Bonnaroo 2018 Saturday Highlights
Saturday at Bonnaroo featured tons of incredible shows from artists of every genre. In fact, the schedule was so jam-packed that it left a lot of fans wishing they could be two places at once due to conflicting shows. Here are some highlights you may have missed from the third day of Roo if you were busy hopping from show to show.
POND Crowd Surfed During Their Second Song
POND took the stage bright and early on Saturday afternoon, breaking in the This Tent with their psych rock jams and laid back attitudes. The band let the crowd know that their Bonnaroo performance was the very last show of their recent US tour before they return home to Australia, and they definitely went out with a bang. Frontman Nick Allbrook began the set on the right foot, immediately jumping into the audience to crowd surf during the second song. From there on, the energy remained high, with Allbrook sauntering around the entire stage, jumping down at certain points to go up to the fans at the barricade. The crowd’s energy remained right up there with the band’s, with everyone dancing and singing along despite the extreme heat.
POND Frontman Nick Allbrook
Chance The Rapper Crashed Knox Fortune's Set
Chicago Producer and singer songwriter Knox Fortune has garnered buzz for his work with rapper Joey Purp, but more notably for singing the hook on Chance The Rapper’s song “All Night.” Naturally, when rumors surfaced on Friday that Chance The Rapper had been spotted around the Bonnaroo campgrounds, some clever fans began to speculate whether or not Chance might join Knox Fortune’s set to bring their collaboration to life. Sure enough, towards the end of Knox’s afternoon set at the That Tent, some lucky fans were able to witness a rare special performance of the track when Chance came onstage to perform his verses. Chance hasn’t made any other pop up appearances onstage this weekend, so this may have been the only chance to catch him (pun intended).
Knox Fortune at The That Tent
Rag'N'Bone Man Apologized For His Dancing
British singer songwriter Rory Graham, aka Rag’N’Bone Man, combines his raw, bluesy vocals with soulful pop melodies to craft addictively catchy songs that made for a great sing along during his set. The success of his single “Human” from his debut album also of the same name attracted hoards of fans to the This Tent for his evening set. During his set, Graham displayed his humble nature, often thanking the crowd for turning up and making self-deprecating jokes. He told the crowd that playing festivals in the states can be quite daunting since he always thinks no one “knows who the fuck I am,” and he seemed genuinely touched at how many people turned up to watch him. All of the fans who showed up were treated to stripped down introductions and intricate arrangements of Graham’s songs, as well as some laughs when he chatted between tunes. “I apologize for my dancing,” Graham said, recalling a time someone wrote a review of his show saying he was good, but his dancing is awful. We’re all for his dancing here though since Bonnaroo is about radiating positivity.
Rag'n'Bone Man at the This Tent
A Blow Up Doll Crowd Surfed During Post Animal
Our pals in Post Animal made their Bonnaroo debut last night to an overflowing and hyped up crowd at the Who Stage. Although their set time clashed with some other major shows, including Bon Iver’s first set, fans still flocked to see their second ever festival performance, following last month’s debut at Shaky Knees in Atlanta. Throughout the past couple of years, the group has beefed up their live show, honing in on their song transitions and arrangements to make for a special experience of their songs that you can only get at their live shows. Their efforts to put on a smooth and engaging show didn’t go unnoticed by their enthusiastic crowd, who immediately opened up a mosh pit and crowd surfed throughout the 45 minute set. One audience member brought a blow up doll with them, which surfed above the crowd and even ended up on stage at one point. Post Animal has never been known to put on a tame show, but last night was definitely one of the wildest. You can catch their next major festival performance later in the summer, when they take the Lollapalooza stage for the first time.
Justin Vernon Brought The Eaux Claires Spirit to the Second Bon Iver Set
When Bon Iver’s first set of Saturday night consisted mostly of songs from the album 22, A Million, fans began to speculate that the later set would include some of the classics from the earlier days. However, Justin Vernon took a completely different approach by turning the set into a collaborative performance piece. The collaborative vision closely tied into the mission of Vernon’s hometown festival in Eau Claires, Wisconsin, which frequently features surprise sets and crossover between bands and artists during their shows. Not only did the Bon Iver show last night have special guest appearances, but dancers also accompanied the music for certain songs. Coupled with the intricate lighting design, the dancers tied together the show’s production level. As for the musical guests, Vernon first invited Francis and the Lights early on in the set, before welcoming him back to perform their hit “Friends”…with both Vernon and Francis joining in on the dancing. Other guests included Moses Sumney and Sylvan Esso, with the latter coming out on stage to perform “Flume” with the band, as well as their own song “Coffee.” Vernon even invited Parkland survivor Aalayah Eastmond out to speak about gun control, adding some activism into the set. Overall, the show was completely unique to most Bon Iver shows you’d catch, which made for the perfect ending to Bonnaroo’s third day.
