It's nearing that time of year again. In what has quickly becomeone of Tennessee's most anticipated festivals, Bonnaroo, will beheld for the third year in Manchester.
The concert will take place June 11-13 and will include actssuch as Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, Ani DiFranco, Pattie Smith andWilco.
The first Bonnaroo festival took place in June 2002 and includedtop 40 artists such as Norah Jones and jam musicians likeWidespread Panic and Trey Anastasio of Phish.
"My partners and I had been talking about doing something likethis for years," said Ashley Capps, president of AC Entertainment."We wanted to do it in the Southeast because my company was basedin Knoxville, and our connections were based in New Orleans. Wewent through a lot of sights in the Carolinas and Tennessee beforesettling on this one. We went to the highest levels of experts inthe business to put on a first class event."
Since then, the Bonnaroo stage has been graced with someimpressive acts, ranging from Sonic Youth to Neil Young in2003.
"If there is a theme to Bonnaroo, it is to bring together bandsknown to be great live acts," Capps said. "It has been possible forus to bring together a lot of American root music such as blues,jazz and bluegrass while also incorporating world music such asreggae all into one great event."
Capps said the music and the experience of the audience are themain goals of the festival.
"What we want is a great experience for people," he said. "Thismeans expanding and adding new surprises."
Besides the musical element, promoters of Bonnaroo have alsoadded a visual element for audience goers.
"Other attractions of the festival have ranged from a classicvideo arcade tent to a Hendrix museum," Capps said. "Some things wehave are visual design. We built a fountain to expand up a motif ofbottle head figures. It creates an element of visual surprise andhelps create a special experience."
The first Bonnaroo tickets are priced at $139.50 each; afterthose sell out, the price will go up to $164.50. The ticket pricecovers a three-day pass to the festival and parking and campingexpenses.
Sophomore Mason Chumpia, biology major, said it will be reallyworth the drive to Manchester, to see Wilco.
"I saw Wilco when they came to Memphis last year, and they are alive act that can't be missed," he said. "I'm also really lookingforward to seeing Bob Dylan. The guy is a living legend, and theopportunity to see him comes around only once in awhile."
Capps said there are so many artists to see this year that itwould be nearly impossible to catch them all.
"I'm looking forward to all of it," said Capps. "We have so manyacts out there, it's difficult to see everything. I'm very excitedto have Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson out there -- they are some ofthe greatest artists in American music. David Byrne is playing thisyear. Dave Matthews and Friends are playing. I saw them at MadisonSquare Garden once, and it was incredible. There's a killerbluegrass day going on. We're also hoping there will be a specialstage to highlight up and coming artists."
| Bonnaroo 2004Featured Artists |
| The Dead
Bob Dylan Dave Matthews & Friends Trey Anastasio Willie Nelson David Byrne Primus Burning Spear Ani DiFranco String Cheese Incident Galactic Gov't Mule moe. Yonder Mountain String Band North Mississippi Allstars Hill Country AND MANY, MANY MORE |
