Bonnaroo Music Festival
Genre Pop, alternative rock, indie rock, hip hop, R&B, electronic, metal, funk, stoner rock, jazz, jam bands, Americana, country, folk, bluegrass, gospel, reggae, world
Dates June 13–16, 2019
Location(s) Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee, U.S.
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and produced by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a 700-acre (283 km2) farm in Manchester, Tennessee. The festival typically starts on the second Thursday in June and lasts four days. Main attractions of this festival are the multiple stages featuring live music with a diverse array of musical styles including indie rock, classic rock, world music, hip hop, jazz, americana, bluegrass, country music, folk, gospel, reggae, pop, electronic, and other alternative music. Musical acts begin Wednesday evening for early arrivers, continued throughout the festival with performances starting each day around noon, and some stages entertaining festival goers even till sunrise.
The festival began with a focus on jam bands and folk rock; it has diversified in recent years but continues to pay tribute to its roots. Notable acts have included Primus, Eminem, U2, Phish, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Tool, The Beach Boys, Kanye West, My Morning Jacket, Stevie Wonder, The White Stripes, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, The Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, James Brown, Wilco, Bon Iver, Arctic Monkeys, The Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson, Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men, Jay Z, Bob Dylan, The Black Keys, Zac Brown Band, Dave Matthews Band, Buffalo Springfield, The Police, Arcade Fire, Jack Johnson, The Strokes, The Black Crowes, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruce Springsteen, Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon, ZZ Top, Dead & Company, Paramore and Widespread Panic. The festival features craftsmen and artisans selling unique products, food and drink vendors, comedy acts, silent disco, cinema experiences, and a Ferris wheel.
Bonnaroo Music Festival was largely influenced by rock concerts of the late 1960s and early 1970s, as well as the massive Phish festivals of the late 1990s. The festival is a nod to the Monterey International Pop Music Festival (1967), the Atlanta International Pop Festival (1969, 1970), and most famously the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (1969). The festival was ranked in 2003 by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the “50 Moments That Changed Rock & Roll”, “Festival of the Decade” by Consequence of Sound, and among the 10 Best Festivals by GQ Magazine.
History Bonnaroo was established by Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment and Kerry Black (graphic design), Rick Farman (festival operations), Richard Goodstone (marketing), and Jonathan Mayers (programming) of Superfly Productions. The first Bonnaroo Music Festival took place in 2002. The founders chose “bonnaroo” (Creole slang meaning a really good time) for its literal meaning and to honor the rich New Orleans music tradition that they had enjoyed in college. Bonnaroo was popularized by New Orleans R&B singer Dr. John with his 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo. Bonnaroo is derived from the French “bonne” /bɔn/ the feminine agreement of “bon” /bɔ̃/ meaning “good,” and the French “rue” /ry/ meaning “street,” translating roughly to “the best on the streets”. The founders were inspired by music festivals they attended in the 1990s, including those put on by the band Phish, and events held in Coachella and Glastonbury. They found a site in Manchester, Tennessee that had facilities and good highway access. Using only their website for ticket sales, they sold out the festival in about two weeks. By 2003, the festival had been named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the ‘top 50 moments in rock & roll.’ Comedy acts such as Jim Breuer were first added in 2005. In 2007, Bonnaroo purchased the land for the festival, creating Great Stage Park with all of its iconic features. They installed a permanent main stage in 2010.[4] In 2016, AC entertainment was purchased by Live Nation Entertainment. Following very weak attendance for the 2016 event, Live Nation responded with performances by U2, Lorde, The Weeknd, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2017, returning the attendance to 65,000.
Economy
On January 10, 2007, Bonnaroo organizers Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment purchased a major portion of the site where the annual music festival is held. The purchase of 530 acres (2.1 km2) encompassed all of the performance areas and much of the camping and parking area used for the annual festival; the festival will continue to lease another 250 acres (1.0 km2) that currently serve as additional parking and camping. Since its inception, Bonnaroo has contributed more than $1 million directly to Coffee County organizations. In addition to the festival’s annual charitable contributions, its activities help generate annual revenue for the county. Measured in a 2005 study, the economic impact of the event on Coffee County was more than $14 million in business revenues and more than $4 million in personal income. The Bonnaroo music festival makes most of its income from the fans. The festival regularly contributes to charities including Doctors Without Borders, Head Count, MusiCares, Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club of America, Rock the Earth, the American Red Cross, and the Sierra Club. It provided aid to assist local organizations following disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2010 Nashville floods, and 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. By 2013, the direct and indirect economic impact of the festival since inception was estimated at $51 million, including $2.9 million in tax revenue for the year 2012.
Notable performances
The Beastie Boys performed on the main stage on June 12, 2009. With the passing of Adam Yauch nearly three years later, this would mark the band’s final performance.
R&B singer D’Angelo marked his return to American stages for the first time in over 12 years on June 9, 2012 with a surprise performance at the festival’s annual Superjam. He was backed by members of the R&B collective The Soulquarians, most notably Questlove, James Poyser and Pino Palladino, with guest guitarist Jesse Johnson. The set was composed almost entirely of covers.
On June 14, 2014, soul music singer Bobby Womack would give his final performance before passing away on June 27.
Other iconic performers have been Phish (2009, 2012, 2019), Dead & Company (2016), U2 (2017), Pearl Jam (2008, 2016), Billy Joel (2015), Mumford and Sons (2011, 2015), Elton John (2014), Eminem (2011, 2018), Jack White (2014), Lionel Richie (2014), The Flaming Lips (2003, 2007, 2010, 2014), Paul McCartney (2013), Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (2006, 2013), Wu-Tang Clan (2013), Red Hot Chili Peppers (2012, 2017), Radiohead (2006, 2012), Neil Young (2003, 2011), Dave Matthews Band (2005, 2010), Stevie Wonder (2010), Bruce Springsteen (2009), Nine Inch Nails (2009), Metallica (2008), The Police (2007), Bob Dylan (2004).
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