I played Bonnaroo for the first time in 2005. To this day, it’s still the greatest concert I’ve ever been part of. Bonnaroo was a myth to me. I had never been, but had heard all of these amazing stories. My band at the time, Steel Train, didn’t have anybody working for us. We showed up and loaded in our gear ourselves. All of the stagehands looked at us like we were crazy. We were scheduled for midnight on Thursday in That Tent, and anyone who knows anything about festivals knows that is the most unbeatable spot in festival history. At first, there were 200 people milling about in this huge tent and you don’t really know what to expect. But then, you take the stage and 45 seconds later, there’s 15,000 people going apeshit.

It was just truly the most surreal experience of my life. After that show, I remember having this feeling—whatever happens, I really hope to be making music my whole life and touring. No one can take that away. It was this magical moment you can never go back to.

Most of the other big festivals are either in a city or near a city, but whether you are on a 30-day road trip with your friends or arriving on a tour bus, you have to immerse yourself at Bonnaroo. You are trucking through these campgrounds and in the mud. I think it connects the bands and the audience in a way you don’t get at other big festivals. In simple terms, it lets you know who’s legit and who’s not.

I’ve played Bonnaroo four times now and have had this unique experience where I’ve gone through all these stages: They gave us a shot playing on Thursday, we had a daytime spot on Friday in 2006 and made all these steps until fun. headlined That Tent Sunday night in 2012. Even if we are playing Europe or Los Angeles, if my parents see Bonnaroo on our schedule, then that’s the show they will go to. They grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s when things happened in the moment. Bonnaroo is one of the very rare atmospheres where it’s happening right there. You don’t see a million people with their cell phones taking pictures. I think that’s the connection to the great music of the ‘60s and ‘70s. And I think that’s why it’s an atmosphere that— out of all the places I’ve played in the world—my parents want to come back to again and again.

A lot of the stuff we accomplished with fun. didn’t matter in the eyes of the Bonnaroo world: When you go to Bonnaroo, no one gives a shit about record sales or media buzz or radio play—that’s just not part of the Bonnaroo world. Bonnaroo is about live music and that’s why a band like Widespread Panic can headline even though they aren’t necessarily always on the radio.

(Read: Alice Cooper, Jack Antonoff and Feist Talk Bonnaroo)