http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/celebrities/6244120.html NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Call him Bonnaroo Bruce. Bruce Springsteen, fresh off his Super Bowl halftime performance, has been announced as a headliner at this year’s Bonnaroo Arts & Music Festival, along with the recently reunited Phish. It is scheduled to be the only performance by Springsteen and his E Street Band at a festival in North America this year. Other performers scheduled to perform from June 11-14 include Snoop Dogg, the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, Elvis Costello, TV on the Radio, Al Green, Merle Haggard, David Byrne, Erykah Badu, Animal Collective, the Decemberists and Lucinda Williams. The annual event, which is held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn., 60 miles south of Nashville, draws about 80,000 fans each year. Springsteen, who released the CD “Working on a Dream” last week, is making the Bonnaroo pit stop during a nationwide tour; Phish is also launching a tour later this year, and Bonnaroo is also slated to be its only festival performance in North America. More acts will be announced later. More than 120 bands and 20 comedians are expected to perform on 13 stages. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm not saying this is a bad lineup for a music festival, but Bonnaroo is no longer Bonnaroo. Not even Jazzfest has gone this top heavy with commercial acts. Compare to the original lineup: * Trey Anastasio * Widespread Panic * Phil Lesh and Friends w/ very special guest Bob Weir * Galactic * Béla Fleck & Edgar Meyer * DJ Logic * Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade * Amon Tobin * Old Crow Medicine Show * Soulive * Gov't Mule * Jim White * Umphrey's McGee * Gran Torino * The Big Wu * Donna the Buffalo * Acoustic Syndicate * Keller Willams Incident * Karl Denson's Tiny Universe * Ben Harper * Cut Chemist * String Cheese Incident * John Butler Trio * Robert Randolph & the Family Band * Jack Johnson * Jurassic 5 * Del McCoury Band * Drums & Tuba * Lil' Rascals Brass Band * Disco Biscuits * Llama * The Codetalkers feat. Col. Bruce Hampton (ret.) * Particle * Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains * moe. * Corey Harris * Ween * North Mississippi Allstars * Vinroc * Z-Trip * Mofro * Gabe Dixon * Norah Jones * Campbell Brothers * Dottie Peoples * Blind Boys of Alabama * Pink Flamingos
Every festival has gone that way. You've got to keep selling out tickets. If you're just showing the same "festival" type bands every year, people are going to quit coming. If the Boss came to ACL, I'd be very much stoked. NIN, TV on the Radio, and especially The Decembrists I could do without.
I agree, these festivals are going way too mainstream. Bonnaroo does get credit for bringing on comedians every year. Alot of UCB guys perform. But the comedy usually falls flat b/c an outdoor area is not a place for comedy in the first place. The only festival that maintains cred these days is SXSW.
Even that's debatable since it's incredibly more difficult for the commoner to go to SXSW shows. I've lived in Austin since 1999 and I've given up trying to go to anything SXSW outside of the free shows at Auditorium Shores.
Its true. Most of the bigger shows (like REM, Bloc Party in years past) are basically locked out for normal wristbanders and even badgeholders for the most part. But I've noticed the best days to attend SXSW is the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon of the event. When it comes to the Friday night, and Saturday..the whole event turns into a madhouse as folks who aren't even into music just show up just to see what is happening. Then obviously it is hard to get into regular shows as well as free shows. The free shows are amazing in the afternoon if you have the time off work to make it to those shows. SXSW is quite possibly the highlight of my year, every year.
The comedy shows (aside from Chris Rock last year) at Bonnaroo are indoors. They set up a seated 'theater' type rig under a big top.
There's actually quite a few good acts there this year. The only thing is I saw many of them at Coachella last year. What turns me off of bonnaroo is their complete lack of electronic music. The fact that they got washed up paul oakenfold is hilarious. I hope they're not actually paying him. Still, I'm considering Roo for the first time. I think their lineup is better than Coachella's this year, but Coachella is such a great experience that I think NKOTB could be headlining and I'd enjoy it. This is a solid list: Animal Collective TV on the Radio NIN MGMT Of Montreal Bon Iver Yeah Yeah Yeahs Grizzly Bear Mars Volta
Terrible lineup. Not even acid or shrooms would make it interesting. Springsteen..Wilco.. snore. Not even Claypool? Wtf. Good years.
the day shows are where it's at with SXSW... just hop from bar to bar to restaurant to random shop on s. 1st and see dozens of different free shows with free beer and sometimes free food and free sampler discs. i've made it to a few decent "bigger" shows at night, but when bands like the beastie boys play "secret shows" you just got to tell yourself that there is no way in hell you're getting in and forget about it... although i tried my damnedest to get into the m. ward & jim james acoustic show at st. andrews (i think) episcopal church last year. that being said, the black lips are returning this year and if i can make it to austin i will do everything in my powers to be at that show.
