At a festival as singular as Bonnaroo, the stories speak for themselves. Jim James, frontman for My Morning Jacket, a group that has performed at Bonnaroo annually during the four years of the festival's existence, has a share of his own.
"Behind us," he says about last year's show, "was a group of maybe 15 or 20 uniformed police officers... and this little girl stumbled up to them, obviously, you know, a little bit ? little bit out of her mind. And she's dressed in tie-dye, and has dreadlocks and, you know, is like totally decked out, and she walks up to the police officers and she's like, 'You know, we're in town for BONNAROO.' And the police officer goes 'No!' And all of the police officers started laughing. I thought that was pretty funny."
Tie-dye shirts, dreadlocks and, most importantly, ubiquitous inebriation make Bonnaroo what it is. This year, over the course of June 10-12, tens of thousands of hippies, jam band freaks and indie rock adventurers will descend upon a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee to see their respective favorites crash the 8-stage scene. They may party a little bit too.
The folks running Bonnaroo 2005 didn't shock the world with this year's lineup. Among the headliners on the festival's basketball court-sized main stage are Widespread Panic, who will play two evenings, and the Dave Matthews Band. Call them what you will ? neo-hippie, jam-oriented or eternally-in-debt-to-the-Grateful-Dead ? but in terms of ticket sales, few acts have hauled in more touring cash over the past decade or two. Similar acts include Trey Anastasio, the former guitarist of Phish, the recently disbanded jammers that for years acted as a sort of Jesus to the Grateful Dead's God, Government Mule, The Black Crowes and the Allman Brothers Band. Indeed, Bonnaroo 2005 has been billed by writer Peter Macia as "the Birkenstockist's wet dream," and it's hard not to agree.
The artists themselves recognize Bonnaroo's emerging reputation. "Lots of people say that the biggest thing about it is the jam band culture, or the hippie culture, or whatever they want to call it," says James, perhaps remembering the girl from the year before, "and I think that's a big part of it." Percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz of Widespread Panic also finds the reputation well-supported, noting how the sheer volume of the crowds each year attests to the genre's sustained popularity. "I think, you know, people... they're still into it," he says. "I'm thankful they are."
Warren Haynes, the festival's de facto elder statesman, credits the success of Bonnaroo to the jam bands' consistently "improvisational edge." A member of both Government Mule and the Allman Brothers Band and a frequent collaborator with the Dead, Haynes thinks there's a lot of steam left in the genre's tank. "You have to thrive on improvisation and constantly take the music somewhere fresh," he says. "And if that ever stops happening, then you owe it to yourself and to the audience to stop."
But if you don't buy a word of this, fear not. Since the festival has over 90 performers, there really is something for everybody. Indie rockers can get their kicks from such acts as the Kings of Leon, Rilo Kiley, Joanna Newsom, the Secret Machines and more. Jazz enthusiasts are sure to swoon over the presence of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and the Bela Fleck Acoustic Trio. And hip-hop will makes its presence felt in the backwoods of Tennessee as well ? some of the best in the industry, including De La Soul and RJD2, are sure to bring the house down.
So even if the headliners bring out the best of your cynicism, don't let it spoil the whole thing. Bonnaroo is designed to be a getaway for music enthusiasts of all kinds, and the pleasant-yet-raucous atmosphere remains unique enough to bring back legions of fans and artists each year. As James notes, people at the festival are interested in "having a good time... seeing as much music as they can, and throwing as much mud... and kind of abandoning what they would normally do." So either do or don't let the music factionalize you. As long as you abandon your workweek-self at the gates, it won't matter.
Bonnaroo will take place in Manchester, Tennessee during June 10-12. Over 90 bands will perform across 8 stages. A three-day pass which includes camping and parking expenses ranges from $146.50 to $172.75. So be sure to get your plane tickets today, it would be a shame to miss out on all this culture!
