Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Over at Inforoo, the bustling message board that’s served as the Internet’s unofficial Bonnaroo hub since 2004, the response was equally lackluster. You can find zingers throughout the official 2018 lineup thread; for every post expressing qualified excitement, you’ll find another that’s indignant (“This lineup feels like a punch to the gut”) or disappointed (“what a waste of Bon Iver”) or flat-out dismissive (“The last 13 lines = ‘Who?’“). Many of these criticisms seemed to come from some of the board’s most active posters who, like us, had relied on the festival as a summer staple.
Over at Inforoo, the bustling message board that’s served as the Internet’s unofficial Bonnaroo hub since 2004, the response was equally lackluster. You can find zingers throughout the official 2018 lineup thread; for every post expressing qualified excitement, you’ll find another that’s indignant (“This lineup feels like a punch to the gut”) or disappointed (“what a waste of Bon Iver”) or flat-out dismissive (“The last 13 lines = ‘Who?’“). Many of these criticisms seemed to come from some of the board’s most active posters who, like us, had relied on the festival as a summer staple.
Hahaha Jesus Christ I knew CoS was bad but quoting a public forum is just garbage level journalism.
This is the first message board I've ever been on, the only reason I joined is because I love Bonnaroo and wanted to read and talk about it all year long.
Post by trantsgiving on Jun 5, 2018 14:55:44 GMT -5
It’s not even like this article is taking the side of “here’s how Bonnaroo is a good example of the new festival landscape”. It’s just flat out trashing it and taking personal offense to it.
Over at Inforoo, the bustling message board that’s served as the Internet’s unofficial Bonnaroo hub since 2004, the response was equally lackluster. You can find zingers throughout the official 2018 lineup thread; for every post expressing qualified excitement, you’ll find another that’s indignant (“This lineup feels like a punch to the gut”) or disappointed (“what a waste of Bon Iver”) or flat-out dismissive (“The last 13 lines = ‘Who?’“). Many of these criticisms seemed to come from some of the board’s most active posters who, like us, had relied on the festival as a summer staple.
Spoilering because I think its worth reading in it's entirety, but if you just want the inforoo tidbits (I'm Jack Johnson, going out on a limb that Chris Devaney is cdevaney . not sure if others interviewed are inforoo'ers or not):
Take longtime fans Chris Devaney and Jack Johnson. Devaney attended every Bonnaroo from 2004 through 2017. Johnson went seven times between 2003 and 2016. Neither one will be at the festival this year, with the lineup being the chief reason why.
“Bonnaroo lineups used to shape my music listening for an entire year,” Johnson says. “I’d see a bunch of names I already loved, and because I trusted Bonnaroo, I’d dive into the names I didn’t know and find a bunch of new acts I dug. But so many of the acts now are so same-y and bland that it’s hard to trust that I’ll have the experience that makes the time, money, and energy worth it.”
“I used to advocate for the festival year-round,” Devaney says. “I no longer do that. The lineup more closely resembles every city’s alternative radio station festival these days.”
Pressed further, more specific gripes appeared, ones that indicated just how much thought both men have given to the changing dynamics of their favorite festival. In an email, Devaney walks me through calculations showing that, over the last eight years, average daily programming time across the festival’s five biggest stages decreased by 90-120 minutes per day while ticket prices rose by 60%. Johnson laments the curtailing of the fest’s legendary late-night and sunrise sets (which now follow a stricter cut-off around 3 a.m. in order to make room for the Kalliope’s all-night dance party), as well as the preferential treatment given to EDM over other electronic genres.
“Book some house, book some drum n’ bass, book some acid,” he says. “Give electronic music fans something with depth and weight that they can sink their teeth into.”
Despite their recent complaints, both Devaney and Johnson still consider themselves a part of the greater Bonnaroo community and count the festival’s enduring spirit and communal good vibes as two of the main reasons they may one day return. Since the tents first popped up at Bonnaroo’s inaugural edition in 2002, the festival’s campgrounds (and the gonzo inhabitants within) have always felt more like a congregation than a festival audience.
...
Everyone here has experienced an unforgettable moment at Bonnaroo... For Johnson, it was the sight of Slayer’s Tom Araya cracking up as two audience members dressed as Captain Crunch and a banana destroyed one another in the pit. Devaney’s was the easiest choice of all.
