Pretty Lights, Eggy, Say She She and more

Photo credit: Tyler Regulski

On Thursday, June 13, the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee made its triumphant return, a certified summer institution that annually hosts some of the biggest names in eclectic music genres . Under relentless sunshine and Tennessee heat, the first day of the festival set a positive tone for the weekend, with stunning performances, onstage surprises and many touching moments. Among many highlights, Pretty Lights headlined the festival’s first-ever Thursday night.

Bonnaroo’s enduring love for the improv community was clearly expressed through Eggy’s set on day one; during “This Tent,” these rising improv stars gave electrifying renditions “Laurel,” the country-flavored second preview single from the band’s upcoming studio album. waiting gameEstimated arrival on September 6th. The Jam’s friendly indie-punk Geese also appealed to the festival’s live roots through a bold fusion of disparate rock influences, as evidenced by their debut cover of Green Day’s “American Idiot.”

Say She took the stage in the early afternoon and treated the audience to hard funk, upbeat psychedelic soul, led by the vocal trio of Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown, and was backed by Angelino Funk Praise for the orchestra Orgone. After the show, the trio participated in a press conference with high-concept heavy metal brutalists GWAR, who soaked the audience’s “blood” with their dramatic “blood.” During the Q&A, when an audience member asked GWAR how best to remove blood stains from clothing, the women chimed in to say they knew better than Rock Monster.

As the sun set, Medium Build took center stage in That Tent and delivered alt-Americana hits like “In My Room,” “Crying Over You” and “Gimme Back My Soul.” Between songs, Nicholas Carpenter was equally vulnerable in the crowd, telling how much the opportunity to perform at Bonnaroo meant to him. “The first time I went to Bonnaroo – fuck, I’m going to cry – 12 years ago…” revealed the artist, detailing how his brother had attended the event in the past and speaking via phone. He introduced music that had a profound influence on him, such as My Morning Jacket and Radiohead. As his performance reaches its peak, the artist continues the catharsis with a collective scream.

Carpenter also took a moment to praise fast-rising synth-pop superstar Chappell Roan, whose upcoming Sunday show was moved to a larger stage following public outcry. Ron was reportedly at a show in Raleigh, North Carolina, last night. stereo gluereflected on this transition, as well as her critically acclaimed Governors Ball performance, sharing, “I think my career is moving really fast and it’s really hard to keep up…it’s just, there’s a lot…thank you Understand. That’s what I’ve always wanted. Sometimes it’s heavy.

Finally, at 8:30pm, Pretty Lights hit the What stage for two shows, marking Bonnaroo’s first ever Thursday headliner. The festival-trained electronic improvisational innovator has performed at Bonnaroo in electrifying performances in 2009, 2011 and 2013, delivering carefully tailored shows that exceed expectations; Derek Vincent Smith’s The centerpiece of the stage show is a brand new song, which prominently samples Willie Nelson’s “Blue Sky,” which he wrote “just for tonight.” The artist kept the energy high on other fan-favorite songs like “Hot Like Sauce,” “Understand Me Now,” “Wake Up,” “Modular Jam” and his much-hyped version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene “Remixed version, this song is a final tribute to him.Tennessee’s muggy conditions

The Bonnaroo Music Festival starts today and runs through the weekend, concluding on Sunday 16 June.