Brittany Howard
Getting the most out of the third day of Bonnaroo is all about making sure you stay hydrated and slathered in sunscreen — and pacing yourself. That’s especially true this year, since there are sets you won’t want to miss stretching deep into the night after Red Hot Chili Peppers finish up.
Harmony-driven rock trio Trousdale, Tennessee-bred country folksters Josiah and the Bonnevilles and soulful U.K. indie rocker Bakar get going early with This Tent sets at 1:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Maybe the back-to-back combo of master of beats Diplo at 1 a.m. and Pretty Lights’ sunrise set at 3 a.m. at The Other Stage is in your wheelhouse; if not, maybe you prefer hard-hitting British rockers Idles, who blast off at That Tent at 12:45 a.m. Meanwhile, electropop fans have a choice: Head to This Tent at 12:15 a.m. for funk- and R&B-kissed group Parcels, or get to That Tent at the same time for Melanie Martinez, whose melancholy spin on the sound is bound to an elaborate dark fantasy that follows a character she created over a three-album arc.
Melanie Martinez
Nashville talent abounds, including performances from Brittany Howard, Cage the Elephant, Jobi Riccio, Jive Talk and Paul McDonald — more on them in our roundup of local folks. Onetime Nashvillian and ace country singer Cale Tyson is also someone to watch for on the Who Stage at 4:45 p.m. Teezo Touchdown, who hits That Tent at 6 p.m., has a phenomenal voice that he can bend at will toward rapping or crooning, which suits the broadly experimental streak of his 2023 debut album How Do You Sleep at Night?
Right before the headliners, this year’s Superjam goes down at 8:30 p.m. at This Tent. Riding the wave of emo and pop-punk nostalgia, it’s called Once More With Feeling(s), and it’s organized and led by Dashboard Confessional. Update: After this issue went to press, the lineup for the Superjam was announced, including The Beaches, Medium Build and American Football's Mike Kinsella.
Jon Batiste is one of the most wide-ranging musical talents of our time — he’s worked with a host of stars of R&B, country, pop and hip-hop all while composing for and leading his band Stay Human, which was the house band on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022 — and he’ll be at What Stage at 6:30 p.m. At the same time, Jamaican MC Sean Paul, who is the only Bonnaroo performer I know of to appear on a posse cut with Idris Elba (that’d be Wiley’s “Boasty” ), will turn This Tent into a dancehall.
The who, what, when, where and why of CMA Fest and Bonnaroo 2024
