Bonnaroo 2005

(Above: The Mars Volta rocks the post-midnight Bonnaroo crowd with an EARLY Saturday set at That Tent. Photo by Jeff Kravitz)

Day 1: by Steve LaBate

Arrival, the Abbott & Costello gag, Trent Dabbs, Rose Hill Drive, acid casualties, ALO

Hippie hordes from all over the country poured like wine into Manchester, Tenn., and so did we. While the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival has its roots in the jam scene, it’s become more eclectic with every year. And if artists like Ray Lamontagne, De La Soul, Iron & Wine and My Morning Jacket were gonna be playing alongside bands like Widespread Panic and the Allman Brothers, then Paste sure as hell wasn’t gonna miss it. Read more...

Day 2: by Josh Jackson

Josh Ritter, Joss Stone, Joanna Newsom, Jurassic 5, Alison Krauss + Union Station, The Allman Brothers Band, Brazilian Girls

The fields of Bonnaroo are a giant hippie playground. Pranksters in florescent body suits spray the crowd with super soakers and sling water balloons straight up in the air scattering crowds. Guys in Tevas hit the batting cage or play vintage video games. Girls in flowering skirts and bikini tops enjoy the swings at a giant playground. Campers take clothed showers in a giant fountain. A silent disco allows dancers to don headphones and rave to their personal choice of music. Read more...

Day 3: by Reid Davis

Ozomatli, Rilo Kiley, Iron & Wine, Widespread Panic

After experiencing the chill vibes and thoughtful touches of Bonnaroo, I have only one conclusion: the hippies should run all the big festivals. With such nice details as a chandelier in the Where Café and strings of lights on the backstage bridge leading to the What Stage, it’s nothing like some of the bottom-line driven corporate fests I’ve attended. Read More...

Day 4: by Palmer Houchins

Matisyahu, My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Widespread Panic

By Sunday, the fourth and final day of the festival, the Manchester, Tenn., farm was ripe with aromas of the most pungent variety. Victimized by the remnants of Hurricane Arlene, the festival grounds were now an unsavory combination of baked mud, hay and half-eaten corn dogs. And it didn’t help that most of the festival-goers hadn’t showered in four days (and that it had been much longer for some of the more—how should we say it?—“natural” denizens on hand). Read more...