02. R. Kelly. All Of Him.

Sex. Triumph. Inspiration. Bird-shaped balloons during “I Believe I Can Fly.” A cherry picker that took too long to descend Kells from the top of the Which Stage to its base, and so letting the air out of an otherwise brilliantly conceived intro medley, featuring a 40-person gospel choir onstage for about a minute — a true “tease” in every sense. A lot of swearing, after sharing he’d been asked not to. (“I just laughed at these motherfuckers, like, who don’t fucking curse?”) A musical interlude about how he’d been going for an hour-and-a-half straight with “no breaks, for which he had us chanting “no breaks. (It was more like 70 minutes at that point, but whatever. To love Kells is to forgive his “liberties.”) R. Kelly’s Bonnaroo set was so full of hits and pathos, libido and uplifting sentiment, melisma and beach balls, that it’s simply impossible to pick just one facet to call a “best thing.” Though the fact that his walk-out music was his own music (“Trapped In The Closet”!) is a strong candidate.)