THURSDAY

Bonnaroo 2013 was a KILLER experience! Thursday night, I was able to catch a few acts, including HAIM, Walk the Moon, Alt+J, and Allen Stone. This was my first time seeing each of these bands, and I was not disappointed at all! Each had its unique sound and show style, and as a group, this set was a fantastic way for me to kick off my ‘Roo!

FRIDAY

I started Friday by seeing one of my favorite bands, Local Natives, on the main stage. If you’ve never seen them, you HAVE to catch one of their shows- they absolutely KILL IT live.
Look at all that live sound gear! I’m so excited for the day when our graduates will be the ones running the sound at huge festivals like Bonnaroo!
I followed that set up by seeing Blackbird Studio client, Of Monsters and Men, followed by a little Passion Pit, Jim James, Wu-Tang Clan, and a bit of Paul McCartney.

SATURDAY

Saturday of Bonnaroo started with an amazing set from Lord Huron. If you aren’t familiar with them yet, check them out ASAP! This was my first time seeing them live, and I WILL be going again!
Also on Saturday:
• Solange, NAS, and Bjork (I didn’t catch much, but Bjork is as interesting as you’d think she would be)
• The Lumineers (which I was able to catch side stage)
• The best superjam I have ever seen, including Jim James, John Oates, Zigaboo Modeliste, Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes, guest appearances from Billy Idol, R. Kelly, and many others.

I ended the night with Empire of the Sun and was exhausted! But we still had one more day.

SUNDAY

Sunday was the final day of Bonnaroo, and we were all feeling it. We were tired, dirty, and may have even smelled! 

The first act of the day that I wanted to see was Kasey Musgraves, a newcomer on the country scene getting a lot of attention. I’m a big fan of Kasey’s album, but this was the first time I had seen her live, and she was incredible! After, I had a little rest time in the hammock. I’m telling you – I was wiped out – and listened to the tunes of Delta Rae. I saw them a few years ago at a local Nashville venue, and it’s great that they are starting to blow up. 

Then came the best part of the afternoon: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, followed by Kendrick Lamar. 

I was able to catch a bit of Macklemore at Hangout Music Fest in Gulf Shores, AL earlier this year, but it didn’t compare to Mack’s Bonnaroo set. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand and gave a performance at least in the Top 5 for the weekend. If he is coming to your town, spend the money and GO! You won’t regret it!

Right after was Kendrick Lamar, and this was my first time seeing him. I was still riding a Macklemore high, so that could have been why I had such a good time at Kendrick, but something tells me it was just because he was that great.

I imagine at the next Bonnaroo that I’ll see a lot of you there – most likely working the sound! Let the countdown begin.