Roo Are You? (I Really Wanna Know)
By Croix Provence
Bonnarroooo! Those are the only words you can hear chanted through Manchester, TN come mid-June, along with the echoes of high-fives. The friendliest, positivity-radiating, hippie-lovingest, high-five-ingest music festival in America is releasing it’s lineup early, and wanted fellow Roovians to help out! Roo Clues have been building up for weeks and weeks very tantalizing rumors of a Robert Plant performance), and a stream of fan-released lineup announcements poured out through Bonnaroo’s social media. An interesting, messy, and interactive take on a lineup release… It was enough to get me pumped for The Farm, even though I’ll always be pumped for The Farm. Let’s be real.
Bonnaroo’s 2014 lineup offered music legend Sir Elton John on piano, and an array of headlining greats such as Jack White, Lionel Richie, and Vampire Weekend. Oh yeah, and Kanye West was there, too… Hooray? Better yet, June 2014 featured a smattering of amazing “lower-downs” (and I say that with disbelief) like Slighty Stoopid, Cake, Skrillex, Capital Cities, Broken Bells, Ummmppphhhs (Umphrey’s McGee), Cage The Elephant, Janelle Monae, Mastadon, John Butler Trio, and A Tribe Called Red (which has been my musical obsession since January of last year, and you all need to listen to NDN Stakes and Electric Pow Wow Drum right now). How do bands that good even get pushed halfway down the list, or lower? Because it’s a strong, amazing lineup, that’s how! Whatchya got for us during June 11-14, Bonnaroo?
Bonnaroo’s 2015 lineup.
Let me begin with these three thoughts. The first thought: OH MY GOD ROBERT PLANT IS HAPPENING. Second thought: In what universe is Deadmau5 a higher headliner than the singer from Led Zeppelin? No universe of mine! Third: Bonnaroo is creeping farther and farther away from their musical origins, and I feel it is both good and bad. We can discuss this some other time; let’s break down this lineup!
Big ups to Bonnaroo for landing Billy Joel to carry the piano-jamming headliner’s torch! His tour schedule was opening up and left ample space for The Farm, so I was hoping he would be booked. Yay! Also, I’m glad that Mumford And Sons is booked, seeing as last year the indie folk group had to drop out last minute due to a band member’s health. Now that everyone’s good, they are sure to put on a great show! … Then there’s Deadmau5. Sure, the lights will be cool, but there’s only so much house I can take, especially with last year’s addition of the Kalliope stage. You’ll find me breaking my neck at Bassnectar’s show instead, getting a big fat dose of wubbity-wubs (and beats that actually change). Kendrick Lamar’s rapping and hip hop nuances will please some, but Childish Gambino will be on the property and will sooner blow your mind with clever lyrics, deeper meaning, better beats, and a great visual show. Florence And The Machine will certainly be making their rounds this year, and what better place than Bonnaroo for the indie pop princess? I’m not huge on her, but I respect her, and perhaps need to listen to more F&TM that isn’t on the radio. But guys… Robert Plant… Sensational Space Shifters or not, Robert Plant will be on The Farm. *Heavy breathing* What makes it even better is that blues rock band Alabama Shakes will be there (read my Coachella article to fully grasp the excitement here). What makes it even better is that Brittany Howard is their super-incredible and soulsy singer, and that she covered Led Zeppelin at Bonnaroo two years ago with Bustle In Your Hedgerow, and now she and Robert Plant might potentially Superjam together… Giving myself goosebumps. My Morning Jacket is getting around this summer as well, spreading their eccentric and awesome brand of rock around America. Let’s skip ahead a bit: Slayer. Holy hell, this is a weird place for Slayer to be playing, but then again, Bonnaroo hosted Mastadon last year, which rocked, but that show was also out of place. I’m not complaining; I’ve been waiting to see Slayer since age fifteen. Let’s get weird.
Truly, there are so many big names this year that for me to break them all down will bore you to happy tears, so make sure to see these guys in addition to the guys above: Flume (electronica), Ben Folds (alt rock/pianist), STS9 (instrumental rock/funk), Ed Helm’s Bluegrass Situation Superjam (take a guess), Earth Wind And Fire (disco), Moon Taxi (indie prog-rock), Glass Animals (indie rock), Gramatik (glitch hop), Dopapod (everything), Between The Buried And Me (death metal), and Awolnation (electronic rock).
It’s certainly a diverse lineup for Bonnaroo, I’ll give them that. And it’s certainly got modern and classic big-hitters. If nothing else, just hang in the comedy tent and laugh until you pass out. If you’ve never been, the goodness of the people there is reason enough to cough up the $300+ for general admission. I don’t know about you, but to me this is a blend of so much awesome and so much confusion that rating it will be hard. Eh, I’ll make it work. On the Croix scale from Bad to Bad-Ass, Bonnaroo 2015 is looking pretty:
Overall: Sweet
The headliners, though they don’t all do it for me, are definite wins. Even halfway down the list are bands that are worthy of headlining! Definitely something for everyone this year on The Farm, ranging from death metal, indie pop. Looks like Bonnaroo is set to host a pretty sweet festival, so I’ll see you (and my husband Robert Plant and my queen Brittany Howard) on The Farm! Make sure to give me a high-five on Friday!
Croix Provence, abridged: Singer. Actress. Model. Dork. Snack enthusiast. Freelance writer. Music lover. Comic Con freak. Adrenaline junkie. Short sentence sorcerer. Follow @CroixProvence on Twitter and Instagram, and like Croix Provence on Facebook.
