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!!
I'm at the point where the lineup doesn't even matter to me. That being said, I do think the headliners matter for two reasons.
First and formeost is the fact that the headliners are in a timeslot all their own. This gives the audience 3 opportunities to share in a "community show." This helps create more of a communal vibe, imo, than some of your other fests. There are 1,001 ways to do a single Bonnaroo. Two different people can have two compeltely different lineups of bands that they see, but almost everyone shares in the headlining show. This fact alone makes Bonnaroo unique, and therefore the headliner needs to fill the bill.
The second reason I think it matters who headlines is b/c in order to stay big, they need to think big. They need The Police, and Radiohead, and such to maintain a draw and air of freshness, at least in my mind. Leaving the 05 fest I said to a friend, and he agreed, that they need to think outside the box for the next years headliner (at the time it would've been the 2006 fest we were talking about). We agreed that Widespread/Dave/Trey/The Dead on repeat is fun, but it needed to grow a little so as not to become stale.
They actually did grow that slot last year, and continued that growth in 07, so to that end, I do think it matters that the Headliners are not a cyclical lineup of the 4 heavy hitters on the scene. Not that I don't want those 4 to headline Bonnaroo, but I don't want to see 2 or 3 of those 4 headline every single year. I rarely skip the headliner, and in VIP you virtually can't miss the headliner, so I definitely want that slot reserved for something fresh.
maybe i'm off but i think i sense a little elitist attitude (the "i'm too cool for radiohead" thing.) i know that its fun to like bands that are off the radar because they feel like your own little personal band. hell, none of them are cool anymore after everybody finds out about them, right? everyone is absolutely entitled to their own opinion so i'm not trying to step on anybody's toes.
but for myself, radiohead blew my mind in 2006. friday and saturday night are fun if you like the artist at all and with the stripes on sunday, i can't miss that. don't get me wrong, i like the undercard too but the energy at night is a big reason why i go.
Last Edit: Feb 26, 2007 19:09:03 GMT -5 by kidA - Back to Top
I slit the sheet. The sheet I slit and on the slitted sheet I sit.
while i enjoyed the headliners in '06 they weren't essential for my festival enjoyment. in all honesty, i approached them all as a transitionary period from my 'chill, enjoy the music' daytime mode to my 'get-crazy and party' nighttime mode i expect to do the same this year too.
Maybe I'll throw myself to the dogs, but my back's not to the wall Maybe I'll lay some bricks for the man, but the days just aren't that long So if I settle back and chill will I see far enough to feel the angel's dream? I thought it was the Story of the World!
I'll probably do the same thing I did last year for Tom Petty this year for the Police. Head back to my camp in front of the stage in tent only and have a good ole fashioned sing along and maybe catch a quick nap. I really have no interest in actually seeing them.
Radiohead was different and so is Tool. I wont be missing seeing either one of them live.
The best part about Bonnaroo is the late night jams for me. During the day I like to stroll around and people watch and catch a bunch of different shows, but I never really get into any one band, it's just too hot to stand still in a crowd or dance.
Post by unplugdacusticaz on Feb 26, 2007 21:51:38 GMT -5
Last year, I didn't really experience a complete late night.....which I was sooo pissed about, so this year, being in VIP, I'm gonna be out there until the last note is played.....and to adress the topic....headliners are an extra bonus, but there's 5 bands below the three that I'm way more excited about seeing than any of the headliners.
Post by eyesoftheworld on Feb 26, 2007 22:01:30 GMT -5
floyd242 said:
During the day I like to stroll around and people watch and catch a bunch of different shows, but I never really get into any one band, it's just too hot to stand still in a crowd or dance.
for me as a first timer, the smaller acts really did it for me. sure, i could see all of them over the course of a couple years in smaller venues, but I'd much rahter have the Roo experience. Everyone I know has always had a blast, and I figure there are 20 bands on the bill so far that I want to see, with more to probably be added...plus the comedy tent and everything.
I probably won't see any of the headliners, I plan on camping in tent only, and I've been told you can hear everything perfectly fine from there, so I'm more then content to sit back, have a few beers, and just listen.
