was below the 50,000 mark for the 15th incarnation of a festival that once boasted 80,000 attendees.
High fives, photo by Scott Walker
Still, there was plenty of magic, art and jams to take in, and many concertgoers said they enjoyed the extra room to spread out.
Until next year, and always, keep on radiating positivity.
Ferris Wheel. Photo by Sarah Mayo.
LCD Soundsystem. Photo by John Connor Coulston
Eddie Vedder and Judd Apatow. Photo by John Connor Coulston
Bonnaroo attendee. Photo by Scott Walker
Piff the Magic Dragon. Photo by Dylan Skye Aycock
Chainsmokers. Photo by Rory Kramer
Wall of Dreams. Photo by Scott Walker
Spotted in the crowd: Eddie Vedder! Photo by Bracken Mayo
Crowd. Photo by John Connor Coulston
Natalie Prass. Photo by Bracken Mayo
Leon Bridges. Photo by John Connor Coulston