“I met my wife at Bonnaroo, so that’s #1,” he says.
It’s not even like this article is taking the side of “here’s how Bonnaroo is a good example of the new festival landscape”. It’s just flat out trashing it and taking personal offense to it.
I haven't read it in full yet, but it seems like a well-argued, balanced article.
But at the end of the day, all I am hearing is complaints about the lineup but this being my 5th Roo I have never been more excited. Call it development in my growth with music but my first two Roos were being excited for big name mainstream indie acts but the magic of Roo isn't who will be there, it's about DISCOVERING all of the amazing music out there.
while I am mainly an indie guy, the possibility of Muse, Kaskade, and tash sultana has me shaking in excitement. I'm gonna fucking party and I want all of you fucks dancing with me.
Post by piggy pablo on Jun 5, 2018 15:23:39 GMT -5
They left out the part about how the cafe acts are the "Who?" part of the poster that normally wouldn't be on there at all in past years, and how it seems that most people here think this lineup is an improvement over last year.
Post by Whereispassionpit on Jun 5, 2018 15:41:00 GMT -5
I wish they would have interviewed some people that started going recently and are excited about this year. As far as attendance and online hype the festival seems to have bounced back in a big way. But the lineup still stinks in comparison to previous years so I don't really get it.
I wish they would have interviewed some people that started going recently and are excited about this year. As far as attendance and online hype the festival seems to have bounced back in a big way. But the lineup still stinks in comparison to previous years so I don't really get it.
Post by Launchpad McQuack on Jun 5, 2018 15:54:47 GMT -5
Well over 70k attending this year, subreddit with nothing but people talking about how excited they are; but Bonnaroo is dead, not worth covering, and nobody likes the lineups anymore.
Listen closely this weekend, you might be able to hear the sound of people having fun and LiveNation executives cashing their checks while not giving a fuck.
Well over 70k attending this year, subreddit with nothing but people talking about how excited they are; but Bonnaroo is dead, not worth covering, and nobody likes the lineups anymore.
Listen closely this weekend, you might be able to hear the sound of people having fun and LiveNation executives cashing their checks not giving a fuck.
i've said it before, but personally i'm heartened by the improvements bonnaroo made this year in the lineup. i also think the experiences (barns etc) they are developing sound cool, and are indicative of an organization that does seem to give a shit, and wants to take advantage of roo's features to create something special.
and I think the article ends on a similarly hopeful note:
...comforted by the knowledge that Bonnaroo continues finding ways to remain a singular festival experience for who’s on stage, who’s in the crowd, and who’s there to tell you it was really, really fun.
Bonnaroo is dead. Long live Bonnaroo.
Maybe right now Bonnaroo isn't that unique thing with a specific wacky identity that many of us fell in love with years ago, but the changes from 2016 through the current year give me hope that it's possible Bonnaroo redevelops it's culture into a whole 'nother unique thing. And if that happens I'll be right there in the TN heat with all the new roo folk gettin' down to the sound.
Well over 70k attending this year, subreddit with nothing but people talking about how excited they are; but Bonnaroo is dead, not worth covering, and nobody likes the lineups anymore.
Listen closely this weekend, you might be able to hear the sound of people having fun and LiveNation executives cashing their checks while not giving a fuck.
I mean maybe they could have focused more on this year's success, but the point of the article was "this is why we don't care to cover Bonnaroo this year" so I don't know what you expected?
Bottled vibes and not Brockhampton. No thx. I’m old and grumpy anyways.
Listen closely this weekend and you might be able to hear billions of people having fun and flirting with diabetes while McDonald’s execs laugh and cash their checks while not giving a single fuck.
My name is Tyler Clark, and I write about music festivals for Consequence of Sound. We're working on a state of the state piece about Bonnaroo and its evolution over the last couple of years, especially in regards to its shifting relationship towards some of the things that made it famous to begin with (long sets, late night booking, etc.) and its current place within the national festival scene. I thought you made some excellent points on the subject in this thread, and was wondering if you'd be available/interested in answering a couple quick questions via email between now and the end of next week. Let me know if you have any questions!
Bottled vibes and not Brockhampton. No thx. I’m old and grumpy anyways.
Listen closely this weekend and you might be able to hear billions of people having fun and flirting with diabetes while McDonald’s execs laugh and cash their checks while not giving a single fuck.
