Nothing can get a music fan more anxious for summer than a long-awaited festival lineup release. With all of the lineup releases this month, it is a task to stay focused on school and fight the urge of selling everything I own to come up with enough money for all of them.
Although I find smaller music festivals most intriguing, I would be lying if I denied anxiously awaiting Bonnaroo’s lineup release Tuesday. I think anyone would be lying. Most formally known as Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Bonnaroo is a four-day annual music festival located in Manchester, Tenn., that has evolved in the past 12 years from a low-key music campground into a world-renowned music phenomenon.
Headliners for this summer include names like Paul McCartney, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Wilco, Animal Collective, Kendrick Lamar, the recently solo Jim James and more. Not only are the headliners impressive, the whole list is made up of equally as talented artists like Alt-J, Father John Misty, Cat Power, Local Natives, Milo Greene, Reptar and The Tallest Man on Earth. I could go on and on.
I first became familiar with the magic of Bonnaroo after my older sister Kate started going in 2003. She describes her first year there as a “simple, laid-back hippie fest with small lesser-known artists” where “everyone was family.”
There have definitely been some changes since then, specifically the “simple” part. Superfly Productions purchased a large part of Bonnaroo in 2007 and the rest is history. Bonnaroo is now a 700-acre extravaganza composed of not only an art area and performance stages but also alternate forms of entertainment such as a silent disco, cinema tent, shampooing center, comedy theater and child-friendly center called “Kidz Jam.” There is nothing simple about any of that.
Last year I was able to finally go to Bonnaroo, and it was unlike anything I have ever experienced. It is truly another world – or what the world would look like if it were centered on music. Although it can be overwhelming and uncomfortable at times, there is an unspoken togetherness of everyone there, all united by a love for music. There is no such thing as a typical type of person who can be found there, because I saw it all.
People may be weary at the idea of living four days in campground conditions with portable toilets, but I would say it’s an easy trade for a weekend of music, friends, art, entertainment and, most importantly, a much-needed escape from reality everyone needs.
Tickets went on sale Saturday and start at $234.50.
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