and Phish are the headlining acts for this year’s installment of the Tennessee music festival Bonnaroo, which is sporting a curiously Lollapalooza-like lineup in pockets (Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails) while also giving props to many an elder statesman (David Byrne, Al Green, Elvis Costello). Other highlights include of Montreal, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and King Sunny Adé (!). Full lineup after the jump,
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Phish (2 Shows)
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails
David Byrne
Wilco
Al Green
Snoop Dogg
Elvis Costello Solo
Erykah Badu
Paul Oakenfold
Ben Harper and Relentless7
The Mars Volta
TV on the Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Gov’t Mule
Andrew Bird
Band of Horses
Merle Haggard
MGMT
moe.
The Decemberists
Girl Talk
Bon Iver
Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Galactic
The Del McCoury Band
of Montreal
Allen Toussaint
Coheed and Cambria
Booker T & the DBTs
David Grisman Quintet
Lucinda Williams
Animal Collective
Gomez
Neko Case
Down
Jenny Lewis
Santogold
Robert Earl Keen
Citizen Cope
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force
The Ting Tings
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Kaki King
Grizzly Bear
King Sunny Adé
Okkervil River
St. Vincent
Zac Brown Band
Raphael Saadiq
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Crystal Castles
Tift Merritt
Brett Dennen
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Toubab Krewe
People Under the Stairs
Alejandro Escovedo
Vieux Farka Touré
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Cherryholmes
Yeasayer
Todd Snider
Chairlift
Portugal. The Man.
The SteelDrivers
Midnite
The Knux
The Low Anthem
Delta Spirit
A.A. Bondy
The Lovell Sisters
Alberta Cross
Bonnaroo [Official site]
The Mars Volta and Coheed & Cambria on the same bill? Wow.
I had a few pangs over this one at first, but then decided that Coachella has a stronger line-up. Much of this is meh. Phish for two nights? No thanks.
I think that Bonnaroo is caught between trying to retain its hippiefest roots (Phish, Galactic), while becoming an all things to everyone (Springsteen, NIN, Down). You might disagree, but I don’t think it works. Stick to what you do best.
With all the older and Paste/Harp-approved acts, this looks more like an ACL Festival lineup than Bonnaroo…
@Whigged: That’s *the* Down, right? With Phil Anselmo?
Is Ted Leo touring around this? I fuckin hope so, and a new album.
Kingdom of Sorrow should be on here for the NBC approved LMAOs.
@Maura Johnston: Yes, indeed. They’ll also be touring the east coast around that time…I’d rather catch them at Roseland again than in a festival setting anyway.
@Whigged: I disagree. I think it actually retains it’s jam-band roots but also attracts non-jammy type people (like me). Not that I’m going, but if I were there for the weekend, I don’t think I’d mind. Two nights of Phish means two nights I get to leave early. Plus Moe being there offers guaranteed nap time/chill-out time.
Now that I live in Nashville, I might actually go to this thing.
Probably not, though. I’m more Big Ears than Bonnaroo.
@Whigged: I’m not sure I agree that they’re “caught” so much as they’re aiming more toward the middle (if it can be said there is a middle). They did start with the jam band scene, but the last few years they swung the pendulum very far in the pop/opposite direction, with predictably unfortunate results (see: Kanye). I think they’re searching for a balanced lineup, but IMHO it’s a pipe dream. No pun intended.
Seriously, what’s the draw of the Beastie Boys in 2009? Their one album in the 21st century was a disaster, and they don’t do the old songs anymore. How do they end up towards the top of these bills?
@2ironic4u: I just think that if you have Phish doing two shows, that is going to turn anyone off not into “jam bands”.
@yuppie_magnolia: they definitely are not going to achieve a balanced line-up…if anything, it’s going to be just like Rage @ Coachella – you are just going to attract an element, meatheads in that case, that is not typical for that kind of festival, and hopefully it isn’t a detrimental one.
@Whigged: Thanks for clearing that up. In a serious WTF moment, I thought that was the rapper Down (aka something I don’t care to remember at this point) who did “Lean Like a Cholo.”
I really liked visiting your blog, and it looks outstanding. If you get a chance you should visit my blog as well. I hope you have a nice day!