Bonna-who?

George Gannon, Arts and Entertainment Editor
January 23, 2018

It has been over a week since  Bonnaroo released the 2018 lineup,  and the general feeling among The Coffee Press staff ranges from mixed to negative.

This year, it appears that Bonnaroo is less of a headliner festival, and has taken on more independent acts. The main headliners this year are Eminem, The Killers, Muse, Khalid, Alt-J, Mavis Staples, Sheryl Crow, and Bon Iver. Some of the smaller acts are Thundercat, the Manchester Orchestra, Jungle, Bassnectar, T-Pain, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and GoGo Penguin.

Photo Editor, Yanely Luna, remarked, “I don’t know who most of these people are.” Mrs. Winton said, “I’m not sure if the acts justify the cost of the ticket.” Chief Editor, Vanessa Willis, in a very poetic nature summed up her opinion: “The lineup stinks.” On the Bonnaroo subreddit, however, many are extremely excited about the lineup’s diversity with Electronic Dance Music, Rap, Rock, and Indie.

What has been different about the past few years’ lineups? Personally, I believe Bonnaroo is trying to find its new place to compete with other festivals, while being unique. When the festival first started in 2002, it was primarily based around Folk Rock and Jam bands –a harken back to the Woodstock festival in 1969. As years passed, the festival became more focused on modern day BIG headliners such as Eminem, U2, Arcade Fire and Kanye West. It also took on old school acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul McCartney, and Stevie Wonder to bring in a diversified audience. But the past few years, with lowered ticket sales, it seems as though the parent company of the festival, Live Nation, is trying to shift the direction of Bonnaroo. With more independent, smaller acts, the mood and atmosphere of the festival might change from years prior. Instead of going to see four big acts, fans might go now and see sixteen smaller acts that they haven’t ever heard.

I find that this is a good change. It shows that the administrators of Bonnaroo are taking notice of their lackluster ticket sales and are trying to change the image of their festival to be more unique and inviting in comparison to the many others. Take for example, the Coachella Valley Music festival in California. Bonnaroo was once considered its little brother/equal, but now Coachella has evolved into an entirely new beast-a powerhouse of headliners, security, corporate control, and size. Just last year, over 125,000 were in attendance, dwarfing Bonnaroo’s 65,000. Live Nation is attempting to form a new image of Bonnaroo that promotes exploration and “good vibes”. Doing this will help the sixteen year-old festival maintain a truly unique, fresh experience.  I think this year’s lineup will certainly weed out some festival goers, as it is not the festival to which they are accustomed. Watching smaller acts will be more commonplace and the participants will leave with memories and a smile on their faces. Instead of being a festival that people go to listen to their favorites, it’ll instead be one where they can find new favorites. To those who have given up on Bonnaroo, give it one more chance. Don’t look at it from a mainstream act lens; instead see it as a place where you can go and discover new music, as well as have a good time.

Hopefully, this year will see better ticket sales than the disastrous year of 2016, which only had 45,000  in attendance. I am predicting better ticket sales based on the new lineup. 

The festival starts on June 7 and ends June 10.