One of the most coveted music and arts festival, Bonnaroo, has just announced its highly anticipated lineup. Paul McCartney, Mumford & Sons and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will headline the festival, which will take place June 13-16 in Manchester, Tennessee.
Although the headliners are a bit more mellow and geared towards an older, more classic generation, the lineup is also jam packed with a surprising array of hip-hop performers. The bill includes R. Kelly, the Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, proving that Bonnaroo continues to expand its musical and cultural reach.
Other names such as Grizzly Bear, Wilco, Animal Collective, Pretty Lights and My Morning Jacket front man Jim James, who will perform a solo set and host the annual Superjam, are more fitted to the typical acts that Bonnaroo draws. In total, the four-day festival includes more than 100 acts, including many standup comedians. The full lineup can be found on the official Bonnaroo website.
The first Bonnaroo took place back in 2002 and took inspiration from music festivals in the 1990s including Coachella and England's Glastonbury. The festival sold out in two weeks without any traditional advertising, and by 2003, Bonnaroo had been named one of the top 50 moments in rock & roll by Rolling Stone.
The festival has grown immensely since 2002, spreading its musical horizon over different genres and adding art vendors and comedy acts, making it the ultimate festival of the arts. Although the festival has always catered to many styles of music, its early years were tied closed to jam bands and folk rock. In 2002, headliners included Trey Anastasio, moe. and Widespread Panic. Since then, the festival has certainly progressed, some say in a more commercial direction, but it always includes acts that stay dear to its roots.
In attempt to attract even more people, the festival also features craftsmen and artisans selling unique products, food and drink vendors, an entire tent dedicated to standup comedy, a silent disco, a cinema tent, and a ferris wheel. Since it's evolution, Bonnaroo has been named the "Festival of the Decade" by Consequence of Sound and among the "10 Best Festivals" by GQ Magazine.
Bonnaroo never disappoints and should be on everyone's bucket list. No matter what type of music or lifestyle you're into, there's always something for everyone.
Tickets for this year's festival go on sale Saturday, Feb. 23 at 12 p.m.
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