It wasnt until The Weeknd broke into Cant Feel My Face just before 11:30 p.m. on the final night of Bonnaroo that I realized what a dancing sea of 65,000 people looks like.

Its an insane sight.

Somehow, the headliners crooning falsetto brought an energy back to the final hours of the festival. An energy that the sun among other things had drained.

The previous 80 hours had been filled with dancing, drinking, reading, tanning and napping. We had happily endured the 14-hour drive down to Manchester, Tennessee, waking up at 8 a.m. from the blistering heat inside our tent and walking for miles around the festival grounds.

That Sunday night, it felt like only a few hours had passed since our camping neighbors arrival early Thursday afternoon slapping bags of Franzia and demolishing cases of Bud Light.

For me, thats when Bonnaroo officially began.

By the time the lines of cars had been searched, the rows of campsites had been set up and the first cold ones had been cracked open with the boys, wed managed to haul our tired bodies to where all the magic happened: Centeroo.

A Christmas-themed club in a barn, silent disco, Ferris wheel and a sand-filled oasis were all there to enjoy between the stages. Giant burritos, loaded fries, face-sized slices of pizza and smoothies were available to scarf down.

After a bit of exploring, it was time for Mondo Cozmos set. Teasing their upcoming debut album, they played their hit, Shine, a few slow jams and even a cover of Bitter Sweet Symphony. It was a lovely, energetic folk rock set, and I hope they graduate from This tent next time around.

No, Im not just forgetting the name of the stage. That was its name or This was. What, Which, This, That and Other were some of the venues scattered across Centeroo.

While the stages names were clever, they made rendezvousing hard. Imagine trying to wrangle sheep inebriated sheep at that when the answer to, Which stage are they playing on? is simply, Yes.

Other than a few EDM sets, Mondo Cozmos incredible show and a missed Hippo Campus set, there wasnt much going on Thursday night. But that didnt stop campers.

Bellows of Bonna-WHAT? Bonna-ROO! and LETS GOOOO echoed between the tents of college-aged attendees. Ringing in my ears, the battle cries continued into the early morning.

But the festival spirit never dies, right? And who was I to kill it? Hell, if I hadnt just driven until my body was numb, I mightve joined in. After a quick three hours of sleep, day two began.

My Friday schedule kicked off with Cold War Kids. Having played the festival in 07 and 11, the morning set was cake for the Californian band.

Opening with the driving All This Could Be Yours, and ending with the well-known First, they breezed through their set list. Crowds gathered for new tracks Love Is Mystical and So Tied Up.

Then the firstfestival dilemmas began.

We missed James Vincent McMorrow for Kaleos insanely passionate, bluesy set. We sacrificed half of Tove Los show to catch the soul of Anglique Kidjo. We even listened to Gallant from afar to snag a better spot for Glass Animals.

Scheduling conflicts are unavoidable with a great lineup, but one thing was for certain there was no missing U2.

Playing under a full moon, the bands performance of The Joshua Tree in its entirety was magical. Met with a handful of other classics like Vertigo, One and Beautiful Day, their set was a festival highlight.

Its now time for an unpopular opinion: Chance the Rapper was a little disappointing. Since we could hear our own breathing over his set, we decided to leave.

This may have been the best decision of the weekend (other than bringing excess toilet paper).

Plopping down in a bean bag, we were delighted when the bluesy, Californian rock sound of Cloves hit us at the New Music On Tap Lounge. Although we were already laying on the ground, we were floored by her soulful voice.

When it came time to rage with Cage the Elephant, front man Matt Shultzs energy kept everyone on their feet, even if they (myself included) could only belt Aint No Rest for the Wicked. There couldnt have been a better opener for the power that is Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The funky rock quartet could have recorded a live Greatest Hits album. Opening with Can't Stop, Dani California and Scar Tissue, I was already blown away. After bassist Flea handstand-ed his way back onto the stage, the band closed with Goodbye Angels and Give It Away.

When Sunday arrived, we decided to camp out on the grass for both Milky Chance and Lorde.

While my body was ready to head back, my ears couldnt wait for The Weeknd and we patiently stayed. Every minute was worth it when the lights went down, the drums of Starboy filled the speakers and the denim vest-clad singer took the stage.

Without stopping, the set flowed from Party Monster and Often to Wicked Games, before closing with 2015s The Hills.

The artists sultry and powerful voice was both relaxing and energizing. It didnt waver once, giving me one last rush before starting the long, sad trek back to Minnesota.

I dont think I truly appreciated the magic of Bonnaroo until I arrived back home 14 hours later and washed the dirt which posed as a deep Southern tan away in a much-needed shower.

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Bonnaroo or bust: A reflection on the four-day music festival in Tennessee - Minnesota Daily