Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Wraps Up 14th Annual Festival With Plenty of Firsts +Photo Hightlights

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Article & Photos By L. Paul Mann www.lpaulmann.com
From August 2015 Vandala Magazine Read in our online flip magazine HERE
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Bonnaroo, the most prestigious and sophisticated music festival in the United States, came to a close Sunday night, June 14th, completing a historic 14 year run. The festival, known for its impromptu jams and all night sets, saw many new first time events and changes to the revered format. The biggest change came this year when Bonnaroo’s co-founders, AC Entertainment and Superfly, sold a controlling share of their beloved operation to Live Nation, the concert promotion giant that also owns more than 60 festivals, including Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza. Live Nation is currently engaged in a corporate takeover war against AEG Live to grab up the last remaining independent festivals. But Bonnaroo’s longtime organizers have said they would retain control of day-to-day operations, insisting the sale will only enhance the scope and quality of the Manchester experience. Local officials are also getting ready for a total of four large music events each year. Bonnaroo already brings some 50 million dollars annually into the tiny Manchester community coffers, so local officials will no doubt be delighted with expanded operations at the concert site.

The most psychical changes to the festival include bigger and better facilities, from more bathrooms and water areas, to larger shade and gathering areas. Everything seemed better organized with plenty of staff on hand to process lines, keep the grounds clean and make sure nearly every set ran on time, like clockwork. Even the weather cooperated with relatively mild temperatures, compared to the normally swampy and sizzling June heat up in Eastern Tennessee. There was also no rain to speak of, keeping the fields from becoming mass mud pits like some of the past years.

The changes to the music have actually been morphing to a more modern, younger fanbase, but as usual keeping in a good mix of almost every pop music genre including, classic rock, country, bluegrass, EDM, Hip Hop, and a little world beat music. Jam band fans may be a little disappointed that the other genres have infiltrated their territory. For instance, this years’ legendary Superjam, included Hip Hop, and EDM artists, as well as Jam band stalwarts. For hard core Jam band fans, probably nothing could top last year’s three hour set anchored by Tedeschi Trucks and featuring a small army of jam band legends, moving in and out of the extended set. But, as the big Superjam the following night showed, there were plenty of eager young fans, for the crossover jam led by EDM star Skrillex, that featured musicians as diverse as the Doors Robbie Krieger, to the Fugees’ Ms. Lauryn Hill. Young music fans are now embracing the jam band experience as a truly versatile mix of musical genres. About the only down side to this years’ Bonnaroo festival was that many of the headliners had their sets shortened to be more in line with other music festivals, leaving only the biggest closing acts with the coveted two hours plus time slots. This, of course didn’t apply to this year Superjam, which lasted nearly three hours. This year saw the first main stage headline show by an EDM star, Deadmau5 and a Superjam, that by any account, was a unique one off of musical genius. Whether the new changes at Bonnaroo will make for a better or worse festival will ultimately be decided by the music fans who chose whether or not to face the grueling festival ordeal to witness history being made.

Read Each Day – Wrap up, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4,