Bonnaroo lineup includes bands tied to Bloomington

By Jimmy Jenkins
jenkijar@indiana.edu

One hundred fifty performances on 10 stages in four days. Bonnaroo is the annual music festival that takes place each year in Manchester, Tenn.

The show is known for hosting an eclectic mix of performers, featuring not only musicians but comedians as well.

During the four day blitz, concert-goers from all over the country will have to choose between seeing Maria Bamford or Maps and Atlases, among others. While not sharing the same stage, Paul McCartney will effectively be followed by the Wu-Tang Clan.

The multitude of entertainment options can be overwhelming. So can the number of fans.

In the past, as many as 80,000 people have attended the show. In a recent conference call, Ken Weinstein of Big Hassle Media — the publicity firm for Bonnaroo — said based on ticket sales they expect at least that many in attendance this year.

Even the announcement of the performance roster has become something of a phenomenon.

This year’s lineup was announced live on YouTube via a parody telethon hosted by Weird Al Yankovic. Announced musical performers range from time-tested big names to newcomers from all genres.

As in years past, while the concert lineup has a deep bench, the festival is anchored by well-known names.

This year the headliners are Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mumford and Sons.

No-less-impressive nationally touring acts will include David Byrne & St. Vincent, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Passion Pit.

The festival offers several chances to see acts that have limited tours such as rapper Kendrick Lamar or psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. It is also a way to access those artists that otherwise might be out of one’s price range (see Paul McCartney).
Last year’s festival featured a performance by formerly Bloomington-based group The Main Squeeze.

Main Squeeze lead singer Corey Frye recently recounted the experience of playing for thousands of people for the first time.

“That was honestly one of the biggest crowds we had ever played for — the energy is amazing,” Frye said. “But the best part was all the B-Town support. We knew a lot of people from Bloomington would be down there, but to actually see so many people in Hoosiers jerseys cheering for us was a huge confidence booster that made our show so much better.”

Frye said his band took advantage of the opportunity to meet and get advice from other up-and-comers like Alabama Shakes.

Bloomington record labels will be represented at the festival as well.

Dead Oceans artist The Tallest Man on Earth will be performing as well as artists from Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar.

Tickets are still available at the Bonnaroo website, but most of the lower pricing levels have sold out.

However, there will be a new way to attend the festival, offered for the first time.

Starting Friday, the site will offer the sale of packaged day-pass tickets and shuttle rides from the city of Nashville, Tenn.

Sean Hallarman of Big Hassle Media said this option was added for those who want to check out the shows but may not be into the whole festival scene.