Bonnaroo 2019 was our favorite lineup so far. And we aren’t kidding about that. When you think about the comedy and energy integrated into different aspects of the event, it’s almost overwhelming. Take, for example, the incredible duo Princess. Comprised of Maya Rudolph — Yes, that Maya Rudolph! — and jazz vocalist Gretchen Lieberum, they have taken the time to perfect a stage presence worthy of PRINCE himself. Because they are a Prince cover band, and have been since 2011. (Yes, they have been acknowledged and approved by the man himself.) Their performance was the last we enjoyed at Bonnaroo this year, and it was one of the highlights. As the first lines of “Let’s Go Crazy” opened the show, Rudolph and Lieberum’s stoic glances around the crowd brought us so much joy, we actually started crying. (Yes. Both iF reps in attendance started crying from different areas of the crowd. Everything is fine. We have been validated. It was incredible.)
Bonnaroo 2019 — if you couldn’t tell already, from every post we’ve had or every gushy memory we’ve shared — was one for the books. Between sets from some incredible artists — Childish Gambino, The Lonely Island, PRINCESS, Bishop Briggs, Juice Wrld, Gucci Mane, Post Malone, Phish, and more — were sun kissed memories made of magic. High fives, glitter all around, and self love the topic of the event, there wasn’t an aspect of Bonnaroo that went unappreciated. See the people of Bonnaroo below!
The most invigorating day of my life was probably glimpsing the lineup for Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival 2019. I’ll probably get a lot of flak for this, but The Lonely Island was on the list and I [probably] literally fell to the floor in excitement. This trio entered the pop culture stage at a time when they could really seep into my every day life. My whole family latched on to their brand of comedy from day 1 with “Lazy Sunday” and continued to release gem after gem over the years. “I’m On A Boat” was definitely on my life soundtrack in high school, and even convinced my sister and I to buy my mother a Pashmina afghan with sailboats on it when I lived in New York.
But their hits since are notable as well, and as Andy Samberg’s hair has changed shape from that original boyishly cute triangular shape, we have fallen more in love with his cohorts Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who are incredible writers with insanely diverse careers.
The evening was absolutely epic. Photographers were packed into the photo pit like nothing I — or many in attendance — have ever seen. And for good reason. Highlights below.
We started our last day at Bonnaroo sleeping in a little bit more than usual. We heard a pop up performance amongst the trees at an ungodly hour in the morning, and then dozed until it was time to wander in and catch Kikagaku Moyo‘s set. The Japanese psych band was absolutely mesmerizing, and we believe you catch a small bit of that feeling from the photos alone.
The last performance we saw before the epic set from Childish Gambino on Friday night at Bonnaroo was Courtney Barnett‘s set at THAT. She came out, fiery and forceful, and the energy kick really gave us the inspiration we needed to keep partying into the night. Highlights below.
K.Flay‘s energy was insane on Day 2 of Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival last week in Manchester, TN. Though her look a stark contrast from last time we got to see her live — her departure from an all black ensemble into simple, bright colored shorts and a t-shirt fit the heat of the outdoor stage a little better — her flare for the dramatic and fun were almost more palpable than before. Check out some highlights below!
We are so late to the game on this, but one of our favorite new music discoveries of Bonnaroo 2019 would have to be Nahko And Medicine For The People. Soulful, smooth, and electrifying, the band had us grooving from the very start. Photographers throughout the photo pit were naming their favorite songs before anyone even stepped up to the mic, so you know they are something special. Check out some photos below!
Keep up with Nahko And Medicine For The People here!