Feature Photo by Skyler Wendell
Story by Alyssa Williams
Chappell Roan took Bonnaroo to church.
A crowd gathered Sunday afternoon at the Which Stage an hour before the pop singer’s performance, waving a sea of pride flags and wearing bedazzled pink cowboy hats. They chanted Roan’s name until she appeared — dressed in a latex “Rocky Horror”-esque drag-style nurse outfit — to open her set with her empowering anthem “Femininomenon.”
The week before Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, organizers moved Roan’s performance from This Tent to the Which Stage, and for good reason, as her music continues to reach bigger audiences by being incredibly catchy and possessing the ability to make women and men alike blush. The blazing heat didn’t stop the crowd from pulsing with energy as she performed hit after hit from her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” Bonnaroo served as the last destination in the second leg of her Midwest Princess tour.
Near the beginning of her set, Roan reminded her audience to stay safe and instructed them of what to do in case of an emergency. The heat reached a high of 93 degrees Sunday.
“If someone needs help, just point to them,” Roan said. “A lot of you, point to them. I know it’s bright outside, so it’s hard for flashlights, but I have, like, direct communication with security, so I can send them out and I can see it. Let’s stay safe out here, okay?”
Despite the temperature, Roan twirled and pranced across the stage to the point white face paint dripped down her chin. She even played an unreleased song, called “The Subway.” The crowd left disappointed that the show ended, but still buzzing with excitement.
Later in the afternoon, Carley Rae Jepsen took the What Stage by storm. The crowd jumped and swayed to the music while ignoring likely the burning soles of their feet. Couples danced together, spinning each other to her love songs. When it began to rain, the crowd cheered at the reprieve from the heat, some even stuck out their tongues to catch water in their mouths. However, the set was paused because of lightning.
“We’ve got some lightning coming in, but we’ll be back for you real soon,” Jepsen said, stopping in the middle of “Western Wind.”
The staff cleared out the pit closest to the What Stage and urged festival-goers to move away from the barricades for their safety. Despite their repeated announcements, the audience stood firm; some Bonnaroovians played games like Uno to pass the time.
After nearly an hour, the show resumed. The audience surged towards the barricades and cheered as Jepsen came back out to sing 2012 hit “Call Me Maybe.” The audience sang along, ecstatic when Jepsen came down to the barricade.
“Hey, guys. Sorry about the interruption, but we want to keep it going for you guys! We were so mad at the weather. It was infuriating, but we got to come back and sing a song together,” Jepsen said after returning.
The rain didn’t affect rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s performance, though, who was next at the What Stage. Before she stepped on the stage, the cameras panned over an excited audience chanting her name as the guitar and drums roared.
Megan Thee Stallion brought the “Hot Girl Summer” heat to Bonnaroo, with her music radiating confidence, empowerment and high energy. She commanded the stage with her choreography and rapid fire flow.
Technical difficulties at the What Stage did not stop her from putting on a spectacular performance. Her music cut out twice, but she never stopped dancing and rapping acapella. The monitors cut out once in the middle of a cover of “WAP” by Cardi B, but the audience didn’t care, jumping and swaying their hips to the beat.
The rapper reinforced messages of body positivity and self-love during her set. Not only was it a hot girl summer, but it was also a self-love summer, she said. The audience cheered loudly, drowning out her voice.
“I just wanted to let y’all know I love y’all,” she said. “Even better, you are loved, and you are appreciated.”
Alyssa Williams is the Managing Editor for MTSU Sidelines
To contact the Lifestyles Editor, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Instagram at MTSUSidelines or on X at @MTSUSidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
