The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has just released their 2020 lineup with Tool, Lizzo, and Tame Impala headlining the event in Manchester, Tennessee from June 11-14.
Social media reactions have been polarizing overall. The younger demographic that has only attended the event from 2010-2020 seem to be happy with the lineup, but the older demographic that attended from 2002-2009 appear to feel let down by the pop music influx.
As a person that has attended during both of these time frames, I find the lineup to be above average overall.
Bonnaroo Headliners
One of few gems that jumped out at me right away was the headlining spot for Tool. Their recent national tour in 2019 was amazing. It fits perfectly with the crowd and atmosphere of Bonnaroo.
Lizzo getting a headlining spot could be seen as too much too soon, but after seeing her perform at Voodoo Fest 2018 in New Orleans, this does not surprise me at all. 2019 was a big year for Lizzo, and it is the right spot for her on the bill.
Tame Impala has been to Bonnaroo before and continues to win over audiences. I find their material a little downbeat overall for my taste, but the younger demographic loves their sound and style.
Noteworthy Acts
Oysterhead is collaborative group featuring bassist Les Claypool of Primus, guitarist Trey Anastasio of Phish and drummer Stewart Copeland of The Police. When Bonnaroo first started making waves in 2002, the festival captivated large-scale audiences without big name pop acts, but primarily featured bands that would cross-pollinate together on stage. That energy will be back on the farm in a big way with Oysterhead.
Superjam featuring Sylvan Esso will be an interesting set of live music. I’ve seen them before at Bonnaroo, and their creativity will align well with past Superjams.
Run the Jewels is one of the acts that was previously announced for Coachella, and I mentioned that they should be headlining material. The independent hiphop stars continue to intrigue audiences worldwide.
Bassnecter, Flume, and Tipper will be bringing a heavy dose of electronic music to Manchester. The younger demographic will get to see these acts on a large stage, but as far as the undercard and electronic music, I feel the lineup is lacking overall.
Breakout Sets
One of the greatest parts about Bonnaroo is the up-and-coming bands that get to feature their music to large-scale audiences. In the past bands like My Morning Jacket, Jack Johnson, Galactic, Mumford and Sons, Avett Brothers, Pretty Lights, Odesza, as well as many others have been able to increase their fanbase by delivering home run live sets at Bonnaroo.
Billy Strings is an acoustic band that continues to rise to the occasion during festivals and live shows. Their set at Bonnaroo 2020 will be another scorching hot set. The band is based out of Nashville, and will be looking to showcase their sound on stage.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have been selling out venues across the United States in 2019 and moving into 2020. Their iconic rock sound will mesh in well with the other the musical genres at the festival.
Scope out Bonnaroo’s main website for tickets and additional information. Tune in to their Spotify playlist selections to stream featured music.
