Sheryl Crow shows millennials how it’s done at Bonnaroo

Dave Paulson | The Tennessean

"This is older than most of y’all!”

That’s how Sheryl Crow introduced her 1993 breakout hit “All I Wanna Do” to her young Bonnaroo audience, perhaps with a hint of trepidation.

But it only took a verse and a chorus for the Nashville-based singer-songwriter to realize just how well her songs have held up with the generation after her.

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“Who are you?” she asked with a smile, as a crowd filled with millennials apparently surprised her by singing along, word for word.

Though Crow certainly hasn’t been around as long as past Bonnaroo headliners Paul McCartney and Elton John, her celebratory afternoon slot produced the same warm, fuzzy, only-at-Bonnaroo feeling as those sets by music vets. Unlike Coachella and Lollapalooza, this festival has long sought out performers they believe will resonate with their audience, whether or not they fit the demo.

When it works, like it did with Crow, the results are magical, and life-affirming.

“I love seeing all your young faces out there,” she exclaimed mid-song. “This is what the future looks like!”

She and her band came prepared for this fresh scenario with a set that came out swinging with recognizable tunes: Opening number “If It Makes You Happy” sent some attendees running for a spot in the field while hollering along to the chorus.

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Crow threw in a cover of “Midnight Rider” — a surefire move at Bonnaroo, even in 2018 — and teased that she’d just met someone who was performing that weekend, but wasn’t on the bill. She also urged the young audience to register to vote, because she has an 8-year-old and 11-year-old, and “we need to change the future.”

From Crow’s vantage point on Bonnaroo’s biggest stage, as she started wrapping her set with “Soak Up The Sun,” you’d imagine the future looked pretty bright.