Photo credit: Poneh Ghana
Yesterday, June 14th, the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee hosted its second full day of programming. On Thursday, the exciting first series of performances were presented by bands such as Pretty Lights, Say She She, Eggy, GWAR and more. On Friday, the festival was in full swing, with the main stage What Stage opening for a full day of performances. Some of the highlights from day two include Larkin Poe, Khruangbin, Gary Clark Jr., Maggie Rogers, T-Pain, Interpol, Great performances from Faye Webster and Thundercat, but jam fans found an even bigger thrill in the day’s surprise sit-in.
As the night wore on, Bonnaroo honored its roots with the improv community by performing Joe Russo’s “Almost Dead” as That Tent’s headline act. The beloved quintet opens with a smooth jam before launching into its polished set of Grateful Dead covers, including “Foolish Heart,” “Minglewood Blues,” Bob Dylan’s “Tell Me, Momma,” and The title song “Eyes”. As the JRAD show came to a close, the band welcomed all three members of alt-folk pioneer Bonny Light Horseman (who had earlier performed at This Tent) on stage; together the ensemble whipped out a rousing rendition of “Row Jimmy,” setting the stage for the show leading to the thrilling finale “Truckin'”, JRAD’s most performed single.
As the side stage came to a close, all eyes were on Post Malone, who headlined the festival on the main stage. Eschewing his current country leanings – which culminated in the recently released “I Had Some Help” with Morgan Wallen, currently topping the US pop charts – Post Special has produced a string of hit songs, just like he did at the Gov Ball last week. After delivering fan favorites like “Better Now,” “Zack and Codeine,” “Goodbyes” and “Take What You Want,” the star set off an explosive performance of “Rockstar” with towering fireworks. Through the flames, fans could see the majestic silhouette of BIlly Strings, who joined Post to add a lightning-quick pick to the fan favorite. Sterlings – Post’s old friend – remained on stage for a brief rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues.”
Enjoy Friday’s highlights in the gallery below, courtesy of photographers Nathan Zucker, Josh Brasted, Ismael Quintanilla III, Poneh Ghana, Leone Julitte, Roger Ho, Taylor Regulski and Charles Reagan. The Bonnaroo Music Festival starts today and runs through the weekend, concluding on Sunday 16 June.
