10. Childish Gambino | Bonnaroo, Which Stage
I will try to not write 10,000 words about this, but it’s gonna be tough. I am forever destined to be one of those “I liked his early stuff better” assholes when it comes to Childish Gambino. This was my fourth time to see him in five years, and every performance has gotten objectively better but subjectively worse. This was the best Gambino performance I have ever seen, but it was personally my least favorite. He has turned into a true one-man stage show that showcases his dance moves and vocal range, but his music just isn’t as good as it used to be. He has developed such a deep catalog of songs over the last half-decade that he could be vibing all over the place (in a good way). Instead, we were given one song from Culdesac, zero songs from his Spring EP, two songs from Camp, zero songs from Royalty, and the rest of the set was all from Because the Internet & STNMTN/Kauai (plus one new song). With all of that said, he was on fire and completely owned the stage. He is an incredible performer, which is why he lands in the top 10.
9. Cherub’s DJ set | Bonnaroo, Kalliope Stage
Bonnaroo’s all-night dance party stage was taken over by the dudes from Cherub around 4 a.m. on Sunday morning, and they threw it down hard all the way until sunrise. Saturday night/Sunday morning was such a special night/morning for everyone at Roo that I think we were all still flying high after everything we were able to see/hear that night (more on that later). The crowd was bigger than usual, the lights on the stage seemed brighter, and the bass seemed louder (and this had nothing to do with drugs). It was a perfect way to end the perfect Bonnaroo day, and Cherub did not disappoint. They played all the right songs at the right times (everything from Ellie Goulding to R. Kelly to massive remixes of their own songs) and it was just the most positively fun time I have ever had dancing the night away.
8. Mumford & Sons | Bonnaroo, What Stage
I am on record as being a fan of New Mumford, and was more than pleasantly surprised by their headlining set on Saturday night. They captured the attention of all 80,000 people in attendance and never let it go until they walked off stage the first time. I have never heard a crowd chant for an encore so loudly and so in unison as I did that night, and when they came back, we were treated to possibly the best single-song performance of the entire festival. They called on their friends, My Morning Jacket, Dawes, Ed Helms (!), and Hozier, to join them on stage to play a guitar-laden cover of Joe Cocker’s version of “A Little Help From My Friends,” and it was the absolute perfect Bonnaroo moment.
7. Chance the Rapper | Wakarusa, Main Stage
Chance is just one of the best live performers, period. I had the privilege of seeing him twice in the last year and both times he just had an incredible energy about him. He is present, and positive, and as live as you can get. He interacts with the crowd and is personable enough that literally no one dislikes him. By the end of the show, you want to be thanking him for taking your money. He’s slowly racking up a setlist full of “hits” and knows the perfect time and place for each one. His band is unbelievably talented (and loud) and the sum of all these parts is just a greater appreciation for music as a whole. The only negative thing about this performance is that, even though he’s got one of the best albums of the year, he only played two songs from it, with the majority of his set coming from 2013’s Acid Rap.
6. Savoy | Wakarusa, Revival Tent
Another group I had never heard of and decided to just go see on a whim, as I followed my friend who told me that Savoy allegedly had “one of the best laser shows in all of EDM.” I tend to care more about the music and less about the peripherals, but holy shit. When I walked into the tent, I had to take a moment to turn around and face away from the stage; the lights were completely unreal and something I was not expecting. Once I spent 20 minutes adjusting my eyes to the explosions dancing across the ceiling, I was able to fall into the groove of Savoy’s music. They played the most typical dubstep/EDM music you could imagine, but that was actually a good thing. Armed with guitars and a drumset, they sounded like Ratatat and Skrillex had a lovechild — music just predictable enough that you could tell exactly when every drop was coming and plan your body accordingly.
