Last year was my first Bonnaroo, and I knew as I left the arch still dazed by Explosions in the Sky’s performance that I would return for the 2012 installment. And it didn’t disappoint.

Being a little more well-versed this year in what to bring (water water water water water..and glowsticks) we packed up the car and headed on the 9-hour drive to Tennessee.

DJ Kligz made some killer flower crowns for everyone:

Thursday, Centeroo opened before any bands started, so we explored the not-as-music-related activities:

Once the music got going, we checked out Rubblebucket at the Solar Stage. If you’re a triangle native, you may be familiar with them from Shakori Hills or when they opened for Tin Can Sailor at The Pour House. Funky and dancey, they put on one of the most fun shows all weekend. Word around the farm was Feist went to oneof their performances during the weekend too.

Next, I pretty much stayed at The Other Tent: The Cave Singers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., White Denim and Phantogram. The crowd was absolutely massive for all of these — we luckily had a spot on the right side up against the fence for most of this though. Sing-a-longs and long jam sessions kept the crowd happy.

Friday was packed with some of my favorite performances of the weekend.

At the Kooks, we ran into DJ Bex in front of Which Stage. They were as fun as you’d expect them to be and covered old songs as well as tunes from their most recent album, “Junk of the Heart (2011).”

I hopped over to That Tent to see Ben Howard — easily one of the best feeling concerts of the weekend. I realize I put Tune-yards on the back burner for this (still caught the last 30 minutes of their set, which included “Gangsta,” “Bizness,” and “My Country”), and I don’t regret it one bit. If you haven’t listened to Ben Howard, you should. The crowd was mesmerized and the band’s instrumentation was beautiful. Ben, I love you.

Two Door Cinema Club, who played at This Tent (these names aren’t confusing at all, right?), had a crowd so large that is was backed up to the Mushroom fountain — where paint-covered patrons cool off and attempt to get faux-showers. We went to see Laura Marling instead, who is as beautiful as you’d expect with effortless and smooth playing. After our ice-filled bandanas melted, we claimed some space at What Stage for The Avett Brothers. Their opening song was “Will You Return” which I couldn’t have been happier about. They play both slow and fast hits throughout their performance, as well as covered two Doc Watson songs. As NC natives, there’s no doubt he was a big influence on them.

As with any music festival, you should always check out the bands a little off the beaten path — hit the smaller stages and tents. Jukebox the Ghost followed The Avett’s performance at the Destination Escape Tent. The band’s energy was contagious. They not only played songs off their June release “Safe Travels,” but also did a super fun cover of “I Will Love You Forever.”

And there was no way I couldn’t reminisce about middle school and stop to dance when Ludacris played classics like “Roll Out,” “Move B*tch,” and “Stand Up.” Apparently there was also a life-size Justin Beiber cardboard cutout floating around the crowd, too. Foster the People had an equally large crowd, backed up to the point you could hardly see, despite the single big screen on the side of the stage. They had a cool set up though, with lights, neat backdrops — oh, and at least a two-story inflatable ghost monster thing that came out during “Pumped Up Kicks.” There was a mad rush to What Stage in preparation for Radiohead’s 10PM performance. They had puppet lights set up, which were moveable LED panels that changed position with each song. This was an iconic performance, and after Thom Yorke dedicated “Supercollider” to Jack White with a cryptic message, we can only wonder what’s next for them.

Saturday Agenda: Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, The Temper Trap, Punch Brothers, SBTRKT, Mogwai, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice Cooper, Superjam (?estlove with D’Angelo), Skrillex

We waited in line for the pit for The Temper Trap, giving us a front and center view of the show. Not to mention watching Charles Bradley was a great start to the day with his feel-good soulful tunes. Seeing The Temper Trap without colorful lights was a little odd to me,  but they still did the water-filled drum solos they’re known for. Drawing a lot of the songs from their self-titled June release, they still hit on most of the favorites from their previous album “Conditions (2009)” (“Drum Song,” “Science of Fear,” “Down River,” “Sweet Disposition”).

Punch Brothers were somehow dressed in suits. While they looked classy, I can’t fathom how they weren’t dying. The heat was as bad as last year by any means and I believe stayed under 90 the whole weekend, but I still think anyone wearing long sleeves was a little insane. Seeing them perform, regardless, made me respect them a lot more. I’m fairly sure Chris Tile (mandolin, vocals) can rock harder and play faster than most speed-metal guitarists.

