Just days before the summer solstice, the 2023 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, TN welcomed Bonnaroovians back for the annual four-day gathering of like-minded music fans. The weather is always a concern this time of year and was typically warm throughout the entire event outside of the threat of rain in Manchester that caused organizers to close Centeroo Thursday afternoon and the wild rainstorm that hit after the Foo Fighters ended their set on Sunday night. The aforementioned Foos put on an incredibly solid set that was filled with nostalgia as the band played the classics like “Everlong”, “Best of You”, “Learn to Fly” and were joined on-stage by Hayley Williams of Paramore during “My Hero”. It was a special surprise, especially after Paramore had played right before them as Hayley spoke about how the band was humbled to be basically opening for them. Paramore’s set was just as special, being locals from nearby Franklin, Williams spoke warmly and fondly about Bonnaroo. Their set was also filled with numerous signature tunes that included “Misery Business”, “All I Wanted” and “That’s What You Get” while also playing new songs like “This is Why” and “Running Out of Time” from their latest LP ‘This is Why’. The vibes were friendly and inclusive, as expected at Bonnaroo, especially noticeable during the Saturday headlining set by Odesza. The duo from Seattle, WA pulled out all the stops with the now-standard drumline, guest singers, pyro and amazing fireworks. The back-to-back lineup of Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem was more than spectacular as Lamar was strong and passionate and even joined by his cousin during “Family Ties”.
The emerging acts this year were more than satisfying as artists who’ve gone TikTok viral proved they’re more than worthy of the exposure. Paris Paloma, whose song “labour” has become an immediate anthem about misogyny had many in the crowd singing and visually impressed by her vocal prowess as well as her lyrical content. Chance Peña was engaging with a set that showed his talents front and center as a performer, especially during his song “In My Room”, which has garnered nearly 80 million streams. Probably one of the youngest acts to perform was Ben Goldsmith, who had just graduated high school a week prior. His set was fun and energetic while the multi-instrumentalist switched between guitar and keyboard for different songs during his set. Tiny Habits put on incredibly fun and heartwarming set filled with strong harmonies.
As usual, The Other stage was filled with exciting electronic acts and although his set was a late Saturday night 2:30 start, Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal) was a weekend highlight. “Where’s my mosh pit” was the tagline throughout the weekend for many, as he encouraged those at his set to take it up a notch. ‘Where In The Woods’ was incredibly fun for those who didn’t want to venture too far from the campgrounds as Zeds Dead and Bob Moses were strong highlights that entertained many during the early morning hours. Big Freedia lead the Pride parade as Grand Marshall that had many dancing and singing while following along.
Check out some of our highlights from this year’s Bonnaroo!