5. Kendrick Lamar | Bonnaroo, What Stage
I waited over an hour to get into the pit for this show, and it was the thing I was most looking forward to for all of Bonnaroo. Kendrick delivered. He came out swinging with “Money Trees” and it only got better from there. He played “m.A.A.d. City” twice, he did his verse from “Fuckin’ Problems” and dropped in “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “Swimming Pools” all in the first half of the set. With recent reports saying that Kendrick wasn’t playing very many songs from the actual-best-album-of-2015, To Pimp a Butterfly, I had no idea what to expect next. Luckily, we were subject to the live debuts of “i” and “These Walls,” which were amazing, as well as “King Kunta” and “Alright.” The only thing I was upset about was the lack of “A.D.H.D.” in the set, but I walked away more than satisfied, knowing it was one of the best shows I had seen in a year, and probably the best show I would see at Bonnaroo. Fortunately, I was mistaken.
4. Superjam | Bonnaroo, The Other Tent
The entire Superjam is available on YouTube so you can look through it and see why it was one of the coolest moments of my life. The first half of the jam (featuring Jack Antonoff, Zach Galifianakis, Reggie Watts, SZA, etc.) was great, and certainly would have made it on this list. But things took a turn for the best when D.M.C. came out and performed “Tricky” with Chali 2na and then “Walk This Way” with Cherub. And then Chance the Rapper came out for the encore to perform “Poison” and “This Is How We Do It.” I last witnessed a Superjam in 2012 when The Roots brought D’Angelo out for his first American set in 12 years, and learned then to never miss a Superjam if you get the chance, because it’s something that will only happen once — ever. Speaking of…
3. D’Angelo & the Vanguard | Bonnaroo, This Tent
I really don’t think I could find words to describe this experience. D’Angelo played for close to 100 minutes and didn’t end until after 3 a.m., including a 30-minute encore. We all knew what to expect from his voice (it’s really, really good), but his band (made up mostly of musicians whom he met during his 2012 Bonnaroo set) might actually be the best in the world, no hyperbole. The way they were able to improvise and jam while still staying on point with D’Angelo as he started and stopped over and over again was almost too much. They started strong, and only got stronger. It was weird to simultaneously never want to the show to end but also want it to end immediately because you could tell that the ending was going to be something special. After about 20 minutes of encore songs, they launched into a crazy jam session with D’Angelo calling the shots from the microphone, starting and stopping the entire band at will. Bonnaroo fans want nothing more than to see Prince headline one year, but if we never get it, at least we got this. It’s probably the closest thing.
2. Earth, Wind, & Fire | Bonnaroo, Which Stage
Who would have thought? The funk was brought, and it was brought hard. There had to have been at least 10,000 people at this show having their faces melted by the incredible musicianship of these guys. And then they covered The Beatles’ “Got To Get You Into My Life.” And then they brought out Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper to freestyle with them. Seeing those two on stage together with their arms around each other while “Mighty Mighty” was blasted out of every horn was certainly a moment for the Bonnaroo books. I underestimated the amount of respect that EW&F commanded, and once I gave it to them, I began to see why they’re an all-time great. (Fun fact: I got to sleep on their production tour bus Friday night.)
1. Florence and the Machine | Bonnaroo, What Stage
Florence Welch is the biggest rockstar on the planet right now — at least to me. I had seen her modern-classic of a Coachella set on YouTube and knew that her show at Roo would be one to not be missed. I was able to waltz into the pit at the main stage and stand 20 yards away from her as 50,000 people screamed as loud as they could when she emerged. She never stopped moving. She ran back and forth across the stage dozens of times, she ran out into the audience twice, and she invited a girl on stage to give her a hug. Her voice is literally the best, her personality shined brighter than the Bonnaroo sun, and even though she only has three records, her setlist played like a Greatest Hits album. This was a special moment for anyone who saw her, and it was the only time during the entire two weeks that I got misty-eyed. There’s something infectious about her and her music that takes hold of people, and seeing how bubbly she is in real life just makes you wonder if there is anyone alive more perfect than Florence Welch. I hope she runs for president.
