is bonnaroo still dead friendly

Bob is not a big draw these days. When RD comes to memphis, they can't even sell out the 1,000 person New Daisy Theater. I did see Jerry and I LOVE the Grateful Dead music, but realistically that time period is 12 years in the past. Bonnaroo tries to incorporate Grateful Dead music into every fest, b/c the guys at superfly were originally Deadheads. But as music promoters they have realized that they hey-day of the Dead is over, and offering a headlining or late-afternoon slot to RD over bands like Wilco or White Stripes, who are drawing well more than 1,000 people to their shows, just isn't gonna happen.

i thought they would be switched with wilco. or even headlining the 2nd stage, with white stripes being on the main stage. not that it matters to me. i saw ratdog at roo 2 years ago, in the same time slot.

Phil is a much bigger draw than Bob. He also has musicians like Joan Osbourne, John Scofield, Warren Haynes, etc etc play with him, which increases the draw.

Actually last year, Phil was the Sunday headliner.

He was also on a big tour at that point, though.

Look at it this way regarding Phil and Bobby....

Last year in New York, they both played the Beacon.

Bobby played 3 nights, and then a few months later 2 at Radio City ....that's about 16,000 tickets.

Phil played 8 nights, and then played Jones Beach less than half a year later.....that's about 42,000 tickets.

He just has a bigger fan base...and I agree with the person above who said the reason for it is the musicians he brings out with him...I mean at the Jones Beach show, Trey was on lead guitar.

i wish Phil was back this year. Loved the Rainy Sunday show last year!

"i know alotta people disagree...but i thought bonnaroo was all about the dead"

No offense, but thank god it is not - I think the Dead WERE great, but splitting off into loosely connected solo acts that are sometimes lacking isn't the Dead.

i dig ratdog, i like their sound alot more than just the "phil and friends cover band", even if bob's repertroire is limited to what he can really play these days. he's adding more and more jerry songs in there that he's attempting to sing.

i agree with the guy who said, 'be thankful he's on mainstage and not in a side tent'.

to the person who said he can't sell out a small theater, i'll have to disagree. At the Norva here in virginia, he still consistently sells it out(1500+ tickets) and leaves 100's of other hippies walking around out front asking for a miracle. i would go see Ratdog over Phil and Friends anyday.

^yeah!

steelerzyerface: Your choice of username reminds me of something I think about from time to time which illustrates gouge's point. In the early days of the internet, it would seem that 90% of the names on boards like this one would have some relation GD or a GD song. Now it's more like 10%. You & I are dinosaurs my friend!

I think a main stage slot -no matter what time- is honor enough.

Superjam was great, but I agree Bob wouldnt bring as many people in for his show going up against others at the same time slot. I think he got a fair spot and a great stage to watch his show at. Bonnaroo has so many bands IMO they know what they are doing. HIGH FIVE B.roo
But I do understand a loyal fan. So Exalt for showing love to the dead.

I love the Dead. They take up about 3 days on my Ipod. And I started going to Bonnaroo for the "jam bands." But Bonnaroo has expanded. It's about good music of all types. If you go and focus on what you know and like, you can have a really good time. But I think you can have better time if you also expose yourself to bands you haven't seen before. The one constant is that Bonnaroo brings in world class musicians from different genres. Not just the big name acts either. Mavis Staples is one of the greatest soul and gospel singers of her generation. Manu Chao has a worldwide following. Ralph Stanley, Ornette Coleman, Ben Harper, Warren Haynes, Jack White, and many others are frighteningly talented artists who will be bringing their A games. Don't be afraid of wandering around and seeing who grabs your attention. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

ya roo has never been about the dead. but there are lots of fests that are about the dead and cost alot less then roo. gratefulfest in ohio, gathering of the vibes in ny, and jerrys bash in west virginia come to mind. not everyone at these fests is dead related but they are there as a celebration of the dead and most bands play atleast a couple of dead tunes when there. if your after a dead fest roo is not the place. mountain jam would have made a good choice. or any of the other fests i listed.

but not only do i think phil has a bigger lineup with him i think the rotating lineup means he can morph into a super group to headline anything. and phil shows are alot rarer then bobby shows. bobby is everywhere all the time. and i get the feeling that bobby is just going through the motions of tour after tour because doing dead music everywhere brings in the dollars. i think phil does it becasue he gets it. he loves the music, he loves the people he plays with, and he loves us. i just dont get that from booby.

Got to agree here, Phil is a much bigger draw. He brings a fantastic line up when he plays and his music is typically, in my opinion, a little more technical and exploratory like GD's music was.

I was actually surprised that RD is playing the main stage. I only wish Bob didn't think he needed to "dumb it down" for Bonnaroo. I guess it really goes to Bob's whole philosophy of music as business, where this is a chance to bring in a larger fan base by playing the old faves in short standard versions.

Anyway, I am very excited to see Ratdog, especially on the main stage. I also can't wait to see Mule, I still contend that Warren Haynes is the hardest working guy you'll see all weekend, and I have a feeling we'll see a lot of him.

dude, we are sharing in the dream! I hope you're right!!