Bonnaroo Report

From: Tom Forrest
Subject: Bonnaroo Winners and Losers


Bob,

Long time reader in Nashville. Just got back from Bonnaroo. Started going in 2007. Even though I am in the Industry, I go with all non-industry guys who love music. Most of the our crew have been going 10+ years and roll 10+ hrs a day. 2017 was by far the most transformative year for Bonnaroo that I have seen and mostly for the better.


Winners

The Fans: There was a noticeably big increase in attendance this year. The fans wanted a more relevant line up, got one and came. Chance, The Weeknd and all the EDM shows were by far the main draw. As with every year, the kids were kind, energetic and having fun.

Chance the Rapper: Kept telling my crew that Chance was the main draw not U2 or RHCP. They looked at me like I was crazy but 95% of the 'Rooers were all in on Chance. We squeezed way in on house right but soon bailed. It was a mosh pit 300 yards out. The Tennessean called Chance: the King of Bonnaroo this morning

The Other Stage: There were several modest changes in the Bonnaroo layout that were good. Centeroo was divided up some to make it less cumbersome to navigate, Hamegeddon moved as to not clog up tragic in front of Which Stage, THIS Tent moved to a better graded spot for better sight lines BUT by far the biggest addition was the changing The OTHER Tent to THE OTHER STAGE. The Other Stage is almost as big as the WHAT Stage (main) and 100% dedicated to EMD acts. The change went from a 5k tent to a 25-30k outdoor EDM stage. The kids loved it and was always packed.

Live Nation was the big winner. They took a festival that was running out of acts for an aging Hippie/Dead/Phish jam generation and gave it new life. Gone were the middling aging Americana acts or aging rockers on their 4th comeback tour that can't sing anymore. Almost all the artists performing seemed currently relevant that a younger audience would know about. The best Bonnaroo weather ever will also certainly help Live Nation secure new fans for years to come. You could not help but have a good time. Here are the acts I thought killed it: Mondo Cosmo, Car Seat Headrest, Lucas Nelson, Joseph, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Cage the Elephant. Best find: Boyfriend who performed in Christmas Barn.


Losers

U2: Don't believe the hype of Rolling Stone and other bloggers. U2 was not a bust at Bonnaroo but it was by far not an epic moment as described. U2 were not the reason the majority of fans were there for. Both Chance and RHCP had double the audience. From my perspective, Bono seemed frustrated with the crowd for not knowing his songs. Bono pontificated after most songs and was struggling to know how far he could push it with the audience. He seemed to be holding back wanting to go off on Trump. At the end of the show Bono told everyone to go to bed and yelled "Fuck" into the mic. I am a U2 fan but Bono was off. The other half of the crowd that was not at U2 was taking a break before the next show at the OTHER Stage. The other thing Bono forgot is that its always someone first time seeing your show or hearing your music. Bono did very little to embrace that portion of the audience which was by far the most U2 has experienced in quite awhile.

This Tent/ That Tent: It was great to be able to see so many great acts up close in THIS Tent and THAT tent. In past years, you could not get close on the good acts but when the OTHER stage has 25k kids at it all day long, something has to give. Win for me.

The old Bonnaroo Hippie Spirit: The old time Bonnaroo hippies were noticeably absent. Its like they vanished. Very few tie die shirts. It was most noticeable on High Five Friday when the vast majority of the audience did not know what the custom was of high fives on Friday. The old hippie guard was not there to keep it rolling. Let's hope that kind hippie spirit lives on regardless.

Ominous signs of Coachella: EDM is one thing. Its evident that kids love it and I like it. But I started to see signs of kids want to glam up Bonnaroo and make it a fashion statement. I do not think the trend will stick however, its too hard to camp in the dust, rain and mud for 4 days and be fashionable. Wait till next year when the heat and rain are back.


My thoughts might not make all that much sense but wanted to write them down and share.

Tom Forrest
Bonnaroo Fan
Nashville, TN


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