Together with approximately 80,000 other people we headed to Manchester, TN to witness this year’s edition of Bonnaroo. With great vibes and amazing music on display throughout the 4 days it is clear that Bonnaroo isn’t outdone by any of the other global festivals.
Robert DeLong
Having heard only a few Robert DeLong songs, I assumed that he was primarily a DJ and that I was headed dance to some good electronica from a guy bouncing around behind a laptop. Much to my surprise, once I could see the stage under The Other Tent, DeLong had half a drum set in front of him, as well as a microphone, a keyboard, and a synth – to say I was impressed would be an understatement. DeLong is a true one-man-band, and watching him prove it on stage is truly a sight to see. His vocals are reminiscent the soft understated Ben Gibbard, but his beats tend to drop and glitch out similarly to Diplo. As if the music hadn’t already caused the first official dance party of ‘Roo – once the 28-year-old Washington native started to play his track “Global Concepts” the crowd exploded with its perfect hook of “Did I make you fucking dance?”
ZZ Ward
ZZ Ward (née Zsuzsanna Eva Ward) and her band rocked out the late afternoon from That Tent. She sat down at the piano to solo for the sweet sadness of “Last Love Song” and her band gradually joined her one by one to beautifully add to the drama of the song as it builds. The crowd went wild during the catchy upbeat “Put The Gun Down,” so she took advantage of the energy and allowed her drummer to take off on a solo that was nothing short of awesome. She finished off the song milking it for all it was worth, displaying the breadth of her range by riffing like her voice was an electrical guitar for a solid 30 seconds.
Banks
Announcing that this was her first time playing a festival after dark, Banks took control of the night with the ominous heavy bass of her tracks. She was at piano for majority of the show, though it was hard to see if anyone else was on stage with her through the thousands of fans gathered to see her perform. With her full album set to drop at the end of the summer, it was impressive to see the numbers she drew. In the midst of the melancholy theme looming through the show, Banks took a sharp (but welcomed) turn into a cover of Aliyah‘s “Are You The Somebody” at the piano, complete with Timbaland‘s verse. She mellowed her crowd back down, closing out her set with her most popular “Waiting Game.” 
