Bonnaroo 2018 day 1: Here's what we saw in the fest’s first hours

Bonnaroo 2018 began the first of 96 hours of musical madness on Thursday, as the gates to the concert grounds known as Centeroo opened just before noon. “We hope you’re not planning on sleeping any time soon," the festival’s Twitter account joked.

No, naps will come later, judging by the thousands of fresh-faced 20-somethings who darted from one stage to another — even as the sun blazed overhead — to catch the festival’s first sets, and see what other attractions were set up on site.

I made the rounds, too — though painfully aware of the long weekend ahead — to take Bonnaroo’s initial temperature for 2018. Here’s what I noticed.

The site

With the axing of the Cinema and Comedy tents, the west side of Centeroo has gained some much-needed space. There are now two separate open-air zones for electronic sounds: “The Other” (which was added last year), and the returning Kalliope Stage, which is promising EDM sets “til sunrise.”

Both of these areas are on corners that border the campgrounds, so if you prefer to be lulled to sleep — or woken up — by chest-rattling dubstep and house music, this is your year.

On the other hand, Bonnaroo’s comedy performers are now scattered throughout the grounds, and thus far, it’s definitely a mixed bag. The fest’s first comedy show with “SNL” alum Sasher Zamata was held at Jake and Snake’s Christmas Barn, with a minuscule capacity of 100. At least twice as many people waited outside the venue in the heat, and the machine spewing fog-filled bubbles could only entertain them for so long.

Inside, comedian Sheng Wang seemed a little thrown off by the scenario, with a large barricade in front of the stage and rap music blaring in the distance behind him.

“This is bizarre,” he said. “I don’t know, I’m not used to doing comedy in shorts, and I’m not used to looking outside and seeing people in bikinis.”

The music

Thursday night serves as a soft opening for Bonnaroo. The festival’s two largest stages stay closed until Friday, so it’s exclusively a playground for new artists and established indie acts. More than ever, this year seemed filled with the former, and quite a few of them came from just down the road.

The very first musician to make noise was Nashville rapper Ernest K, who seemed to click immediately with this crowd through rhymes celebrating “credit cards with no limits.”

“We’re kicking off Bonnaroo 2018, and it’s gonna be awesome,” he said.

Ernest stayed optimistic even as there were some technical difficulties with his backing tracks. Unfazed, the Nashville-raised musician picked up an acoustic guitar and belted his way through a cover of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

“I like this. This is how I started. I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, just me and guitar, writing some songs. We got anybody (who) writes songs here? Just out here doing drugs for the weekend? All right, we relate.”

The 'experiences'

Bonnaroo’s much-ballyhooed “Plazas” are all set up, and though there have been pictures ahead of the fest, they’re much more striking when you see them jutting out of a sea of tents. (Bonnaroo’s campgrounds are massive, with dozens of zones named after movie/TV characters and placed on a grid of “streets” and “avenues.”)

The Nashville-themed “The Ville” was colorful, but quiet in the afternoon, following an all-night dance party thrown by Nashville DJ duo Sparkle City Disco. Elsewhere, eye-catching venues including "House of Yes" and "The Love Shack" beckoned to passers-by.

The sights 

This year’s crowd seems more fresh-faced than ever, and the Bonnaroo positivity/Stockholm syndrome certainly endures.

High-fives aren’t offered at Bonnaroo, they are enforced. One campground pedestrian had a sound system the size of a window air conditioning unit strapped to his chest, and campers cheered him on as he hobbled past.

There was even one brave soul wearing a full Spongebob Squarepants costume — the kind of bootleg mascot fare you’d see in Times Square — in the 90-degree heat, posing constantly for photos as he strolled through Centeroo.

I’m also pretty sure I saw Bonnaroo co-founder Ashley Capps driving through the campgrounds on a golf cart, with passers-by oblivious to the fact that they just encountered the Willy Wonka of their weekend.

Just the beginning

Bonnaroo really gets cooking — and arguably hits its musical peak — on Friday, with main stage sets from headliners Muse, plus Sturgill Simpson, Sheryl Crow, Tyler Childers and a late-night all-star tribute to Tom Petty. Stay tuned.

WSBTV