CLEVELAND, Ohio – Each year Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Coachella and other festivals duke it out to see who can boast the best lineup, in hopes of drawing hundreds of thousands of music fans from around the country for a once in a lifetime experience.
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, held in Manchester, Tenn., has been producing mind-blowing lineups since 2002. This year's lineup, announced Thursday, features Kanye West, Elton John, Vampire Weekend, Jack White and more. That's impressive, but where does it rank in the festival's history.
We rank Bonnaroo's lineups from 2002 to 2014. What's your favorite?
1. 2008
Top acts: Pearl Jam, Metallica, Kanye West, Widespread Panic, Willie Nelson, Chris Rock, B.B. King, Levon Helm, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Phil Lesh & Friends
Breakdown: This was Bonnaroo's first super lineup. The headliners were proven legends. However the festival also featured artists that were at their peak or soon to be stars like Kanye West, The Avett Brothers, M.I.A., Vampire Weekend, MGMT and Mastodon.
2. 2009
Top acts: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Beastie Boys, Phish (two shows), Al Green, Public Enemy, Wilco, Nine Inch Nails, Snoop Dogg, Elvis Costello, Erykah Badu
Breakdown: Bonnaroo 2009 was marred by massive thunderstorms that produced a lot of mud. Still, the lineup was amazing. Much like 2008, the headliners speak for themselves, but 2009 also produced the festival's best collection of indie-rock artists with the likes of Coheed & Cambria, Passion Pit, TV on the Radio, Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phoenix, Girl Talk, Bon Iver and MGMT.
3. 2010
Top acts: Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Weezer, Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Conan O'Brien, Damien Marley & Nas, The Flaming Lips (performing "Dark Side of the Moon")
Breakdown: It marked the end of an amazing three-year run. 2010's top-tier acts rank up there with any grouping Bonnaroo has produced. The second-tier was no slouch either with The xx, Tenacious D, Phoenix, The National, LCD Soundsystem, The Black Keys, Gwar, Jimmy Cliff and others.
4. 2003
Top acts: The Dead, James Brown, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Widespread Panic, The Flaming Lips, Ben Harper, The Allman Brothers Band.
Breakdown: Bonnaroo picked up steam fast, bringing in heavy-hitters for year two, including My Morning Jacket, The Flaming Lips, Neil Young & Crazy Horse and Sonic Youth. The festival also featured emerging artists on the rise like Jason Mraz, The Roots and Gavin DeGraw. The big standout here was the iconic James Brown who would pass away just three years later.
Top acts: Eminem, Arcade Fire, Lil Wayne, The Strokes, The Black Keys, Buffalo Springfield, Mumford & Sons, Robert Plant & Band of Joy
Breakdown: It was the best hip-hop lineup Bonnaroo ever posted, with arguably the two biggest rappers of the 2000s as headliners. The rock lineup was a little weak, especially on the final day. Organizers chose to focus on bringing back acts whose prime had passed, giving fans the chance to cross artists like Buffalo Springfield and The Strokes off their bucket list. Hidden gems included Gary Clark Jr., Robyn and J. Cole.
6. 2013
Top acts: Paul McCartney, Wilco, Wu-Tang Clan, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Nas, Bjork, R. Kelly, Jack Johnson
Breakdown: Last year's Bonnaroo was big on nostalgia. That's not a band thing. The festival did capitalize on younger acts, landing Kendrick Lamar, The Vaccines, HAIM, Charli XCX, The Lumineers and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
7. 2014
Top acts: Elton John, Kanye West, Jack White, Lionel Richie, Vampire Weekend, The Avett Brothers, Skrillex
Breakdown: This year's festival finds a balance between nostalgic acts (Elton John, Lionel Richie, Lauryn Hill, Ice Cube, Bobby Womack) and current big names (Kanye West, Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, Jack White). There's also a serious dance element with Skrillex hosting a "SuperJam' and Disclosure dropping by.
8. 2006
Top acts: Radiohead, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Beck, Phil Lesh and Friends, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt
Breakdown: The headliners were solid, but this was the year when Bonnaroo really began to focus on rounding out specific genres, from emo bands (Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Folds) and indie-rock (Cat Power, Andrew Bird, Devandra Barnhart) to hip-hop (Common, Cypress Hill, Damien Marley) and jam bands (Grace Potter, Rusted Root, Blues Traveler).
9. 2007
Top acts: The Police, Tool, Widespread Panic, The White Stripes, Ben Harper, Wilco, The Flaming Lips
Breakdown: Aside from The White Stripes and The Police, 2007's headliners were heavy on bands that had played the festival before. Still, there were a lot of upstart indie-acts to check out like Franz Ferdinand, Feist, The December, Damien Rice and The National.
10. 2005
Top acts: The Allman Brothers Band, Dave Matthews Band, Alison Krauss and Union Station, De La Soul, Trey Anastasio, Jack Johnson
Breakdown: Attendance in 2005 dropped off a bit, which is not surprising as the number of big-name acts seemed to diminsh. Still, 2005 featured one of Bonnaroo's deepest lineups. Dr. Dog, Modest Mouse, Matisyahu, Earl Scruggs, My Morning Jacket, Bob Weird and RatDog, Trey Anastasio, Rilo Kiley and Kings of Leon, all made appearances.
11. 2012
Top acts: Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Roots, Phish, The Beach Boys
Breakdown: For what it may have lacked in terms of headliners, Bonnaroo 2012 did a great job capturing artists who were surging at the moment, including Kendrick Lamar, Foster the People, The Avett Brothers, Alabama Shakes and Bon Iver.
12. 2004
Top acts: Bob Dylan, The Dead, Wilco, Dave Matthews, David Byrne, Primus
Breakdown: Year three was a bit frontloaded, with Bob Dylan, Wilco and Dave Matthews all playing on the first day. Still, the lineup was very diverse in featuring everyone from Kings of Leon (back when they were more of an indie band), Damien Rice and Los Lobos to Primus, Yo La Tengo and Neko Case
13. 2002
Headliners: Widespread Panic, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Phil Lesh and Friends with Bob Weir, String Cheese Incident
Breakdown: Though new, the festival was a success right from the beginning, selling out in advance with more than 70,000 tickets. The headliners weren't mind-blowing, but it did feature a young Norah Jones months after her debut album, "Come Away With Me," began to pick up steam. The inaugural year was also loaded with bands known to be exceptional live acts like Gov't Mule, Old Crow Medicine Show, Blackalicious and Jurassic 5.
What was your best Bonnaroo experience? Tell us in the comments section.
0 comments:
Post a Comment