Bonnaroo day three: The Red Hot Chili Peppers soothe the sunburn with “Californication”

Photos by Skyler Wendell, Sidelines

Story by Bailey Brantingham

Bonnaroo’s Saturday opening ceremonies embraced partiers with sweat-drenched tank tops and chest-to-chest bodies. For some, the lethal combo of 90-plus degree weather and a sold-out show proved difficult. But, one Bonnaroovian’s heat-fueled discomfort is another’s sunbaked dream. 

As the sun rose higher and crowds grew restless, day ravers congregated under shade and splashed in any water source they could find. 

During the peak hour of the Saturday sun, Hayden Silas Anhedönia, known by her stage name Ethel Cain, turned That Tent into a Southern Gothic church, complete with crowd-chanting and hand waving. For 45 minutes, Cain transported the crowd to a small town in the American South, backed by visuals of swaying fields and flowing streams. The songstress crooned the story of her on-stage persona while the masses basked in the breeze of ceiling fans and chugged boxed water, all while recounting the life and death of Ethel Cain in song. 

A few sets and a 10-degree temperature drop later, a crowd littered with shades of pink and rhinestoned accessories gathered on the Which Stage lawn to view Reneé Rapp. Rapp triple-wields a successful career in film, music, and Broadway musicals, most notably gaining recognition for starring as Regina George in “Mean Girls.” The star strutted onto the stage donning baggy shorts and a mesh shirt overlapping a black tank top, perfect for Rapp’s frequent sashays across the stage.  

The lesbian singer catered to the feminine energy in the crowd, serenading the women in the audience with “Pretty Girls,” a gem in her sapphic discography. 

“Tennessee I know there are so many pretty girls here,” the singer said. “Hands up if you’re a pretty girl.” 

A pre-Chili Peppers crowd congregated on the main stage lawn with Cage the Elephant fans at 8:30 p.m. as frontman Matt Shultz’s sweat slicked hair peeked out from beneath his baseball cap and sunglasses long after the sun had set. The first Bonnaroo alum to play Saturday on the What Stage, the band entered under showers of blue and red lights.  

The stage and equipment acted as the band’s playground, with Shultz jumping from platform to speaker to pit. Confined by a red snakeskin sweater and slacks, Shultz showed no hesitation while prancing around on stage. Except, of course, when it came to his choice of attire.  

“Man, it is hot. It’s really hot, it’s almost unbearably hot. But I can bear it for you guys,” Schulz said. “That’s right, we’re going to weather the storm together.” 

Following Cage the Elephant, most of the What Stage crowd remained standing to catch the weekend’s most anticipated artist: The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The band opened with a quick jam before leading into a fist-pumping rendition of “Can’t Stop.”  

Flea’s signature funky slap bass riffs sent fans into fits of hardcore head-bopping. On the ground, a sea of bodies spanned from the stage to the Outeroo Arch across the lawn. Some fans took to the tops of nearby storage containers to catch a glimpse. 

“We’re having a little after party at the Waffle House in Manchester, so please join us,” Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis said on stage. “You’re welcome to come.”

As the main event concluded, festivalgoers kicked up dust on a trek to a new stage, in hopes of finding the perfect night-closing set. Berlin based disco-soul quintet Parcels shuffled out onto stage in This Tent at 12:15 a.m., attracting mellow, late-night ravers. In a blur of cowboy boots and shag haircuts, the band frequently congregated on stage for close-knit jam session, paying no heed to the crowd. A lucky day for witnessing fans, it’s one of only two U.S. tour stops for the band this year.