Coverage by Bill Foster, Matt Miller, Rusty Odom & Kent Oglesby
Photos by Bill Foster
It feels like the old days at Bonnaroo 2019.
The festival is sold out, the lines getting in were long and Phish is back. But that’s not where the similarities end.
In terms of discovering and enjoying the youthful bands that will crawl up festival posters in the near future, Thursday was back in a major way, too.
Bonnaroo is different than any of the other festivals we attend. When you get 80,000 people together to rough it in (typically) brutal heat (Thursday must have been the coldest day in Roo history), a communal feel takes hold and by Sunday, we’re all in it together. This goes for the bands, too. There is a collective pride for the acts that play the farm in Coffee County each year you don’t always see that at other festivals.
You may have seen the picture of Lady Gaga camping in General Admission from one of the first years of Bonnaroo, but she’s not the only artist who has gone from fan to stardom. While she hasn’t played Bonnaroo, The Nude Party have, and they too were once just fans like the rest of us. The band attended the festival when they were fresh out of high school and playing a prime time slot at That Tent was a dream come true. They sucked passers-by with their straight-forward rock and there were plenty of fans who knew every word to the songs. They even outdrew the Grand Ole Opry, which was presented just before them at the same stage. At the end of the night, they owned perhaps the largest tent crowd of day one and for good reason.
Bonnaroo is a proving ground for musicians and can be a true catalyst for a band’s longitude. The Nude Party will undoubtedly head to its next tour date with a new level of acclaim and a pep in their collective step. Don’t be surprised to hear more from these cats in the coming months and years.
The rest of our highlights from day one are below. – Rusty Odom
Caroline Rose
Caroline Elizabeth Rose has been around a bit now, just releasing her third album last year. But, in touring for the New West release Loner, on which she performed most of the instruments, Rose has formed a new band, synthesizer heavy and moving way from her previous Americana efforts. In an early Thursday show in a packed That Tent, Rose was by turns effervescent and charmingly awkward as she led her powerhouse band through most of Loner and a couple older songs. This was Rose’s first Bonnaroo appearance (indeed, her visit to the Farm at all) but it won’t be her last. – BF
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
The collection of international diversity at Bonnaroo is one of its’ greatest successes, and 2019 is no exception. Australia’s Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever may be of the best indie-rock groups around and an incredibly efficient jam band combined. The band has created a guitar-pop sound, with intelligent lyrics and multiple vocalists, constantly building until the eruption of guitar solos begin. Lead guitarist Joe White is impressive, it’s truly his solos that are irresistibly compelling. With multiple writers and singers comes variety, yet this band maintains their foundation, producing music where each song is intriguingly different, yet consistently fits into their performance. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever is tight-knit group, incredible musicians with a unique sound that’s hard not to love. – MM
All Them Witches
It’s Thursday at Bonnaroo. Many of the wide-eyed, newly minted Bonnaroo-vians are enthusiastic but already running on fumes from the long trip, setting up camp, or perhaps from laying over on a couch or a carved out spot on the floor the night before. Everyone is looking for something to get the juices flowing. All Them Witches did just the trick. The guitar was heavy, and the drums were intense. Every long, instrumental build-up from the bluesy Nashville psych-rockers raised heart rates. Throw in a little shared crowd experience of a loud sing-along of “When God Comes Back,” and we are off and running with our minds right for everything to come. Gauntlet thrown down. Let’s Roooooo! – KO
The Comet is Coming
Nothing could’ve adequately prepared me for The Comet is Coming. As their name implies, their music sounded like it came from outer space. Danalogue the Conqueror (incredible name btw) was making magic with his synth keyboards. It seemed impossible that King Shabaka (another incredible name) was able to gather enough air into his lungs to do all he was doing with his sax. Drummer, Betamax was killing it on drums, swiftly moving his arms for all the crazy jazz fills. The Comet is Coming was the surprise gem of all Thursday, and an excellent way to close down This Tent before all the late-night sets started. – KO
Friday Pilots Club
Chicago’s Friday Pilots Club recently signed to Big Machine and are beginning to develop o following outside of their home base as the large crowd for their 11:15 performance on the Who Stage showed. The duet of Caleb Hiltunen (vocals) and Drew Polovick (guitar) expanded to a large band for this tour and the expanded sound suited the anthemic rock. Hiltunen is captivating on stage and the band is moody and atmospheric while still rocking enough to keep a crowd moving. Think David Bowie fronting the Strokes or Royal Blood covering the Doors and you get a vague idea. Check them out and yo won’t regret it. – BF
Grand Ole Opry
At 94-years old, the venerable Grand Ole Opry has rarely carried its combination of country corn and brilliant musicianship outside of the confines of its Nashville home but when it has it’s been exceptional and the shows first live broadcast from the Farm was no exception. Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show hosted the show alongside longtime host Bill Cody. After the obligatory performance by the Opry Square Dancers, guitar wizard Molly Tuttle delivered three songs focusing more on her evolving and excellent songwriting than her renowned instrumental prowess. After some pleasant enough bro-country from rising star Morgan Evans, Opry veterans (seriously, this was their 7,000+ performance), Riders in the Sky performed. With the greatest cowboy suits this side of Porter Wagner (how about fur chaps with “Too Slim” in rhinestones), the Riders were a crowd favorite as bassist Too Slim did a rap play on Eminem’s “Slim Shady” that led to a literally face slapping solo in between their classic cowboy harmonies and vocal switches. After, the show really got going with the introduction of Steve Earle and the Dukes, featuring a strong duet on “I’m Still in Love With You” and a blazing cover of Guy Clark’s “New Cut Road.” Rising stars Wendy Moten and Ashley Monroe each performed before the introduction of Ricky Scaggs and Kentucky Thunder. After a blazing fast “How Mountain Girls Can Love” and a gospel number, Scaggs brought Earle back out for a duet on “Hillbilly Highway,” a song they had each recorded thirty-three and twenty-three years ago respectively but never performed together. Finally, Old Crow Medicine Show took the stage for a performance that combined the best and the worst of the Opry. Covers of “Rocky Top” and “Old Town Road” were perhaps a bit too crowd pleasing, but “I Hope I’M Stoned When Jesus Takes me Home” captured the incongruity of having the Opry at Bonnaroo perfectly and no one can deny the power of “Wagon Wheel” in a setting like this, especially when it featured a jaw-dropping solo from Tuttle. Finally, Secor brought the entire ensemble back on stage for a rousing “Il Fly Away” and the Opry’s first, but not last, Bonnaroo was finished. – BF