Switching from bluegrass to electronic, we moved over to SBTRKT, the London-based DJ.  Usually I’m not a fan of seeing electronic music live for the musicianship — I expect them to press a few buttons and dance around with a hint of emceeing. This was different. Moving all around the stage with his collaborator Sampha, they really made it something to watch to. There was even a drum set for a song or two.

Their final song came and Kligz and I pushed our way to the front as fast as we could. If you know me, you know I love post rock, and if you love post rock, you love Mogwai. Around since 1997 (“Mogwai Young Team“), they’ve made their heavy mark on the genre. And being from Scotland, they don’t frequent the US very much. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. The only thing that broke my hypnotic trance during their stellar performance was a band of Teletubbies that danced to the front of the crowd, hugged everyone, and left. Hashtag Bonnaroo.

Just when I thought my mind had recovered from their show, Red Hot Chili Peppers started. As a side note, I should say RHCP were one of the bands that my parents and I all enjoyed, so it was one of the go-to’s growing up. I’ve probably listened to “Californication (1999)” more than any other rock album and Flea has been my favorite bassist since I knew what one was.  This show is partially why I’m just now regaining my voice.

I promised my mom I’d see Alice Cooper. It was cool, and everything you’d expect at an Alice Cooper show — eyeliner, studded jackets, raised drumset, cocky pacing around stage. He’s still got it.

I don’t have pictures of either of these, but the Superjam and Skrillex finished the night. The Superjam was killer, Roots drummer ?uestlove led the jam, with originals and covers ranging to Zeppelin. This was prematurely interrupted as soon as Skrillex turned on his computer, radiating bass from the What Stage to the Mushroom Fountain in front of This Tent. It was a weird place to be, the intersection of two polar opposite types of music. We gave in and went over. In a raised platform, Skrillex was illuminated by a huge LED screen behind him and it rained glowsticks everytime the beat dropped.

As soon as we got back to our camp, it started raining — very atypical for Bonnaroo. The rain continued until the next day, misting on and off for Sunday.

I found a band I hadn’t heard of on Sunday – Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds. Brooklyn-based with nine members, their sound is a blend of rock, ska, blues and soul. We saw Fruit Bats (lovely, as always) and Grouplove (it was too crowded to see them, which took away a lot of the splendor of their performace), and I wish I would have seen The Black Lips. While en route to other concerts, they sounded like a lot of fun. We endured what we could of Mac Miller (sorry if you like him — not my cup of tea at all.. but he had a big backwards neon hat-wearing crowd that was really into it) to get a good spot for Ben Fold Five. This was their second show after reuniting as a whole band. They were all smiling from ear to ear, and Ben snapped some pictures of the crowd. Between songs were some silly stories and comments about their weekend. They played so hard Ben broke a string — on a piano. When does that happen?

The last show I saw of the weekend was The Shins, who followed BFF. Besides being surrounded by hardcore fans, we also spotted some celebs, like McLovin’ and other artists from the weekend. Beach balls flew around, everyone danced, and somehow the webstream made it look like it was sunny outside. Maybe that’s just another effect The Shins have.

All in all, amazing weekend.

See you next time, roo.

1. Zomby – Dedication

2. SBTRKT – SBTRKT

3. Yacht – Shangri-La

4. Thievery Corporation – Culture of Fear

5. Com Truise – Galactic Melt

6. Wallpaper - #STUPiDFACEDD

7. Magnetic Man – Magnetic Man

8. Crookers - Dr. Gonzo: Bust Em Up

9. Borgore – Delicious

10. Glitch Mob - We Can Make the World Stop

Each week, the WKNC music directors tally up spins for new releases and submit their top charts to CMJ.

CMJ Top 200 from WKNC’s Daytime Indie Rock

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	SBTRKT	SBTRKT	XL-Young Turks
#2	MEMORY TAPES	Player Piano	Carpark
#3	MOTOPONY	Motopony	tinyOGRE
#4	BODIES OF WATER	Twist Again	Thousand Tongues
#5	MIDDLE EAST	I Want That You Are Always Happy	Missing Piece
#6	BALKANS	Balkans	Double Phantom
#7	TEAM ME	Team Me	Propeller
#8	BRILLIANT COLORS	Again And Again	Slumberland
#9	BANDANA SPLITS	Mr. Sam Presents The Bandana Splits
#10	SALLIE FORD AND THE SOUND OUTSIDE	Dirty Radio	Partisan