But I'll be in full force for the day and late nights. I need a time to rest between the rediculous heat and the late night parties, and it just happens that is when the headliners are scheduled.
Last year was my first Roo and I have to say that when I saw both Radiohead and Tom Petty as headliners, that sealed it for me. At that point I had to get my ticket to see these two completely different bands. But after I actually acquired a ticket, I started checking out the smaller bands. After all my research into the other bands I would say that they were peeking my interest and I had begun to think less about Tom Petty and Radiohead. When I actually got there I wanted to see Cat Empire, Soulive, and Atmosphere along with many of the other non headliners. I actually missed most of Tom Petty because I was a little too far gone and in the beginning he was who got me to Bonnaroo. But I wasn't disappointed or upset at all that I missed him because I saw so many other bands that I might have never gotten to see. And thats all part of the experience, seeing as many bands as you can walking around during the day, maybe catching some of the headliners, then partying right before late night. The headliners are only a small piece of the World of Bonnaroo because after one Roo I can say that Late Night is where all the fun and all the partyin takes place!
Post by BrokenLight on Feb 27, 2007 12:34:05 GMT -5
it doesn't matter if they're a headliner or not, if they're a good band that i like, i will be there, my first widespread panic, trey anastasio, bob weir and ratdog, allman brothers shows were at bonnaroo 2005, all amazing and mind blowing (i never saw the grateful dead or any side project before, as well as phish, i'm 25, and I got into the jamband/festival scene a little late), and for me this year, if string cheese gets a late night tent show for like 3 or 4 hours, that will be the icing on the cake for me
I agree. Headliners at Roo haven't really appealed to me over the 3 years I've attended. Last year I caught some of Petty, but left really early to get a spot for MMJ's latenight. I used to be a huge Radiohead fan so I attempted to see their show, but I couldn't get into it. I think it's because I have a hard time getting into shows where I'm so far back I can't actually see the band on stage. That's why I'm all about the afternoon tents and of course, LATENIGHT!!!
Post by bhamwizofoz on Feb 27, 2007 13:49:35 GMT -5
I think it definitely matters. Honestly if this year they had 3 jamband headliners for Bonnaroo i would be going to Cali for Coachella. I think set times for headliners is huge cause most other festivals you might get 90 min but bonnaroo you get epic sets. That along with late nights is what makes bonnaroo so special to me.
Post by hailboognish on Feb 27, 2007 16:50:02 GMT -5
Last year (radiohead) was the first time I've been interested enough to sit through a headliner set since Neil Young on Friday of '03. I'm excited about the Police & Tool this year, so looks like the headliners do matter at least a little. However, I must say that the couple of years we spent either chilling at the camp-site during the headliners or just hanging around the nearly empty centeroo during those 8-11 pm slots was pretty nifty - gives you a whole different perspective on the 'roo.
Headliner's sell tix. Many of us who frequent this site are into acts with less mainstream appeal. This is the principle that brings Bonnaroo's future into question when compared to it's past...
Headliner's sell tix. Many of us who frequent this site are into acts with less mainstream appeal. This is the principle that brings Bonnaroo's future into question when compared to it's past...
It's all relative though isn't it? I mean, look at that first Bonnaroo lineup. It's not like Superfly went out and got a bunch of obscure artists the jam community wasn't really aware of. They got Trey, Phil, WSP & SCI the first year out of the gate. That's a surefire way to sell out a festival.
The main difference is that now they can go and get non-jamband headliners with more frequency. They have more bands, and so they can go more diverse.
And let me point out the obvious advantage of a group like The Police getting added: Superfly doesn't have to play it safe in additional rounds. They can pretty much do whatever they damn well please to geek us out and it won't keep tickets from selling.
I don't think the transformation of Bonnaroo into a festival with broader appeal is at all out of place with the festival's history or intention to begin with. They always intended to go big, right from the start. This is not an SXSW level sell out. This is just the evolution of a big name festival.
Last Edit: Feb 27, 2007 21:25:02 GMT -5 by dudezer47 - Back to Top
i expect to do the same this year too.
