MANCHESTER, Tenn. — The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is underway in Tennessee, bringing tens of thousands of fans to a 700-acre farm campground and concert venue for more than 150 performances this weekend. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone and Pretty Lights are among those headlining the sprawling annual event.
Concertgoers were facing a hot, sunny weekend at the Bonnaroo grounds some 60 miles southeast of Nashville. The four-day annual festival, which kicked off Thursday, features live music on more than 10 stages. The performances run through the night and into early morning, including sunrise sets.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ headlining performance on Saturday stretched past midnight, as the band played some of its biggest hits, starting with “Can’t Stop.” Lead singer Anthony Kiedis, who wore an orthopedic boot on his left foot and a knee brace on his right leg, invited the audience to join them for “a little after party” at a local Waffle House, The Tennessean reported.
Other performers include Megan Thee Stallion, Cage The Elephant, Maggie Rogers, Melanie Martinez, Khruangbin, Fred again, Cigarettes After Sex, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Diplo and Carly Rae Jepsen.
Bonnaroo debuted on a rural Tennessee farm more than two decades ago. Over the years, it has featured a diverse lineup from Elton John and Jay Z to Paul McCartney, DeadMau5 and Bruce Springsteen. It also features a 24-hour cinema, comedy club, beer festival and theater performers.
Bonnaroo’s annual attendance is around 80,000 people. Some of this year’s acts will be streamed on Hulu.
With heat indexes projected to approach triple digits, medical crews treated various heat-related conditions while some revelers constructed elaborate canopy and tent combinations for shade; others had their sunscreen confiscated upon entry because of restrictions on full-sized bottles and aerosol cans.
