The last day of the 2026 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival had a rocky start, after severe storms forced the cancellation of nearly a dozen artists’ sets. By early evening, the skies cleared, and the festival grounds became a soggy, mud-covered playground for music fans.
We pulled on our boots and trudged through the muck and mire in order to fully enjoy the last hours of joy Bonnaroo had to offer, and although we left craving a nice long shower, we also walked away with plenty to smile about. Keep reading to learn more about our favorite performances from the festival’s closing day.
Japanese Breakfast
As thunderstorms rolled through Middle Tennessee early Sunday afternoon, Bonnaroo staff decided to shut down Centeroo and other areas of the festival grounds (including the press tent, where the Barnburner team was evacuated and had to sprint for safety). There was a general fear in the air that the festival was going to be canceled (again) before many of those days’ artists were allowed to play. But as the rain stopped and the flood waters subsided, it was decided that the shows must go on (albeit on an updated, delayed schedule).
The first sound that could be heard resonating throughout Centeroo was the crash of a gong, as Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner brought the party back to life with their song “Paprika.” Zauner, who is nearing the tail-end of pregnancy with her first child, led the band through a setlist consisting of favorites from their entire discography with heavy emphasis on tracks from 2021’s Jubilee. Her uniquely sweet, airy vocal style soared over the crowd, offering the perfect soundtrack as the sun peered through the clouds, ushering out the bad weather and its accompanying bad vibes.
Modest Mouse
Fans, both new and old, gathered under This Tent on Sunday evening to witness indie rock legends Modest Mouse put on an auditory spectacle. Led by the band’s only remaining original member, Isaac Brock, they kicked things off with “Picking Dragons’ Pockets,” the first single from their latest record, An Eraser and a Maze, which dropped earlier this month. For a little over an hour, Modest Mouse performed a set of high-energy songs spanning their catalog, including “Dashboard” and “Dancehall”, without much iconic and loved banter from Brock.
Instead of playing banjo or performing any of their more folk-leaning songs, Brock opted to keep things heavy, garnering the opening of a mosh pit that existed for the majority of their set. Older fans were surely delighted to hear early favorites like “Heart Cooks Brain” and “Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset,” which served as a reminder of the band’s musical roots. As they revisited their 2004 breakout single “Float On,” shouts of “ALRIGHT” echoed underneath the sweaty tent as several energized fans crowdsurfed their way to security. Finally, Modest Mouse finished their set with a violent rendition of “Doin’ the Cockroach,” ending their set abruptly, despite cries and chants for an encore.
Fcukers
New York City’s Fcukers brought the beats back to This Tent early Sunday evening as the crowds had returned post-downpour. Comprised of vocalist Shanny Wise and bassist/keyboardist Jackson Walker Lewis, the breakout act delivered a highly compelling live performance, offering a more organic, raw sound than on their polished debut album Ö.
Opening with their single “I Like It Like That”, Fcukers set the stage for a set designed to get the audience moving. The duo was joined onstage by a live drummer and a DJ, who infused scratching and samples into tracks throughout their performance. Halfway through the set, Lewis broke the music with a very clear political message: “Fuck Donald Trump, fuck our government,” before bolting into the single “Homie Don’t Shake.” The captivating act’s fresh perspective on 90’s dance music came fully into view during the closing track “Bon Bon,” as the crowd was sent re-energized and dancing into the sunset.
Noah Kahan
The grounds were muddy, but the vibes were high on Sunday night as Noah Kahan took the stage for his festival-closing headlining set. Although navigating to What Stage after the day’s earlier intensive downpours felt like trying to walk across a Slip N’ Slide, thousands of Bonnaroovians braved the terrain to hear the Vermont native’s 17-song set, which offered plenty of cuts from his latest album, The Great Divide, along with his breakout 2022 LP Stick Season.
The reality of the environment wasn’t lost on the clever 29-year-old singer-songwriter, who delivered quips about the pungent manure smell radiating from the crowd. Even though Kahan was full of jokes, it was clear that the impact of headlining a festival he had previously attended as a fan just a few years earlier was not lost on him.
His headlining set was filled with emotional moments, anchored by his trademark emotionally intense songs, but it was impossible to ignore the cathartic feelings radiating from the massive crowd as they sang along to tracks like “She Calls Me Back,” “Northern Attitude,” and the set-closing “Stick Season.” It all came to a close with a stunning fireworks show, marking the end of a weekend filled with ups and downs, but anchored by a chain of great performances that kept spirits high til the end.
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