Yesterday, organizers of the Bonnaroo Music Festival decided to make an all-day event out of unveiling the initial lineup for their 2010 event. Actually, it was more or less up to the artists themselves. Taking advantage of the social networks that have become a main source of communication such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, bands began breaking the news to the world early in the morning, and would do so for nearly the next fourteen hours. If there’s one word that sums up what went on yesterday, it would be “interesting.” Both in the method that festival organizers wanted to release the lineup, as well as a good portion of the acts that are booked for this summer.
Topping the lineup, you have acts like the Dave Matthews Band (who are returning to the festival for the first time in five years), Kings of Leon (who basically have Bonnaroo to thank for all of their success), the legendary Stevie Wonder and hip hop’s current biggest star, Jay-Z. Despite the disappointment from many, these artists define the term diversity in this year’s headliners. Although they may be household names, and Bonnaroo certainly did not begin as a mainstream fest, these artists aren’t as bad as some will say.
Matthews and his band have the tendency to break out into the improvisational jams from time to time, and have the occasional guest appearance. They’ve also revamped their lineup and sound from a few years ago, now touring with guitarist Tim Reynolds and saxophonist Jeff Coffin of the Flecktones. Kings of Leon, despite the terms “sell-out” and “Mtv band” that are constantly being thrown around, were made by this festival. They have become one of the world’s biggest alternative rock bands over the past couple of years, thanks to albums like Because of the Times and Only By the Night. A lot of you may be sick of hearing songs like “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” (as am I), but you can’t tell me these aren’t the strongest, most polished sounding albums this band has ever put out. Stevie Wonder is a legend that I think most people could get into his set, so no explanation is really needed there, while Jay-Z has been one of the most successful rappers over the past ten plus years. But don’t think of this as “Kanye Part Two.” Despite what did or didn’t happen with the Kanye West performance in 2008, Jay-Z has a much more different approach to music, and he’s even got a lot more class.
This is where the lineup begins to get a little more interesting. Take a look at names like Weezer and Tenacious D. Weezer undoubtedly hit their peak in the 90’s with songs like “Buddy Holly” and “Undone (The Sweater Song)”, and were the kind of band you’d only see at a festival like Lollapalooza. Jack Black of “The D”, was never much of a musician, rather, the best moments of his career come as an actor in movies like High Fidelity and School of Rock. Speaking of actors, Steve Martin will make an appearance at this year’s festival, but it won’t be in the Comedy Tent. Perhaps he takes his stint in music a little more serious than Black, playing banjo in the bluegrass outfit, The Steep Canyon Rangers.
Looking over the rest of the lineup, I see a lot of bands that surprise me and make me wonder where the days of Bonnaroo past have gone. While bands and artists like Rise Against, Tori Amos, GWAR, The Melvins, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, They Might Be Giants and Miranda Lambert are all very talented in their own rights, they will certainly bring a much different vibe this year than most of us are used to. Speaking of strange vibes, there are a few interesting shows and collaborations in store for this year’s festival, that could wind up being some of the most talked about sets of the entire festival. The Flaming Lips, although a Bonnaroo favorite to many, will be performing two late night shows on Friday evening, the second of which will see them covering the classic Pink Floyd album, Darkside of the Moon, with Stardeath and White Dwarfs. You’ve also got rapper Nas performing with one of Bob Marley’s sons, Damian, while Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates will team up with electronica duo, Chromeo.
Late night shows at Bonnaroo have often been the highlight for many, most likely because it’s not everyday that you get to watch bands perform until the sun comes up. The possibilities for this year’s late night sets are already looking good, with bands on the bill like LCD Soundsystem, The Disco Biscuits, Deadmau5 and the Dan Deacon Ensemble, all of which will most likely wind up with late night sets, among several others that may possibly play long after the sun goes down.
The only concern I have with this year’s lineup is that the lineup seems to be drowning in rap, reggae, hard rock and metal, and country music. There appears to be a shortage of indie bands this year, although how can I really complain when last year’s lineup was stacked with some of the best indie bands around. Rap, hip hop and reggae will certainly be represented well, with acts like Jay-Z, Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley with Nas, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Thievery Corporation, Kid Cudi, Wale, Jay Electronica, Rebelution and B.o.B., while the heavier side of things features bands like Rise Against, Les Claypool, Against Me!, Clutch, GWAR, The Melvins, Isis, Baroness and Needtobreathe. As for country music, while there are not just a lot of singer/songwriters, there’s also plenty of bands with roots in country like bluegrass and Americana, and bands and artists like John Fogerty, The Avett Brothers, John Prine, Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers, Jamey Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Punch Brothers, Miranda Lambert, Calexico, Dave Rawlings Machine, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Brandi Carlile, Monte Montgomery and Hot Rize. I’d like to say that I’m not complaining about all of these bands; I love some of them a lot. My concern is that there just seems to be too much of one thing. Obviously booking the largest festival in the country is no easy task, but I just think the organizers could of done a better job at representing more styles of music, rather than going overboard on just a few genres.
Despite both what I love and hate about this lineup, there are some really great bands on here, and Bonnaroo is always the experience of a lifetime. I’m trying to concentrate on the positives, rather than dwell on what bands on the lineup I have no interest in. It’s not always about the music at Bonnaroo either. It’s the full experience that makes this festival a travel destination for tens of thousands every summer including myself. The 700+ acre farm in which the festival is held on in the tiny city of Manchester, Tennessee, transforms basically overnight into its very own city. When I look back at the coverage of a festival like Woodstock ‘99 and see all the mayhem and tragedies that occurred, it feels good to know that people have changed their ways and for the most part are good, kind-hearted people, and music festivals have the chance to be a success and remain a huge part of the lives of people like myself.