National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

The sixth-annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival brought 80,000 music fans to a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Clad in peasant skirts, bathing suits, and not much else, they braved the heat and the barely tolerable dust clouds to enjoy the music of well over 100 artists. Attendees could catch acts in any of three tents - named "This Tent," "That Tent" and "The Other Tent" - or two larger stages, dubbed "Which Stage" and "What Stage." Non-musical offerings included shopping, food and various activist organizations all available on site. In addition, Bonnaroo sported a comedy tent, two dance tents, and even a ferris wheel. Throughout the festival, the port-o-johns stayed remarkably clean, and for the first time in six years, showers were available for a small fee. It's no surprise that Ben Harper referred to the festival during his set as "the best music festival on the planet."

On Thursday, fans drove all day only to find a wait for admission to the festival grounds that was, for some, upwards of eight hours. Bonnarooers continued to trickle in throughout the night, even after the concerts began. Thursday's musical sampling started late in "Centeroo," the musical hub of the festival, as Sam Roberts Band, one of the first acts of the weekend, played a rambunctious set of psychedelic rock as the crowd danced away a long day of driving. The night's music peaked with Rodrigo y Gabriela's late night performance of their brand of flamenco-metal fusion, playing crowd favorites such as Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," and their epic rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."

Friday's concerts increased in intensity as the heat of the day waned. Kings of Leon played a series of loud and quick rock and roll. The Friday evening time slots presented a scheduling nightmare, with entirely too many talented acts to catch. Highlights included Lily Allen slugging from a bottle of Jagermeister as she laced her ska-inflected pop with hilarious, profanity-laden commentary in a surprisingly clear voice. The Roots played a cover of the Police's "Roxanne" that led into their club favorite "The Seed," sending their listeners over the edge. During the same time slot, Manu Chao and Radio Bemba Sound System (pictured) brought down the proverbial house with a dynamic performance. Late that night, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame, Ben Harper and Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots took the stage together to play the annual SuperJam. Unfortunately, so many people packed this performance that it was nearly impossible to hear. The String Cheese Incident provided a nice alternative with their freeform jams, which ranged from spacey to hard and fast. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the "Silent Disco" bumped all night, where dancers wore headphones, each set connected to the same feed.

Saturday presented the best and most eclectic lineup of the weekend, despite a formulaic set The Police, the night's headliner. Sting's mistaken references to the location as "Bonnaroo, Tennessee" (actual location, Manchester, TN) and the multi-state crowd as "80,000 Tennesseans" did not endear him to the audience any more than the band ending its set an hour early. Fortunately, plenty of other talent performed throughout the day and night. Gogol Bordello, New York's gypsy punks, rocked so hard that fans jumped around in the 90 degree heat along with the band, an uncommon occurrence in the sorching daytime temperatures. For the less energetic, Regina Spektor wooed her audience during the same time slot, her heartbreaking voice and mellow music so relaxing that many simply laid in the sun while listening. Her introduction of her "beautiful, wonderful band" and subsequent request for the audience members to introduce themselves were so charming that her lyric slips earlier in the show seemed inconsequential. She closed her set with her cover of John Lennon's "Real Love," a track from Amnesty International's compilation album, Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur. The activism continued throughout the day, with Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals preaching peace and agency through Harper's lyrics, playing Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" with Ziggy Marley and closing his set with "Better Way." Harper's voice was record-quality, especially on his cover of "Dazed and Confused" with John Paul Jones. Saturday's late night shows were as exciting as they were varied. As the Flaming Lips were lowered to the stage on a spaceship-like lighting rig for a killer show, Galactic came out for a set with special guests Chali 2na and Lyrics Born, among others, for an uncharacteristically urban show that went on until nearly 4 A.M. Yet the clear crowd favorite of the night was Gov't Mule, who played a laid-back, inclusive set with appearances from everyone from Bob Weir to comedian Lewis Black.

On the final day of music, fans arrived early in order to catch as much as possible before the festival ended. Bob Weir and Ratdog's Sunday performance got things going early, even in the oppressive 93 degree heat. As a former member of the Grateful Dead, Weir was a natural favorite for this crowd – he could play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and Bonnarooers would still go crazy. However, his set was strong, even if his unsurprising "Come Together" cover was a little off. The Sunday afternoon shows left hipsters pleased with sets by the Decemberists, Wilco and the White Stripes. Meg and Jack White, in their typical black, red and white tore through the loudest set of the weekend, with their music audible far beyond the stage area. Jack even got the opportunity to propose to a woman on behalf of a lucky fan. The night closed with a long set from seasoned Bonnaroo vets Widespread Panic. Although many of the festival's attendees had already left the grounds by the time their show began, Panic did right by their fans and those new to the band by tearing through an upbeat, jam-heavy set with bassist Dave Schools throwing down some unbelievable riffs.

For the past few years, Bonnaroo has matured past its jam-band roots, into a well-oiled pop festival. Festival goers' annual complaints of the "mainstreaming" of the festival always seem to disappear when the music starts. And this year was no exception.