Dust off those bandanas — or don’t, they’ll only get covered again — and apply some sunscreen. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is back for its 21st year.
While the first day typically eases festivalgoers into a marathon weekend, 2025 hit different. With a new stage, the first country headliner and Insane Clown Posse superfans, Bonnaroo kicked off with a holler
“I can’t thank y’all enough for coming here,” headliner Luke Combs said during his set. “I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t nervous. Ever since we booked this show, we [wondered] when we walked out if anyone would be out here.”
People did show up. A full crowd, actually, who waited for Combs after a packed day of punk rock, electronic music and – for some – ice cold beers.
Shotgunaroo
Though the gates to Centeroo opened at noon, the majority of festival-goers didn’t enter until after 2 p.m. following the third annual Shotgunaroo — where, as the name alludes, Bonnaroovians gather beneath the arch to chug their drink of choice.
With cooler temperatures than previous years and rain looming in the forecast, Bonnaroovians excitedly ran into the grounds, ready to make the most of the first day. Festivalgoers practiced peace, love, unity and respect — abbreviated as the colloquial ‘Roo term PLUR — with a handshake line, snaking through the barricades outside the arch.
Austin-based quartet Die Spitz opened Bonnaroo at the This Tent at 3 p.m., starting off the festival with a mosh pit that extended to the sound booth.
Draped in electric guitars and graphic t-shirts, the group wasn’t afraid to go full force. The band’s set was non-stop, with a wide mosh pit opening during the first song. Festival-goers knocked into totems as they surfed through the crowd.
“When we were 18 years old, our New Year’s resolution was to go to Bonnaroo,” member Ava Schrobilgen said. “I guess we made it somehow.”
Between sets, ‘Roovians relaxed in the misting tent, jamming to techno over the loudspeakers. The Oasis, a makeshift beach, filled the empty grounds beside the Other Stage with sand and artificial palm trees, tempting some to build castles after they trundled down a nearby waterslide.
Brian Wilson remembered
The day included a handful of tributes to the late pop legend Brian Wilson.
During his 7:15 p.m. set on the What Stage, Marcus King covered “God Only Knows,” honoring the Beach Boys kingpin. And, at the This Tent, The Lemon Twigs closed its set with the classic song “Good Vibrations.”
EDM kicked off for the weekend with Azzecca, who performed on the Other Stage. Tucked beside the Ferris wheel, the Other Stage was illuminated in pink strobe lights. Her darker side of dance and disco pounded through Centeroo, heard as far back as the Which Stage.
Across the farm, 20-year-old Natalie R. Lu, known by her stage name Wisp, took The Farm for the first time Thursday.
With a blend of shoegaze, nu-gaze and alternative rock, Wisp opened her set with popular song “See you soon,” carrying her electric energy through the entire hour-long set, her white guitar strapped around her shoulders.
Luke Combs and friends
With shoegaze alt-rock wrapping in That Tent, the What Stage prepared for its headliner – Combs.
As Bonnaroo’s first-ever country headliner, Luke Combs had big shoes — or, cowboy boots — to fill. The North Carolina native showed his roots opening his set with a recording of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”
Combs performed on the What Stage, wearing a Columbia fishing shirt and a hat representing the Grand Ole Opry.
Oh, and Miranda Lambert was there.
Shimmying in a denim skirt and a tied-up pink-and-white t-shirt, Lambert and Combs performed “Outrunnin’ Your Memory.” As well, Lambert performed her song “Kerosene.” Combs also invited Marcus King and Jon Bellion onstage for surprise duets of “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” and “Why,” respectively.
“Little did I know that this song would change my life in ways I never thought possible,” Combs said, nearing the end of his set. “I’d love to hear you sing along.”
Combs transitioned into “Hurricane,” and in a thousands-deep crowd, hippies, cowboys and ravers united, singing along to every lyric.
In the dark, dusty Bonnaroo night, the grounds were transformed into a nightclub, with the spatial audio experience and strobe lights provided by the Infinity Stage.
Fourteen years ago, Rebecca Black was the most hated woman on the internet. Now, she’s one of its most hyped DJs, and one of Bonnaroo’s most anticipated sets.
Mixing “So Hard” by Sophie as the set began, then cycling through Charli xcx’s “Vroom Vroom” and Darude’s “Sandstorm” as well “Fame is a Gun” by Addison Rae, Black brought party-girl vibes to ‘Roo.
As the day drew to a close, it was clear that Bonnaroo 2025 would be different from the last. There’s plenty new at Bonnaroo this year — country headliners and the Infinity Stage, to name a few — but nothing stood out in the crowd more this year than the addition of Juggalos. Known as the community of die-hard Insane Clown Posse fans, Juggalos took over The Farm in white and black face paint with Faygo soda dripping down their chins.
Expect remnants of clown makeup on The Farm Friday — Insane Clown Posse ends only thirty minutes before the showers close.
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival runs Thursday through Sunday at Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee.
To contact the Features editor, email [email protected].
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
