By Bill Foster and Rusty Odom • Photos by Bill Foster
After three long years of waiting, the 20th anniversary of Bonnaroo has finally come and gone.
Most of the attendees who traveled to lower-middle Tennessee have likely made their way home by now, and so the state of reflection begins.
The magic is still there, in spite of a good amount of kinks. That’s as good a place to start as any. The weird and sometimes hilarious happenings still take place. And you can stumble across a new favorite band on your way to find a jalapeño corndog.
The biggest gripes came from those who had to wait in the line that separates Centeroo, the space that houses most of the main venues, and the campgrounds. And those complaints were very valid. One video shows thousands of fans packed into the queue to get in with the line stretching farther than the lens could capture. This came from the closing of a second entrance leading to the festival grounds. That came as a result of lower ticket sales and, presumably, the resulting lessening of staff.
Things like this happen when there is as much turnover as there has been between the Live Nation/AEG takeover of AC Entertainment/Superfly. There were other logistical obstacles for those in attendance, but this one was the most glaring. A survey hit my inbox this morning, so hopefully that means the new regime is going to listen and adapt. Time will tell, but that is a positive sign.
In the end, though, the culture that the original promoters left behind remains intact for the most part, and the music from the likes of Tierra Whack and Herbie Hancock was able to reign supreme as the true star of the show. Here are a few of our other favorites from the final day of Bonnaroo 2022.
Fletcher
Cari Elise Fletcher was another pleasant surprise. I wasn’t planning on catching this show, but I saw the huge queue and thought it might be something special. The Which Stage is not a place where people casually line up. It’s feels hotter than the sun itself, and waiting two hours for a band at 2:00 p.m. is a sign of commitment, indeed. I’m glad I went. Fletcher sings queer-friendly songs of empowerment and diversity, and she’s passionate and funny in equal measures onstage. I imagine this is an artist who is heading for a larger stage soon.
Puscifier
Maynard James Keenan’s side project Puscifer is a polarizing, puzzling band, described by Keenan as “as much a clothing brand as a band.” Since 2007, it has been an outlet for every weird, beautiful idea that pops into Keenan’s head. After all, this is a band that has four studio albums and six albums of remixes.
Until recently, Keenan was the only permanent member, but he now lists guitarist Matt Mitchell and vocalist Carina Round as members. Puscifer hit the swelteringly hot Which Stage Sunday afternoon dressed as Reagan-esque politicians (characters they played in the “Apocalyptical” video) with several faceless automatons who acted out portions of the songs. Rusty Odom saw them as “Men in Black” characters with aliens, and that may be an equally valid interpretation. As I said, puzzling.
Keenan and Round sang every word of the show in unison, through microphones attached to steel arms that protruded from their chests like alien limbs. The music was more mechanistic, louder and more savage than the sometimes new-wave sounds found on the recordings. While technically adept, it did tend to all kind of blend together and, honestly, I have no idea what the overall message was. It was one of those shows that I can’t say whether I enjoyed it or not, but I’m truly glad I experienced it.
Machine Gun Kelly
From the size of the crowd, the signs and the enthusiasm, by every indicator this was the true headliner of the day, and I have to admit: Whatever one thinks of the music, there is something intoxicating about seeing someone live who is arguably at their peak as one of the biggest acts in the pop world right now.
Kelly, née Colson Baker, made his name as a rapper, but live he has increasingly embraced his love of pop-punk and metal, and I’m not the least bit ashamed to say I enjoyed the hell out of this show. He obviously picked his band as much for how they look as how they sound, but he hit the jackpot on both counts. New guitarist Sophie Lloyd, all backbends and blonde hair, stole the show, but AJ Tyus looked just as awesome and played just as fiercely.
Kelly was engaged with the crowd, having a sign brought to the front and joking and commenting on what he saw. He sang “Drunk Face” from atop the soundstage scaffolding, a move I’ve never seen before. I’m not familiar enough with his music to give you a setlist, but if you wanted a big rock show, well, you got it. Giant inflatable figures? Check. Tons of pyro? Check. Three shredding guitarists lined up at the front of the stage? Check. I don’t personally believe that Kelly is more than an of-the-moment flash in the pop pan, but, on Sunday at least, it made for a nice moment.
Stevie Nicks
She’s a legend, OK? That’s that. So going in, you knew what to expect: a healthy dose of nostalgia, a lot of hits from your childhood or young adulthood and maybe a few cool stories. At worst, nostalgia shows are pandering to boomers who want to live in the past, but at their best they can deliver something else, a promise that we can all be healthy and vital and alive even at an advanced age. On a beautiful Sunday evening closing down the 20th anniversary of Bonnaroo, Stevie Nicks – the first female act to headline the festival – fell somewhere in between.
At 74 years old, she sounds better than she has any right to considering her style of singing and her legendary … adventures. She certainly sounds better than she did on the last Fleetwood Mac tour. Still, she didn’t attempt to hit the higher notes in some songs, such as “It’s Only Me” and “Dreams.” She can’t dance and twirl like she used to, but she is still a fashion icon and looks amazing.
The set began with “Outside the Rain” from “Belladonna,” with the aforementioned “Dreams” the second song. The band began to catch fire around the time of “Stop Dragging My Heart Around.”
“Gold Dust Woman” was the peak for me, but “Stand Back” and “Edge of Seventeen” (the main set closer) both rocked hard. In between, we got a Buckingham/Nicks rarity in “Crying in the Night” and a beautiful “Landslide.” The three-song encore sandwiched “Rhiannon” between two covers, “Free Falling” and “Rock and Roll,” both of which were previously recorded by her.
All in all, the 17-song set was much better than expected and scratched that old itch but never reached the transcendence that some closers have delivered at Bonnaroo.
And in the end, Andy Frasco & The U.N. remained in the top slot as show of the weekend. And it wasn’t close.