CMJ Loud Rock from WKNC’s Chainsaw Rock

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	TOXIC HOLOCAUST	Conjure And Command	Relapse
#2	FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE	Agony	Nuclear Blast
#3	ANTHRAX	Worship Music Sampler	Megaforce
#4	SKALMOLD	Baldur	Napalm
#5	DIR EN GREY	Dum Spiro Spero	The End
#6	SVARTSOT	Maledictus Eris	Napalm
#7	EXHUMED	All Guts, No Glory	Relapse
#8	UNKIND	Harhakuvat	Relapse
#9	WORLD UNDER BLOOD	Tactical	Nuclear Blast
#10	DIRGE WITHIN	“Absolution” [Single]	Century Media

CMJ Hip-Hop from WKNC’s Underground

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	MF DOOM	“Gazillion Ear” [Single]
#2	CANNIBAL OX	Angels & Insects
#3	JEDI MIND TRICKS	Put Em In The Grave
#4	PETE ROCK & C.L. SMOOTH	“I Get Physical” [Single]
#5	ACTUAL PROOF	“Get It Done” [Single]
#6	BIG L	“Put It On” [Single]
#7	SHABAZZ PALACES	Swerve The Reeping Of All That Is Worthwhile
#8	SHANE ELI	I Can Do Better
#9	SOLE AND THE SKYRIDER BAND	Hello Cruel World	Fake Four
#10	MEDIAN	Median’s Relief	Halftooth

Each week, the WKNC music directors tally up spins for new releases and submit their top charts to CMJ.

CMJ Loud Rock from WKNC’s Chainsaw Rock

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	ALL SHALL PERISH	This Is Where It Ends	Nuclear Blast
#2	TOMBS	Path Of Totality	Relapse
#3	ENDSTILLE	Infektion 1813	Season Of Mist
#4	SUICIDE SILENCE	The Black Crown	Century Media
#5	EXHUMED	All Guts, No Glory	Relapse
#6	A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH	And Hell Will Follow Me	SPV
#7	BOOK OF BLACK EARTH	The Cold Testament	Prosthetic
#8	DRACONIAN	A Rose For The Apocalypse	Napalm
#9	PESTILENCE	Doctrine	Mascot
#10	STREAM OF PASSION	Darker Days	Napalm

CMJ RPM from WKNC’s Afterhours

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	SBTRKT	SBTRKT	Young Turks-XL
#2	FRIENDLY FIRES	Pala	XL
#3	WASHED OUT	Within And Without	Sub Pop
#4	ZOMBY	Dedication	4AD
#5	MAGNETIC MAN	Magnetic Man	Star Time
#6	YACHT	Shangri-La	DFA
#7	FM BELFAST	Don’t Want To Sleep	Morr
#8	BORGORE	Delicious [EP]
#9	FIORA	Blue Muse
#10	THIEVERY CORPORATION	Culture Of Fear	ESL

CMJ Hip-Hop from WKNC’s Underground

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	AMAD JAMAL	Hood Tales
#2	SHANE ELI	I Can Do Better
#3	EL DA SENSEI & THE RETURNERS	GTO 2: Nu World	Asfalt
#4	JAYLIB	Champion Sound: Deluxe	Stones Throw
#5	SOLE AND THE SKYRIDER BAND	Napoleon
#6	KING MEZ	King’s Khrysis
#7	CITIZEN AIM	As Just Cause Cries	Humble Beast
#8	SHABAZZ PALACES	Swerve… The Reeping Of All That Is Worthwhile
#9	IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE	“No Me Importa” [Single]
#10	SHAD	“Telephone” [Single]

CMJ Radio 200 from WKNC’s Daytime Rock

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	Gardens & Villa	Gardens & Villa	Secretly Canadian
#2	Unknown Mortal Orchestra	Unknown Mortal Orchestra	Fat Possum
#3	Motopony	Motopony	tinyOGRE
#4	Seapony	Go With Me	Hardly Art
#5	Balkans	Balkans	Double Phantom
#6	Sbtrkt	Sbtrkt	XL-Young Turks
#7	1, 2, 3	New Heaven	Frenchkiss
#8	Bella Ruse	Kuhzoo	Self-Released
#9	Memory Tapes	Player Piano	Carpark
#10	Vaccines	What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?	Columbia

(click for top 30)