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I saw Neil Young a few years ago and was really disappointed. He would fit very well with the Bonnaroo crowd, but tbh I think his live show is a little lacking. I agree though that Pearl Jam (never seen them live) or Phish would be wonderful headliners.
the first time i saw neil young was in the early 90's and ive seen over 70 Neil shows, and to say the least hes amazing live. Let alone i didnt see him at the Roo, cause i didnt attend. i think he would be a great fit in the 2007 Headliners i hope its something like Widespread Panic Allmans Neil Young
You won't see anyone who was a non-headliner at Bonnaroo in the past headline it in '07. I don't think it will never happen (if an Umphrey's or MMJ type band really developed a huge following), but none of the bands that fit that description that people are mentioning (String Cheese, moe, Umphreys, Lips etc.) have made a dramatic leap in "bigness", and it would frankly not look good to have someone who was a non-headliner in the past suddenly be a headliner without a dramatic change in their "profile". I understand that a band like Umphrey's has grown their audience tremendously over the last several years, but its nowhere near the Phish/Dead/Widespread/Dave level that has been established for Bonnaroo headliners.
Of the fifteen headlining slots that Bonnaroo has had, Trey, Dave Mathews, Phil/Dead and Widespread have occupied twelve of them (the others being Petty, Radiohead and Neil Young), so there isn't exactly a history of mixing things up here. I think at least one, maybe two of the slots will be taken up by someone from that group (although at this point Trey would need GRAB or something similar with a fierce tour behind them to fill this slot). As for new Bonnaroo headliners, Pearl Jam is the only name floating around that seems at all likely to me. Paul Simon or Bruce would be great, but I'm guessing next year might be a pretty similar list of headliners to those we've seen in the past.
Of course this isn't what I would want the headliners to be (although I've enjoyed them all, I'll be fine if I never see Dave, Phil or Widespread again), just my two cents on what I think they will be.
Although I personally wouldn't be a fan of it, I wouldn't be surprised to see a big hip hop headliner, possibly along the lines of Jay-Z or Snoop Dog. Personally my dream line up (following the formula) would be Lou Reed (mysteriously reunited with John Cale and friends) Pearl Jam, and (hang with me on this one) Built To Spill, they may not be a "Jam band," or really "big enough," but these guys can Jam and put on a show that I think could fill the epic headlining shoes.
I've been saying this all along - bands like the Allmans, SCI, Umphrey's, etc. are all GREAT in their own right, but there are very few bands who can headline a festival of this size. Many of those bands could headline most of the smaller fests around, but not Bonnaroo.
I don't think Allmans can put in the same category with SCI,Umph, moe. and so on. I am not really a big fan of the Allman Brothers, but I think they could close out Sunday night just like Phil did this year. Another thing to add that Phil Lesh and friends were co-headliners that first year of roo and is the first one to jump from co-headliner to headlining spot.
Ben Harper has also co-headlined and wouldn't surprise me if he headlined a night, but he seems to have the longest shot out of the three mentioned. A late night 2 hours second stage set would be ideal for him I think.
I think its very possible that Pearl Jam could headline both. A lot of people on the East Coast and the South aren't going to travel to Vegas to see Pearl Jam. If they played Bonnaroo, they are going to draw a large part of their fanbase from the northeast(where most of the first leg of their tour was) and from the south(which so far has been totally ignored by their world tour).Plus not everyone that goes to bonnaroo, is going to vegoose, and vice-versa.
What happens if my tee shot lands on a bird's back and he carries it out of bounds but then is attacked by a larger bird who grabs the ball and drops it in the hole? Is that still a hole in one? 'Cause that's how I'm gonna play it.
Post by paranoidbot on Jul 6, 2006 18:55:46 GMT -5
I agree there are very few bands that can pull off a headliner spot at roo mainly becasue of the sheer size of it. Umph/moe are still years away if ever. I think back to Phish in 91-93 where they were playing mid size venues on campuses and building their following and that's how I see Umph/moe. Of course in the early 90's it was the Dead and Phish and not much else in competition for this audience. And Phish was in the right place at the right time when Jerry died. That was the single biggest event to thrust them into the top tier.
Last year (2005) as we were walking out of Sunday night Panic I said that I thought Radiohead was the only band I could envision playing that mammoth audience and still be recieved well by the roo audience. Metallica could fill it but it's totally the wrong crowd and vibe. The only other band that could nail an 80,000 large crowd is U2 but that would seriously change the roo crowd. Radiohead had a significant effect on the atmosphere but you don't find casual Radiohead fans. They are mostly serious music geeks who will appreciate any good music in any genre and roo worked out well with that.
While I personally would not pick them, SCI is the closest to a headliner out there now. I still think their sound gives them a slightly narrower fan base than they would need to be a solid roo headliner. I don't think moe has what it takes to make the final push. Umph and MMJ are the two minor league players we are all watching for development. I could see either one of those making it eventually but it is still years away. But looking at Phish's early years compared to their 96-04 run shows that they can keep growing in the right circumstances.
Panic and Dave both have the perfect combo of jam music and enough rock based sound for a wide appeal to a large audience. Were it not for the nostalgia effect I don't think Phil/Dead combos would pull off a headliner spot either. (Ratdog for example).
So we have the knowns: Widespread Panic Dave Phil/Dead Trey/Grab/Phish Neil Young Petty Radiohead
Big enough but maybe not right for roo: Metallica Madonna U2 Elton John REM?
Post by cwagiskingofthing on Jul 6, 2006 23:57:14 GMT -5
people need to be serious
Tool and Keller/SCI? are you kidding me? a headliner has to be one of the BIGGEST bands that are at 'roo. this past year, Radiohead & Tom Petty were easily the two biggest names there. if Tool or SCI headlined, there would have to be alot of bands missing next year to make them the biggest names.
Headliners for next year:
2 out of: Phil Lesh/The Dead, WSP, DMB, Trey/Phish, Allmans
1 out of: CSNY/Young, Paul Simon, RHCP, The Boss, Cream, Pearl Jam
not that I think Tool is ever going to headline Roo..cause that isn't happining..however to say they would not be a big enough band to headline is not really accurate. I mean out of all the bands you mention..Phil Lesh, WSP, DMB, Trey, Allmans...none of these bands sell out every show within seconds of going on sale like Tool does on EVERY tour they go on. So even though they don't fit in Roo they would definately be one of the biggest bands there.
Post by blueslikehail on Jul 7, 2006 8:52:03 GMT -5
i really think they're going to return to their jam bands roots hard next year, for a variety of reasons. first, they have show an eagerness to defy expectations. second, i think they'll want to send a message to fans and the other smaller, more jammier festivals that have cropped up that roo is still the king of the hill. so i think 2 of the headliners will be pulled from: widespread, dave, grab, maybe david gilmour and maybe one will be a not-of-the-scene-but-jam-friendly variety. who that is i don't know.
if they stay on the track they're on, i hope the headliners are: outkast neil young radiohead - hey they'll probably be touring again, why not? unlikely though, so: pearl jam
Maybe Tool headlining will never happen, but they certainly have a big enough following to fill that place as a headliner. Tool are pretty huge worldwide. It really is hard to come up with bands big enough to fill a headliner spot at Bonnaroo.
Thats a good point mschro. Tool still does have a large enough fanbase to headline though. If bonnaroo is going to continue to stretch out beyond the jamband world then Tool would be my choice over Pearl Jam or Radiohead. With that said I still don't think there is any way Tool will headline, although I think it would be awesome.