I'm not entirely sure how Mike coerced me to attend an outdoor music festival in the middle of a Tennessee summer, but I remember the excitement in his eyes when they announced that Pearl Jam would be the Saturday night Bonnaroo headliner and knew somehow we'd be there. Luckily, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp sponsors a one-day pass for the four-day event, and we were able to see not just Pearl Jam, but Chris Stapleton, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Jason Mraz and stay out until 4am like we were 21 again!
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| I tried my best to stay shaded from the sun AND look hip like the kids |
Our air-conditioned shuttle coach left Nashville at 11:00am on Saturday morning, arriving at the "The Farm" festival grounds just after noon. Of course, it was the hottest weekend on record for 2016, with temperatures soaring into the high-90s and humidity at an oppressive level. Thank goodness for SPF50 sunscreen and our silly hats - I got zero sunburn! There were also several water bottle-filling stations throughout the festival, so we had easy access to drinking water and pounded it all day long.
We were dropped off at a VIP Shuttle Stop and made our way through some campsites to the sparkling arch, where our bags were searched for contraband and we were greeted with high-fives from the staff. We knew we wanted to listen to Jason Mraz at the "This Tent" which was located near some food stalls, so we grabbed lunch and pulled up a spot outside the stage area in the shade. Mike had an amazing breakfast biscuit from the Ozark Mountain Biscuit Co. and I got a delicious chicken burrito that was both light and filling - perfect on a hot day. Jason Mraz played for an hour, including all of my favorites, and told silly "dad" jokes in between songs that kept us all chuckling.
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| View from our shady spot left a little to be desired, but we could hear perfectly and he was fantastic! |
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| Jason Mraz onstage! |
We had a little time in between Jason Mraz and Chris Stapleton, so we meandered around people-watching and checking out all the attractions. This enormous pork smoker, Hamageddon, had at least an entire pig inside and released steam from its nose, mouth and ears every once in a while. It was crazy! We whole-heartedly enjoyed people-watching, especially since the boho, hippy/hipster types aren't exactly our usual crowd, but everyone was incredibly friendly and it was a great atmosphere.
We used our complimentary bandanas and wet cloths from home to keep cool in the heat - and Mike dunked his head in the water several times too. The heat really was not as bad as I thought it would be, it was an absolutely beautiful sunny day!
We settled into a great little spot for Chris Stapleton on the main stage and holy.cow he was amazing. I've heard him perform on televised award shows - and loved his big duet with Justin Timberlake - but hearing that strong, raspy voice in person was out of this world. Fantastic stuff. His wife sings in the band as well and her voice was incredible. The group was just so talented, we were thrilled to have seen them. My favorite was their arrangement of "You Are My Sunshine." It was dark and raw and just blew me away. If you ever get the chance to see them - don't pass it up!
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| How he didn't pass out with all that hair/beard is beyond me. |
Chris Stapleton played for an hour and a half and then we made our way over to another tent stage for Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. The sun began to set behind some building clouds and the temperature dipped just enough for us to breathe a sigh of relief. We removed our hats and re-hydrated our bandanas for the next show. We didn't know most of Nathaniel Rateliff's songs, but they sing one that I love ("Son of a Bitch! Get me a drink!" - what's not to love?!) and this time we decided to get into the tent and take it all in.
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| Finally cool enough to emerge from the shelter of my hat! |
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| We were right in the thick of it for this one - and he sang my favorite song! |
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| The trumpet player was hysterical - his dance moves were awesome and at one point, he got into it so hard he knocked his mic over. |
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| Leon Bridges showed up for the last song and they had a dance off. |
We made our way from the tent stage back over to the main stage where Macklemore had just started playing. We figured we'd wait them out and then move into position for Pearl Jam. Well, a line of storms blew into the area and for the first time EVER in the history of the festival - organizers evacuated Centeroo and the stages/tents in fear of lightening. We took shelter in the breezeway outside the women's bathrooms until the lightning and spatters of rain moved through.
The positive to having been evacuated from Centeroo was that the field in front of the main stage was completely void of people - so when the "all-clear" was sounded by Bonnaroo staff, we hauled ass and landed the perfect spot! Right in front of the VIP gate at the back of the front area of the stage. Sure, we could have gotten closer and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of sweaty people, but being against the gate meant no one was pushing us from behind, we had tons of room around us as the crowd shifted forward during the performances, and we gained about 2 inches of height using the gate base as a step! WINS ALL AROUND.
Macklemore returned to the stage to finish the last 45 minutes of his set. We hadn't planned to really see him, but it worked out in our favor because he was fantastic. He really brought the house down, despite being interrupted for an hour. I knew all the songs he sang just from listening to the radio and he really got the crowd going. We were both pleasantly surprised!
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| Waiting for Macklemore's half-set |
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| The moon was gorgeous after all the rain clouds blew away |
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| Macklemore did a Prince tribute |
We stayed in our spots for about 45 more minutes and then Pearl Jam came on stage at around11:30. Usually, I'm asleep at 11:00 on a Saturday, and my body was pretty exhausted from standing, dancing, walking, and the heat, but Mike was so excited that it re-energized me. They played until 2:00am and Mike sang along to pretty much every single song. Eddie sounded amazing and the music was awesome. At one point, he even pulled his 12 year-old daughter on stage to wish her a Happy Birthday at the exact moment she was born. He said coming to Bonnaroo was her birthday present and he gushed about how happy he was that the whole family was there for the event. Not gonna lie, I got a little choked up - nothing like a beyond-famous musician going on about how much he loves his kids... Then we all realized just how old we all were that Eddie Vedder has a teenager.
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| I love this one - even though it's a crappy iPhone shot, the B&W jumbotron broadcast was awesome! |
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| Crappy iPhone zoom of Ed. |
Pearl Jam sang their last song around 2AM and left the stage as a short fireworks show lit up the sky in celebration of the 15th year of the festival. It was such a fun time, Mike and I got to enjoy hours of kid-free fun and knocked off a major item on Mike's bucket list.
We hopped on the shuttle bus around 2:45 and made it back to Nashville an hour later. We pulled into our driveway at 4am and devoured a half-box of Cheez-Its before collapsing into bed. My dad was in town babysitting Blair and, like the saint he is, kept her up late on Saturday so she slept until 9am on Sunday, giving Mike and I almost 5 hours of sleep - far more than we expected to get! We were a little weary the next day, but I'm so happy we went out of our comfort zones to go. It was worth every bead of sweat!
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