Sunday at Bonnaroo can be a beast. The schedule is frequently crammed with conflicts, yet the human body may not want to traverse the breadth of the farm another dozen times after doing so for three days. Yet it is the last day, so there’s a desire to do as much as possible before the venue abruptly shuts down at midnight. This year’s final day was full of worthwhile acts, and it was difficult, but not impossible, to catch it all.
The solemn-but-simmering sounds of Warpaint enraptured an audience that hung on every word the ladies uttered, but attendance was sparse at most stages during that time because Arctic Monkeys were taking the main stage. One of the most enthusiastic mobs of the weekend greeted the band, who took in the scene with cooler-than-thou nonchalance that only seemed to further excite the fans. Singer/guitarist Alex Turner elicited squeals of delight with his hip shaking moves and thunderous sing-alongs ensued during rock burners like “Do I Wanna Know”, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”, “R U Mine?”, and “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
Washed Out was also tough to resist, their dreamy vocals and cinematic music cutting through the late afternoon heat like a cool breeze. But most of their set had to be forsaken in favor of James Mercer and Danger Mouse, who performed a dozen or so tunes from their two releases as Broken Bells. Their airy songs were a joy to experience live after having listened to both albums so many times, and it was one of those shows that would have benefited from another two or three songs. It was frustratingly brief, but fantastic all the same and full of head-nodding hits such as “The High Road”, “The Mall and Misery”, and “Perfect World”.
As The Avett Brothers pounded the What Stage audience with their frantic, emotional songs and powerful playing, a cloud of smoke was already building over the Which Stage in anticipation of Wiz Khalifa’s smoky, sauntering show. Wiz makes no bones about his impetus – smoke weed, preferably good weed, and lots of it. Toss in a bit of braggadocio, alcohol, sex, and money, and you’ve got the picture. It was mindless, cathartic fun and tens of thousands of excited fans gobbled up every minute of his stoned sermon, which peaked with mega-hits “Black and Yellow” and “On My Level”.
When talking with a wide selection of Bonnaroo attendees, the answer to the question “who did you come to see” was overwhelmingly in favor of the Sunday night headliner, Elton John. Young or old or middle-aged fans, it didn’t matter – Sir Elton was the man they came to see, and the big field was filled to overflowing levels at the start of his indulgent set, which featured few breaks. Things settled down during relatively deep tracks like “All the Girls Love Alice” and “Hey Ahab”, but the majority of the show was one swoon after another from the massive audience as Elton doled out all of his classics (notable absence: “Honky Cat”). In a bit of a surprise, Ben Folds was summoned to perform “Grey Seal”, bringing his total songs performed to two for the weekend.
“Tiny Dancer”, “Candle in the Wind”, and “Rocket Man” fell early in the 21-song show. Those songs are encore material, which serves to demonstrate just how many “grand finale” hits Elton has in his catalog. The show’s closing run of “I’m Still Standing”, “The Bitch Is Back”, and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” proved to be the perfect heart-pounding set closer, and the encore of “Your Song” and “Crocodile Rock” was an expert blending of Elton’s poignant songwriting and ageless energy. Bonnaroo 2014 was an event full of world-class headliners and an undercard that left attendees enraptured. One phrase was repeated like a mantra by press, artists, and fans all weekend: “Bonnaroo is for music fans”. The 13th edition of the festival proved anything but unlucky in illustrating that point.
