Music Times' writer and Bonnaroo extraordinaire is on the ground for this year's festival. Check out her daily reports from Manchester, TN.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 2014: Day 1
7:00 a.m. -- Leave St. Louis for Manchester, TN with my friend Lauren. We've been going together every year.
12 p.m. -- Turn on the new Jack White record and debate stopping by Third Man Records in Nashville to buy it on vinyl. Set the GPS to Third Man.
1 p.m. -- Stuck in traffic. Third Man isn't going to happen. Set GPS back to Manchester.
1:20 p.m. -- Still in traffic.
2 p.m. -- Bypass traffic and go eat at an A&W Rootbeer fastfood restaurant that happens to be connected to a Long John Silvers. Gross combination, but we're hungry. Order a chocolate milkshake, cheese curds, chicken fingers, rootbeer, and fries. It's good to be back in middle America.
3 p.m. -- More traffic. WE JUST WANT TO GET THERE!!
5 p.m. -- Arrive in Manchester, TN.
5:40 p.m. -- Get through security at the gate.
6:10 p.m. -- Camp officially set up.
6:10 - 8:30 p.m. -- Drink beer.
8:35 p.m. -- Enter Centeroo. As is customary, everyone is high-fiving and wishing eachother a "Happy Bonnaroo" in line on the way in.
8:40 p.m. -- Happen upon Kanye West's soundcheck at The What Stage. The Friday night setlist is looking to be incredible.
9:15 p.m. -- Break Science at The Other Tent
This was my first time seeing Break Science. Hands down the best set of the night. As is the tradition at Bonnaroo, they brought out guests such as the trumpet player from Tedeschi Trucks and Wiz Khalifa (Note: I think that's who that was, at least). The crowd was getting down to the hip-hop beats and spacey, groovy synth. This is the kind of EDM that I like. The best rage stick (or totem, if you prefer) was the planet Saturn made of paper mache. This thing was intricate. It even rotated. Looks like we have some engineers in the crowd tonight.
10:20 - 11:20 p.m. -- Walk around Centeroo to figure out where everything is. Although the main landmarks stay in the same place each year, many vendors, restrooms, and other tents change location year to year. Also, we ate our first slices of Spicy Pie. The pizza we look forward to every festival sesason. Their bell pepper/red onion slice was out of this world.
11:25 p.m.-- J. Roddy Walston and the Business at This Tent
These guys always bring the energy. J. Roddy leaves his heart and soul on the stage and tore through favorites such as "Take it as it comes," "Don't break the Needle" and "Midnight Cry." After they dropped their album Essential Tremors last year, I wrote (link to my review) that if any of their records were to get them to the next level, it would be this one. Well, it appears as if it worked. This was the biggest crowd I have ever seen J. Roddy play for. What's more, everyone was singing along.
12:15 p.m.: Pusha T at The Other Stage
Pusha T brought a huge crowd. The setlist included "Move That Dope," "Don't Like," "Trouble On My Mind," "Nostalgia," and other tracks off his latest album My Name is My Name. Again, there was plenty of dancing and people trying to rap. A great set to end the first night of Roo.
