Broken Social Scene has inspired an array of artists who are living out their own moments to shine now. How wonderful an experience to witness their live performance tactics at Bonnaroo 2018! (Plus: Check out the reflection of the growing audience in some of those sunglasses photos!)
Keep up with Broken Social Scene here.
St. Paul & The Broken Bones brought their unique brand of magic to the stage at Bonnaroo 2018. Having never seen them – but having heard the buzz around them for quite some time – we were floored by their set. Here are some photos.
Keep up with the band here.
On Monday, June 11th – on one of the most miserably hot days of the year so far – we headed out to The Riot Room in Kansas City to pack ourselves from wall to wall like sardines and enjoy the musical stylings of Meg Myers. She admitted while on stage that it was one of her first live performances in years, and the KC crowd was pleased to have been blessed with that honor. From the very first notes of “Done”, through “Sorry”, new single “Take Me to the Disco”, “Monster”, “Make a Shadow”, and more all the way through the last notes of “Numb”, she incited an energy in her fans that is rare to find elsewhere.
Wearing mauve high waisted pants, a black crop top, and two tiny buns on the top of her head, Myers seemed to cool the room off with her robust, long-ranging vocals and the intense heart she puts into every single line she sings. Although personal favorites included “Make a Shadow” and “I’m Not Sorry”, her widest known track – “Desire” – was a riot to witness live, as the entire room was privy to every word.
The crowd that gathered was interesting as well, with no particular demographic in mind. It seems her heart and her talent is wide-reaching, touching young hearts all the way to the Jimmy Buffet-looking crowd. (You understand everything about this, don’t lie.) Her set was a reminder of the pure passion involved in the music listening experience.
Meg Myers’ cohorts on this magical night? None other than Kansas City’s Other Americans. We got what photos we could of the sold out show, between heads and as close as we could get to the madness!
**Words by Kevin Bernardi + Meredith Schneider
The amount of times we have seen Sir Sly is pretty impressive, and we have yet to be bored by a single set of theirs. Perhaps this time – at Bonnaroo 2018 – Landon’s openness with the audience is what made us connect. Regardless, the band revived the crowd after a massive thunderstorm hit the campgrounds earlier in the day. We got a few closeups.
Keep up with Sir Sly here.
Mavis Staples is an absolute legend. If we didn’t already believe it, her performance in the insane heat on Day 3 of Bonnaroo was incredible. Snaps below!
Keep up with Mavis here.
Billie Eilish brought her own brand of alternative to Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival 2018. While we were out in Centeroo for Day 3, we got the chance to catch a glance. Here are some highlights.
Keep up with Billie here.
On June 7th, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly entertained the masses on a warm summer-like evening in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Photographer Ashleigh Lee was on-hand to get us a glimpse into the madness.
Keep up with Dropkick Murphys here and Flogging Molly here.
**photos by Ashleigh Lee
Though we didn’t think much about it during the announcement of the Bonnaroo 2018 lineup, Day 2 of the festival brought us our biggest surprise of the weekend. Our excitement to photograph T-Pain made it so we ran past Adam Devine and Chance The Rapper to get a good spot in the front.
Do not regret.
Keep up with T-Pain here.
When you’re new to a specific music festival, the landscape can be a little bit difficult to navigate. And though music festivals have gotten a reputation for being places that young people go exclusively to party their faces off, it can be a daunting task to party that much when you’re trying to navigate that landscape and those stages and that schedule.
Cut to: Sasquatch! Music Festival 2018.
In the midwest, Sasquatch! is something you hear mumblings of every so often. I don’t hang out with a lot of people who enjoy live music or go to festivals, so it’s not uncommon to have never heard of this one. But Sasquatch! is an entire experience that I will (now, though I did before) urge anyone to attend at some point.
Started in 2002, the festival has been held at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, WA, overlooking the stunning views of Washington’s great outdoors. Hosting (at present) four stages – Yeti, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and El Chupacabra, hilariously – The Gorge itself is something of a wonder, housing many mysteries and a history of land battles with Native Americans, stories told to me by a Washington resident while on a party deck at the festival, of course. The venue is located a bit off the beaten path, among grape vines and farmland, so it feels like its own private piece of the planet, which isn’t a horrible thing for concert-goers to experience as they watch the sun set behind their favorite performers.
And that’s just what we did. As we got there on Thursday, checking in took a hot second – camping is offered close by, with scenic views of The Gorge and venue – but we got a prime spot in the camping area, surrounded by happy northerners and a really intense party crowd. People quickly became friends in this camping space, trading stories of their festival experiences, making food vendor suggestions, and explaining the lay of the land to us newbies. But that first sunset over The Gorge trumped everything, and the colors only got more vivid as the backdrop to acts like David Byrne, Ray Lamontagne, Spoon, Modest Mouse, and more. In fact, it was almost thrilling to run over and see whoever was playing during the hours when the sky changed, if not only to catch that breathtaking view one. More. Time.
But the lineup was phenomenal as well – as I’m sure you’ve seen as snippets of photos have been published over the last few days – and we’re willing to bet that this particular blend of voices in the industry could have existed on any site, at any festival, but would never have been as fantastical as this.
So – while it’s still fresh in our minds – we want to share with you some of our favorite crowd shots and scenery photos from the three day weekend. Sunsets, every food option you could think of, the rare child in the crowd (with proper ear protection)… Washington, you made us damn proud Memorial Day Weekend. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for your future, but for now we might just be singing your praises to everyone we meet.
**Photos by Parker Pennybaker, words by Meredith Schneider
