Later on in the summer I embarked on another journey across the US, this time to middle-of-nowhere Tennessee for what I thought would be the ultimate music experience, Bonnaroo.
If you are ready to be awakened by asphyxiating heat, consume at least half of spoon of dust per day, fight hippies to have some room in the ultra-packed crowds, all the while surrounded by poor sound quality, this was the perfect place for you! After almost dying of heat exhausting and semi-acclimating to the unbearable heat, I toughened it up and tried to enjoy the diverse lineup as much as I could.
After being perhaps the most hated individual at the This Tent (all of the stages were named after pronouns to make everything a little more confusing) for pushing my way up to the front, I enjoyed the performance of one of my favorite musicians of this year, Florence and the Machine. This British soul-pop goddess lived up to all my expectations with a flawless combination of theatrics and immaculate vocals. Unlike many pop artists who after touring for months start going through the motions, Florence gave her everything to the crowd. During the hour and half in a 95 degree tent, she made the audience forget the discomfort by getting everyone to sing along to song “You Got the Love,” and brought tears of joy during “Dog Days Are Over.” Her performance was without a doubt the highlight of that day. Here is the video I took:
Later on this musical pilgrimage, it was not difficult to embrace my inner gangster during Lil Wayne’s performance, which raised the bar for the following day (Eminem). His entrance was something from a sci-fi movie and for a second I thought I was being capture by the Martians. Wayne exhorted all that energy that he had probably stored during his time in prison, and drove the sweaty audience to ecstasy with his grimy swag during “A MilliÛ, “Welcome to the Hood” and as you could have guessed, the catchy “Lollipop.”
Wiz Kalifha was another act that made me feel the $300-some ticket was worthwhile. The Pittsburgh rapper known for his love for weed smoking and laugh, pleased and teased the immense crowd that gathered under a setting sun at the the What Stage. High as kite and hiding his glassy stare under Ray Bans, Wiz delivered a performance that moved from sexy to effervescent with popular song “The Thrill.” Overall, Bonnaroo was hot, dusty, and utterly worthwhile.