Check out the festival’s schedule right here
About a week ago, the Manchester, TN-based festival announced its schedule for the crazy weekend about to happen. Until I looked at the schedule I did not realize how many good bands are playing at Bonnaroo this year, but man, there are a lot. There are also a whole lot of bands playing at the exact same time which is frustrating. But Jake Causey and I will both be there to supply fantastic reviews of all the bands we see and I am sure we will see a lot of them.
I got to listen in on a fantastic press conference featuring Jack Antonoff from fun. and Leslie Feist regarding Bonnaroo and they had some great things to say about Bonnaroo and festivals in general. One of my favorite parts of the interview was when Jack said “I think everything about Bonnaroo is strange”. I’ve never heard a truer statement. Bonnaroo is the strangest, most magical thing that happened to me last year. Last year I volunteered at the festival so I was on that farm for a whole week. I’m pretty sure I did not even truly exist after being there for that long. I am very excited to see what being there for just the weekend is like. I’m sure I will have a lot more energy to check out as many bands as possible.
Jack Antonoff is both the lead guitarist for fun. and the singer and lead guitarist for the band Steel Train. During the conference he mentioned a number of times how his 2005 performance was “probably [his] favorite experience of all time”, and he’s been playing music for a long time, so that’s a pretty big deal. He mentioned that he has an unparalleled excitement for this year’s festival and that fun. are going to stray from what they usually do at their shows. He wants to have “the best show of the year” with surprises for everyone watching.
Feist also mentioned how excited she was for the show due to music festivals’ unpredictability. She mentioned how sometimes – since the band do not get soundchecks – the sound completely does not work at festivals and it keeps the band on their toes throughout their set. I for one am very excited to see Feist. I saw her back in 2008 and it was a magical experience. Her voice is something else.
Bonnaroo 2012 is almost sold out so if you were postponing buying tickets, I would do it right now! I am already packing and preparing for the festival. I’ve got about 6 liters of sun screen, a tanktop, and some gym shorts. I think I’m good. Personally I am looking forward to see Radiohead, Michael Kiwanuka, Ben Howard, Alabama Shakes, and obviously fun. and Feist. Last year’s festival was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I am hoping that this year will be even better.
You can buy tickets, check out the lineup, and find all the information you need on Bonnaroo’s official website.
