With by far the slowest start to the day, the fourth and final day of Bonnaroo finally picked up in the afternoon with conflicting sets from Warpaint, A$AP Ferg and Arctic Monkeys.
Easily drawing the most people over at the festival's main What Stage, the Monkeys sauntered out to AM's "Do I Wanna Know" and delivered a set that kept the crowd happy. Frontman Alex Turner seemed unfazed by the enormous throng of humans, oozing swagger (and hair gel) as he wiggled about on stage, seemingly as comfortable working the crowd as he is picking up and playing a guitar. The band ran through a fair amount of older material like "Dancing Shoes," "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor," "Brianstorm" and "Fluorescent Adolescent," though recent tunes like ode to "unanswered booty calls" "Why Do Only Call Me When You're High" and set closer "R U Mine?" got equally enthusiastic responses. Despite slowing things down towards the end of the show, "No. 1 Party Anthem" — dedicated to Sir Elton John — was a standout moment in the set.
Elton John certainly deserved the praise, given his phenomenal headlining later that evening. Decked out in a glittery jacked, bedazzled with "ROCKET MAN" across the back, he was in excellent form from the second he took a seat at his bright red piano. He had everyone singing along by the second song ("Benny and the Jets"), followed by "Candle in the Wind," which got the lighters, light-up balloons and assorted glow sticks swaying in the air. "Tiny Dancer" was undeniably the biggest sing-a-long of the night, a moment that festivalgoers had been preparing for all weekend as they trekked back and forth past a giant "Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza" mural. "Rocket Man" was another highlight of the set, with one audience member releasing a giant Buzz Lightyear balloon into the sky, never to be seen again. One of the better surprise guest appearances of the festival, John brought out fellow piano man Ben Folds for "Grey Seal" then dedicated "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" to the late Casey Kasem. Closing with a string of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," "Your Song" and "Crocodile Rock," he definitely ended the weekend on a high note.
Easily drawing the most people over at the festival's main What Stage, the Monkeys sauntered out to AM's "Do I Wanna Know" and delivered a set that kept the crowd happy. Frontman Alex Turner seemed unfazed by the enormous throng of humans, oozing swagger (and hair gel) as he wiggled about on stage, seemingly as comfortable working the crowd as he is picking up and playing a guitar. The band ran through a fair amount of older material like "Dancing Shoes," "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor," "Brianstorm" and "Fluorescent Adolescent," though recent tunes like ode to "unanswered booty calls" "Why Do Only Call Me When You're High" and set closer "R U Mine?" got equally enthusiastic responses. Despite slowing things down towards the end of the show, "No. 1 Party Anthem" — dedicated to Sir Elton John — was a standout moment in the set.
Elton John certainly deserved the praise, given his phenomenal headlining later that evening. Decked out in a glittery jacked, bedazzled with "ROCKET MAN" across the back, he was in excellent form from the second he took a seat at his bright red piano. He had everyone singing along by the second song ("Benny and the Jets"), followed by "Candle in the Wind," which got the lighters, light-up balloons and assorted glow sticks swaying in the air. "Tiny Dancer" was undeniably the biggest sing-a-long of the night, a moment that festivalgoers had been preparing for all weekend as they trekked back and forth past a giant "Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza" mural. "Rocket Man" was another highlight of the set, with one audience member releasing a giant Buzz Lightyear balloon into the sky, never to be seen again. One of the better surprise guest appearances of the festival, John brought out fellow piano man Ben Folds for "Grey Seal" then dedicated "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" to the late Casey Kasem. Closing with a string of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," "Your Song" and "Crocodile Rock," he definitely ended the weekend on a high note.
