The Return of The 20th Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

With the 20th magical year of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival completed, it’s time to go over Bonnaroo is considered one of the best festivals to attend in the world.

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an event for all music tastes. One great thing is you can always find different genres being played all over the festival. Hulu streamed the event live so people at home could enjoy some of the performances too.

Music Performances

It didn’t matter where you were on the festival grounds, you could always find talented artists playing their hearts out on some stage. Even throughout the multiple plazas in the campgrounds, attendees were able to find unique performances. There were small, intimate performances available at different times of the day like seeing Maggie Rose live in the Press Lounge or you could find various acts performing at the Pitch Meeting Booth like Natalie Layne, Walker Burrough, and Corrina.

Different genres of music were available to enjoy all over the festival grounds most hours of the day. At Bonnaroo, you could be rocking out to Robert Plant from Led Zepplin and then go see an Up-Beat Electronic Dj like Said The Sky. For those late-night folks, you could even end the night with Lane 8 or Chris Lake playing out-of-this-world house music into the beautiful sunrise over the farm.

With so many great performers playing throughout the weekend, I found myself running between the stages so I could see all of my favorite performers.

J Cole is one artist who came out ready to connect with the crowd and have a positive time with his fans. On Friday night, he went through a catalog of his music and had the crowd singing along to every song. Recently, J Cole has been living another dream of his by playing Professional Basketball in Canada. He joked around on stage saying “I forgot this is really what I do”. He did a few verses a cappella, and you could feel the energy of the crowd during these verses. This was my first time seeing J Cole and he did not disappoint.

Another phenomenal performance was the set by Said The Sky on Saturday Night. I’ve always really loved the music he creates and I love the sound of his new sophomore album “Sentiment”. Trevor, aka Said the Sky, went with a different sound when compared to traditional electronic dance music. The album contains acoustic guitar, great drum fills and features beautiful singing linked with meaningful lyrics.

Trevor performed both of my favorites “Stay” and “Emotional Sickness” at Bonnaroo. I had the chance to chat backstage with Trevor after his sound check and you can find that interview right on my “EDM Venue” podcast. I was able to hang with Trevor before his set, and during this time I saw that artists are just like everybody else. Trevor is a very genuine, down-to-earth guy that loves producing music and enjoys sharing his music with his fans. Said The Sky’s album “Sentiment” is available on Apple Music and Amazon Music.

One set that many may have missed was Porter Robinson’s House set because he performed under his alias “Air2Earth”. I ran to catch his set at the “Where In The Woods” stage that started at 1 am on Friday Night. I loved this set because it allowed Porter to freely play different music than he traditionally plays.

Air2Earth is exclusively for live performances and seeing the set live is the only way you can listen to this type of Porter’s music. Porter did play his “Nurture” set Saturday Night and it was phenomenal. You can find Porter Robinson’s most recent album “Nurture” on all major music platforms and performing at his own “Second Sky Music Festival”.

Two underrated artists that I enjoyed seeing were Mindchatter and FlipTurn. Mindchatter was the last set of the night for me and he was a great way to go out. Having heard of his music from a friend in the industry, I knew Mindchatter’s set was something I couldn’t miss. Bryce Connolly, aka Mindchatter, has a unique blend of danceable beats and thought provoking lyrics. His set at the “Where in the Woods” stage featured fantastic visuals and you can find yourself getting lost in the bass and lights. Mindchatter’s music is available on Spotify and Apple Music. Also, you can find him performing in Miami on Friday, October 21st.

Flipturn was one of the bands I found via the Bonnaroo Playlist on Spotify. This indie band was one of the first acts on Sunday and they had the “That Tent” stage going crazy. I saw people running towards the set from all directions and girls body surfing in the crowd. These four friends from high school jam out and create a relaxing, groovy sound. If you're trying to catch a performance by Flipturn in Florida, you can catch this indie band playing in Tampa on July 16th.

Art Installations and Environment

Bonnaroo is full of vast art installations throughout the festival grounds and campground plazas. One favorite spot for attendees to take photos was at the Bonnaroo Arch. You could find people relaxing in hammocks all over the venue and find people enjoying a ride on the Ferris wheel to see the amazing views.

The festival grounds contained multiple areas for attendees to cool off including a splash pad area and a huge water slide. Many sponsors had unique setups including the M&M’s Music Lounge, the Original Lee Tree, Casa Bacardi at the Oasis, and the Coca-Cola Real Magic Studio.

Bonnaroo’s environment is a positive, magical atmosphere that felt great to be a part of. While walking anywhere throughout the festival, any interaction with other attendees ended usually with “Happy Roo!”. The festival gave off Woodstock vibes with it being on a farm and being able to camp, eat, dance, and even shower without having to leave the festival.

With the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival making its return to Manchester, Tennessee after the event was canceled the past three years, I feel the festival has returned to its former glory of being one of the best festivals to attend in the United States. Bonnaroo 2023 is right around the corner so start preparing for one of the best times of your life!