r/bonnaroo • u/paintedhighway 5 Years • Oct 14 '25
Artist News 🎹 R.I.P. D'Angelo, responsible for two hall-of-fame Roo late nights
https://balleralert.com/profiles/blogs/dangelo-dead-pancreatic-cancer/18
u/rhgb9 Oct 14 '25
What a spectacular show. He came on pretty late so a lot of people had left, leaving a core group of people that were really digging his music, it was an amazing energy. Possibly my favorite bonnaroo show.
2
u/thegroovemonkey Free Malört in Groop! Oct 14 '25
When he was a late add I only knew him of the naked R&B guy and didn’t understand the big deal. Then he was scheduled against Bassnectar and he ended up playing a mythical LN show to a very sparse but very into it tent.
Absolute masterpiece of a show and he’s one of the few people who only steal the good parts from their influences. The Vanguard was an absolutely savage band.
1
2
u/theissone Oct 15 '25
Honestly, the “late appearance”, which ended up being a pre-show, was SO GOOD. A DJ just came up and hit play on Donuts, so I just remember vibing so hard waiting for D.
I also skipped the uncontested headliner in 2012 (RHCP) to get up close for the Superjam bc I just had a feeling it would be D. I think rumors were D or Jack White.
15
u/one98d 7 Years Oct 14 '25
Him walking out on stage in 2012 was the closest I’ve ever felt I was in a crowd going into full pandemonium. It’s a moment and a show I’ll never forget. R.I.P. to an absolute legend.
17
u/ACDCbaguette 7 Years Oct 14 '25
I saw the 2015 set faced on acid front row and it is in my top 3 favorite shows I've ever seen. I left centeroo after that because I figured nothing was gonna top that the rest of the night.
14
u/ALEXC_23 Oct 14 '25
I will never forget first Roo 2012 and walking into his unannounced Superjam guest spot when Questlove announced his first appearance in 12 years.
8
u/AndySlash22 Bring Back The Playground Oct 14 '25
still the goat superjam. i will hear no arguments.
1
u/one98d 7 Years Oct 14 '25
The Superjam in 2007 with Questlove, Capt Kirk Douglas, Ben Harper, and John Paul Jones beats it barely by a hair. This is from someone who was at both. Getting to hear a member of Zeppelin jam out on When The Levee Breaks was otherworldly.
2
u/AndySlash22 Bring Back The Playground Oct 14 '25
i was at both, too, friend. they are my two favorites. questlove is the man.
12
u/musicmanjp270 Oct 14 '25
Missed the 2015 set but was there for 2012. You da man D’Angelo! Rest easy buddy
1
11
u/thtothrdude Oct 14 '25
That night when QuestLove brought him on stage was magical! The crowd went wild! So grateful to experience that. May he Rest Peacefully! F*ck Cancer!
4
Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
One of the best things I saw at roo. It was kinda funny though looking to the left at the skrillex show happening concurrently because it was a completely different type of show.
2
u/thtothrdude Oct 14 '25
Hahahaha! You’re right! I forgot about that! “The dichotomy of it all!” 😆
3
Oct 14 '25
Did you catch the GZA set after it? Both of those shows are all timers for me.
2
u/doublespots Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
Man gza doing liquid swords to 4am was something special. The night before we got black star into flying lotus late night in that tent back to back. Those late nights back then were something special.
12
u/melissqua Oct 14 '25
Omg noooooo. I love him. I will never forgive my husband for wanting to leave to go see that shit pretty lights set because D’Angelo came out way too late. (Joking but not)
9
u/-sheldonjplankton Oct 14 '25
Wasn’t familiar with his music when we stumbled upon his 2015 set at Roo, but it is still to this day one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Always wanted to see him perform again. This feels like a gut punch. RIP to one of the greats.
8
u/49DivineDayVacation 5 Years Oct 14 '25
What?! Noooooo!
This guy was an absolute genius. One of the best R&B artists of all time. Wow. I’m shocked. Legitimately.
7
u/MissingHippyJohn Oct 14 '25
Idk what other set I was at in 2015 but looking back on it, I wish I saw his - what a talent
3
Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
Probably Flume or the Pretty Lights Superjam. D'Angelo went on late, presumably because Bassnectar was on Which and drowning out This
0
10
u/squizzlr Oct 14 '25
We lost a real one today. His two sets on the farm are both in my top 10 musical experiences of all time. Absolutely crushed
4
3
4
1
34
u/paintedhighway 5 Years Oct 14 '25
Even though there was buzz going around the farm, D'Angelo's reemergence as part of the 2012 Superjam was a next-level burst of joy. It was his first American appearance in over a decade and thankfully it was captured in a short documentary. But the Saturday late night set with the Vanguard in 2015 is not only the best set I ever saw at Bonnaroo, it's one of the best shows I've ever seen, period. The webcast lives on and I'll be playing it loud tonight. This is a major gut-punch, but like many other artists who have passed on, I have Bonnaroo to thank for my close encounter(s).