Words and Photos by Daniel Garcia
With memorable sets from artists like The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Chance The Rapper, Tory Lanez and many more, it was difficult to narrow down the best moments from Bonnaroo 2017. But with so many great moments throughout the festival this year, we had to share some of our favorite performances and top moments that went down in Manchester, TN this past weekend.
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Chance The Rapper Returns to The Farm
Last year, while not originally billed on the lineup, Chance The Rapper surprised fans by being all over the grounds at Bonnaroo. From guest appearances with J. Cole and Macklemore, to hosting a party at the Silent Disco, Chance was a highlight of the festival last year. 2017 was no exception, because although in a more official capacity, Chance’s headlining set on Saturday [June 10, 2017] was a favorite for many.
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Belly Performs Unreleased Track from Upcoming Album
Fans are patiently awaiting the release of XO rapper Belly’s forthcoming album, Glorious. Belly gave Bonnaroo a taste of Glorious this weekend, as he performed his unreleased track “P.O.P (Power of P*ssy)”, from the new album. The LP is expected to release this summer, and with a new album, a performance at Bonnaroo and touring North America with The Weeknd, Belly is staying busy.
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The Crowd Sings and Raps “Caroline” with Aminé
Rapper Aminé is gaining a lot of traction and is a favorite emerging rapper of music fans everywhere. Aftering putting on a great show at Rolling Loud last month, the Portland-native made another festival stop, this time at Bonnaroo. He’s young but already he had hundreds of his biggest fans singing along every word of his hit single “Caroline”.
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The Weeknd Closes Out The Weekend
What better way of ending a memorable festival weekend than with the man himself? Taking a break from his Starboy: Legends of the Fall Tour, Abel took his talents to Tennessee for another classic festival performance. Although he had to leave the tour’s huge spaceship production at home, it didn’t matter because The Weeknd still put on one of the top performances of the weekend.
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Major Lazer Gives Us Something to Lean On
Diplo might not sing on his tracks like The Chainsmokers and Calvin Harris, but his electronic trio Major Lazer knows a thing or two about rap and hip-hop. From producing tracks for rapper M.I.A. early in his career, to collaborating with names like Justin Bieber, Travis Scott and PARTYNEXTDOOR with Major Lazer, Diplo knows how to throw a party. Playing their tracks like “Leon On” and “Know No Better”, as well as remixes of some classic rap songs, Major Lazer gave life to the crowd during their late night performance on Friday [June 9, 2017].
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Tory Lanez Pits Guys Against Girls
“Do my ladies run this mother f*cker… or do my fellas run this mother f*cker,” Toronto rapper Tory Lanez sung to fans at the That Tent on Saturday [June 10, 2017]. Letting fans decide his setlist, by choosing to either go with one of his more masculine raps or one of his love songs for the women of the audience. Lanez eventually sided with the ladies but everyone won, as the “Luv” rapper/singer performed a variety of tracks throughout the night.
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Flatbush Zombies Greet The Crowd One by One
Whether you caught their performance at Bonnaroo, Rolling Loud or anywhere inbetween, the Flatbush Zombies have one of the more entertaining introductions to their performances. Coming out one by one for their 2016 track “The Odyssey”, building up the crowd’s energy the way a DJ builds up a beat, the New York natives know how to work a crowd, and that’s just what they did on Sunday [June 11, 2017].
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D.R.A.M. Keeps Us Smiling at The Other Stage
If you’ve seen the artwork for D.R.A.M.’s self-titled debut album, Big Baby D.R.A.M., you know two things, the rapper loves dogs and has an infectious smile. That same smile had an outbreak throughout Tennessee on Friday [June 9, 2017], as D.R.A.M.’s charismatic stage presence had us all smiling while doing the “cha cha” at Bonnaroo. Make sure you catch him at Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. Tour this summer.
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Skepta Brings Grime to The States
The grime wave hasn’t hit in full effect in the United States yet, and Skepta is trying to change that one performance at a time. And now the English rapper can check Manchester, TN off his list, because the “Shutdown” rapper killed it at Bonnaroo. Perhaps the most energetic performance of the festival, second to Travis Scott, Skepta gave his all to his Tennessee fans.
Photo by Daniel Garcia for The Source
Travis Scott Brings The Night Show to Manchester
“Anything can happen at the night show” became more than just a lyric Sunday [June 11, 2017] at Bonnaroo. With fans moshing throughout the crowd, sweat dripping down your face and rage pumping through your system, Travis Scott shows are unmatched by any other rapper in the game. From start to finish, La Flame had Bonnaroo lit and gave fans a night that they won’t soon forget. With headlining sets on Sunday from Travis and The Weeknd, fans had a great ending to an amazing weekend.
