With over 120 bands, artists and DJ’s on 11 stages, it’s almost impossible not to find a style of music you’ll love at Bonnaroo. Whether you go for the nostalgia acts like Bruce Springsteen, Al Green and Merle Haggard, or if you’re hip and into the scene with bands like the Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio, Bonnaroo has got some of the best bands from yesteryear, today and tomorrow. They even continue on with that whole jamband thing, with bands like Phish, Galactic and moe.
1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Thirty-seven years and still going strong, the Boss and company are touring the road hard and making more records today than in the three past decades. At this past year’s Super Bowl, they reached over 141 million viewers worldwide, for what most thought to be a rather cheesy and lackluster performance (ex. Bruce sliding on stage into the camera). Though I’ve never seen them in concert, I can promise you that they’ll be bringing something quite different than what you saw during that halftime show. Scheduled for three-and-a-half hours, they’ll be pulling out songs left and right from their immense catalogue. Expect to hear hits like “Born to Run” and “Thunder Road”, maybe some rare gems like “Something In The Night” and ”I’m Going Down” and hopefully some covers like Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” or the Young Rascals “Good Lovin’”.
2. Phish
After forming in 1983 as college students at the University of Vermont, the guys of Phish are now entering their mid-40′s, and are back together for the first time since splitting up in 2004. One of the greatest touring bands of all-time, the 2009 Phish reunion tour is the year’s hottest ticket and they will playing to their biggest crowd of the year at Bonnaroo. Doing two shows, Phish fans old and new will be exposed to the long, extended jam sessions that made this band so popular. Though they can still pull out the same jams from ten or twenty years ago, the Phish you’ll see in 2009 is a much different band. They may have sobered up, but the music of Phish will be the backdrop of the biggest party at Bonnaroo this year.
3. Beastie Boys
As one of hip-hop’s longest standing acts, the Beastie Boys are also one of the most important. They were one of the very first bands to mix rap and rock together, alongside bands like Run D.M.C. and Biohazard. Although this style of music climaxed in the ’90s, the Beasties were a major influence on many bands like 311, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Linkin Park and the Bloodhound Gang, to name a few. Though we may never see rap-rock rise as high as it did in the ’90s, I’m positive the Beasties will inspire bands for generations to come.
4. Nine Inch Nails
Despite the ever changing cast of touring musicians, Nine Inch Nails have remained one of the highly, critically acclaimed live shows of the past ten years. Part of that credit is due to Rob Sheridan, who has been putting together the spectacular visual aspects such as lighting and video, most recently the Lights In The Sky tour from 2008. The reason why you need to see them at Bonnaroo is not just because of these visual elements – earlier in the year, Trent Reznor announced that NIN would be taking an indefinite hiatus, the 2009 Wave Goodbye tour with Jane’s Addiction being the last of the shows for quite some time. The tour wraps up in mid-August, but the last show they’ll be playing in the U.S. is the one at Bonnaroo. It’s just too bad (for me) that they conflict with Ben Harper’s new band, Relentless7.
5. David Byrne
Don’t go to a David Byrne show expecting a Talking Heads greatest hits show. It won’t happen. Rather, go to see a legend who’s still got it going on. Go for his work outside of the Heads, as in the work he’s done with legendary producer, Brian Eno. Like the newer album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Over time, most artists lose their voice. Look at Dylan and Plant. Byrne’s voice sounds as if he’s not a day over 21. Go for the show. You’ll see a ten-piece band or so, all dressed in white suits. Backup singers, dancers, two percussionists. It’s said to be the greatest show Byrne has put on in decades. The only other big show Byrne conflicts with at Bonnaroo, is the Beastie Boys. I’ve never much cared for the Beasties, so you know where I’ll be.
6. Wilco
The very first time I saw Wilco was at Bonnaroo 2007. I knew of them in the early ’00′s, but didn’t really become a rabid fan until about 2006. Living in Cincinnati, I have had several opportunities to see them over the past several years, including the lawn at Sawyer Point during Tall Stacks. But I still haven’t seen them in Cincinnati and I won’t this year because I’ll already be at Bonnaroo. They play the Aronoff on June 12. Despite missing chances in my hometown to see them, I couldn’t of been happier to have seen them for the first time at Bonnaroo. There’s something magical about the performances that happen here, and for me, that show in particular was much like a spiritual experience, I guess it felt like I had achieved peace of mind. No, it wasn’t any mind-altering substances or anything like that. It was a nice, sunny, hot-but-not-too-hot late afternoon set, and I just sat back relaxing on the lawn, after a non-stop, busy weekend that was Bonnaroo 2007. About half of their songs were taken from Sky Blue Sky, with the other half spanning through their catalogue. I laid down and closed my eyes at times, while other times I just admired the beautiful sky, trees and clouds around me, thinking to myself that being alive is a pretty good thing. I think that’s kind of what Tweedy was writing about on SBS.
7. Al Green
More than 20 million records sold. Thirteen Top Forty hits. An eight-time Grammy winner. Twenty-six hit singles from 1970 to 1979. Fourteen albums in the Top 200 Charts. Al Green (known as the “Prince of Soul”) set a new standard for soul music, inspiring a generation of young singers. With his soft, distinctive vocal style and mix of R&B, gospel and Motown, Green found direction in his career along with what he was really trying to say in his music…”the most important love of all is a universal one, the love we have for our Creator…”
8. Snoop Dogg
9. Elvis Costello
10. Erykah Badu
11. Paul Oakenfold
12. Ben Harper and Relentless7
13. The Mars Volta
14. TV on the Radio
15. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
16. MGMT
17. Andrew Bird
18. Band of Horses
19. Gov’t Mule
20. Merle Haggard
21. The Decemberists
22. Girl Talk
23. Bon Iver
24. Bela Fleck & Toumani Diabate
25. Booker T. Jones appearing with the Drive-By Truckers