Bonnaroo 2009 lineup

Several months in the making, down to the wire, this hotly anticipated bad boy was scheduled to be released to press at midnight tonight, EST. Only problem is some of the artists on the lineup already had it, and they didn't know the rules. This was posted about an hour ago (10pm, EST) on TV On The Radio's MySpace page. Whoops.



 

Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The eighth annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 11 - 14 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. Every year Bonnaroo seeks to make history by offering unique and exclusive performances by rock's greatest legends as well as its most significant newcomers. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2009 lineup will total over 120 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Tickets go on sale exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com on Saturday, February 7 at 12:00 PM Eastern.

Official festival website is www.bonnaroo.com

2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Confirmed Artists:
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Phish (2 Shows)
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails
David Byrne
Wilco
Al Green
Snoop Dogg
Elvis Costello Solo
Erykah Badu
Paul Oakenfold
Ben Harper and Relentless7
The Mars Volta
TV on the Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Gov't Mule
Andrew Bird
Merle Haggard
MGMT
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The Decemberists
Girl Talk
Bon Iver
Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Galactic
The Del McCoury Band
of Montreal
Allen Toussaint
Coheed and Cambria
Booker T & the DBTs
David Grisman Quintet
Lucinda Williams
Animal Collective
Gomez
Neko Case
Down
Jenny Lewis
Santogold
Robert Earl Keen
Citizen Cope
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force
The Ting Tings
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Kaki King
Grizzly Bear
King Sunny Adé
Okkervil River
St. Vincent
Zac Brown Band
Raphael Saadiq
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Crystal Castles
Tift Merritt
Brett Dennen
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Toubab Krewe
People Under the Stairs
Alejandro Escovedo
Vieux Farka Touré
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Cherryholmes
Yeasayer
Todd Snider
Chairlift
Portugal. The Man.
The SteelDrivers
Midnite
The Knux
The Low Anthem
Delta Spirit
A.A. Bondy
The Lovell Sisters
Alberta Cross

I am at a loss. I won't move to hyperbole and claim that this is the greatest festival lineup ever made (that would still have to be the original Woodstock, at least in hindsight). However this has achieved three things simultaneously: it has been the penance for last year's rather lackluster lineup, it has been a swift and powerful volley to their main industry rival, Coachella, and it has raised the bar for American multi-day festivals across the board.

Now, indulge me to enumerate on just what makes this lineup so spectacular.

1. The Boss. Not a huge fan, but clearly one of the greatest and most consistent rock musicians in American history. His band has their own legendary status, and they are known to put on killer shows (the Superbowl halftime didn't do them justice).

2. Phish. Reunion. Two nights. Insider info indicates that this does not mean two headlining spots, but rather one night headlining and one late night show on a different day. Phish continues to be one of my all-time favorite bands, and to see them in action again is a blessing I wouldn't have thought to ask for.

3. The Beastie Boys. Is this Bonnaroo's very first hip-hop headliner?

4. Nine Inch Nails. Have released highly acclaimed albums within the last couple years. Their recent live shows have also gathered a lot of praise for their technical innovation.

5. David Byrne. At worst, he's a loveable kook; at best, he's a genius. I was never expecting to see him return to Bonnaroo after his blazing set in '04, but here we are. I welcome it.

6. Al Green. An honest-to-goodness R&B legend. The Good Reverend. Enough said.

7. Snoop Dogg. This will be entertaining at the very least.

8. The Mars Volta. Irascible and unpredictable, this band is heavy and spacey and avant-garde and will do what other bands would be scared to try. Thank you for pushing rock ahead as an art form.

9. Merle Haggard. Are you kidding me? Merle?!

10. of Montreal. I saw them once, in late 2007. They had set-pieces, costumes, fencing, partial nudity and more. Supposedly their live show has gotten exponentially crazier.

11. Animal Collective. Two weeks into January they released the Best Album of 2009 (and that's not just my opinion). Their live shows are more about creating new music than playing their hits. It's a refreshing change of pace.

12. Femi Kuti and the Positive Force. Much like David Byrne, I wouldn't have expected them to return, but here they are. Femi fills his father's shoes nobly and ably. A wild time.

13. Bon Iver. He is responsible for my favorite album of 2008. You write beautiful songs, and I will be captivated when you release your soft falsetto to mingle with the summer breeze.

14. TV on the Radio, Erykah Badu, Girl Talk, Andrew Bird, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, St. Vincent, Kaki King, Lucinda Williams and Booker T are all superb undercards.

There are many others I haven't even mentioned, and I really should, but will refrain for your sake. If you read my Bonnaroo 2008 recaps at all, and at any point the thought passed through your mind that it might be fun to go one day, just imagine that fun of a time PLUS this awesome of a lineup. C'mon, you know you want to.