BONNAROO LINEUP REVIEW

Finally, the great and diverse Bonnaroo has announced their lineup. Every year sees a very diverse list of bands, from top to bottom, and 2016 is no different. It’s gotten mixed reviews so far, but honestly, if you’re used to going(like I am) and have a diverse range of likes in musical areas, this lineup has plenty to work with. Let's get started shall we?

Starting at the top, and well so far this is my overall favorite top 3 of any festival. Pearl Jam will continue their history with what is sure to be a great headlining set that could easily last beyond three hours. Personally, they’re one of the important bands from my early years, and they’ve continued to be awesome, so yeah I’m excited. Now to honest,I’m not even slightly a fan of the Grateful Dead, or hippie culture, so that’s a quick pass for me. But the lack of a decent number 2 headliner is fine with me because of the return, finally, of LCD Soundsystem to the farm. This is the biggest draw for me to go back, and finally I’ll get to see James and company have an epic dance party. I just hope the community of Roo embraces them like they should. Many people have been on the “wtf who is this” train as of late, so hopefully they figure it out so we can all dance ourselves clean.

Next though, is a somewhat wild and all over the place undercard. There are plenty of awesome choices there, and while there’s a few misses, it’s solid. There’s a lot of mainstream here, but i don’t really judge music by whether it’s well known or not. J.Cole, Ellie Goulding, and Macklemore are all decent, and I’m sure the crowds will love them, but I have to still do some digging(especially with Cole) to see where my interests lays. Macklemore though? He had a few great moments on “The Heist,” but it’s all gambling on his new album being as good, which may or may not happen. Personally I wish he was billed a little lower, but oh well.

Anyway, like I said there’s tons of great bands that you should be excited about. Tame Impala will bend time and space with a special late night set, and hopefully my dreams come true and they schedule Chvrches, LCD and Tame Impala back to back on the Which Stage. That would be simply perfect. Death Cab is there too, M83 will blow up crowds with a epic dance party, Big Grams will continue their festival stops, while Two Door Cinema Club and Band of Horses will both be supporting new albums, I assume. Biggest random acts though? Gotta go with classic vocalist Mavis Staples and  Lamb of God. These two have nothing in common, but it adds to the diverse mix. Personally I’m thrilled about both, so hopefully everyone else is.


Beyond that though, there are tons of bands I Can't wait to explore and investigate: Vince Staples, Blood Orange, St.Lucia, Lettuce, Saint Motel, and various others are all remarkable bands that have been gradually rising in visibility, so yeah, check them out and make the best of your experience. See you on the farm!