For a fest with the leathery, dependable star power of headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers and U2, Thursday was the breath of fresh, blog-fueled air with performances from small-print upstarts including July Talk, The Lemmon Twigs and Mondo Cozmo. (Also: a “Trapped in the Closet” singalong, because of course there was.) Photographer Sarah Hess headed south to the sunburnt fields of Tennessee’s Great Stage Park for Bonnaroo’s opening day, seen in the gallery above. Check back all weekend for more coverage of Bonnaroo 2017.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.
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July Talk at Bonnaroo, 6/8/2017, Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee.