Photo by John Patrick Gatta

The first day of Bonnaroo is always a joy to behold.

There is a feeling of liberation as folks finally arrive on site and take time to explore and reconnect.

A glorious sunny day makes things all the better and this is just what welcomed Bonnaroovians as they began to investigate the farm on Thursday.

Truth be told, though, this wasn’t the only form of investigation on many folks’ minds when the day began, as James Comey, the recently fired F.B.I. director, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. As some festivalgoers began walking around the campgrounds on this Thursday morning, others hunkered down to listen in to simulcasts of events in Washington.

By the time the hearing wrapped up shortly after 11 AM, it seemed that Comey’s testimony reinforced whatever position one held prior to his appearance and did little to sway the loyal opposition. Still, for many individuals, Thursday morning will likely be an “I remember when” day as they look back and recall their precise location as they listened to what might well be a resonant moment in American history.

Over the years, Thursday at Bonnaroo typically has served an “I remember when” function, offering attendees the opportunity to experience a resonant moment in their personal musical history through introductory encounters with artists they later came to revere.

Although in 2002, the inaugural Bonnaroo featured only three days of performances, on Thursday evening June 12, 2003 the festival presented an eclectic mix of the sort that has come to define the event, with music from Louque, The Machine, The Hackensaw Boys and Antibalas. Over the years to follow, Thursday attendees have experienced their initial go-rounds with artists such as: The National (2007), Rodrigo y Gabriela (2007), MGMT (2008), Vampire Weekend (2008), Zac Brown Band (2009),
Portugal. The Man (2009), The xx (2010), Kendrick Lamar (2012), Alabama Shakes (2012), alt-J (2013), Father John Misty (2013), Haim (2013), Real Estate (2014), Ty Segall (2014),
Mac DeMarco (2015), Courtney Barnett (2015) and Vulfpeck (2016).

In turn, as festivalgoers met and reconnected in the morning and early afternoon of Thursday, June 8, 2017, many conversations outside of the political realm (or the sporting world with Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals set to take place in the evening and the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins locked at two games apiece) turned to musical recommendations.

A few lucky folks were able to discuss their first live music at Bonnaroo 2017, which took place on Wednesday night. Jahman Brahman made an appearance at Pod 3’s new KaleidoShack, a life-sized kaleidoscope and gathering space, for a set that included a cover of The Band’s “Ophelia,” as well as a mash-up of the Grateful Dead’s “St. Stephen” and Phish’s “Wolfman’s Brother,” dubbed “St. Wolfman.”

Speaking of Pods, there will plenty of action at these locales throughout the festival. On Friday at 3:15 PM, Portugal. The Man will make their way to Pod 7 to spin their forthcoming album Woodstock, a week before its official release. Meanwhile, a variety of activities will occur around The Garage at Pod 2 where Walter Productions—who have brought their art cars Kalliope and Big Red to Bonnaroo for many years—will host a range of activities, while Big Red rides in and out as well. Pod 10 features the Music Box Village by The Airlift Collective, with musical architecture that has to be seen and heard to be believed.

On Thursday, the Pods remained hubs of activity, as the minutes ticked down to the official opening of Centeroo.

In the interim, some folks wandered over to the Bonnaroo Arch, assisting and observing Dallas Clayton as he painted a mural on the walls leading up to the entry point.

Finally, by 1 PM, people began to congregate outside of Centeroo and amidst all that bustle, the festival harkened back to its New Orleans roots with a second line parade ushering Bonnaroovians into the middle of the festival site. Many people then made their way to the Bonnaroo Fountain, which has taken on new hues this year thanks to Jill Folino and Wven Villegas. Other familiar spots also have acquired new shadings, such as Hamageddon, which has expanded to include four vendors offering a variety of BBQ offerings (with the Swamp Fries earning some early raves) and the
Broo’ers Festival, which welcomed a number of new participants in addition to old favorites. However some sights were altogether unfamiliar, such as a beach environment—The Oasis Mixed By Bacardi—and the cooling mists of Jeep’s Adventure Falls.

As for music, Luke Combs finally kicked things off shortly after 4 PM in This Tent before a packed crowd eager to hear his blend of country and Americana that spoke to the festival’s Southeast surroundings. Shortly after Combs’ set concluded, Athens, GA’s Walden opened the New Music On Tap Lounge Brewed By Miller Lite, where they remembered coming to the fest as fans in 2013 for Paul McCartney and then they covered “Let It Be.” Hippo Campus later offered a set of rhythmic and angular indie rock with horn flourishes.

Just before 8 PM, GoldFish, the Africa-based electronic duo, stepped onto the stage at the revamped Other, performing the first official set at Bonnaroo’s newest space. Simultaneously, July Talk appeared at This Tent, for some dynamic and often haunting alternative rock, closing
with the first song they ever wrote after emitting a collective “Bonnaroo” cry.

In the midst of all this, after darkness had fallen, U2 made their way to the What Stage for a brief soundcheck that had fans lining the nearby fences to listen in. Meanwhile, the Which Stage offered a live broadcast of the NHL Finals. The home-state favorites were thumped by Sidney Crosby and Penguins 6-0 and Pittsburgh is now on the cusp of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. However, the series travels back to “Smashville” on Sunday night for Game 6.

Other highlights included a rousing hour of music by The Orwells (whose fans initiated a chant playfully poking fun at Coachella), an animated performance by the Lemon Twigs’ limber D’Addario brothers, EDEN’s ability to bridge earthy live music and more electronic motifs, the many colors of Turkuaz and the soaring tones of Twiddle (with the Turkuaz horns joining in).

All told, it was another inviting, enveloping Thursday at Bonnaroo full of new sights and sounds for an audience eager to embrace the familiar and engage the unknown. With three more days of open hearings to follow.