Bonnaroo heats up, but crowd is smaller this year

MANCHESTER, Tenn. - It's a simple formula for Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves when it comes to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival: "Fewer people mean fewer problems. There has been less traffic and it's gone really smoothly."

He said arrests and incidents have been down, and he attributes that to the smaller crowds.

Festival officials do not release numbers, but there are considerably fewer people here this year than in any of the past festivals. Veteran fans have noticed that some stages, tents and fencing has been moved closer, presumably to make things more intimate. Most fans didn't seem to notice, or care, and everything felt as friendly and vibrant as in past years.

That was on Friday evening, and Stafford knows as well as anyone that things can change in a flash, especially with temperatures for today and Sunday expected to be near 100 degrees.

"The thing we are worried about right now is the heat," he said. "It's getting on up there."

One advantage that fans this year have are the new showers, toilets and watering stations. Alex Hillyer, 22, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, took advantage of the new taps to refill his hydration backpack.

"Having this is a big deal," he said. "You can wait in line in the shade and the toilets flush and everything."

He said that last year during his visit, his campmates had to plan part of their day around long lines at the portable toilets and showers, and having the permanent fixtures inside Centeroo makes everything more convenient.

"Bonnaroo definitely needed to do this," he said.

Things heated up musically on Friday, as well. While Thursday is considered moving-in day, there is music on the smaller stages and for the first time in recent memory, it didn't stop until the sun came up Friday morning. That is not unusual for Saturday into Sunday, when things go into the wee hours, but it was new for opening day. The four-day festival is more marathon than sprint, especially given the expected heat.

Allen Stone got things started on Friday on the main What Stage, beginning his set at 3 p.m. Next door on the Which Stage, Andra Day gave a soulful set that included a guest appearance by saxophonist Kamasi Washington. Just prior to that his appearance, Day surprised the audience by bringing out a couple named Dave and Rene. She explained that Dave is a cancer survivor and during his therapy and chemo treatments, the two listened to her hit song, "Rise Up," for inspiration.

After explaining things to the crowd, she launched into an emotional rendering of the powerful song.

Other acts on last night's schedule included LCD Soundsystem, Tame Impala, Chvrches, J. Cole and M83. Tonight's lineup features headliners Pearl Jam, Band of Horses, Haim and Ellie Goulding. The festival concludes around midnight on Sunday with two sets by The Dead & Company with John Mayer.

Contact staff writer Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

Upcoming Events