Day 2 of Bonnaroo got off to a smooth start. I woke up around 8 a.m. because of the heat. In the middle of summertime Tennessee, there are only hot and hotter parts of the day. I went to the Press tent to write (and check up on HerCampus!), then I enjoyed Planet Roo. Planet Roo, near the center of Centeroo, is an area focused on doing good. Non-profits and charities come to spread their messages and increase involvement. There is daily meditation and yoga, as well as informative workshops on everything from mushroom foraging to hula hooping. A large portion of Planet Roo is also based on sustainability, with locally sourced food and recycling bins aplenty. Planet Roo is a virtual village, and it is easy to happily spend hours there.
After dawdling in Planet Roo, I headed over to The Other Tent to see St. Paul and the Broken Bones perform. St. Paul and the Broken Bones are from nearby Birmingham, Alabama. Paul Janeway, the suit-wearing lead singer, grew up singing in his church and he has an incredible choir voice. Janeway mentioned he knew how the crowd would react to his show “from how they react to the first note”. St. Paul and the Broken Bones had nothing to worry about here at Bonnaroo; they easily captivated the crowd with their unique blend of rockability and soul.
After watching ZZ Ward perform yesterday, I knew I had to find out more about her. I scampered over to a press conference to hear a writer from Esquire interview her. The real star of the interview was her adorable dog, Muddy Waters! ZZ Ward confesses she got a dog to feel less lonely on the road, but she is nothing but grateful for her experiences on the road, noting “it’s what I signed up for”. The remarkable down-to-earth ZZ Ward has been touring around for about two years now and is constantly being bumped up to bigger and bigger venues. Look out for a show near you soon!
Shortly afterwards, I headed over to the What Stage (a massive stage with space to fit over 100,000 fans) to watch the stylish Janelle Monae perform. Her retro style, slick dance moves, and tight show wowed the crowd and left the crowd begging for more. She used the attention to promote equalitity, shouting that everyone should be accepted regardless of sexual orientation, skin colour, or gender. Her heartfelt message spoke to the crowd, who roared with their approval.
Vampire Weekend performed after Janelle Monae. I had never heard the indie pop band play before and they easily made me a fan. Their sweet harmonies with a dash of indie rock and beach pop made for a dream mix that went well with the setting sun. If you like the group Fun., or just want to be blow away by some truly spectacular vocals, give Vampire Weekend a listen!
As soon as Vampire Weekend finished, nearly the whole crowd bolted to see Phoenix. This French group is one of Bonnaroo’s biggest success stories; they started off playing a small stage here in the U.S. a couple years ago, but they quickly moved up to the second biggest stage in the festival. Their chill style gave the crowd a chance to relax before the craziness of Kanye West. Oh Kanye…
Kanye West easily had the biggest crowd of Bonnaroo so far, on par with Sir Paul McCartney’s set last year. It was about an equal mix of fans excited to see him perform and haters who wanted to see if he would go crazy again. His set started only 10 minutes late (normal for festival sets) and started off strong. The stage had billowing 100-foot white curtains with a screen backdrop. The vibe of the set was very clean and futuristic. Eventually the set gave way to a minor outburst. “Where is the mother*****g press?!” he roared angrily. West repeated his call several times before ranting about his last experience at Bonnaroo. He bitterly blamed Pearl Jam for “playing 3 hours late” (which didn’t happen. They were one hour late). The rant was quickly over and West continued performing. The set was filled with awkward pauses between songs. West eventually went into a 10+ minute piano ballad, where he compared himself to everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Walt Disney. “I am not afraid of anyone that’s living” West boldly exclaimed. “I am the number one mother*****g rock star of the planet.” The lengthy song and strange comparisons alienated many members of the audience, and many left. The crowd as a whole was not into his set. The real star performance emerged from a surprising source; a group of sign-language interpreters signing West’s show for the hearing impaired. Their ultra-quick rap-sign motions and dancing abilities engaged the crowd more than West. In particular, one young lady was so phenomenal that a crowd of nearly a thousand people started chanting “Sign-language lady! Sign language lady!” as she graciously waved to her new fans. West ended his set early with an encore of “Blood On the Leaves” to finish.
Ice Cube got the unfortunate job of being the rapper after Kanye West and he had a better crowd reaction than West. His tongue-in-cheek jabs at his movie career and high energy thrilled a crowd disappointed by West’s lackluster performance. Soon everyone was jumping and dancing to classic hits. Ice Cube was a great performer. “You better check yourself before you wreck yourself!”
After Ice Cube, Skrillex performed for the eager crowd. Amazingly, his set was set up in half an hour, and included a helicopter with his DJ equipment inside. Skrillex sampled his songs and mixed new beats for a frantic crowd. Skrillex was mutually thrilled with the crowd. Because it was Friday the 13th and a full moon, most of the audience had brought the crazy and Skrillex loved it. “You have babies! You have aliens! You have flashing lights!” he marveled at the crowd. He kept the crowd dancing until 3:30 a.m., but he had to dash off to get his beauty sleep. He performs again as part of the Superjam tonight!
Lessons learned from Day 2 of Bonnaroo:
Don’t take yourself too seriously!
Part of what made Ice Cube’s set a must-see was his playfulness. Festivals are a time to let loose and have fun! Enjoy what you’re doing. No need to be a Collieg-ezus!
Don’t leave a fun place to go somewhere you think you might have more fun!
A common problem at Bonnaroo is FOMO – fear of missing out. You simply can’t do everything possible. If you’re having fun at the moment, don’t sweat what you might be missing! Live in the moment.
Pace yourself!
Dancing until sunrise is awesome! But your body is just not made to do that four nights in a row. Drink your water, eat real food, get (at least a little) sleep. It will make your whole weekend better.